Patient's question:
What are the causes of male impotence?Doctor's answer:
Frequent sexual intercourse and masturbation can lead to the depletion of kidney yang, the instability of original yang, commonly known as kidney deficiency, which results in impotence and premature ejaculation. Kidney deficiency can be categorized into yin deficiency and yang deficiency. According to traditional Chinese medicine theory, identifying whether the deficiency is in kidney yin, kidney yang, or kidney qi is crucial before replenishing the kidneys. Blindly supplementing without proper diagnosis can be harmful rather than beneficial. Therefore, individuals with kidney deficiency should seek proper diagnosis and treatment from qualified traditional Chinese medicine practitioners.Generally speaking, those with kidney yin deficiency often experience redness in the face and a feeling of heat in the palms, soles, and heart. Medications for replenishing kidney yin are mostly sweet and cold herbs, such as Dendrobium candidum (shíhú), Polygonatum odoratum (yùzhú), Cornus officinalis (shānzhūyú), Lycium barbarum (gǒuqǐzǐ), and Panax pseudostellatus (xīyángshēn). A representative traditional Chinese medicine for this condition is "Liuwei Dihuang Wan."
Those with kidney yang deficiency, on the other hand, often feel cold, have cool limbs, and exhibit pale facial features. Medications for replenishing kidney yang are mostly hot herbs, such as Aconitum carmichaelii (fùzi), Cinnamomum cassia (ròuguì), and Cervus nippon (lùróng). A representative traditional Chinese medicine for this condition is "Jinkui Shenqi Wan."