"Shenrong Guben Pian": Boosting Qi and Nourishing Blood
The prescription of Shenrong Guben Pian (Ginseng-Pilose Antler Root-Fortifying Tablet) is included in Part One of the Pharmacopoeia of the People's Republic of China (2005 edition). Its composition is: danggui (angelica root) 45 g, shanyao (dioscorea, stir-fried) 60 g, baishao (white peony root, wine-processed) 37.5 g, fuling (poria) 60 g, shanzhuyu (cornelian cherry) 60 g, duzhong (eucommia bark, carbonized) 45 g, gouqizi (lycium fruit) 45 g, mudanpi (moutan bark) 24 g, lurong xue (pilose antler blood) 0.75 g, zexie (alisma rhizome, salt-processed) 18 g, shudihuang (processed rehmannia) 120 g, wuweizi (schisandra fruit) 22.5 g, lurong (pilose antler, hair removed) 2.5 g, tusizi (cuscuta seed, wine-processed) 60 g, and hongshen (red ginseng) 15 g.
Preparation: of these fifteen herbs, crush the pilose antler, pilose antler blood and dioscorea into a fine powder and sift them; decoct the remaining eleven herbs (such as white peony) twice in water, the first time for 3 hours and the second for 2 hours, combine the decoctions, filter, and concentrate the filtrate into an extract. Mix the extract with the above powder, dry, grind, sift, add an appropriate amount of excipients (such as corn starch), mix evenly, granulate, dry, and press into 1000 tablets; sugar-coat the tablets and the product is ready.
Shenrong Guben Pian has the action of boosting qi and nourishing blood. It is indicated for dual depletion of qi and blood with all manner of deficiency and exhaustion, presenting with tinnitus and dizziness, and fatigue of the limbs. On the market there are Shenrong Guben Pian tablets produced by Chinese patent medicine manufacturers, so patients do not have to prepare it themselves. Shenrong Guben Pian is a strongly tonifying formula; in it, renshen (ginseng) and lurong (pilose antler) are both TCM tonics with a relatively potent nourishing action.
The formula of Shenrong Guben Pian is actually a modified version built on Liuwei Dihuang Wan, the classic yin-nourishing TCM formula. Liuwei Dihuang Wan is already highly nourishing, and the added pilose antler and ginseng are even more powerfully tonifying substances. Therefore, patients whose bodies are not weak to a certain degree should not rashly take this formula, because excessive tonification is also no small harm.