ABSTRACT
Hepatic osteodystrophy （HO） should be treated by stages based on the differentiation of root deficiency and branch excess. The root cause of HO is the insufficiency of the liver， spleen， and kidney， and the branch onset should be differentiated by stages that in the incubation， the pathogenesis is shaoyang （少阳） constraint and block and cardinal disturbance， while in the attack period， it is turbid toxin， static heat， scorching marrow and withering bones. In treatment， attention should be paid to regulating and tonifying the depletion of the liver， spleen， and kidney to cultivate the foundation. In the incubation period， it is suggested to put focus on unblocking cardinal disturbance of shaoyang liver and gallbladder so as to regulate and harmonize qi and blood. In the attack period， the focus should be on dissolving stasis， removing turbidity， and clearing the source to promote gallbladder function and bone strength. In clinical practice， medication should be modified according to individual symptoms， and the root and the branch， the primary and the secondary should be differentiated to closely follow the pathogenesis and be tailored according to the symptoms. At the same time， reasonable and safe medication should be emphasized to protect liver function.
