When the eyes feel tight and dry

Dry eyes that feel tight at the end of the day, heavy eyelids after long hours of screen time or reading, a feeling of heat in the face in the evening, a dull complexion, drier nails and hair… In TCM, these signs may be associated with Liver and Kidney Yin deficiency, together with insufficient Liver Blood. According to tradition, the eye is the opening of the Liver, the Liver stores Blood, and the Liver draws its Yin from the Kidney: when this chain runs down, the eyes are among the first to feel it.

Ming Mu Di Huang Wan is attributed to the Shen Shi Yao Han (《审视瑶函》) by Fu Renyu (傅仁宇), a physician of the Ming dynasty, published in 1644. It belongs to a well-established lineage: Liu Wei Di Huang Wan, the mother formula of Kidney Yin, then Qi Ju Di Huang Wan, which adds goji and chrysanthemum, then this one, which adds further herbs to nourish Blood and calm the Liver.

Working back up the chain, from the Kidney to the eyes

Its framework is that of Liu Wei Di Huang Wan, which tradition sums up as “three that nourish, three that let flow”: prepared rehmannia, cornelian cherry and Chinese yam nourish; water plantain, poria and tree peony bark lighten, so that the richness of the whole does not weigh heavy. On this base come three additions: Blood, with angelica and white peony; the eyes, with goji and chrysanthemum; the rising Liver, with tribulus.

Nourishes Kidney and Liver Yin: Prepared rehmannia, the most highly dosed herb, deeply nourishes Kidney Yin; cornelian cherry and goji nourish the Liver.

Nourishes Liver Blood: Angelica and white peony form a classic pair: one nourishes Blood and sets it moving, the other holds it and softens the Liver, which stores the Blood that nourishes the eyes.

Supports eye comfort: Goji nourishes from below, chrysanthemum refreshes from above, and tribulus calms the Liver as it rises towards the head: together, they direct the formula towards the eyes.