Insomnia - qi deficiency of heart and gallbladder
Sleep pattern: dream-disturbed sleep, easy to wake up with panic.
Accompanying signs: palpitations, restless, timid and fearful, easy to startle, breath shortness, fatigue, low spirits and sweating. The tongue is pale and the pulse is thready and taut.
Pathogenesis : This insomnia situation always occurs after a sudden shock or intense emotional experience; as fear and frighten emotions tend to greatly exhaust the qi in the gallbladder. The gallbladder communicates with the heart closely, when heart qi also exhausted, then dysfunction of spirit will occur. Gallbladder deficiency makes individual becoming timid and fearful, heart deficiency leads to palpitations and insomnia. The sleep becomes shallow, full of dreams, easy to wake up, and individuals usually feel panic after woke up. The low spirits, fatigue, sweating and breath shortness are all indicated qi deficiency, while the pale tongue and weak pulse indicate insufficient blood and qi.
Therapeutic aims: replenish qi, calm spirit and stablize mood
Sample prescription: Modified Sedative and Heart Invigorating Pill (an shen ding zhi wan)
In the prescription, the ginseng replenishes qi in the heart and gallbladder; the poria, poria with pine, and Chinese senega resolve phlegm and calm the spirit; the fossil teeth and acorus calm the spirit, unblock the orifices and allay excitement. The jujube seed nourish liver, calm spirit and prepare the body to sleep. The lovage regulates the blood and qi flows; the anemarrhena rhizome clears away the heat signs and uneasy the moody state, while the liquorice root acts as buffer.
Where there are chest tightness, breath shortness, chills and cold limbs, then add the following to warm the heart qi and calm the spirit within it.
Accompanying signs: palpitations, restless, timid and fearful, easy to startle, breath shortness, fatigue, low spirits and sweating. The tongue is pale and the pulse is thready and taut.
Pathogenesis : This insomnia situation always occurs after a sudden shock or intense emotional experience; as fear and frighten emotions tend to greatly exhaust the qi in the gallbladder. The gallbladder communicates with the heart closely, when heart qi also exhausted, then dysfunction of spirit will occur. Gallbladder deficiency makes individual becoming timid and fearful, heart deficiency leads to palpitations and insomnia. The sleep becomes shallow, full of dreams, easy to wake up, and individuals usually feel panic after woke up. The low spirits, fatigue, sweating and breath shortness are all indicated qi deficiency, while the pale tongue and weak pulse indicate insufficient blood and qi.
Therapeutic aims: replenish qi, calm spirit and stablize mood
Sample prescription: Modified Sedative and Heart Invigorating Pill (an shen ding zhi wan)
| ren shen | ginseng | Radix Ginseng |
| long chi | fossil teeth | Dens Draconis |
| fu ling | poria | Poria |
| fu shen | poria with pine | Poria with pini |
| shi chang pu | acorus | Rhizoma acori tatarinowi |
| yuan zhi | Chinese senega | Radix Polygalae |
| suan zao ren | sour Jujube seed | Semen Ziziphi Spinosae |
| chuan xiong | Sichuan lovage | Rhizoma Ligustici Chuanxiong |
| zhi mu | anemarrhena rhizome | Rhizoma Anemarrhenae |
| gan cao | liquorice root | Radix Glycyrrhizae |
In the prescription, the ginseng replenishes qi in the heart and gallbladder; the poria, poria with pine, and Chinese senega resolve phlegm and calm the spirit; the fossil teeth and acorus calm the spirit, unblock the orifices and allay excitement. The jujube seed nourish liver, calm spirit and prepare the body to sleep. The lovage regulates the blood and qi flows; the anemarrhena rhizome clears away the heat signs and uneasy the moody state, while the liquorice root acts as buffer.
Where there are chest tightness, breath shortness, chills and cold limbs, then add the following to warm the heart qi and calm the spirit within it.
| gui zhi | cassia twig | Ramulus Cinnamomi |
| jiu gan cao | liquorice root (processed with honey) | Radix Glycyrrhizae Praeparata |
When there is also a blood deficiency that causes irritability, Sore Jujube Seed Decoction (suen zao ren tang) may be applicable for nourishing the heart and calming down.
| 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 |
