Longan meat 24 gm, Arborvitae seed 15 gm, Raw dragon bone (crushed) 15 gm, Raw oyster shell (crushed) 15 gm, Polygala (unroasted) 6 gm, Rehmannia root 18 gm, Asparagus root 12 gm, Spikenard 6 gm, Raw malt 9 gm, Acorus calamus 6 gm, Licorice root 4.5 gm, Mirror cinnabar 0.9 gm (finely ground, taken with the first decoction of the medicine twice).

bubble_chart Preparation and Dosage

Grind rust and decoct it in water to make medicine.

bubble_chart Efficacy

Nourishing blood and calming the mind, clearing the heart and regulating the liver.

bubble_chart Indications

Excessive contemplation harms mental activity; or due to excessive contemplation, internal heat is generated, depleting the blood of the heart and liver, causing heart fire and liver qi to rise to the head, disturbing the nerves, leading to confusion of perception, mistaking right for wrong and wrong for right, but not to the extent of severe madness.

bubble_chart Formula Principles

This formula nourishes mental activity, enriches heart blood, regulates liver qi, and clears deficient heat. Longan Aril, red in color, enters the heart and is rich in body fluids, making it highly effective in tonifying blood and preserving heart qi, hence it is used as the primary herb. Platycladi Seed excels in nourishing the liver and calming liver qi (as water nourishes wood and also calms wood). When used together with Fossil Bone and oyster shell, which are adept at subduing liver fire and liver qi, liver fire and liver qi naturally do not rise with heart fire to disturb the nerves. Unprocessed Rehmannia Root is used for its ability to purge deficient heat from the upper energizer and to assist Longan Aril in generating blood. Asparagus Root is chosen for its cool and moistening properties, which can clear the heart and calm the spirit, thereby resolving phlegm-dryness. Milkwort Root and Acorus are included for their ability to open the heart orifices, resolve phlegm, and promote mental activity. Cinnabar and iron rust water are used because they can calm the nerves and stabilize the heart and liver. Raw Germinated Barley is added because the liver, being the organ of the general, houses the ministerial fire. If only methods of astringing and calming are used, it may provoke a reactive force, hence raw Germinated Barley is added to harmonize its nature. While fried Germinated Barley aids digestion, raw Germinated Barley is effective in soothing liver qi. As for Nardostachys Root, it is used in Chinese medicine to clear heat, resolve stasis, and expel bi syndrome; Western medicine regards it as an excellent remedy for calming the nerves and treating cholera spasms. When the nerves are properly regulated, the tendons do not spasm, demonstrating the efficacy of calming the nerves.