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Herbsmith Rx Si Ni Tang is one of the most powerful classical Chinese herbal formulas for critical yang deficiency, recommended by holistic veterinarians to rescue devastated yang, warm the middle burner, and address severe cold and yang collapse patterns in dogs, cats, and horses. Comparable to Aconite, Ginger and Licorice, Four Pillars, and Frigid Extremities Powder, it rescues devastated yang, warms the middle burner, and stops diarrhea. Well suited for pets and horses presenting with severe yang deficiency and yang collapse patterns, with signs such as cold extremities, profound fatigue and weakness, reluctance to move, aversion to cold, cold limbs that do not warm with covering, watery or unformed stool, low body temperature, pale tongue, and the general signs of yang qi failing to warm and circulate throughout the body, including the limbs, middle burner, and interior. Available as a concentrated powder mixed into food; cats and dogs use the Canine Blend, while horses use the Equine/Horse Blend. Dosing varies by species and body weight; because this formula contains Fu Zi (prepared aconite), veterinary authorization and close veterinary supervision are essential, and your authorizing veterinarian will provide specific dosing guidance.
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What It Supports
- Yang rescue and collapse prevention: Rescues the devastated yang using Fu Zi as the principal herb, restoring the yang qi that has collapsed or is on the verge of collapse, and addressing the severe cold extremities, profound fatigue, low body temperature, and loss of yang warmth that characterize the yang collapse pattern in dogs, cats, and horses. Si Ni Tang addresses the most severe end of the yang deficiency spectrum and is used under close veterinary supervision for animals showing signs of critical yang insufficiency.
- Middle burner warming and cold expulsion: Warms the middle burner and expels cold from the interior using Gan Jiang as the principal middle burner warming herb, addressing the cold and deficiency in the spleen and stomach that accompany the yang collapse pattern and produce the watery or unformed stool, abdominal cold, and digestive weakness that arise when spleen yang is too deficient to warm and transform food and fluids.
- Diarrhea resolution from yang deficiency cold: Stops diarrhea arising from spleen and kidney yang collapse and interior cold, addressing the watery or unformed stool that occurs when yang is too deficient to warm the spleen and consolidate the intestines, working alongside the yang-rescuing and middle burner-warming actions of Fu Zi and Gan Jiang to address both the root yang deficiency and the diarrhea manifestation.
- Yang circulation and extremity warming: Promotes the circulation of yang qi throughout the body and into the extremities using the combined warming actions of Fu Zi and Gan Jiang, addressing the cold limbs that give the formula its classical name Si Ni (frigid extremities), and restoring the yang qi's ability to reach and warm the four limbs that have become cold due to yang collapse and failure of yang to circulate from the interior to the periphery.
TCVM Principles
- Primary action: Rescues the yang and prevents collapse using Fu Zi as the emperor herb, the most powerful yang-rescuing and interior-warming herb in the Chinese materia medica, directly addressing the yang collapse root that drives all aspects of the Si Ni pattern including the cold extremities, profuse sweating, watery diarrhea, and profound weakness, restoring the fire at the gate of vitality that is on the verge of extinction.
- Secondary action: Warms the middle burner and expels cold from the interior with Gan Jiang, enhancing and extending Fu Zi's yang-warming action throughout the spleen, stomach, and middle burner while addressing the diarrhea and middle burner cold manifestations; and harmonizes the formula, moderates the harsh and toxic properties of Fu Zi, tonifies the spleen and heart qi, and prevents the formula from over-dispersing with Zhi Gan Cao, making the combined three-herb formula both more effective and safer for sustained use under veterinary supervision.
Available Forms
- Powder - Canine Blend (for dogs and cats): Available in 75 g, 150 g, 500 g, 900 g, and 1200 g sizes; mix into food at the recommended dose for your pet's weight. Cats and dogs both use this blend.
- Powder - Equine/Horse Blend (for horses only): Available in 150 g, 500 g, 900 g, and 1200 g sizes; mix into grain at the recommended dose for your horse.
Suggested Use
For Dogs (Canine Blend Powder):
- Under 30 lbs: ½ tsp twice daily, or as prescribed
- 30-80 lbs: 1 tsp twice daily, or as prescribed
- 80-120 lbs: 1½ tsp twice daily, or as prescribed
- Over 120 lbs: 2 tsp twice daily, or as prescribed
For Cats (Canine Blend Powder): ¼ tsp twice daily, or as prescribed
For Horses (Equine/Horse Blend, 1,000 lb horse): Two tablespoons twice daily for 20 days, then two tablespoons once daily in grain. If the horse initially refuses, start with a small amount mixed into grain and gradually increase until the horse is accustomed to the taste. Most horses will readily accept the herbs in their grain.
Ingredients
Active Ingredients: Fu Zi (Aconiti Radix lateralis), Gan Jiang (Zingiberis Rhizoma), Zhi Gan Cao (Glycyrrhizae Radix preparata)
Inactive Ingredient: Flaxseed
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Active Ingredient TCVM Actions
Si Ni Tang is a three-herb formula of extraordinary potency that rescues yang collapse and warms the interior through a precisely balanced combination of the most powerful yang-rescuing herb in the Chinese materia medica, a principal middle burner warming herb, and a harmonizing and moderating tonic that makes the formula both more effective and safer for sustained therapeutic use:
- Fu Zi (Aconiti Radix lateralis) - Prepared Aconite Root / Lateral Root of Aconite: Emperor herb; rescues devastated yang, warms the kidney and spleen yang, disperses cold from the interior, and warms and unblocks the channels; the most powerful yang-rescuing herb in the Chinese materia medica, directly addressing the yang collapse that is the root cause of the Si Ni pattern including the frigid extremities, profound weakness, low body temperature, and failure of yang qi to circulate from the kidney yang root to the periphery and all interior organs. Fu Zi is prepared (pao fu zi) in this formula to reduce its inherent toxicity while preserving its yang-rescuing potency, and its use requires close veterinary supervision and careful dosing due to its narrow therapeutic window and the serious consequences of overdose. This formula must only be used under the direct authorization and supervision of a qualified veterinarian experienced in TCVM herbal medicine.
- Gan Jiang (Zingiberis Rhizoma) - Dried Ginger Rhizome: Minister herb; warms the middle burner, expels cold from the interior, warms the lung, and stops diarrhea from cold; the principal middle burner warming herb of the formula, working synergistically with Fu Zi to extend and stabilize the yang-rescuing action throughout the spleen, stomach, and lung, warming the middle burner cold that drives the watery diarrhea and digestive weakness component of the Si Ni pattern, and helping to anchor and stabilize the yang qi that Fu Zi has rescued by warming the middle burner from which the yang is distributed to the rest of the body. The classical pairing of Fu Zi and Gan Jiang is one of the most important herbal pairs in the Chinese materia medica for interior cold and yang deficiency.
- Zhi Gan Cao (Glycyrrhizae Radix preparata) - Honey-fried Licorice Root: Assistant and envoy herb; tonifies the spleen and stomach qi, moderates the harsh and potentially toxic properties of Fu Zi, harmonizes the actions of all herbs in the formula, and prevents the over-dispersing action of the warming herbs from depleting the qi and fluids; the essential moderating and harmonizing herb that makes Si Ni Tang both more effective and safer for use, slowing the absorption of Fu Zi's aconitine alkaloids to reduce toxicity risk, tonifying the spleen and heart qi that the yang collapse has depleted, and ensuring the formula's powerful warming action is directed appropriately without causing excessive dispersal of qi and fluids. The honey-fried preparation (zhi) enhances its tonic and harmonizing properties compared to raw licorice.
Potential Drug Interactions
Si Ni Tang contains Fu Zi (prepared aconite), one of the most pharmacologically active herbs in the Chinese materia medica, with known effects on cardiac rhythm, autonomic nervous system function, and neuromuscular transmission through its aconitine alkaloid constituents. Pets on cardiac medications, antiarrhythmic drugs, medications affecting the autonomic nervous system, or any pharmaceuticals with a narrow therapeutic window must use this formula only under direct veterinary supervision, as Fu Zi's aconitine alkaloids can have additive or counteracting effects with cardiac glycosides, antiarrhythmics, beta-blockers, and autonomic medications, and the consequences of drug interaction in a yang-collapsed animal can be serious. Zhi Gan Cao may also affect potassium levels with prolonged use, warranting monitoring in animals on diuretics or cardiac medications.
Medication categories warranting extra caution include cardiac glycosides and antiarrhythmic medications, beta-blockers and calcium channel blockers, diuretics and potassium-affecting medications, autonomic nervous system medications, immunosuppressive medications, and any medications with a narrow therapeutic window where small pharmacokinetic changes could affect safety or efficacy. Your authorizing veterinarian must determine appropriateness based on your animal's condition, current medications, cardiac status, and laboratory results before initiating this formula.
Veterinary Authorization Required - Click Here to Submit Your Authorization Request
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Frequently Asked Questions
What conditions is Si Ni Tang used for in TCVM?
In Traditional Chinese Veterinary Medicine, Si Ni Tang is indicated for yang collapse and severe interior cold patterns, presenting with frigid extremities, profound fatigue and weakness, aversion to cold, low body temperature, watery or unformed stool, pale tongue, and general failure of yang qi to warm and circulate throughout the body. Comparable to Aconite, Ginger and Licorice, Four Pillars, and Frigid Extremities Powder, it addresses the most severe end of the yang deficiency spectrum where yang qi is on the verge of collapse rather than simply deficient, and is one of the most critical formulas in the TCVM materia medica for addressing profound cold and yang insufficiency in dogs, cats, and horses. Because of its potency and the severity of the patterns it addresses, it is used exclusively under close veterinary authorization and supervision.
How is Si Ni Tang administered to dogs, cats, and horses?
Mix the powder directly into food or grain at the dose recommended by your authorizing veterinarian for your animal's species, body weight, and clinical pattern. Dogs and cats use the Canine Blend; horses use the Equine/Horse Blend. Because Si Ni Tang contains Fu Zi (prepared aconite), dosing must be confirmed and supervised by a veterinarian experienced in TCVM herbal medicine, and the standard weight-based dosing guidelines serve only as a starting point subject to veterinary adjustment based on the individual animal's pattern severity and response. Dogs and cats receive the formula twice daily as prescribed; horses receive two tablespoons twice daily for the first 20 days, then once daily, as directed by your authorizing veterinarian.
How long does it take to see results with Si Ni Tang?
Because Si Ni Tang addresses critical yang deficiency and yang collapse patterns, response time varies considerably depending on the severity and chronicity of the pattern. Animals with acute or severe yang collapse may show improvement in extremity warmth, energy, and stool consistency within days to a few weeks of initiating treatment; animals with deep chronic yang deficiency patterns may require 4 to 8 weeks or more to show substantial improvement. Your veterinarian will closely monitor the animal's response and adjust the formula, dose, or treatment plan as the yang is gradually restored and the pattern evolves.
How does Si Ni Tang differ from other yang-warming formulas in TCVM?
Si Ni Tang is distinguished from other yang-warming formulas by its use of Fu Zi as the principal herb and its focus on rescuing yang collapse rather than simply warming yang deficiency. It is more potent than Si Shen San, which addresses spleen and kidney yang deficiency diarrhea without the yang collapse component, and more focused than You Gui Wan or Right-Returning Pill formulas, which tonify kidney yang gradually over time without the emergency yang-rescue action of Fu Zi. Si Ni Tang is indicated for the most severe yang deficiency presentations where rapid yang rescue is needed, and its use requires a higher level of veterinary oversight than most other TCVM formulas due to Fu Zi's potency and narrow therapeutic window.
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