Combining Huangkui Capsules and Yimucao Granules to Treat Kidney Disease
Nephritis (glomerulonephritis) is the most common kidney disease and can be caused by multiple factors. Its clinical manifestations include hematuria, proteinuria, edema, hypertension and renal dysfunction. In TCM this disease is called lin syndrome (stranguria). TCM holds that nephritis is caused by damp-heat pouring downward, so treatment should clear heat and drain dampness, and relieve stranguria and swelling.Chyluria is a disease in which lymph or chyle mixes into the urine, mostly caused by filariasis. Chyle should normally drain into the blood through the normal lymphatic system, but in some patients, because of parasites in the body (mainly filariae), chyle cannot enter the blood system through the normal route; instead it flows backward into the lymphatic vessels of the renal hilum and finally mixes into the urine, making the urine milky white; in some patients the urine even contains pus and blood. TCM also considers this disease to be caused by damp-heat pouring downward, so the treatment is the same as for lin syndrome: clear heat and drain dampness, relieve stranguria and reduce swelling.Treating different diseases by the same method is called treating different diseases with the same method (yi bing tong zhi) in TCM. Nephritis and chyluria are two diseases that can be treated this way. Two patent medicines pair well to treat these two diseases: Huangkui Capsules and Yimucao (Motherwort) Granules.Huangkui Capsules are a patent medicine made from extract of Abelmoschus manihot flower (Huangshukui flower). Abelmoschus manihot flower is also called side calendula flower and mainly contains quercetin, myricetin and other components. The total flavonoids of Abelmoschus manihot flower have a marked analgesic effect and can reduce the pain response induced by KCl in rabbits. Abelmoschus manihot flower also enhances human immunity and has a certain therapeutic effect on myocardial injury, reducing the infarct area in acute myocardial infarction. It also has anti-inflammatory and antipyretic effects and inhibits the formation of new granulomas.TCM holds that Abelmoschus manihot flower promotes diuresis and relieves stranguria, activates blood and stops bleeding, and detoxifies and reduces swelling. It chiefly treats lin syndrome, vomiting of blood, epistaxis, metrorrhagia, retained placenta, abscesses and sores, and scalds and burns. The Dusheng San (Single-Effect Powder) in the Shengji Zonglu (Comprehensive Record of Holy Benevolence), used to treat stone stranguria, is made from one liang of Abelmoschus manihot flower, stir-fried and pounded into powder. Take one qian-fu (about 1-3 g) each time, washed down with rice water before meals. The stone stranguria here also includes urethral stones. The Puji Fang records that this powder can treat pulmonary consumption (tuberculosis) with vomiting of blood.Some clinical trials show that Huangkui Capsules made from Abelmoschus manihot flower extract have a total effective rate of 74.24% for chronic glomerulonephritis and 84.62% for chyluria. Thus Huangkui Capsules can be regarded as a relatively effective medicine for chronic glomerulonephritis and chyluria. However, clinical trials show that Huangkui Capsules have no creatinine-lowering effect.In addition, the decoction of Abelmoschus manihot flower treats oral ulcers, and a medicinal film made from crystallized extract of the flower treats oral leukoplakia; both have some effect.Yimucao (Motherwort) is another herb with good efficacy against kidney disease. It is the whole plant of Leonurus artemisia and Leonurus japonicus of the Lamiaceae, genus Leonurus. As the name suggests (literally beneficial mother herb), it is a specific remedy for gynecological diseases and has the action of activating blood and regulating menstruation, so the package insert for the patent medicine Yimucao Granules emphasizes activating blood and regulating menstruation.But this herb also promotes diuresis and reduces swelling, and clears heat and detoxifies; Motherwort has a protective effect on the kidney. It has a certain preventive and therapeutic effect on early acute tubular necrosis, and protects the kidney during the occurrence and development of gentamicin-induced acute renal failure. Motherwort can improve renal function, increase renal cortical blood flow, reduce or reverse pathological changes such as degeneration and cloudy swelling of tubular cells, and lower creatinine and blood urea nitrogen. I often use Motherwort to treat patients with nephritis and kidney damage, with very good results.These two patent medicines can be used together; the combination treats nephritis and chyluria better than either alone. After combining the two, the patient urine output increases markedly, and cloudy, yellowish urine gradually returns to a normal color. Generally, once the color, odor and volume of urine return to normal, the medicine can be stopped.