Bai Zi Yang Xin Wan柏子养心丸
Biota Seed Pill to Nourish the Heart
Ingredients9 herbs
Indications
Insufficiency of nutritive blood with Heart and Kidney out of step: the spirit is not so much agitated as unfed, so it drifts, forgets and startles.
Clinical Manifestations
- Absent-mindedness and a drifting, unfocused mental state
- Palpitations with anxious anticipation
- Insomnia with strange or vivid dreams
- Forgetfulness after long strain or illness
- Night sweats accompanying poor sleep
Health Categories
Modern Applications
Common adjustments
- Night sweats prominent — add Wu Wei Zi 五味子 and Fu Xiao Mai 浮小麦
- Sleep still broken by dreaming — add Suan Zao Ren 酸枣仁 and Yuan Zhi 远志
- More heat and dryness than this formula addresses — the cooler Sheng Di Huang 生地黄 may replace part of the Shu Di Huang 熟地黄, or use Tian Wang Bu Xin Dan instead
- Rich ingredients dulling the appetite — add Chen Pi 陈皮 or take the pills after food
Contraindications
Not for insomnia of phlegm-damp or food stagnation, and not where there is loose stool and a poor appetite — the oily seeds and cooked Rehmannia are cloying and will slow digestion further. Bai Zi Ren is mildly moistening to the bowel and can loosen stool. Note again that the same-named pill from 《证治准绳》 contains cinnabar and carries all the restrictions of a mercury-containing medicine.
For licensed practitioners’ reference only — not a self-treatment guide.
Pregnancy
Generally compatible in pregnancy with practitioner judgment — the composition is nourishing rather than draining, and this version contains no cinnabar. Shi Chang Pu is aromatic and dispersing, so it is kept to a modest dose, and any pill sold under this name should be checked for a cinnabar coating before use in pregnancy.
Related Formulas
References
Source Ti Ren Hui Bian 《体仁汇编》 · Ming
- 《体仁汇编》 — public-domain classical source.
2. Scheid, Bensky, Ellis & Barolet. Chinese Herbal Medicine: Formulas & Strategies, 2nd ed. — composition & dosage cross-checked.
3. 《方剂学》（全国中医药行业高等教育规划教材）— chapter placement and pattern analysis cross-checked.
Professional reference notice. Entries are scholarly references for licensed TCM practitioners and students — not medical advice, and not a recommendation to self-prescribe. Chinese herbal formulas should be used under the guidance of a qualified practitioner. Content is an original editorial compilation by Cura x Cura, cross-checked against the cited references.