Gan Mai Da Zao Tang  甘麦大枣汤
Licorice, Wheat and Jujube Decoction

Tradition:

TCM

Source / Author:

Essentials from the Golden Cabinet (c. 220 CE)

Herb Name Fu Xiao Mai (Floating Wheat) Zhi Gan Cao (Licorice) fried Da Zao (Jujube)

Latin Triticum aestivum Glycyrrhiza uralensis Zizyphus jujuba Amount 9–15 grams 9 grams 4 pieces

Preparation:

Decoction

Function:

Moves Liver Qi, Nourishes Heart Blood.

Use:

Red tongue, little coating with as thin, rapid pulse
1. Irritability
2. talking to oneself, talking nonsense
3. constantly sad, crying
4. Depression, Postpartum Depression
5. Mental illness, absurd behavior
6. Sleep disturbance
7. Hysteria
8. Menopausal syndrome
9. Neurosis
10. Phobias
11. Postpartum Palpitations
13. Severe Sweating Postpartum
14. PMS.

Dose:

The above is taken over the coarse of the day in three equal doses

Cautions:

None noted

Modifications:

1. Irritability with Heart Yin deficiency, add Lily bulb (Bai He)
2. Irritability with Insomnia with Yin deficiency, add Rehmannia Sheng Di Huang, Lily bulb (Bai He)
3. Insomnia, add Zizyphys semen (Suan Zao Ren)
4. Constipation, add Sesame seed and Cannabis seed
5. Enuresis, add Mantis Egg Case (Sang Piao Xiao) and Dodder seed (Tu Si Zi)
6. Schizophrenia (mild cases), add Cinnamon twig (Gui Zhi), Fossil Bones (Long Gu), Oyster shell (Mu Li)
7. Schizophrenia (more severe cases) add Rhubarb (Da Huang), Fossil Bones (Long Gu), Oyster shell (Mu Li)
8. Palpitation with Fear with Qi deficiency, add Ginseng, Astragalus Huang Qi

Back To DECOCTIONS
Back to FORMULAS
How to Modify a Formula
Substitutes
Weights & Measures