As early as 1800 years ago, the medical saint Zhang Zhongjing wrote a famous prescription: Gan Mai Da Zao Tang, which is specially used to soothe depression and irritability. This prescription only has three herbs, which are both medicine and food, and are readily available, but have miraculous therapeutic effects. Let us take a deeper look at the origin, background, prescription explanation, indications, efficacy, modern application and precautions of this prescription.
Origin and Background of Gan Mai Da Zao Tang
Gan Mai Da Zao Tang comes from "Shanghan Zabing Lun. Jinkui", which is one of Zhang Zhongjing's classic works and records many effective prescriptions.
The main effect of Gan Mai Da Zao Tang is to "nourish the mind and calm the nerves, harmonize the stomach and relieve urgency" . It helps to nourish the mind and calm the nerves, harmonize the spleen and stomach, and relieve urgent emotions. In ancient times, this prescription was mainly used to treat a disease called "manic disorder", which manifested as mental confusion, frequent uncontrollable crying and restless sleep.
Gan Mai Da Zao Tang Recipe Explanation
Gan Mai Da Zao Tang is made up of three herbs: wheat, liquorice and jujube. These three herbs play different roles according to the principle of monarch, minister, assistant and envoy.
Wheat (main ingredient) : Wheat is sweet and cool in nature, and it enters the heart meridian. It is believed to nourish the liver qi, nourish the heart, strengthen the kidneys, harmonize the blood, and strengthen the spleen and stomach. Wheat is used heavily in the prescription to nourish the heart and liver, calm the mind, and eliminate irritability.
Licorice (minister drug) : Licorice is sweet and mild in nature. It is believed to nourish the heart, stabilize the soul, repair various deficiencies, and help treat palpitations, irritability, and forgetfulness. The Compendium of Materia Medica mentions that it can open up the nine channels, benefit all meridians, and nourish the essence and qi. In this recipe, the role of licorice is to nourish the heart qi, harmonize the middle jiao, and help digestion.
Jujube (adjuvant drug) : Jujube is sweet and mild in taste, moist and mild in nature. It can nourish the spleen and replenish qi, nourish the blood, regulate the body's defense system, and calm the mind. Jujube assists licorice in relieving anxious emotions and harmonizing yin and yang, and together they serve as an auxiliary drug.
The efficacy and pathogenesis of Gan Mai Da Zao Tang
Sweet barley jujube soup is mainly used to treat manic disorder, a condition characterized by mental confusion, frequent uncontrollable crying and restless sleep.
Wheat is used heavily in the recipe to nourish the heart and liver, calm the mind, and eliminate irritability; licorice nourishes the heart qi, harmonizes the middle burner, and helps digestion; jujube can nourish the spleen and replenish qi, nourish the blood, regulate the nutrient and defensive systems, and calm the mind.
Pathogenesis
The pathogenesis of Gan Mai Da Zao Tang mainly involves the dysfunction of the heart, liver and spleen.
The heart governs blood circulation, the liver governs the flow of qi, and the spleen governs the transportation and transformation of qi. When the heart, liver, and spleen are out of balance, it can lead to a series of symptoms such as restlessness, liver qi stagnation, and spleen qi weakness. Symptoms such as restlessness, sleep disorders, and depression are all manifestations of restlessness, while liver qi stagnation can lead to symptoms such as low mood and irritability, and spleen qi weakness can cause symptoms such as fatigue and diarrhea.
There is a close mother-child relationship between the heart, liver, and spleen. The liver is wood, the heart is fire, and wood gives birth to fire, so the liver is the mother and the heart is the child. A disordered mind will affect the liver qi, resulting in symptoms of liver qi stagnation and depression.
The spleen is earth, the heart is fire, and fire produces earth, so the heart is the mother and the spleen is the child. Insufficient heart qi will affect the spleen qi, leading to spleen qi weakness. Therefore, harmonizing the functions of the heart, liver, and spleen is crucial to the treatment of manic disorder.
The harmonizing effect of Gan Mai Da Zao Tang
Gan Mai Da Zao Tang harmonizes the functions of the heart by nourishing the heart yin, benefiting the heart qi, calming the mind, eliminating heart troubles, and aiding sleep; it harmonizes the functions of the liver and spleen by easing the liver qi and harmonizing the spleen and stomach.
Wheat nourishes the heart yin, licorice soothes the liver qi, and jujube nourishes the spleen qi. The three work together to harmonize the functions of the heart, liver, and spleen, achieving the effects of nourishing the heart and calming the mind, and harmonizing the middle and relieving urgency. This harmonizing effect can not only relieve the symptoms of manic disorder, but also improve a variety of psychological and mental illnesses in modern life.
Modern Applications of Gan Mai Da Zao Tang
In modern clinical practice, Gan Mai Da Zao Tang is widely used to treat a variety of psychological and mental illnesses , demonstrating its multifaceted therapeutic effects. Gan Mai Da Zao Tang can effectively relieve mental tension and anxiety for symptoms such as mania, hysteria, neurasthenia, and autonomic nervous system disorders, and has the effects of sedation, hypnosis, anticonvulsion, and anticonvulsant analgesia. It can relieve mental tension and anxiety and improve sleep quality .
In addition, it also has significant effects on symptoms such as sleep disorders, hyperhidrosis, bruxism, epilepsy, forgetfulness, crying in children, depression, insomnia, menopausal syndrome, etc. It can improve the patient's sleep quality, relieve mental instability, and help maintain a good mental state.
Gan Mai Da Zao Tang is not only effective in treating psychological and mental illnesses, but also plays an important role in relieving other related symptoms. For example, it can relieve irritable bowel syndrome caused by mental and psychological illnesses, improve memory, relieve amnesia symptoms, and help candidates maintain a good mental state before the exam.
These wide applications make Ganmai Jujube Soup a versatile TCM remedy that provides effective solutions to a variety of psychological and spiritual issues in modern life.
Notes
Although Gan Mai Da Zao Tang is a sweet food therapy recipe with a mild medicinal property, neither bitter and cold nor hot, there are still some precautions to follow:
Allergic reactions : Avoid this recipe if you are allergic to wheat, licorice, or dates.
Long-term use : Long-term use of licorice may cause edema and high blood pressure, so it should be used under the guidance of a doctor.
Pregnant and breastfeeding women : Pregnant and breastfeeding women should use this recipe under the guidance of a doctor.
Children : Children should use this prescription under the guidance of a doctor, and the dosage should be adjusted according to age and weight.
Other medications : If you are taking other medications, you should consult your doctor whether you can use sweet barley jujube soup at the same time to avoid drug interactions.
Conclusion
Gan Mai Da Zao Tang is a sweet food therapy recipe. The soup is sweet and has a slight wheat aroma. It is mild in nature, neither bitter nor hot. You may want to try it, savor the leisurely artistic conception of the thousand-year-old recipe, and return to a peaceful life. Whether in ancient times or modern times, Gan Mai Da Zao Tang has demonstrated its unique therapeutic effect in treating manic disorder and other psychological and mental illnesses. I hope this article can help everyone better understand and apply this famous recipe from ancient times, so that we can find inner peace in our busy lives.