Calming Formulae
Calming formulae are for relieving mental tension and uneasiness, and some are similar to sedative effect in Western medicine.
In TCM, the brain's activities pertain to spirit, disturbances of the spirit are closely related to functional disorders in and among the organs, particularly in the heart, liver and kidney, thus an important therapeutic strategy for such mental distress problems is to regulate the functions of internal organs. Generally, there are two approaches to ease spirit disturbances, that should be based on specific manifestations. For conditions that mainly present with anxiety, palpitations, forgetfulness, mental irritability and insomnia, the formulae will focus on nourishing and enriching the blood and yin aspects of the body; for symptoms such as feeling overstressed, manic behavior, bad temper and agitation, then the formulae will focus on calming the unease spirit with "heavy" substances. Sometimes spirit disturbances may also occur in specific circumstances such as in the presence of heat exuberance, phlegm obscuring the orifices in the head and blood stasis interrupting with the brain. In such cases, other therapies (heat clearing, phlegm resolving, tonification or blood regulation) should be used in combination.
It should be noted that psychological factors play an important role in the spirit disturbances, and must therefore be considered during treatment. Some of the calming formulae are comprised minerals, metals and stones as the main ingredients; they are harmful to the body and can easily damage the stomach functions if not monitored the dosage operly. These formulae are not suitable for long-term administration, especially for those who have a weak spleen and stomach.
In TCM, the brain's activities pertain to spirit, disturbances of the spirit are closely related to functional disorders in and among the organs, particularly in the heart, liver and kidney, thus an important therapeutic strategy for such mental distress problems is to regulate the functions of internal organs. Generally, there are two approaches to ease spirit disturbances, that should be based on specific manifestations. For conditions that mainly present with anxiety, palpitations, forgetfulness, mental irritability and insomnia, the formulae will focus on nourishing and enriching the blood and yin aspects of the body; for symptoms such as feeling overstressed, manic behavior, bad temper and agitation, then the formulae will focus on calming the unease spirit with "heavy" substances. Sometimes spirit disturbances may also occur in specific circumstances such as in the presence of heat exuberance, phlegm obscuring the orifices in the head and blood stasis interrupting with the brain. In such cases, other therapies (heat clearing, phlegm resolving, tonification or blood regulation) should be used in combination.
It should be noted that psychological factors play an important role in the spirit disturbances, and must therefore be considered during treatment. Some of the calming formulae are comprised minerals, metals and stones as the main ingredients; they are harmful to the body and can easily damage the stomach functions if not monitored the dosage operly. These formulae are not suitable for long-term administration, especially for those who have a weak spleen and stomach.
- Cinnabar Mind Tranquilizing Pill (zhu sha an shen wan)
- Communicating and Tranquilizing Pill (jiao tai wan)
- Heaven King Heart Nourishing Pellet (tian wang bu xin dan)
- Lily Bulb and Rehmannia Decoction (bai he di huang tang)
- Liquorice, Wheat & Jujube Decoction (gan mai da zao tang)
- Sedative and Heart Invigorating Pill (an shen ding zhi wan)
- Sore Jujube Seed Decoction (suan zao ren tang)
