天王补心丹

Name

Cardiotonic Pill

Source

The book She Sheng Mi Yao

Ingredients

Explanation

Sheng Di: The principal drug, being sweet and bitter in taste and cold in nature, nourishing Yin and enriching blood.

Xuan Shen, Tian Dong and Mai Dong: Being sweet in taste and cold and moist in nature, clearing away fire of deficiency type.

Dan Shen and Dang Gui: Nourishing blood to calm the mind.

Ren Shen and Fu Ling: Invigorating Qi to relieve restlessness.

Suan Zao Ren and Wu Wei Zi: Astringing the heart-Qi to tranquilize the mind.

Bai Zi Ren, Yuan Zhi and Zhu Sha: Replenishing the heart to calm the mind.

Jie Geng: Guiding the actions of the other ingredients to the upper part of the body.

Effect

Nourishing Yin and enriching blood, replenishing the heart to tranquilize the mind.

Indications

Syndrome due to Yin depletion and blood insufficiency, and Yin-deficiency of both the heart and the kidney, marked by restlessness of deficiency type, insomnia, palpitation, low spirit, nocturnal emission, amnesia, dry stools, oral ulcer, reddened tongue with little coating, and thready rapid pulse; including such diseases with the above symptoms as neurosism, menopausal syndrome and myocarditis.

Administration

The ingredients are ground into powder and made with honey into pills, which are then coated with Zhu Sha. 9 g of the pills is taken each time with warm boiled water. (This prescription may also be taken in the form of decoction with the amounts of the ingredients reduced according to the proportions in the original prescription).