Zizyphus seed (Zizyphus spinosa) Sour jujube seed
Suan zao ren, "sour date seed": sweet, sour, neutral; Gallbladder, Heart, Liver, Spleen. This seed is a famous anxiety reducing herb which is traditionally said to 'calm the spirit'. This seed traditionally was used to reduce irritabilty and insomnia as well as abnormal sweating. Zizyphus is considered a nourishing sedative. This is believed to make it especially suitable for use in the young, weak or elderly. In modern research this seed has effects which are sedative, hypnotic, heart protective, pain-reducing and blood pressure lowering. 1, 3
Zizyphus Research

Amber (Succinum)
Hu po, "tiger's soul": sweet, neutral; Bladder Heart, Liver. In ancient Asia, amber was believed to be the mineralized soul of tigers which had died. It was believed to endow the user with some of the same calm confidence and potential for stillness that the tiger has. It has been used for fright, bad dreams, insomnia, forgetfulness, 'shell shock', anxiety, poor circulation, urinary problems, childhood seizures and topically for swollen or non-healing sores and ulcers. 1

Jujube fruit (Zizyphus jujuba) Chinese date
Da Zao, "big date": sweet, neutral; Spleen, Stomach. This herb is traditionally used for weakness, fatigue, debility, restlessness, hysteria and to assist in the actions of other herbs, as we believe it does in this formula. This herb contains vitamins A, B-2, C, calcium, phosphorus, iron and complex sugars. This herb is considered to nourish both the blood and the energy, which are mutually interdependent. An ancient saying goes: "The blood is the mother of the energy ('qi'), the energy is the leader of the blood". Like mass and energy in physics, yin and yang as well as qi and blood are interdependent, complementary opposites in T.C.M. (Traditional Chinese Medicine). One cannot be fully addressed without addressing the other. 1, 3

Licorice root (Glycyrrhiza uralensis) Chinese Licorice
Gan cao, "sweet herb": sweet, neutral; all 12 channels. This herb has been used over 2000 for a wide variety of conditions and purposes. Various relatives were highly valued in many parts of the ancient world including Egypt. In China it was traditionally used for general weakness, digestive pain and insufficiency, coughing and wheezing as well as infections and poisonings of various sorts. Modern research indicates anti-asthmatic, anti-inflammatory, anti-allergic, anti-tuberculosis, aldosterone-like, cortisone enhancing, anti-ulcer, detoxifying, bile-increasing, blood pressure and cholesterol lowering actions. 1, 2, 3,

Ligustrum fruit (Ligustrum lucidum) Glossy Privet fruit
Nu zhen zi,"female chastity seed": bitter, sweet, neutral: Kidney, Liver. This fairly common ornamental plant is among those used for over two thousand years to help nourish the moisture and regulate fluid metabolism of the body. This lubricating fluid is called 'yin' in Chinese Medicine and many if not most aging signs are believed to result from a lack of this cooling fluid. This herb is particularly famed for "brightening the eyes" which means sharpening vision and "darkening the hair" which means helping hair retain or restore its original color. This herb is rich in oleanolic acid which has been shown to regulate heart function and fluid metabolism. 1, 3

Baikal Scullcap root (Scutellaria baicalensis) Scutellaria, Scute
Huang qin: bitter, cold; Gallbladder, Large Intestine, Lung, Stomach. This herb has been used for over 2000 years as a 'heat clearing' medicine. This usually means that the herb lowers fever or infection. This often has to do with natural antibiotic effects. In the case of this herb it was used especially in 'damp heat' of the lungs (often involving colored sticky mucus), digestive tract (dysentery), liver (jaundice) or skin (some sores and swellings). Baikal Scullcap or its parts have been shown to be anti-allergic, antibiotic (in one case, Staph. bacteria which had become resistant to penicillin remained sensitive to the herb), diuretic, bile stimulating, nerve sedating, and to lower blood pressure, cholesterol and body temperature. 1, 2, 3

Bibliography:

1) Bensky and Gamble: Chinese Herbal Medicine; Materia Medica,
Revised Edition, Eastland Press, Seattle, Wash., 1993

2) Dharmananda, Subuti: Prescriptions on Silk and Paper- The History and development of Chinese Patent Medicines, Institute for Traditional Medicine, Portland, Ore., 1990

3) Reid, Daniel: A Handbook of Chinese Healing Herbs,
Shambhala Pub., Boston, Mass., 1995