ABSTRACT
Zuoguiwan， one of the classic formulas of traditional Chinese medicine （TCM）， has the effects of nourishing genuine Yin， supplementing essence， and replenishing marrow， and it is widely used in the clinical treatment of diseases caused by congenital essence deficiency. This article systematically reviewed the ancient books involving congenital deficiency and the modern research reports on the treatment of congenital deficiency with Zuoguiwan. From the formulation principle of Zuoguiwan and the TCM concept of congenital deficiency， this article discussed the theoretical basis of treating congenital deficiency with Zuoguiwan based on the modern research results. Ancient physicians have discovered that the deficiency of parents can lead to abnormal physical development and weakness of the offspring. ZHANG Jingyue divided congenital essence Qi into genuine Yin and primordial Yang and formulated Zuoguiwan based on the principle of Yin-Yang mutual assistance for supplementing congenital genuine Yin. Experimental studies have shown that Zuoguiwan can up-regulate the expression of connexin 43 （Cx43） protein and improve gap junction intercellular communication （GJIC） function to promote osteogenic differentiation and maturation of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells and ameliorate abnormal bone development caused by congenital essence deficiency. Zuoguiwan can enhance the expression and activity of Reelin to ameliorate abnormal brain development. It can upregulate the expression of Cx43 protein to intervene in the phosphatidylinositol 3 kinase/protein kinase B （PI3K/Akt） pathway， thus repairing the reproductive functions. Zuiguiwan can promote the development and maturation of T cells and activate the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway in the thymus to improve immune functions. In addition， it can promote the expression of β-catenin and inhibit the expression of microtubule-associated proteins 1 light chain 3 （LC3） to attenuate skin dysfunctions. Moreover， Zuoguiwan can guide the differentiation of stem cells via the correlation between essence and vitality in TCM. Zuoguiwan has demonstrated significant therapeutic effects on some diseases in the pediatric， andrological， gynecological， geriatric， internal medicine， orthopedic and skin disease departments. On the basis of the results of experiments and clinical applications， this paper analyzes the specific connotation of congenital deficiency proposes that congenital deficiency should be subdivided into the four aspects of essence， Qi， Yin， and Yang. Congenital essence deficiency as the deficiency of genuine Yin can lead to deficiency of kidney essence in the offspring and dysfunction of kidney storing essence. Pharmacological studies have discovered that Cuscutae Semen， Lycii Fructus， and Achyranthis Bidentatae Radix in Zuoguiwan contain active components such as quercetin and kaempferol， which act on the targets such as recombinant prostaglandin endoperoxide synthase 2 （PTGS2）， interleukin-6 （IL-6）， mitogen-activated protein kinases （MAPK14）， tumor necrosis factor （TNF）， TP53， Vascular permeability factor A （VEGFA）， and albumin （ALB） to play a role in reproductive system development and hormone responses. Zuoguiwan has unique advantages over Liuwei Dihuangwan in nourishing congenital genuine Yin in the kidney and can achieve better therapeutic effects on the syndromes and diseases caused by congenital essence deficiency. This review is expected to enrich the knowledge about the efficacy and clinical application of Zuoguiwan， provide new perspectives and methods for the prevention and treatment of congenital deficiency and congenital essence deficiency， and give insights into the application of Zuoguiwan in modern healthcare， especially in the nurturing of offspring.