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Spiny Jujube Decoction
酸枣仁汤 〔酸棗仁湯〕suān zǎo rén tāng
Source: Jīn Guì Yào Lüè 金匮要略
Ingredients:
- Suān zǎo rén (酸枣仁 Ziziphi Spinosi Semen, spiny jujube [kernel]) 15g
- Fú líng (茯苓 Poria , poria) 10g
- Zhī mǔ (知母 Anemarrhenae Rhizoma, anemarrhena [root]) 10g
- Chuān xiōng (川芎 Chuanxiong Rhizoma, chuanxiong [rhizome]) 6g
- Gān cǎo (甘草 Glycyrrhizae Radix, licorice [root]) 6g
Action: Nourishes the blood and calms the spirit; clears heat and eliminates vexation.
Indication: Vacuity vexation, insomnia or unquiet sleep, impatience, agitation, and irascibility, headache and distension in the head. Pulse: Fine, stringlike, and rapid.
Category: Spirit-quieting formulas / Nourishing spirit-quieting formulas
Method: Decoct with water.
Rationale: Suān zǎo rén is sweet and sour. It nourishes liver blood and quiets the heart spirit. For this reason, it is the sovereign agent in this formula. Chuān xiōng frees qì and the blood, while also promoting the free coursing of liver qì. It also treats headache. Suān zǎo rén is sour and contracting while Chuān xiōng is acrid and dispersing. The former nourishes the liver while the latter courses the liver. The two are therefore complementary. Fú líng helps quiet heart spirit. Cold and moist Zhī mǔ helps the Suān zǎo rén to clear vacuity fire and eliminate vacuity vexation. It also counteracts the acridity and dryness of Chuān xiōng. Gān cǎo is used raw for its sweet balanced fire-draining properties.
Variations:
Vacuity heat : Omit Chuān xiōng (川芎 Chuanxiong Rhizoma, chuanxiong [rhizome]), and add Shēng dì huáng (生地黄 Rehmanniae Radix Exsiccata seu Recens, dried/fresh rehmannia [root]) and Bái sháo (白芍 Paeoniae Radix Alba, white peony [root]).Night sweating : Add Wǔ wèi zǐ (五味子 Schisandrae Fructus, schisandra [berry]) and Má huáng gēn (麻黄根 Ephedrae Radix, ephedra root).Heart palpitation : Add Lóng chǐ (龙齿 Mastodi Dentis Fossilia, dragon tooth) and Lóng yǎn ròu (龙眼肉 Longan Arillus, longan flesh).