Calms the Shen

Suān Zǎo Rén

Zizyphi Spinosae Semen

"Sour Jujube Seed"

Taste:        Sweet, sour
Temp:        Neutral

Channels:    Heart, Liver, Gallbladder, Spleen

 Actions:    

• Nourishes heart yin; calms shen
• Augments liver blood: Suan Zao Ren Tang for insomnia
• Prevents abnormal sweating – spontaneous or night sweating (great combo: Suan Zao Ren, Wu Wei Zi, Huang Qi and Mu Li for sweating)
• Related to Da Zao (Black and Red Date)

Dose:        9-18 grams (15 typically)Contra:        Acid reflux or heartburn

Cooking:    Crush before use

Modern:    Combine with Wu Wei Zi for high altitude reactions; has tissue-oxygenating properties

Pharm:        Can lower blood pressure; contains saponins, fatty oils 31%; sedating and hypnotic

Identification:    Reddish-purple, about the size of Chi Xiao Dou

Formula:    Suan Zao Ren Tang (for liver-blood deficiency insomnia): Feng Mi, Suan Zao Ren, Chuan Xiong, Fu Ling, Zhi Mu, Gan Cao

Comparison:    More focused on liver, whereas Bai Zi Ren is more focused on heart

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Bǎi Zǐ Rén

Platycladi Semen

Same plant as Ce Bai Ye (twig and leaf, cooling hemostatic), an aromatic evergreen

Taste:        Sweet (some say pungent, because of the benzenes and pinenes)
Temp:        Neutral

Channels:    Heart, Kidney, Large Intestine

 Actions:    

• Nourishes heart yin; calms shen; irritability, insomnia, forgetfulness, palpitations, anxiety
• Moistens intestines; combine with Huo Ma Ren, Hu Tao Ren
• Astringes night sweats due to kidney yin deficiency (combine with Wu Wei Zi and Mu Li)
• Good for post-partum unrest with constipation from blood loss
   

Dose:        6-18 grams

Contra:    Loose stools, phlegm conditions; can antagonize (neutralize good effects of) Ju Hua

Cooking:    Very oily; easy to get rancid, so please store in freezer

Pharm:        Saponins, benzene, pinene, resin, tannins
Identification:    Oily little tan seeds

Formula:    Bai Zi Yang Xin Wan (Bai Zi Ren, Gou Qi Zi, Mai Men Dong, Dang Gui, Shi Chang Pu, Fu Shen, Xuan Shen, Shu Di, Gan Cao)

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Yuǎn Zhì

Polygalae Radix

"Profound Will"

Taste:        Bitter, pungent

Temp:        Sl Warm

Channels:    Heart, Lung

 Actions:    

• Calms shen: insomnia, palpitations, anxiety, restlessness, disorientation, excessive brooding, pent up emotions
• Expels phlegm, clears orifices (for phlegm misting the heart, muddled thinking)
• Expels phlegm from lungs – cough with sputum difficult to expectorate; old, cold, hard sputum
• Peter Holmes says this promotes will power, strength of character, has restorative action on brain, nerves: concentration, memory, mental fatigue, stress, Alzheimer's
   

Dose:        3-9 grams
Contra:        Yin deficient heat    

Pharm:    Saponins act as expectorant for lung secretions; the herb is also drying

Identification:    Pale brown logs; looks like Di Gu Pi a little bit

Clinical Example: Hearing loss due to phlegm blocking orifices: Vince, age 84, hypertension, COPD, stroke, rattling phlegm in throat, insomnia, irritability, hearing loss

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Hé Huān Pí

Albiziae Cortex

Silk Tree Bark

"Collective Happiness Bark" – beautiful!

Taste:        Sweet
Temp:        Neutral

Channels:    Heart, Liver

Actions:    

• Major action to calm the shen, relieve liver constraint – bad temper, depression, insomnia, irritability
• Minor action to invigorate the blood, alleviate pain, dissipate swelling (trauma, fractures, abscesses)

Dose:        9-15 grams
Pharm:        Sedating and hypnotic to CNS
Identification:    Curly brown bark pieces
Comparison:    Calms shen by invigorating blood and qi

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Hé Huān Huā

Albiziae Flos

Sweet, neutral, enters liver and stomach; compared to the bark, this is even more liver-freeing!

Use them together to mutually accentuate

Actions:    

• Frees liver – irritability, epigastric pain, chest pressure
• Invigorates blood
• Calms the shen – insomnia, poor memory

Identification:    Southern variety looks like pink/purple poinsettia flowers, and has a spicy, peppery smell and a crisp texture. Northern (official PRC variety) is soft and fluffy and less spicy smelling

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Yè Jiāo Téng

(in some books, this is called Shou Wu Teng)

Polygoni Multiflori Caulis

"Pass Through the Night Vine"

Taste:        Sweet
Temp:        Neutral

Channels:    Heart, Liver

Actions:    

• Nourishes heart and blood, calms shen – for dream disturbed sleep – combine with Suan Zao Ren and Bai Zi Ren
• Nourishes blood and unblocks channels, for weakness, pain, numbness, if due to blood deficiency. Allows blood to flow in the channels
• Same plant as He Shou Wu (blood tonic) – Polygonum Multiflorum; this is the vine, and He Shou Wu is the root

Dose:        9-30 grams


Identification:    Compare this herb to Ji Xue Teng (Caulis Millettia), which is:

• Visually similar
• Sweet, bitter, warm
• Invigorates and tonifies blood
• Invigorates channels (for numbness)

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Fú Shén
Poriae Center

Sometimes called Poria Spirit, this is the part of the fungus closest to the root

Same material as Fu Ling (see Fu Ling in Bensky)

 

The root of the tree is visible in the center

Taste:        Sweet, Bland
Temp:        Neutral

Channels:    Heart

Actions:    

• Calms shen; I use this as a substitute for Fu Ling whenever I feel that shen calming would be helpful
• Bensky notes that adulterated versions of this are appearing, with an artificially-inserted pine root. The way to tell: in the authentic version, the pine root is firmly adhered to the fungus part.

Dose:        15 g
Contra:    
Identification:        Greyish white chunks


Parts of Poria used:
Fu Ling (white)    Promotes urination, strengthens spleen, calms shen Chi Fu Ling (red)   
Promotes urination for damp heat (blood lin) Fu Ling Pi    Outer layer (poria skin) – stronger as diuretic
Fu Shen Closer to root – stronger to calm shen
Cinnabar Poria    The root is wet, then coated in powdered cinnabar – too toxic to be used nowadays

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Líng Zhī

Ganoderma

Reishi Mushroom

"Spiritual Mushroom"

Taste:        Sweet
Temp:        Neutral – some say cool

Channels:    Heart, Liver, Lung

Actions:    

• Nourishes heart to calm shen, strengthens qi and blood: restlessness, insomnia, forgetfulness, fatigue. Similar to the formula Gui Pi Tang (Restore the Spleen Decoction)
• Stops cough and wheeze: dyspnea, chronic asthma, cough due to cold with profuse sputum. Use with Dang Shen, Wu Wei Zi, Gan Jiang, Ban Xia
• Tonifies qi and blood – used to promote immune system; anti-cancer activity; increases white blood cells; similar in this respect to Huang Qi

Dose:        9-15 grams

Cooking:    Low heat, 2 hours

Modern:    Sedative, analgesic; benefits heart (cardiac muscle contraction); lowers blood pressure; hepatoprotective – chronic liver disease, elevated liver enzymes; antidote for mushroom poisoning

Identification:    Dark brown woody mushrooms, creamy underside