《内经》谓∶“肾者作强之官，伎巧出焉。”盖肾之为用，在
男子为作强，在女子为伎巧。然必男子有作强之能，而后女子有伎巧之用也。是以欲求嗣续者，固当调养女
子之经血，尤宜补益男子之精髓，以为作强之根基。彼方书所载助肾之药，若海马、獭肾、蛤蚧之类，虽能
助男子一时之作强，实皆为伤肾之品，原不可以轻试也。惟鹿茸方书皆以为补肾之要品，然止能补肾中之
阳，久服之亦能生弊。惟用鹿角所熬之胶，《神农本草经》谓之白胶，其性阴阳俱补，大有益于肾脏。是以
白胶在《神农本草经》列为上品，而鹿茸止列于中品也。曾治一人，年近五旬，左腿因受寒作疼，教以日用
鹿角胶三钱含化服之。阅两月复觌面，其人言服鹿角胶半月，腿已不疼。然自服此药后，添有兴阳之病，因
此辍服。愚曰∶“此非病也，乃肾脏因服此而壮实也。”观此，则鹿角胶之为用可知矣。若其人相火衰甚，
下焦常觉凉者，可与生硫黄并服。鹿角胶仍含化服之。又每将饭之先，服生硫黄末三
分，品验渐渐加多，以服后移时微觉温暖为度。
《难经》谓命门之处，男以藏精，女以系胞。胞即胞室，与肾系同连于命门。西人之生理新发明家谓其
处为副肾髓质，又谓其处为射精之机关，是中、西之说同也。又谓副肾髓质之分泌素名副肾碱，而鸡子黄中实
含有此物，可用以补副肾碱之缺乏。此说愚曾实验之，确乎可信。方用生鸡子黄两、三枚，调开水服
之，勿令熟，熟则无效。
愚曾拟一强肾之方，用建莲子去心为末，焙熟。再用猪、羊脊髓和为丸桐子大。每服二钱，日两次。
常服大有强肾之效，因名其方为强肾瑞莲丸。盖凡物之有脊者，其脊中必有一袋，即督脉也。其中所藏之液，
即脊髓，亦即西人所谓副肾碱，所以能助肾脏作强。且督脉之袋上通于脑，凡物之角与脑相连，鹿角最大，
其督脉之强可知。是用鹿角胶以补肾，与用猪、羊脊髓以补肾其理同也。
肾主骨。胡桃仁最能补肾。人之食酸 齿者，食胡桃仁即愈，因齿牙为骨之余，原肾主之，故有斯效，
此其能补肾之明征也。古方以治肾经虚寒，与补骨脂并用，谓有木火相生之妙（胡桃属木补骨脂属火），
若肾经虚寒，泄泻、骨痿、腿疼用之皆效，真佳方也。
枸杞亦为强肾之要药，故俗谚有“隔家千里，勿食枸杞”之
语。然素有梦遗之病者不宜单服、久服，以其善兴阳也，惟与山萸肉同服，则无斯弊。
紫稍花之性，人皆以为房术之药，而不知其大有温补下焦之功。凡下焦虚寒泄泻，服他药不愈者，恒服
紫稍花即能愈，其能大补肾中元气可知。久久服之，可使全体强壮。至服之上焦觉热者，宜少佐以生地黄。
然宜作丸散，不宜入汤剂煎服。曾治一人，年过四旬，身形羸弱，脉象细微，时患泄泻，房事不能作
强。俾用紫稍花为末，每服二钱半，日两次；再随便嚼服枸杞子五六钱。两月之后，其身形遽然强壮，泄
泻痿废皆愈。再诊其脉，亦大有起色。且从前觉精神脑力日浸衰减，自服此药后则又觉日浸增加矣。
《黄帝内经》中说：“肾是负责强力工作的官职，技巧由此产生。”大概肾的功能，在男子表现为作强（指性功能强健），在女子表现为伎巧（指灵巧聪慧）。然而必须男子具备作强的能力，之后女子才能发挥伎巧的作用。因此，想要求得子嗣的人，固然应当调养女子的经血，尤其应当补益男子的精髓，以此作为作强的根基。那些医书中记载的辅助肾脏的药物，如海马、獭肾、蛤蚧之类，虽然能暂时帮助男子增强作强之力，但实际上都是损伤肾脏的药物，原本不可以轻易尝试。只有鹿角胶，医书都认为是补肾的重要物品，然而它只能补益肾中的阳气，长期服用也会产生弊端。只有用鹿角熬制的胶，《神农本草经》称之为白胶，它的性质阴阳双补，对肾脏大有益处。因此白胶在《神农本草经》中列为上品，而鹿茸只列在中品。曾经治疗一个人，年龄接近五十岁，左腿因为受寒而疼痛，教导他每天含服三钱鹿角胶。过了两个月再次见面，那人说服用鹿角胶半个月后，腿已经不疼了。但是自从服用此药后，出现了阳事易举的毛病，因此停止服用。我说：“这不是病，而是肾脏因为服用此药而变得壮实。”看这个例子，就可以知道鹿角胶的功效了。如果那个人相火（寄居于肝肾之火）衰微得很严重，下焦经常觉得凉，可以与生硫黄一起服用。鹿角胶仍然含服。另外每次吃饭之前，服用三分生硫黄粉末，根据体验逐渐增加剂量，以服用后过一会儿微微感到温暖为限度。
《难经》说命门的位置，男子用来藏精，女子用来系胞（子宫）。胞就是胞室，与肾系相连并同属于命门。西方生理学新发现者称该处为肾上腺髓质，又说是射精的机关，这是中西说法一致的地方。又说肾上腺髓质的分泌物称为肾上腺素，而鸡蛋黄中确实含有这种物质，可以用来补充肾上腺素的缺乏。这个说法我曾经实验过，确实可信。方剂使用生鸡蛋黄一两到三枚，用开水调服，不要让它煮熟，煮熟了就无效。
我曾经拟定一个强壮肾脏的方子，用建莲子去掉心研成粉末，焙熟。再用猪或羊的脊髓混合做成梧桐子大小的丸药。每次服用二钱，每天两次。常服大有强壮肾脏的效果，因此将方子命名为强肾瑞莲丸。大概凡是动物有脊骨的，其脊骨中一定有一个袋状结构，就是督脉。其中所藏的液体，就是脊髓，也就是西方人所说的肾上腺素，所以能帮助肾脏进行作强功能。而且督脉的这个袋状结构上通于脑，凡是动物的角都与脑相连，鹿角最大，其督脉的强健程度可想而知。因此使用鹿角胶来补肾，与使用猪、羊脊髓来补肾，道理是一样的。
肾主司骨骼。胡桃仁最能补肾。人吃了酸的东西牙齿发软，吃胡桃仁就能痊愈，因为牙齿是骨骼的余气，原本由肾主管，所以有此效果，这是它能补肾的明显证据。古方用它治疗肾经虚寒，与补骨脂配合使用，说有木火相生的妙处（胡桃属木，补骨脂属火），如果是肾经虚寒导致的泄泻、骨痿、腿疼，使用它都有效，真是好方子。
枸杞也是强壮肾脏的重要药物，所以俗谚有“隔家千里，勿食枸杞”的说法。然而素有梦遗毛病的人不宜单独服用、长期服用，因为它善于引起阳事易举，只有与山萸肉一起服用，就没有这个弊端。
紫稍花的药性，人们都认为是房中术的药物，却不知道它大有温补下焦的功效。凡是下焦虚寒导致的泄泻，服用其他药物不愈的，常常服用紫稍花就能痊愈，它能大补肾中元气可知。长期服用，可以使全身强壮。至于服用后上焦感觉热的，应当少量佐以生地黄。然而宜制成丸散，不宜放入汤剂中煎服。曾经治疗一个人，年龄超过四十岁，身形瘦弱，脉象细微，时常患泄泻，房事不能作强。让他用紫稍花研末，每次服用二钱半，每天两次；再随意嚼服枸杞子五六钱。两个月之后，他的身形突然强壮起来，泄泻和痿废都痊愈了。再诊他的脉象，也有很大起色。而且从前觉得精神脑力日渐衰减，自从服用此药后又觉得日渐增加了。
The *Huangdi Neijing* (Yellow Emperor's Inner Canon) states: "The Kidney is the official responsible for strength and vigor, and dexterity arises from it." Generally, the function of the Kidney manifests as "strength and vigor" in men, and as "dexterity" in women. However, it is a prerequisite that men possess the capacity for strength and vigor before women can exert their dexterity. Therefore, those seeking offspring should certainly nourish the menstruation and blood of women, but even more so, they should tonify the essence and marrow of men to serve as the foundation for strength and vigor. The drugs recorded in medical texts to assist the Kidney, such as Hippocampus (Sea Horse), Hyracoidea Ren (Hyrax Kidney), and Gecko, although they can temporarily enhance a man's strength and vigor, are actually substances that damage the Kidney and should not be tried lightly. Only Deer Antler Glue (Lujiaojiao) is considered by medical texts to be a key item for tonifying the Kidney; however, it can only tonify the Yang Qi within the Kidney, and long-term use may also produce adverse effects. Only the glue boiled from Deer Antler, referred to as Baijiao (White Glue) in the *Shennong Bencao Jing* (Divine Farmer's Materia Medica), possesses properties that tonify both Yin and Yang, greatly benefiting the Kidneys. Therefore, Baijiao is listed as a superior grade in the *Shennong Bencao Jing*, while Deer Antler is only listed in the middle grade. I once treated a person nearing fifty years of age who suffered from pain in his left leg due to cold invasion. I instructed him to dissolve and swallow three qian of Deer Antler Glue daily. After two months, we met again, and he said that after taking Deer Antler Glue for half a month, the leg pain had ceased. However, since taking this medicine, he developed a condition of frequent erections, so he stopped taking it. I said, "This is not a disease, but rather the Kidneys becoming robust due to the medication." From this, the utility of Deer Antler Glue can be understood. If a person has severely deficient Ministerial Fire (Xianghuo) and constantly feels cold in the Lower Jiao, Raw Sulfur (Sheng Liuhuang) can be taken together with it. Deer Antler Glue should still be dissolved in the mouth. Additionally, before each meal, take 3 fen of powdered Raw Sulfur, gradually increasing the dose based on experience, until a slight warmth is felt after some time.
The *Nan Jing* (Classic of Difficult Issues) states that at the location of the Mingmen (Gate of Life), men store essence, and women anchor the Bao (uterus). The Bao is the uterine chamber, connected to the Kidney system and linked to the Mingmen. Western physiologists have newly discovered that this area corresponds to the adrenal medulla, and further stated that it is the mechanism for ejaculation; thus, Chinese and Western theories agree here. It is also said that the secretion of the adrenal medulla is called adrenaline, and chicken egg yolk indeed contains this substance, which can be used to supplement a deficiency of adrenaline. I have experimented with this theory, and it is indeed credible. The prescription uses one to three raw chicken egg yolks, mixed with boiling water for ingestion. Do not let them cook; if cooked, they will be ineffective.
I once formulated a prescription to strengthen the Kidneys, using Jian Lotus Seeds (Jian Lianzi) with the hearts removed, ground into powder, and roasted. Then, mix with pig or sheep spinal cord to make pills the size of paulownia seeds. Take two qian per dose, twice daily. Regular use has a significant effect in strengthening the Kidneys, so I named this prescription Qiangshen Ruilian Wan (Kidney-Strengthening Auspicious Lotus Pill). Generally speaking, any animal with a spine must have a pouch-like structure within the spine, which is the Du Mai (Governing Vessel). The fluid stored within is the spinal cord, which is also what Westerners call adrenaline, thus assisting the Kidneys in performing functions of strength and vigor. Moreover, the pouch of the Du Mai connects upwards to the brain. In all animals, horns are connected to the brain; deer antlers are the largest, indicating the strength of their Du Mai. Therefore, using Deer Antler Glue to tonify the Kidneys follows the same principle as using pig or sheep spinal cord to tonify the Kidneys.
The Kidney governs the bones. Walnut Kernel (Hetao Ren) is best at tonifying the Kidneys. When people eat sour foods and their teeth become soft, eating walnuts cures it, because teeth are the surplus of bone, originally governed by the Kidney, hence this effect. This is clear evidence of its ability to tonify the Kidneys. Ancient formulas use it to treat deficiency-cold of the Kidney Meridian, combined with Psoralea Fruit (Buguzhi), claiming the wonder of Wood generating Fire (Walnut belongs to Wood, Buguzhi belongs to Fire). For deficiency-cold of the Kidney Meridian causing diarrhea, bone flaccidity, and leg pain, it is effective, truly an excellent formula.
Goji Berry (Gouqi) is also an important herb for strengthening the Kidneys, hence the folk saying, "Do not eat Goji berries if you live a thousand miles away from your neighbor." However, those prone to nocturnal emissions should not take it alone or for a long time, as it tends to stimulate erections. Only when taken together with Cornus Fruit (Shanzhuyu) does it avoid this drawback.
The nature of Zixiaohua (Cibotium Barometz Stamen) is often regarded by people as an aphrodisiac drug, unaware of its great merit in warming and tonifying the Lower Jiao. For diarrhea caused by deficiency-cold of the Lower Jiao that does not respond to other medicines, taking Zixiaohua often leads to recovery, demonstrating its ability to greatly tonify the Yuan Qi (Original Qi) of the Kidneys. Long-term use can make the whole body strong. If heat is felt in the Upper Jiao after taking it, add a small amount of Rehmannia Root (Sheng Dihuang). However, it should be made into pills or powders, not decocted in soup. I once treated a person over forty years old who was emaciated, with a fine and subtle pulse, suffering from occasional diarrhea and inability to perform sexual functions vigorously. He was instructed to take powdered Zixiaohua, 2.5 qian per dose, twice daily; and casually chew 5-6 qian of Goji Berries. After two months, his physique suddenly became strong, and both diarrhea and flaccidity were cured. Upon re-examination, his pulse had significantly improved. Furthermore, whereas he previously felt his spirit and mental power declining day by day, since taking this medicine, he felt them increasing day by day.