Herbs that Calm the Spirit...ahhhh....

The following is a re-cap, or re-phrasing of a shen-calming herbs introduction in the John Chen book:

Herbs that calm the spirit / shen are divided into two categories:

Sedatives or Anchors

and

Nourishers

SEDATIVES: The sedatives/anchors are typically minerals which are typically heavy by nature, thereby sinking and rooting the shen. The sedative-type herbs are better for those who have an "excess-type" shen disturbance. Minerals can damage the stomach, consuming the qi if used alone. This can be prevented by combining them with herbs that nourish and protect the stomach. Some of the herbs are also toxic, and should be used with caution and only when absolutely necessary.

The sedative/anchor herbs in this group include:
Ci Shi (magnetite)
Long Gu (dragon fossil)
Hu Po (amber)
Zhen Zhu (pearl)

Zhu Sha (I'm guessing that cinnabar used to be in this group - now, however, it stands alone as obsolete due the toxicity of mercury)


NOURISHERS: Then there are the nourishing and tonifying herbs that calm the spirit, required for deficiency-type shen disturbances.

The Nourishing Herbs in this group include:
Suan Zao Ren (sour date seed)
Bai Zi Ren (biota seed)
Yuan Zhi (Chinese senega root)
Ye Jiao Teng ("vine to pass through night")
He Huan Pi (mimosa tree bark)
Xie Cao (valerian root)
Ling Zhi ("spiritual mushroom")

Excess and deficient shen disturbances are differentiated by the following signs and symptoms:

EXCESS:
MOOD: irritable, anxious, restless
SLEEP: insomnia
HEAD: headache, red eyes, bitter taste
CHEST: chest congestion (phlegm)
T: yellow coating (heat)
P: slippery and rapid (phlegm heat)

Common excess patterns with an accompanying shen disturbance:
Liver qi stagnation
Live yang / fire rising
Food stagnation
Phlegm accumulation

DEFICIENT:
MOOD: Restless, fearful, forgetful
HEAD: Dizzy, light-headed
HEART: Palpitations
SLEEP: Night sweats
T: Pale
P: Thready

Deficient shen disturbances can arise in conjunction with deficiencies in the Heart, Spleen, Liver, Kidney, and with deficiencies of yin and blood.

Because the heart controls the shen and the liver controls the emotions, the shen-calming herbs often enter these two channels. In addition to the excess/deficient patterns mentioned above, shen disturbance is seen with the following patterns:

- Disharmony of Heart and Spleen (spleen not producing blood to nourish the heart)
- Heart yin deficiency with deficient fire
- Heart and Kidney not communicating (KD yin def leading to heat rising up and disturbing HT)
- Heat and Phlegm blocking the free flow of shen and therefore the emotions

The shen-clearing herbs are for short-term use, only while symptoms are present. Shen-disturbance is typically the branch; the root must be treated as well.

Finally, many of these herbs have an effect on the central nervous system (providing the ability to sleep longer hours, reduce restless activity, and treating seizures), as well as acting as immunostimulants.