Insomnia - deficiencies of heart and spleen
Sleep pattern: dream-disturbed sleep, restless sleeping, easily awakened from sleep, difficulty going back to sleep or early awakening.
Accompanying signs: palpitations, forgetfulness, dizziness, blurred vision, fatigue, loss of appetite, limb weakness and pale complexion; the tongue is pale; the pulse is thready and weak.
Pathogenesis: this kind of insomnia is often seen in the elderly, and those suffering from anemia or during recovery of major diseases. People with this type of difficulty usually fall asleep without difficulty but have many dreams and are easily awakened. The heart governs the blood circulation and stores the spirit within it. The spleen acts as the source of the nutrient production of the body. Overthinking or unbalance between work and rest can damage these two organs, resulting in insufficient nutrient and blood. When the heart can't get enough nutrient and blood supply, symptoms like palpitations and the heart resulted. The heart fails to hold the spirit properly, which becomes wandering and appears fatigue, forgetfulness, palpitations and restless sleep. Furthermore, disturbance of qi flowing along the yin meridians often cause individuals to awaken frequently at night. And because of insufficient blood and qi to flow, dizziness, blurred vision, paleness, fatigue and low spirits appear. Spleen weakness leads to a loss of appetite and a bland taste in the mouth.
Therapeutic aims: invigorate spleen, nourish heart, enrich blood and calm spirit.
Sample prescription: Modified Restore Spleen Decoction (gui pi tang)
In the prescription, the ginseng, atractylodes root, astragalus root, liquorice root replenish qi and invigorat the spleen; the angelica root nourishes yin and enriches blood; the poria, jujube seed, longan aril, fleeceflower stem and senega nourish the heart and spleen and calm the spirit; the costus root promotes qi flow and refreshes the spirit, and also acts as the buffer in the formula. The whole combination enriches the heart blood to calm the spirit and invigorates the spleen to ensure an adequate nutrient supply.
In case if individuals have severe palpitations and breath shortness, extra herbs are added to nourish the heart blood:
In case if individuals have heavily dream-disturbed sleep, extra herbs are added to further calm the spirit:
In case if individulas have gastric discomfort, abdominal distention, diarrhea, slippery and greasy tongue coating, add extra herbs to enhance spleen functioning and resolve dampness:
For those who suffer from general weakness that due to aging, delivery, mentally exhausted or poor work-rest balance, the above approaches are also applicable. Or they can just take herbal supplements like Restore Spleen Decoction plus Sore Jujube Seed Decoction
Accompanying signs: palpitations, forgetfulness, dizziness, blurred vision, fatigue, loss of appetite, limb weakness and pale complexion; the tongue is pale; the pulse is thready and weak.
Pathogenesis: this kind of insomnia is often seen in the elderly, and those suffering from anemia or during recovery of major diseases. People with this type of difficulty usually fall asleep without difficulty but have many dreams and are easily awakened. The heart governs the blood circulation and stores the spirit within it. The spleen acts as the source of the nutrient production of the body. Overthinking or unbalance between work and rest can damage these two organs, resulting in insufficient nutrient and blood. When the heart can't get enough nutrient and blood supply, symptoms like palpitations and the heart resulted. The heart fails to hold the spirit properly, which becomes wandering and appears fatigue, forgetfulness, palpitations and restless sleep. Furthermore, disturbance of qi flowing along the yin meridians often cause individuals to awaken frequently at night. And because of insufficient blood and qi to flow, dizziness, blurred vision, paleness, fatigue and low spirits appear. Spleen weakness leads to a loss of appetite and a bland taste in the mouth.
Therapeutic aims: invigorate spleen, nourish heart, enrich blood and calm spirit.
Sample prescription: Modified Restore Spleen Decoction (gui pi tang)
| ren shen | ginseng | Radix Ginseng |
| bai shu | largehead atractylodes root | Rhizoma Atractylodis Macrocephalae |
| huang qi | astragalus root | Radix Astragali |
| dang gui | angelica root | Radix Angelicae Sinensis |
| long yan rou | longan aril | Arillus Longan |
| fu shen | poria with pine | Poria with pini |
| suan zao ren | sour jujube seed | Semen Ziziphi Spinosae |
| yuan zhi | Chinese senega | Radix Polygalae |
| mu xiang | costus root | Radix Aucklandiae |
| ye jiao teng | tuber fleeceflower stem | Caulis Polygoni Multiflori |
| gan cao | liquorice root | Radix Glycyrrhizae |
In the prescription, the ginseng, atractylodes root, astragalus root, liquorice root replenish qi and invigorat the spleen; the angelica root nourishes yin and enriches blood; the poria, jujube seed, longan aril, fleeceflower stem and senega nourish the heart and spleen and calm the spirit; the costus root promotes qi flow and refreshes the spirit, and also acts as the buffer in the formula. The whole combination enriches the heart blood to calm the spirit and invigorates the spleen to ensure an adequate nutrient supply.
In case if individuals have severe palpitations and breath shortness, extra herbs are added to nourish the heart blood:
| shu di | processed rhemannia rhizome | Rhizoma Rehmanniae Praeparatae |
| bai shao | white peony root | Radix Paeoniae Alba |
| e jiao | donkey-hide gelatin | Colla Corii Asini |
In case if individuals have heavily dream-disturbed sleep, extra herbs are added to further calm the spirit:
| wu wei zi | schisandra | Fructus Schisandrae |
| bai zi ren | Chinese arborvitae kernel | Semen platycladi |
| zhen zhu mu | nacre | Concha Margaritifera |
| he huan pi | mimosa tree bark | Cortex Albiziae |
| mu li | oyster shell (calcined) | Concha Ostreae |
In case if individulas have gastric discomfort, abdominal distention, diarrhea, slippery and greasy tongue coating, add extra herbs to enhance spleen functioning and resolve dampness:
| fu ling | poria | Poria |
| ban xia | pinellia tuber | Rhizoma Pinelliae |
| chen pi | dried tangerine peel | Pericarpium Citri Reticulatae |
| hou po | magnolia bark | Cortex Magnoliae Officinalis |
For those who suffer from general weakness that due to aging, delivery, mentally exhausted or poor work-rest balance, the above approaches are also applicable. Or they can just take herbal supplements like Restore Spleen Decoction plus Sore Jujube Seed Decoction
| Insomnia | Fire syndrome caused by liver stagnation Phlegm-heat harassment Fire syndrome caused by yin deficiency Deficiencies of heart and spleen Qi deficiency of heart and gallbladder |
