Gan Mai Da Zao Tang - 甘麥大棗湯 - Licorice, Wheat And Jujube Decoction

English:	Licorice, Wheat and Jujube Decoction
Also Known As:	Licorice and Jujube Combination

Herbs And Actions

Pharmaceutical Latin	Pin Yin	Dosage	Actions
Rx, Glycyrrhizae	Gan Cao	6-20g	Tonifies the Spleen and augments Qi, clears Heat and relieves Fire toxicity, moderates spasms and alleviates pain. With Da Zao and Xiao Mai, for restless organ syndrome.
Fr. Tritici Levis	Xiao Mai	9-60g	Nourishes Heart Qi and eliminate irritability to treat irritability, restlessness and insomnia as in restless organ disorder. With Gan Cao and Da Zao, for emotional disorders, disorientation, emotional instability, and irritability due to mild Deficiency of the Spleen Qi and Heart Blood.
(Sm. Tritici Levis)	(Fu Xiao Mai)	(9-60g)	(Substitutes for Xiao Mai in some sources.)
Fr. Jujube	Da Zao	10-30g	Tonifies the Spleen and Stomach, augments Qi, nourishes the Blood and calms the Spirit.

Formula Actions

• Nourishes the Heart
• Calms the Shen
• Harmonizes the Middle Jiao
• Relieves acute conditions
• Relaxes tension
• Tonifies Spleen Qi

Syndromes

• Heart Blood Deficiency with Liver Qi Stagnation
• Restless Organ Syndrome
• Dry Organ disorder
• Heart Yin deficiency with Liver Qi stagnation causing Zang Zao disorder (Secondary source)

Clinical Manifestations

Absent-mindedness Frequent feelings of extreme sadness with an urge to cry Inability to control one's emotions Depression Restless sleep May be night sweats Lack of mental focus Tight abdominal muscles Irritability

Abnormal speech or behavior Disorientation Frequent yawning Sadness Overly sensitive or self-conscious Insomnia T: Red or pale red C: Scanty P: Thready and rapid Palpitations with anxiety

Treats

Neurosis Neurasthenia Epilepsy Infantile night crying Depression Gastrointestinal spasms Chorea Uterine cramping General anxiety disorder Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder Parkinson's disease Migraines Ectopic heartbeats Convulsions Bi-polar disorder Somnambulism Yawning Impotence

Hysteria Autonomic dystonia Schizophrenia Menopause syndrome Enuresis Insomnia Sleep walking Coughing due to spasms of the trachea Night terrors in children Nervous exhaustion Spasms of the extremities Sinus tachycardia Mania Premenstrual syndrome Globus hystericus Celiac disease Hoarseness Male menopause

Contraindications And Herb/Drug Interactions

Notes

• Restless Organ (Zang Zao) disorder is an emotional condition usually brought on by excessive worry, anxiety or pensiveness, with Heart Blood Deficiency and Liver Qi Stagnation; its mechanism is described in the Jin Gui Yao Lue (Essentials from the Golden Cabinet).
• Compared with Xiao Yao San: both treat depression from Liver Qi Stagnation. Gan Mai Da Zao Tang is for Heart Yin Deficiency with melancholy (T: red, no coat, P: thin, rapid); Xiao Yao San is for Liver Blood and Spleen Qi Deficiency with irregular menses (T: pale-red, P: wiry, empty).

Modifications

For irritability and thirst:		For signs of Yin Deficiency with irritability, a red tongue, with scanty coat and insomnia:
+ Rx. Ophiopogonis	Mai Men Dong	+ Sm. Platycladi	Bai Zi Ren
+ Fr. Schisandrae	Wu Wei Zi	+ Rx. Rehmanniae	Sheng Di Huang
For insomnia:		+ Bul. Lilii	Bai He
+ Bul. Lilii	Bai He	For palpitations, fear and fright:
+ Rx. Rehmanniae	Sheng Di Huang	+ Rx. Ginseng	Ren Shen
+ Caulis Polygoni Multiflori	Ye Jiao Teng	Rx. Astragali	Huang Qi
Or		For enuresis:
+ Concha Margaritaferae	Zhen Zhu Mu	+ Ootheca Mantidis	Sang Piao Xiao
+ Dens Draconis	Long Chi	+ Fr. Alpiniae Oxyphyllae	Yi Zhi Ren
For infantile night crying:		+ Sm. Cuscutae	Tu Si Zi
+ Periostracum Cicadae	Chan Tui	For dry stools or constipation:
+ Fr. Schisandrae	Wu Wei Zi	+ Sm. Sesame Nigrum	Hei Zhi Ma
+ Fr. Evodiae	Wu Zhu Yu	+ Rx. Polygoni Multiflori	He Shou Wu
For schizophrenia:		For palpitations, shortness of breath, loss of appetite a swollen, tooth marked tongue and a frail pulse:
+ Fossilia Ossis Mastodi	Long Gu	+ Restore the Spleen Decoction Gui Pi Tang
+ Concha Ostreae	Mu Li	For sinus arrhythmias and a choppy pulse:
For mild cases of schizophrenia:		+ Rx. Codonopsis	Dang Shen
+ Ram. Cinnamomi	Gui Zhi	+ Fluoritum	Zi Shi Ying
+ Fossilia Ossis Mastodi	Long Gu	For a stronger sedative action:
+ Concha Ostreae	Mu Li	+ Sm. Platycladi	Bai Zi Ren
For Liver Blood Deficiency with dizziness and a thin, wiry pulse:		+ Sm. Zizyphi Spinosae	Suan Zao Ren
+ Sm. Zizyphi Spinosae	Suan Zao Ren	+ Poria Pararadicis	Fu Shen
+ Rx. Angelicae Sinensis	Dang Gui	+ Flos Albizziae	He Huan Hua
For edema caused by prolonged intake of large doses of Rx. Glycyrrhizae Gan Cao:		For neurasthenia:
+ Bul. Lilii	Bai He
+ Poria	Fu Ling	+ Rx. Anemarrhenae	Zhi Mu
+ Cx. Albizziae	He Huan Pi	Or
For neurasthenic insomnia:		+ Bul. Lilii	Bai He
+ Bul. Lilii	Bai He	+ Rx. Rehmanniae	Sheng Di Huang
+ Rx. Codonopsis	Dang Shen	+ Caulis Polygoni Multiflori	Ye Jiao Teng
+ Dens Draconis	Long Chi
+ Succinum	Hu Po	Or
+ Fr. Schisandrae	Wu Wei Zi	+ Bul. Lilii	Bai He
For Yin Deficiency:		+ Dens Draconis	Long Chi
+ Bul. Lilii	Bai He	+ Succinum	Hu Po
For obvious Qi Deficiency:		+ Rx. Rehmanniae	Sheng Di Huang
+ Rx. Codonopsis	Dang Shen	+ Rx. Paeoniae Alba	Bai Shao
+ Rx. Astragali	Huang Qi	+ Poria	Fu Ling
For schizophrenia:		+ Sm. Zizyphi Spinosae	Suan Zao Ren
+ Fossilia Ossis Mastodi	Long Chi	+ Fluoritum	Zi Shi Ying
+ Concha Ostreae	Mu Li	For hysteria with spasms:
Or		+ Rx. Paeoniae Alba	Bai Shao
+ Lily Bulb Decoction Bai He Gu Jin Tang		+ Fluoritum	Zi Shi Ying
For epilepsy:
For severe Shen disturbance:		+ Alum	Ming Fan
+ Sm. Zizyphi Spinosae	Suan Zao Ren	For hysteria with abdominal pain:
+ Rx. Polygalae	Yuan Zhi	+ Rx. Paeoniae Alba	Bai Shao
+ Poria Pararadicis	Fu Shen	For hysteria with crying for no reason:
+ Fr. Schisandrae	Wu Wei Zi	- Fr. Jujube	Da Zao
For schizophrenia:		+ Rx. Rehmanniae	Sheng Di Huang
+ Dens Draconis	Long Chi	+ Fr. Hordei Germinatus	Mai Ya
+ Concha Ostreae	Mu Li	+ Colla Corii Asini	E Jiao
For hysteria:		+ Fossilia Ossis Mastodi	Long Gu
+ 15g Rx. Salviae Miltiorrhizae	Dan Shen	+ Egg Yolk	Ji Zi Huang
For restless organ disorder with Blood Deficiency Heat:
+ 4.5g Rx. Polygalae	Yuan Zhi	+ Sm. Zizyphi Spinosae	Suan Zao Ren
+ 9g Sm. Platycladi	Bai Zi Ren	+ Rz. Anemarrhenae	Zhi Mu
+ 9g Sm. Zizyphi Spinosae	Suan Zao Ren	For menopause syndrome with insomnia, restlessness and irritability:
+ Sm. Zizyphi Spinosae	Suan Zao Ren
+ Magnetitum	Ci Shi	Or
+ Dens Draconis	Long Chi	+ Poria Pararadicis	Fu Shen
Or		For insomnia:
+ 12g Fr. Schisandrae	Wu Wei Zi	+ Bul. Lilii	Bai He
For restless organ disorder with Yin Deficiency Heat:		+ Rx. Codonopsis	Dang Shen
+ Dens Draconis	Long Chi
+ Bul. Lilii	Bai He	+ Succinum	Hu Po
+ Rx. Rehmanniae	Sheng Di Huang	+ Fr. Schisandrae	Wu Wei Zi
For restless organ disorder with anorexia and dry stools:		+ Rx. Ophiopogonis	Mai Men Dong
Or
+ Sm. Cannabis	Huo Ma Ren	+ Bul. Lilii	Bai He
+ Poria	Fu Ling	+ Rx. Rehmanniae	Sheng Di Huang
For schizophrenia with Yin Deficiency Heat:		+ Caulis Polygoni Multiflori	Ye Jiao Teng
+ Dens Draconis	Long Chi
+ Concha Ostreae	Mu Li	For chorea:
+ Bul. Lilii	Bai He	+ Cinnamon Twig Decoction with Dragon Bone and Oyster Shell Gui Zhi Jia Long Gu Mu Li Tang
+ Rx. Rehmanniae	Sheng Di Huang
For neurosis:		+ 15g Rx. Curcumae	Yu Jin
+ 12g Sm. Zizyphi Spinosae	Suan Zao Ren	+ 15g Ram. cum Uncis Uncariae	Gou Teng
+ 12g Sm. Platycladi	Bai Zi Ren	+ 12g Rx. Gentianae Macrophyllae	Qin Jiao
+ 15g Flos Albizziae	He Huan Hua
+ 20g Dens Draconis	Long Chi	+ 9g Rz. Gastrodiae	Tian Ma
+ 10g Rx. Curcumae	Yu Jin