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Kai Xin San (開心散), ‘Open the Heart Powder’, is a classical Chinese herbal formula first recorded in Sun Si-miao’s Tang dynasty text Bei Ji Qian Jin Yao Fang (Important Formulas Worth a Thousand Gold Pieces for Emergencies). Built around just four herbs, it tonifies the Heart and Spleen, calms the spirit and opens the orifices, and has traditionally been used for forgetfulness, poor concentration, anxiety and low mood. It is the subject of growing modern research into memory and depression.
English Name
Open the Heart Powder
Classical Source
Bei Ji Qian Jin Yao Fang (Important Formulas Worth a Thousand Gold Pieces for Emergencies), Sun Si-miao, Tang dynasty (652 CE)
Ingredients
- Ren Shen (ginseng root) – tonifies the Heart and Spleen qi, calms the spirit
- Fu Ling (poria) – strengthens the Spleen, drains dampness, quietens the spirit
- Yuan Zhi (polygala root) – calms the spirit, opens the orifices, resolves phlegm and benefits memory
- Shi Chang Pu (acorus rhizome) – opens the orifices, transforms phlegm-dampness and sharpens the mind
Actions & Functions
- Tonifies the Heart and Spleen qi
- Calms the spirit and settles the mind
- Opens the orifices and transforms phlegm-dampness
- Benefits memory and concentration
Indications
Heart and Spleen qi deficiency with phlegm clouding the orifices: forgetfulness, poor memory and concentration, anxiety, low mood, palpitations, insomnia and mental fatigue.
Tongue & Pulse
Tongue: pale with a thin white coat. Pulse: thin and weak.
Modifications
Often adjusted by a practitioner with herbs to nourish Heart blood or further calm the spirit where there is marked insomnia or restlessness.
Cautions & Contraindications
Best prescribed by a qualified practitioner after a full diagnosis. Use with caution where there is significant heat or yin deficiency.
