Fu Zi (Zhi) Granules (12:1), 100g

Zhi Fu Zi (Prepared Aconite Root) is a potent herb in the Warm Interior and Expel Cold category; Restores Devastated Yang; Supplements Fire and Fortifies Yang; Disperses Wind, Cold, and Dampness; Warms Ming Men Fire and assists Heart, Kidney, and Spleen Yang.

Fu Zi (Zhi) Granules by Active Herb deliver a concentrated 12:1 extract of Radix Aconiti Lateralis Preparata (Prepared Aconite Root), one of the most powerful Yang-restoring herbs in the Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) materia medica. Each batch is processed according to traditional methods and further cooked during extraction to reduce toxicity. The finished product is tested for toxic alkaloid content (aconitine, hypaconitine, and mesaconitine) to confirm levels remain well below the safety threshold established by China Pharmacopoeia. Each granule batch is composed of 80% extract and 20% dextrin, with a concentration ratio of 12:1.

TCM Herb Profile: Zhi Fu Zi 

In the framework of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Fu Zi (Zhi) is classified as acrid, sweet, very hot, and toxic. It enters the Heart, Kidney, and Spleen channels. It is one of the foremost herbs for interior Cold due to Yang Deficiency and is widely used, especially when the pattern involves interior Cold of this etiology.

Key TCM Actions

• Restores Devastated Yang and rescues from rebellion: Used for Devastated Yang presenting with diarrhea containing undigested food, chills, cold extremities, and a faint, almost imperceptible pulse — conditions that often arise as a result of severe vomiting, diarrhea, or sweating.
• Warms Ming Men Fire and assists Heart, Kidney, and Spleen Yang: Addresses Heart Yang Deficiency, Spleen Yang Deficiency, and Kidney Yang Deficiency.
• Disperses Cold and Dampness, warms the channels and stops pain: Applied in Wind-Damp-Cold Bi, Cold blocking the organs, channels, bones and Blood vessels, and Yin flat abscesses.

Clinical Notes

• This herb is injected in clinical settings for shock or heart failure. It is critical in these situations because it both assists Heart Yang to unblock the vessels and improves circulation, while also tonifying Kidney Yang to augment Fire and prevent loss of source Yang.
• This herb has a downward nature and is able to dispel pathogenic factors between the Exterior and Interior. It circulates in the 12 meridians and rescues Yang Qi which has been lost, leading medicine to the blood vessels which may nourish the Blood.
• Upward, it nurtures the Heart; in the middle it nurtures the Stomach; and downward it strengthens the Kidney Yang.
• Aconite is said to "waken the Yang," activating the metabolism, producing Heat, removing stagnant water, tonifying the cardiac muscle, and strengthening the Urinary Bladder.
• One major source attributes six functions to this herb: (1) remove Cold; (2) relieve epigastric mass; (3) warm and nourish the viscera; (4) heal diverse Wind conditions; (5) alleviate Qi Stagnation; (6) stop abdominal pain due to Cold.
• This herb is said to cure carbuncles and pyogenic infections. It has been shown to inhibit the growth of live and proliferative Stomach cancer cells, and has demonstrated effectiveness in treating Stomach, esophageal, Liver, Colon, and rectal cancers.
• To treat polyps, one traditional method calls for soaking 5 pieces in wine for three days and using the liquid to wash the polyp three to four times a day.

Processing and Forms

In its unprocessed form, this herb is very toxic. It is usually prepared with salt, brown sugar, or bleached with water or sulfur to reduce toxicity. One method of processing leaves the herb black, called "black aconite" Hei Fu Zi, which focuses the action on the Kidneys. Another method produces "white aconite" Bai Fu Zi, used for treating Bi pain. The untreated "fresh" form, Sheng Fu Zi, is reserved for emergency situations or topical use and is rarely used today.

Baked Aconite Accessory Root (Bao Fu Zi) is slightly less toxic and primarily warms the Spleen and Kidneys; it is used for Cold pain in the epigastrium and abdomen, nausea and diarrhea due to Deficiency Cold. Bland Aconite Accessory Root (Dan Fu Zi) no longer numbs the tongue, is much less toxic, and is the standard form for rescuing Yang, dispersing Cold, warming and unblocking the channels and collaterals, and tonifying Ming Men Fire.

Cornu Rhinoceri Xi Jiao, Sm. Phaseoli Lu Dou, and Flos Lonicerae Jin Yin Hua are used to reduce the toxicity of this herb. The effects of Fu Zi depend on the construction of the formula; it is generally combined with other moisture-moving herbs. The main root is Wu Tou (discussed under analgesics); the branch root is Fu Zi. When there is no branch root and only the sole root, it is called Tian Xiong, which is milder than Fu Zi.

Herb Comparisons

• Zhi Fu Zi vs. Rz. Zingiberis (Gan Jiang): Both treat Devastated Yang. Zhi Fu Zi warms and tonifies Kidney and Spleen Yang with less localized, more immediate effects. Gan Jiang is more suited to the treatment of Spleen and Stomach Deficiency Cold and has a relatively long-lasting effect.
• Zhi Fu Zi vs. Cx. Cinnamomi Cassiae (Rou Gui): Both warm and tonify the Ming Men Fire and treat Yang Deficiency Cold of the Lower Jiao; Zhi Fu Zi is stronger. Both are acrid, warm, and move into the Lower Jiao to tonify Kidney Yang, augment Ming Men Fire, disperse Cold, and treat Cold-Damp Bi. Fu Zi enters all twelve channels and assists the Du channel and is used in cases of Devastated Yang. Rou Gui concentrates on the Heart, Spleen, Liver, and Kidney channels and is not used in cases of Devastated Yang.
• Zhi Fu Zi vs. Radix Aconiti Preparata (Zhi Chuan Wu) vs. Radix Aconiti Kusnezoffii Preparata (Zhi Cao Wu): Zhi Fu Zi is best for treating Cold and can be used with tonifying herbs. Zhi Chuan Wu is best for treating Wind, but its drying nature is excessive and not appropriate to use with tonics. Zhi Cao Wu is collected in the wild and treats severe Wind and stubborn Bi.
• Zhi Fu Zi vs. Cervi Cornu Pantotrichum (Lu Rong) vs. Cx. Cinnamomi (Rou Gui): All three warm the Kidneys and fortify Yang. Zhi Fu Zi and Rou Gui are acrid, harsh, hot, and drying with a strong, rapid effect of warming the Interior, expelling Cold, and assisting Yang tonification — but are only suitable for Kidney Yang Deficiency with Excess Internal Cold and are inappropriate when Jing or Blood is deficient. Lu Rong is sweet, warm, soft, and moistening with a gradual effect that tonifies Yang while moistening Jing and Blood; it is most appropriate for Yang Deficiency with Jing, Blood, and marrow insufficiency and is not suited for expelling Internal Cold.

Toxicity and Safety

Signs of toxic overdose include drooling, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, light-headedness, blurred vision, and numbness in the mouth and extremities. Advanced cases may show premature atrial contractions, dyspnea, tremors, incontinence, stupor, and reduced temperature and blood pressure. A toxic dose is usually far above normal levels (around 15 to 60 gm.). Atropine and lidocaine are effective in treating overdoses. Only processed Fu Zi should be used internally. The daily dose should not exceed 10 gm. per day in strong individuals.

Fu Zi (Zhi) granules are further cooked during the extraction process to reduce toxicity. The content of toxic substances is measured in the finished product to verify levels are well below the safety threshold established by China Pharmacopoeia.

Usage Note

Use single Chinese herbs or herbal extracts with caution. Professional advice is suggested. In TCM, Chinese herbs are mostly combined in the context of formulas to enhance each other's desirable action and to minimize any potential side effect.