The Many Uses of Wuji Baifeng Wan
Wuji Baifeng Wan (Black-Boned Chicken White-Phoenix Pill) is a famous gynecologic formula. Many know it as the classic formula for common women's diseases such as menstrual irregularity, uterine bleeding and leukorrhea, but few know it has many other "clever uses."
The prescription comes from the Tianjin section of the National Collection of Chinese Patent Medicine Prescriptions. Its composition is: renshen (Ginseng, rhizome removed), lujiaojiao (Corn Cervi Colla), and baishao (White Peony), each 4 kg; danggui (Angelicae Sinensis Radix) 4.5 kg; shengmuli (Ostreae Concha) 1 kg; gancao (Licorice) 1 kg; shenghuangqi (raw Astragalus) 1 kg; zhibiejia (processed Turtle Carapace) 2 kg; danshen (Salviae Miltiorrhizae Radix) and cuxiangfu (vinegar Cyperi Rhizoma), each 4 kg; tiandongmen (Asparagi Radix) 2 kg; sangpiaoxiao (Mantidis Oötheca) 1.5 kg; and 32 black-boned chickens (completely defeathered, eviscerated, claws removed, net weight over 21 kg).
Put the above herbs together with 42 kg of Shaoxing yellow wine in a crock (or a rustproof bucket), seal the mouth tightly, and steam over water until the wine is exhausted. Then crush lujiaoshuang (deglinated deer antler) 1.5 g, shudihuang (Rehmanniae Radix Praeparata) 8 kg, shengdihuang (Rehmanniae Radix Recens) 8 kg, chuanxiong (Chuanxiong Rhizoma) 2 kg, yinchaihu (Stellariae Radix) 800 g, qianshi (Euryales Semen, bran-fried) 2 kg, and shanshanyao (raw Dioscoreae Rhizoma) 4 kg into a coarse powder; mix this with the steamed herbal material, stir evenly, and sun-dry. Grind everything into a fine powder, and with refined honey make pills, each weighing 10.5 g, sealed in wax. Twice daily, take one pill each time, washed down with plain boiled water.
Wuji Baifeng Wan tonifies qi and nourishes blood, and regulates the Chong and Ren vessels. It is indicated for women with dual deficiency of qi and blood: menstrual irregularity, menstrual abdominal pain, incessant leukorrhea, pain in the lower back and legs, limb edema, postpartum weakness, fever and night sweating. Today it is also used for chronic prostatitis, male semen liquefaction disorder, thrombocytopenic purpura, leukopenia after radiotherapy or chemotherapy in tumor patients, occult nephritis, mammary hyperplasia, alopecia areata, and lumbar intervertebral disc herniation—its indications now extend far beyond gynecology.
Modern pharmacological research shows Wuji Baifeng Wan has sex-hormone-like activity, modulating both estrogenic and androgenic hormones. When given by mouth to experimental mice, the weight of the female uterus increased, and in males the prostate and seminal vesicles gained weight, as did the levator ani muscle. Wuji Baifeng Wan also causes atrophy of the mouse thymus, has a protective effect on immature rats whose adrenals were removed, and shows mineralocorticoid-like activity. It can also regulate blood lipids and anti-atherosclerosis, and has liver-protective, blood-nourishing, hemostatic, anti-osteoporosis, immunity-enhancing, anti-inflammatory and analgesic effects.
In Wuji Baifeng Wan, renshen, lujiaojiao, danggui, shenghuangqi, tiandongmen, black-boned chicken, shudihuang, lujiaoshuang, shengdihuang, chuanxiong, qianshi, shanyao and sangpiaoxiao are all tonifying herbs, so the formula is mainly a tonic. According to traditional TCM theory, the tonics in the formula cover nourishing yin, yang, qi and blood, and the kidney—making it an all-around tonic. Danshen activates and nourishes blood; cuxiangfu moves qi; shengmuli and zhibiejia soften hardness and dissipate nodules while also being tonifying; gancao harmonizes the other herbs, fortifies the spleen and boosts qi. Together these herbs form a prescription that supports the righteous qi and dispels pathogen, with emphasis on supporting the righteous.
But Wuji Baifeng Wan is not suitable for patients with gynecologic tumors or prostate tumors caused by over-expression of estrogen or androgens, because its sex-hormone-modulating effect antagonizes the endocrine therapy these patients receive and would backfire.