Shuangbai Wan from the Wei Family's Transmitted Formulas: Treating Frequent Urination

"Shuangbai Wan" ("Twin-White Pills") was originally an empirical formula of a man named Zhu Shutong, and was included in the Weishi Jiacang Fang (Wei Family's Family-Transmitted Formulas). Its composition is very simple: white Poria (Bai Fuling) and deer-antler ash (Lujiaoshuang), equal parts, ground together into a fine powder; the powder is made into pills with wine-cooked flour paste, formed into pills the size of a phoenix-tree seed. Because both white Poria and deer-antler ash are white, the formula is named "Twin-White Pills."

This formula supplements the kidney and assists yang, secures essence and reduces urination. It is indicated for deficiency of genuine qi in the lower burner leading to turbid urine (bai zhuo), and frequent, copious urination day and night without control. Take 30–50 pills each time, on an empty stomach, washed down with salt water, twice daily.

The composition of Shuangbai Wan is like a simple herb pair. Lujiaoshuang is the dregs left after deer antler has been boiled into gelatin; it has the action of warming yang and tonifying the kidney, and also activates blood and resolves stasis. Shuangbai Wan uses Lujiaoshuang to draw on both of these functions. Lujiaoshuang is milder in nature than deer-antler down (Lurong) and deer-antler gelatin (Lujiaojiao). TCM holds that frequent urination is due to decline of kidney yang, for which yang-warming, kidney-tonifying herbs are needed. Lurong and Lujiaojiao are often used in patients with more severe kidney-yang deficiency and are expensive; substituting Lujiaoshuang is both economical and avoids excessive warming and tonification.

Poria fortifies the spleen and promotes diuresis, and is often used to discharge kidney turbidity. If tonics such as deer antler and prepared rehmannia are not aided by Poria, Alisma, and similar herbs that discharge kidney turbidity, patients may develop an "oily ear" condition—moist discharge in the ear with itching. Adding an appropriate amount of Poria and Alisma eliminates this side effect. Moreover, Poria bidirectionally regulates urination: in those with frequent urination it treats the frequency, and in those with scant urination it treats the scanty flow.

Thus these two herbs together treat frequent urination due to kidney-yang deficiency. This formula has some efficacy against benign prostatic hyperplasia. Modern pharmacological research shows Lujiaoshuang can regulate male androgen levels and also activates blood and resolves stasis, thereby improving the symptoms of prostatic hyperplasia.