A commonly used tonic herb in Chinese herbal treatments, Ba Ji Tian, or morinda root in English, is so popular probably because of its special relationship with kidney, an organ linking so closely to libido in Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) theory. Kidney is more than just a common organ in this level and herbalists tend to believe that this important Zu-Fu is intimately related to impotence, infertility and other reproductive health matters. For better understanding of how this herb functions, the concept of kidney in TCM will be the first problem to work out.

What is it used for?
It is acrid, sweet and warm in nature and goes to liver and kidney meridians. Main clinical use and indications are Impotence, spermatorrhea, and Premature Ejaculation due to deficiency of the kidney, lower abdominal cold pain, urinary incontinence, female infertility due to cold uterus, pain and numbness because of wind-cold, soreness and weakness of low back and knee, and rheumatism etc. The usual dosage is from 8 to 12 grams.

Experience on using this herb
Tonifying kidneys and strengthening yang are its two most talked-about clinical usages. In ancient medical literature, there was no clear indication which sex it should be used for. From the record of Ben Cao Gang Mu (Compendium of Materia Medica), seemingly it prefers male. However, there are two recipes of Ba Ji Wan in Ben Cao Gang Mu, one for male and the other for female, which hints that this tonic herb is good for both sexes. Now Pharmacological studies also indicate that this herb mainly promotes the estrogen level. In other words, it gives more priority to females. Proof from applying Er Xian Tang for menopause confirms this verdict too – in this recipe it not only enhances estrogen level but also lowers hypertension.

According to a certain proportion, estrogen and androgen co-exist in human body, regardless of gender. Androgen dominates man body and instead estrogen controls woman body. This fits well with the principle of Yinyang balance. In TCM theory, estrogen is Yin and androgen is Yang. They are source of each other and constantly transform into each other at a balance level, which means when one is more the opposite would be less. This gives us ideas of what to do in practice. As you might know, Ying Yang Huo (Horny Goat Weed), Xian Mao (Golden Eye Grass Rhizome), and Ba Ji Tian (Morinda Root) all impact on hormones level. But the former two mainly act on androgen and the latter on estrogen. The combination of these three would increase both androgen and estrogen. So, what is the optimal proportion? This is a good question but it varies from person to person. To the best of my knowledge, normally man prefers Ying Yang Huo and woman is more suitable for Ba Ji Tian.