Please note that we do not sell directly to individual consumers
Businesses, please Log In to a registered account or Apply for a new business account.

Apply for New Account

To ensure fair access, some purchases of whole herbs, powdered herbs, and extracts are temporarily limited to 5 units per item. For larger orders, please contact customer service. No limits apply to pills or tablets. Free ground shipping with most orders of $199. We will be closed December 25 & January 1.
Aging & Longevity, Pain, Products

Solitary Hermit Teapills Du Huo Ji Sheng Wan

Skye Sturgeon, DAOM |

link to podcast

Originally published October, 2025 by Skye Sturgeon.

Some mornings after a night’s rest, my body is unhappy. My lower back aches, my legs are stiff and creaky, and I am annoyed. Since I am an older man, I guess this is to be expected; I am tired and worn down and the cold rain that fell overnight has crept into my bones. My self-diagnosis is Wind Cold Damp with underlying deficiency. I know just the remedy, Plum Flower® Solitary Hermit Teapills™ /Du Huo Ji Sheng Wan (MW# 3343), also available as an extract/granule. This is my ‘go-to’ formula for my patients, and myself, for this condition. 

solitary hermit

Essential Formulas Worth a Thousand in Gold (Bèijí qiānjīn yàofāng備急千金要方) published in 652CE by the famous Tang-dynasty physician, Sun Simiao. 

Mayway Herbs’ variation*, known as Solitary Hermit Teapills™, is mainly used to treat Wind and Damp invading the Channels with underlying Kidney Deficiency. It is ideal for treating Wind Cold Damp Bi with any underlying deficiencies of the Liver and Kidneys, Qi, and/or Blood. Since the lower back is the House of the Kidneys, the keynote is low back pain. Because Damp and Cold tend to settle downwards, the patient may complain of intermittent, chronic, aching pain and weakness in the low back, hips, knees and/or legs, heavy and painful sensations at fixed spots in the lower body, as well as coldness, stiffness, spasm, pain and possible numbness in the legs, potentially  with difficulty walking. Symptoms may be exacerbated in cold and damp weather, or during weather changes. This may be accompanied by certain deficiency signs including cold intolerance, tremors, dizziness, palpitations, shortness of breath, fatigue, pale complexion, and others. The tongue may be normal or pale or showing other signs of deficiency, and the pulse may be thin, thready, weak, slow, or deep.  

The fourteen herbs in the formula address both the symptoms and the root cause, strengthening the body's vital energy and dispelling pathogenic factors. They work together to Dispel Wind-Cold-Damp, Tonify the Liver and Kidneys, Tonify Qi, Nourish Blood, and stop Bi pain. This prescription is often combined with acupuncture and/or moxibustion to improve lumbar function, mobility, and reduce the aches and pains in the lower back, knees, and joints.  

An analysis of the formula reveals these combinations and relationships:

  • Du huo and Sang ji sheng are the Chief herbs used to dispel Wind and Dampness, nourish Blood, harmonize Qi, and activate Meridians.
  • Huai niu xi, Du zhong, and Shu di huang serve as Ministers to nourish the Liver and Kidneys and strengthen the tendons and bones.
  • Niu xi also serves as a Guide to direct the actions of the herbs to the Lower Jiao.
  • Fang feng and Qin jiao serve as Deputies to expel Wind, Cold, and Damp throughout the body.
  • The remaining herbs act as Assistants: Chuanxiong, Dang gui, and Bai shao nourish and activate Blood circulation. Dang shen, Fu ling, and Gan cao invigorate Qi and strengthen the Spleen, energizing Qi and Blood. Rou gui dispels cold and relieves pain and Zhi gan cao is the Harmonizer.

Herbs in Solitary Hermit™ Teapills / Du Huo Ji Sheng Wan*

PIN YIN NAME BOTANICAL NAME TCM FUNCTION
Sang ji sheng Morus alba stem & leaf Expels Wind-Damp, strengthens sinews and bones, tonifies Liver and Kidney Yin and nourishes the Blood.
Shu di huang Rehmannia glutinosa root-prepared Nourishes Yin and Blood and generates fluids.
Dang shen Codonopsis pilosula root Tonifies the Spleen and Lung Qi. Nourishes the Blood and promotes the generation of Body Fluids. Assists herbs that release the exterior when there is significant Qi Deficiency.
Dang gui Angelica sinensis root Nourishes Blood, invigorates and harmonizes Blood, disperses Cold and stops pain.
Fu ling Poria cocos fungus Promotes urination, leaches out Dampness, strengthens the Spleen and harmonizes the Middle Jiao.
Du huo Angelica pubescens root Releases the Exterior, dispels Wind Cold Damp in the Lower Jiao, bones and sinews. Opens the Channels and stops pain.
Huai niu xi Achyranthes bidentata root Nourishes Liver and Kidney Yin, strengthens the sinews and bones and benefits the joints; Clears Damp Heat in the Lower Jiao causing knee or lower back pain.
Du zhong (yan) Eucommia ulmoides bark (salt-fried) Tonifies the Kidneys and Liver and strengthens sinews and bones. Salt frying guides the entire formula to the Kidneys.
Bai shao Paeonia lactiflora root Nourishes Blood and alleviates pain, especially in chronic Bi Syndrome.
Fang feng Saposhnikovia divaricata root Releases the exterior, expels External Wind, expels Wind-Damp, alleviates pain, expels Internal Wind and stops spasms.
Qin jiao Gentiana macrophylla root Expels Wind Damp, opens the Channels and relaxes the sinews and Collaterals.
Rou gui Cinnamomum cassia bark Warms Kidneys, strengthens Yang, strengthens Ming Men Fire, disperses deep Cold, warms and unblocks the channels and vessels to open the lower back and alleviates pain.
Chuan xiong Ligusticum chuanxiong rhizome Activates Blood, regulates Qi, expels Wind Cold and stops pain.
Gan cao Glycyrrhiza uralensis root Moderates and harmonizes the harsh properties of the other herbs and augments the Qi.

* NOTE: This variation does not contain Xi Xin / Asari due to FDA prohibition.

The dosage guidance for this formula is 8 teapills, 3 x per day, although 12-16 pills may be taken in the initial phases of therapy, and then reduced to a maintenance dose as the formula takes effect. Administer half an hour before or one hour after eating. May be used long-term for several weeks to several months. In cases of chronic deficiency, Solitary Hermit™ Teapills may be used safely over the course of several years, along with additional constitutional remedies. Monitor for signs of Deficiency Heat since the formula is intended to dispel Cold in the Channels and lower back.

This classic Chinese herb formula is very effective when Wind Cold Damp attacks a patient with aches and pain, who is constitutionally deficient. Since many of your patients will experience these symptoms, especially in the fall and winter, Solitary Hermit Teapills™ should be in every practitioner’s herb dispensary.

References

About the Author

Skye Sturgeon, DAOM is the Quality Assurance Manager and Special Consultant for Mayway, USA. Skye was the former Chair of Acupuncture & East Asian Medicine and core faculty member at Bastyr University, core faculty member and Faculty Council Chair at the American College of Traditional Chinese Medicine, and President and Senior Professor of the Acupuncture & Integrative Medicine College, Berkeley. Before making Chinese medicine his career choice, Skye held various positions in the Natural Foods Industry for 12 years and prior to that was a clinical biochemist and toxicologist.

Back to top