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Spirit-quieting formulas

安神剂 〔安神劑〕ān shén jì

Medicinal formulas that treat disquieted heart spirit, which manifests in heart palpitation, insomnia, vexation and agitation, fright and mania.

The heart stores the spirit, the liver stores the ethereal spirt, and the kidney stores mind; hence disquieted spirit is closely associated with the heart liver, and kidney, their interrelationships and their yīn-yáng balance. The basic pathomechanisms are external fear and fright, depressed liver transforming into fire, which disturbs the heart spirit, or insuffuciency of yīn-blood depriving the heart spirit of nourishment. However, exuberant fire damages yīn and yīn vacuity easily leads to hyperactivity of yáng, so the condition is very often a vacuity-repletion complex. Fright, mania, and irascibility with vexation and agitation indicate repletion, which, according to the principle of fright is treated by calming, requires quieting the spirit with heavy settlers. Heart palpitation, forgetfulness, vacuity vexation, and insomnia indicate a vacuity pattern, which according to the principle of vacuity is treated by supplementing, is addressed by nourishing the heart and calming the spirit. For this reason, spirit-quieting formulas are divided into two categories.

Fire, phlegm, and static blood are additional factors that may be at play. Hence, heat-clearing fire-draining, phlegm-dispelling, or stasis-dispelling actions may need to be incorporated.

Cautions

Heavy settling spirit-quieting formulas should not be taken for extended periods because they contain metals and minerals, which may easily damage stomach qì. Spleen-fortifying stomach-harmonizing medicinals may be added to formulas to help prevent damage.

Some spirit-quieting medicinals, notably cinnabar (Cinnabaris, 朱砂 zhū shā), are toxin and can cause poisoning if taken for extended periods.

Subcategories

Heavy Settling Heart-Quieting Formulas

Heavy setting heart-quieting formulas treat disquieted heart spirit due to hyperactivity of heart yáng and fire-heat harassing the heart, manifesting in vexation and agitation, insomnia, fright palpitation, fearful throbbing, and epilepsy.

Main agents

For fire-heat harassing the heart, heat-clearing fire-draining medicinals may be added. For damage to yīn-blood, yīn-enriching blood-nourishing agents such as dried/fresh rehmannia (Rehmanniae Radix, 生地黄 shēng dì huáng) and Chinese angelica (Angelicae Sinensis Radix, 当归 dāng guī) can be added.

Representative formulas

Nourishing Spirit-Quieting Formulas

Nourishing spirit-quieting formulas treat disquieted heart spirit due to insufficiency of liver-heart yīn-blood, manifesting as vacuity vexation, insomnia, heart palpitation, fearful throbbing, forgetfulness, and profuse dreaming.

Main agents

Representative formulas

Heart-Kidney Interaction Formulas

Formulas that promote heart-kidney interaction treat disquieted heart spirit due to noninteraction of the heart and kidney, where water and fire fail to help each other. The heart belongs to fire, and stores the spirt. The kindey belongs to water and stores essence. Whenever kidney yīn is insufficiency or heart fire stirs, the relationship between the heart and kidney can be upset, giving rise to heart vexation, insomnia, heart palpitation or fearful throbbing, profuse dreaming, and seminal emission, a red tongue, and a pulse that is fine and rapid.

Main agents: Medicinals that clear the heart and discharge fire such as scutellaria (Scutellariae Radix, 黄芩 huáng qín), and coptis (Coptidis Rhizoma, 黄连 huáng lián), combined with enriching the kidney and boosting water with ass hide glue (Asini Corii Colla, 阿胶 ē jiāo) and 芍药 sháo yào).

Representative formulas

See quieting the spirit.

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