Suan zao ren tang
suan zao ren 48 fu ling 6 zhi mu 6 chuan xiong 6 zhi gan cao 3
For deficiency taxation with deficiency vexation causing an inability to sleep, suan zao ren tang is indicated.
This formula is best understood by looking at the main herb suan zao ren.
Suan zao ren, Ziziphi spinosae semen is neutral, sour, and sweet. It collects and moderates to anchor floating yang. It also supports yin and blood especially when combined with sweet zhi gan cao.
Suan zao ren collects and nourishes yin and blood while chuang xiong moves the qi in blood.
Sour and neutral it enters the liver and heart channels. It nourishes the blood of the liver by gathering fluids within the liver body, while it replenishes the heart and calms the mind by gathering the scattered heart spirit. It governs vexation and insomnia, deficient sweating and agitating thirst.
Suan zao ren is a liver blood tonic that nourishes deficiency to promote free movement to eliminate stagnation allowing the hun to return to the liver body.
Suan zao ren is neutral, sour, and sweet. It collects and moderates to anchor floating yang.
Fu ling, Poria is sweet and neutral. It drains fluids but is not bitter. Fu ling is tonifying the stomach domain, spleen, kidney and bladder to move excess fluids. It moves more than it tonifies.
Fu ling drains fluids through the tai yang bladder and restores the water metabolism. The movement of fluids is the start of movement for blood. By moving water we move blood. Dampness is a form of yin and we move the yin with the fu ling to restore the transformation and transport aspect of tai yin. Tai yin is also the post heaven source of clear qi and yin and blood.
Fu ling moves water to move blood to ease vexation due to deficiency.
Chuan xiong, Ligustici radix is pungent dispersing of the liver and pericardium blood and the ministerial fire in the san jiao.
It is the core herb for moving qi within blood. It moves liver qi contained in blood allowing the wind to be stilled. The Nei jing states; when blood moves, wind will spontaneously subside.
Chuan xiong moves qi in liver blood to ease vexation due to deficiency.
Zhi mu, Anemarrhenae rhizome is bitter draining of heat in the stomach and lungs. It is sweet nourishing of fluids of the stomach, lungs, kidneys, and heart. It clears deficiency heat to preserve the yin blood of liver and heart, for only when yin blood is sufficient can the yang mind be controlled and pacified. It clears the heat in the jue yin liver and pericardium channels.
Bitter, sweet and cold, it enters the lung, tonifies deficiency, calms the heart and stops fright. It clears deficiency heat to preserve the yin blood of liver and heart, for only when yin blood is sufficient can the yang mind be controlled and pacified. It clears the heat in the jue yin liver and pericardium channels.
Zhi gan cao, Glycyrrhizae radix prep is sweet tonifying and nourishing of all organs but especially the heart.
Zhi gan cao is sweet and mildly warm tonifying and nourishing of yin fluids. It nourishes yin fluids in the tai yin and shao yin. It calms wind in the jue yin.