Enriches the Yin, nourishes the Blood, tonifies the Heart, and calms the Spirit

• Palpitations with anxiety, fatigue, forgetfulness
• Irritability, insomnia with very restless sleep
• Inability to think or concentrate for even short periods of time
• Nocturnal emissions, low-grade fever, night sweats
• Mouth and tongue sores
• Dry stools, concentrated urine
• A red tongue with little coating
• A thin, rapid pulse

• Sheng di Huang (chief) bitter, sweet and cold, nourishes the Kidney Yin, cools the Blood, dissolves stagnation and clears Heat. The cooling moistness of Sheng di cools and moistens deficiency (and full) Fire which affects the Blood.
• Dang Shen and Fu Ling (deputies gp1) strengthen the Spleen and assist the Heart Qi.
• Dan Shen and Dang Gui (deputies gp2) tonify the Blood to nourish the Heart without causing stagnation.
• Bai Zi Ren and Yuan Zhi (deputies gp3) calm the Spirit.
• Tian Dong, Mai Dong and Xuan Shen (assistant gp1) enrich the Yin and clear deficiency Heat.
• Wu Wei Zi and Suan Zao Ren (assistant gp2) prevent the leakage of Heart Qi
• Jie Geng (envoy) conducts the actions of the other herbs upwards to the upper Jiao, the abode of the Spirit.
• Zhu Sha anchors and calms the wayward Spirit.

• Severe palpitations: add Long Yan Rou and Ye Jiao Teng
• Sever dry mouth and throat: add Shi Di
• Mouth and tongue sores: add Lian Xin

• This formula and Gui Pi Tang (Restore the Spleen Decoction) are both indicated for palpitations, insomnia and forgetfulness. However Gui Pi Tang is for concurrent Qi and Blood deficiency, while this is for concurrent Yin and Blood deficiency: tiredness, loose stools, poor appetite and pale tongue, thin, frail pulse rather than irritability, red tongue with little coat and thin, rapid pulse.
• Blood deficiency can transform into Wind; Basic Questions Ch.74 “All painful, itchy sores concern the Heart”, and the formula has been used for recurrent urticaria and chronic conjunctivitis.
• With the appropriate presentation, the formula may be used for heart disease, menopausal syndrome, chronic urticaria, apthous (mouth) ulcers, chronic conjunctivitis, insomnia, and neurasthenia.

Nourishes Blood, Calms the Spirit, Clears Heat and eliminates irritability

• Irritability, restlessness of the limbs
• Inability to sleep, night sweats
• Palpitations
• Dizziness and vertigo
• Dry throat and mouth
• A red tongue
• A wiry or thin, rapid pulse

• Suan Zao Ren (chief) sweet, sour and bland, nourishes the Liver and Heart while calming the Spirit.
• Chuan Xiong (deputy) regulates the Liver Blood by encouraging its free flow, and the combination of an astringent and dispersing herb is very effective at nourishing and regulating the Liver while calming the Spirit.
• Fu Ling (assistant) calms the Spirit and tonifies the Spleen and Stomach.
• Zhi Mu (assistant) enriches the Yin, clears Heat and moistens Internal dryness (moderating the drying properties of Chuan Xiong).
• Gan Cao (envoy) regulates the actions of the other herbs and harmonises the middle Jiao.

• Deficient Heart and Gallbladder Qi with dream-disturbed sleep, waking terrified at night, palpitations, a pale tongue and a thin, wiry pulse: add Dang Shen and Long Gu
• Night sweats: add Mu Li and Wu Wei Zi
• Severe Fire from deficiency: omit Chuan Xiong, and add Han Lian Cao, Ni Zhen Zi and Bai Shao
• Deficiency of both the Heart and Spleen: take with Gui Pi Tang

• This formula is for a type of consumption with Liver Blood deficiency together with Heat from deficiency.
• When the Liver Blood (Wood & mother) is deficient, there’s insufficient Blood to nourish the Heart (Fire & child). This Blood deficiency is accompanied by deficiency Fire which moves upwards into the chest and disturbs the Heart, causing irritability, inability to sleep, palpitations and night sweats.
• An inability to sleep is more serious than simple insomnia. The Hun resides in the eyes during the day, and at night (when the eyes are closed) it resides in the Liver; in this consumptive Liver Blood condition the Liver cannot retain the Hun and sleep is impossible. [You Zai-Jing]
• The Blood deficiency leads to Yang rising with vertigo and dizziness.
• Irritability v Restlessness:
• Restlessness is due to External Heat and is primarily marked by restless movement of the limbs.
• Irritability is due to Internal Heat and is distinguished by a sensation of heat in the chest.
• Deficient irritability (xu fan) is marked by irritability inside, although the body surface does not feel hot, light-headedness, pain in the eyes and head, a dry mouth and throat without thirst and insomnia with a clear mind when the patient lies in bed.

Tonifies the Heart Qi and calms the Spirit

• Apprehension, anxiety
• Easily frightened or incessant laughter
• Palpitations with anxiety and forgetfulness
• A red tongue
• A wiry or thin, rapid pulse

• Dang Shen and Fu Ling (chiefs) address the root of this disorder; Qi deficiency, and together they calm the Spirit by augmenting Qi.
• Shi Chang Pu and Yuan Zhi (deputies) work together to clear the senses in order to calm the Spirit.

• Severe palpitations: add Long Gu and Hu Po
• Upward Rebbion of phlegm: add Ban Xia and Zhu Li
• Heart Blood deficiency: add Dang Gui, Suan Zao Ren and Long Yan Rou

• This pattern occurs when those with deficient Heart QI have a severe emotional shock or fright.
• Constitutional Heart Qi deficiency predisposes them to worry; they cannot easily cope with change, and their Spirit becomes disorientated, resulting in anxiety and fearfulness.
• Additional stress leads to palpitations, forgetfulness and more anxiety, and in extreme cases, the Spirit loses its moorings and is no longer rooted in the Will (Zhi).
• Under these circumstances, the Heart gets completely out of control and incessant laughter and glee follow.
• With the appropriate presentation, the formula may be used for a wide range of psychological disorders including anxiety neurosis and obsessive-compulsive disorders (OCD).

Enriches Yin, causes Fire to descend, eliminates irritability and calms the Spirit

Lesser (Shao) Yin-Stage Disorder

• Irritability with a sense of heat in the chest
• Insomnia due to an inability to calmly lie down
• Palpitations with anxiety
• Mouth or tongue sores
• A red tongue with a dry, yellow coating
• A thin, rapid pulse

• Huang Lian and Huang Qin (chiefs) directly clear Fire from the Heart and thereby calm the Spirit.
• E Jiao (chief) nourishes Kidney Yin to control Heart Fire.
• Ji Zi Huang (deputy) drains Fire and enriches Blood to aid the chief ingredients.
• Bai Shao (assistant) enriches Yin and Blood to aid the function of the Heart and Kidneys

• Severe Yin deficiency with injured fluids and dry throat: add Xuan Shen, Mai Men Dong and Shi Hu
• Five-palm heat: add Zhi Zi (6-9) and Dan Zhu Ye (6-9)
• Feverishness with dark urine: add Deng Xin Cao, Tong Cao and Bai Mao Gen
• Purpura, bleeding gums or excessive uterine bleeding: add Nu Zhen Zi (10-15), Han Lian Cao (10-30), Sheng di Huang (10-30) and Mu Dan Pi (6-12)

• This formula is indicated for Fire arising from a febrile disease, where the externally-contracted Heat is not fully cleared from the body and the Yin fluids are injured.
• This is a Lesser (Shao) Yin-Stage Disorder where the Yin and fluids are scorched not only causing Yin deficient signs (red tongue with a dry, yellow coating and a rapid, thin pulse) but Lesser Yin Water (Kidneys) are prevented from properly controlling the Lesser Yin Fire (Heart), in a form of Heart-Kidney disharmony and the indications listed above.
• Both this formula and Suan Zao Ren Tang (Sour Jujube Decoction) treat irritability and insomnia but there are clear differences:
• In Suan Zao Ren Tang the patient is able to lie in bed but cannot sleep, due to Liver Blood deficiency being unable to nourish the Heart. In this formula, the patient is so irritable they struggle to tolerate lying in bed due to the Yang not entering the Yin. The treatment focuses on clearing Fire from the Heart and enriching the Kidney Yin.
• With the appropriate presentation, the formula may be used for neurasthenia, the recuperative stage of infectious disease, apthous (mouth) ulcers and dysentery.

Nourishes the Heart, calms the Spirit and harmonises the Middle Jiao

• Disorientation
• Frequent attacks of melancholy and crying spells
• Frequent bouts of yawning, deep sighing or moaning
• Inability to control oneself
• Restless sleep (sometimes with night sweats)
• Behaviour and speech may become abnormal in severe cases
• A red tongue with a sparse coating
• A thin and rapid pulse

• Fu Xiao Mai (chief) regulates and nourishes the Heart Yin and Qi and nourishes the Liver, which helps calm the Spirit via the Shen cycle.
• Gan Cao (deputy) also nourishes the Heart and harmonises the Middle Jiao. 
• Da Zao (deputy) augments Qi and moistens dryness and works with Gan Cao to mildly tonify the Heart, Liver and Spleen and calm the Spirit.

• Irritability with a sensation of heat in the chest: add Bai He and Bai Zi Ren
• Insomnia with a thin, wiry pulse (Liver Blood deficiency): add Suan Zao Ren
• Constipation: add Hei Zhi Ma and He Shou Wu
• Palpitations, shortness of breath, loss of appetite, a swollen, tooth-marked tongue and a thin, frail pulse: take with Gui Pi Tang
• For heart sinus arrhythmias and a choppy pulse: add Dang Shen and Yi Shi Ying

• The formula is for “restless organ disorder” (zang zao) due to a lack of tranquillity of the Heart leading to disordered thoughts and emotions.
• An excess of worry, overthinking and anxiety injures the Heart Yin, disrupts the flow of Liver Qi and affects the Spleen Qi. The patients affected have often experienced recent or recurring blood loss, which further injures Blood and Qi.
• Chronic frustration injures the Liver Yin, and when the Heart Yin is depleted the Spirit has nowhere to dwell.
• In the early stages, the patient is mentally disorientated, anxious, impulsive and has fitful sleep.
• During attacks, the patient becomes extremely upset or depressed to the point of uncontrollable crying, manic behaviour or severe disorientation.
• The Heart Yin deficiency and Liver Qi constraint produce a ‘lost soul’ with frequent unusual behaviour, crying and yawning.
• All of the Yin organs can be involved; besides the Heart, the Spleen from overwork and worry, Fire from Liver constraint and Yin deficiency, and Yin deficiency of the Lungs or Kidneys.
• The dynamic is Fire from deficiency (so bitter, draining herbs are inappropriate) yet the deficiency is mild, so strong tonification is also inappropriate. It needs to be taken long-term for good results.
• With the appropriate presentation, the formula may be used for neurasthenia, hysteria, neurosis, menopausal syndrome, autonomic dystonia, enuresis, and fever of unknown origin.