Zhu Sha An Shen Wan朱砂安神丸
Cinnabar Pill to Calm the Spirit
Ingredients5 herbs
Indications
Heart fire blazing with insufficiency of yin and blood. Fullness above and emptiness below in the same patient, which is why the strategy neither purges alone nor tonifies alone.
Clinical Manifestations
- Insomnia with restless, dream-filled sleep
- Palpitations that startle easily
- Irritability with a stifling heat in the chest
- Waking at night with a dry mouth and a red tongue tip
- Agitation after prolonged emotional strain
Health Categories
Modern Applications
Common adjustments
- Cinnabar unavailable or declined — the usual modern case — settle with Zhen Zhu Mu 珍珠母 or Long Gu 龙骨 instead; the rest of the formula is unchanged
- Palpitations with night sweats — add Mu Li 牡蛎 and Fu Xiao Mai 浮小麦
- Yin depletion prominent, heat in the palms and soles — add Mai Men Dong 麦门冬 and Xuan Shen 玄参
- Sleep broken mainly by vivid dreaming — add Suan Zao Ren 酸枣仁 and Yuan Zhi 远志
Contraindications
Not for insomnia of Heart–Spleen deficiency or of cold, where bitter-cold herbs will further weaken digestion. Cinnabar accumulates in the body: the original formula is for short courses only, is withheld in pregnancy, lactation and childhood, and is inappropriate for anyone with kidney or liver impairment. Cinnabar is never decocted or heated — heat releases mercury vapour.
For licensed practitioners’ reference only — not a self-treatment guide.
Pregnancy
Contraindicated in pregnancy. The original contains cinnabar (mercuric sulfide), which crosses the placenta and has no safe dose; even the cinnabar-free version is bitter and cold and is not used in pregnancy without a clear indication and close supervision.
Related Formulas
References
Source Nei Wai Shang Bian Huo Lun 《内外伤辨惑论》 · Jin
「朱砂纳浮溜之火而安神明。」
- 《内外伤辨惑论》 — 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.