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Shao Yao Gan Cao Tang: A Classic TCM Prescription for Pain Relief

Writer's picture: Hongji MedicalHongji Medical

Shao Yao Gan Cao Tang comes from Treatise on Febrile Diseases, a medical classic written by Zhang Zhongjing, a famous physician in the late Eastern Han Dynasty. The prescription is composed of two Chinese herbs, peony and licorice, and is mainly used to treat symptoms such as cold and typhoid fever, dry tendons and veins, leg and foot cramps, and abdominal pain.


As a classic Chinese medicine prescription, Shao Yao Gan Cao Tang has become a panacea for treating pain due to its simple composition and wide range of applications. Whether in ancient times or modern times, Shao Yao Gan Cao Tang has played an important role in the clinical practice of Chinese medicine.


Through modern pharmacological research, we have a better understanding of its various effects and mechanisms of action, providing a scientific basis for its application in modern medicine. Peony and Licorice Decoction can not only relieve pain, but also harmonize the yin and yang in the body, restore the elasticity of the meridians and tendons, and prevent the hands and feet from cramping.


Peony and Licorice Soup
芍藥甘草

Analysis of the recipe of Shao Yao Gan Cao Tang


Peony

Peony tastes bitter and sour, is slightly cold in nature, and enters the liver and spleen meridians. Sour taste enters the liver, nourishes blood and softens the liver, and has the effects of nourishing blood and regulating menstruation, calming yin and stopping sweating, softening the liver and relieving pain, and calming liver yang.


Peony can relieve pain, reflux blood in the veins, nourish the tendons and veins, and restore vitality. It is often used to treat chest pain, abdominal pain, and hand and foot cramps caused by liver qi disharmony.


Licorice

Licorice is sweet and neutral in nature. It enters the heart, lung, spleen, and stomach meridians. It has the effects of tonifying the spleen and replenishing qi, clearing away heat and detoxifying, removing phlegm and relieving cough, and harmonizing various medicines. Licorice can not only tonify the spleen and replenish qi, clear away heat and detoxify, but also relieve pain and alleviate the toxicity and potency of drugs.


Pathogenesis explanation


According to traditional Chinese medicine, the liver governs the tendons and the spleen governs the muscles. When the liver blood is insufficient and the spleen qi is weak, the tendons and veins cannot be adequately nourished , resulting in symptoms such as dry tendons and veins, leg cramps, and abdominal pain. Peony and Licorice Soup nourishes the yin and softens the liver, harmonizes the liver and spleen, and achieves the effect of relieving spasms and relieving pain.


Specifically, peony can nourish blood and soften the liver, and relieve pain caused by liver qi disharmony; licorice can nourish the spleen and replenish qi, relieve pain, and harmonize the various medicines, making the effect of the entire prescription more coordinated.


Effects and Applications of Shao Yao Gan Cao Tang


The main effect of Peony and Licorice Decoction is to nourish the yin and soften the liver, and harmonize the liver and spleen, so it can relieve spasms and pain. This prescription is used to treat gastrocnemius spasm, intercostal neuralgia, gastric spasm, stomachache, abdominal pain, sciatica, gynecological inflammatory abdominal pain, dysmenorrhea and other symptoms caused by blood deficiency and fluid damage. In addition, it can also be used to treat duodenal ulcer, atrophic gastritis, gastrointestinal neurosis, acute mastitis, cervical vertebral syndrome and other symptoms of yin and blood deficiency and liver and spleen disorders.


Peony and Licorice Soup
芍藥甘草湯功效

The main effects of Peony and Licorice Soup are to nourish the yin and soften the liver, harmonize the liver and spleen, and relieve spasms and pain. It is suitable for a variety of pain symptoms, including:

  1. Gastrocnemius spasm : cramp in the leg muscles.

  2. Intercostal neuralgia : Pain in the nerves between the ribs.

  3. Stomach cramps, stomachaches, abdominal pain : cramps and pain in the stomach and abdomen.

  4. Sciatica : Pain caused by the sciatic nerve.

  5. Gynecological inflammatory abdominal pain and dysmenorrhea : abdominal pain and menstrual pain caused by gynecological inflammation.

  6. Duodenal ulcer, atrophic gastritis, gastrointestinal neurosis : inflammatory and functional diseases of the digestive system.

  7. Acute mastitis and cervical syndrome : Inflammation and syndrome of the breast and cervical spine.


Shao Yao Gan Cao Tang has many clinical applications and can treat a variety of diseases through appropriate additions and subtractions. For example, when treating facial paralysis, Chuanxiong is added to Peony and Licorice Decoction, and Chuanxiong leads the medicine to the head and face, thereby treating facial paralysis.





When treating spasticity of the hands and feet, peony root nourishes blood and nourishes the body, while roasted licorice root replenishes the middle and relieves urgency, achieving the therapeutic effect. When treating trembling eyes, add fangfeng to the original prescription, which can dispel wind and relieve spasms, thereby treating trembling eyes. Peony and licorice soup is also called "cane-removing soup", which is specially used to treat weak legs and difficulty walking. When treating epigastric pain, add yanhusuo to the original prescription, which can promote qi and relieve pain, thereby treating epigastric pain.


Modern Application of Shao Yao Gan Cao Tang


Modern medical research has found that Shao Yao Gan Cao Tanghas many effects, including relieving spasms and pain, protecting the liver, anti-inflammatory, relieving cough and asthma, anti-allergic reactions, and regulating immunity . Among them, the analgesic effect is the most widely reported. Studies have shown that ammonium glycyrrhizinate is the main active ingredient in Peony and Licorice Decoction for relieving spasms and pain.


Zhu Guangwei et al. studied the factors affecting the efficacy of Peony and Licorice Decoction by single-factor combination dosage, and used high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC-DAD) switching wavelength method to determine the content of active components. They found that the eight components in Peony and Licorice Decoction, including paeoniflorin, benzoylpeoniflorin, paeoniflorin lactone glycosides, oxidized paeoniflorin, glycyrrhizic acid, liquiritigenin, isoliquiritigenin, and isoliquiritigenin, jointly exerted analgesic effects.


Peony and Licorice Soup
芍藥甘草湯止痛作用

In addition, the application of Shao Yao Gan Cao Tang in modern medicine also includes the treatment of diabetic peripheral neuropathy, shoulder periarthritis, frostbite and other diseases. These applications not only confirm the efficacy of Peony and Licorice Decoction in traditional Chinese medicine, but also provide scientific basis for its application in modern medicine.


In terms of preparation technology, modern research has also made important progress. For example, patent CN102379949A introduces a preparation process for peony and licorice soup, which improves the quality and stability of the product through microwave vacuum drying sterilization and grinding particle size control, thereby improving the efficacy. These research results not only confirm the efficacy of peony and licorice soup in traditional Chinese medicine, but also provide scientific basis and technical support for its application in modern medicine.


The research and application of Shao Yao Gan Cao Tang in Japan is very extensive, covering many medical fields. Japanese research has found that Peony and Licorice Decoction has significant anti-spasmodic, anti-inflammatory and immunomodulatory effects. Paeoniflorin in peony and glycyrrhizic acid in licorice have been confirmed to be its main active ingredients, which can relieve pain and spasm by regulating nerve conduction and muscle tension.




In addition, Shao Yao Gan Cao Tang is also used in Japan to treat a variety of digestive system diseases, such as gastric ulcers, gastritis and irritable bowel syndrome. Studies have shown that it can protect the gastric mucosa, reduce gastric acid secretion, and relieve symptoms such as stomach pain and indigestion.


In terms of gynecological diseases, Shao Yao Gan Cao Tang is used to treat irregular menstruation, dysmenorrhea and menopausal syndrome, by regulating female hormone levels and relieving related symptoms. In addition, Shao Yao Gan Cao Tang is also used in Japan to treat nervous system diseases such as epilepsy, Parkinson's disease and Alzheimer's disease, by regulating nerve conduction, protecting nerve cells and alleviating the symptoms of nervous system diseases.


In short, the wide application and remarkable efficacy of Shao Yao Gan Cao Tangmake it one of the classic prescriptions for treating pain in traditional Chinese medicine. Modern research not only confirms its traditional efficacy, but also provides scientific basis and technical support for its application in modern medicine.




Shao Yao Gan Cao Tang Recipe


Tea to relieve cramps: Peony and Licorice Soup


Medicinal materials: 12 grams of white peony root and 12 grams of roasted licorice root.

Method: Pour hot water into the cup, cover it with a lid, and simmer for 3 minutes before drinking.


After frying, white peony root is easier to bring out its aroma; roasted licorice is made by baking it with honey. The original sweetness of licorice plus the sweet fragrance of honey make the taste even sweeter and more delicious.


Peony and Licorice Soup
芍藥甘草湯

Shao Yao Gan Cao Tang has the effects of regulating qi and blood, calming and relieving pain. It can not only prevent cramps and relieve pain, but also relieve and regulate any spasms, pains and discomforts, including the common muscle and bone aches and headaches of modern people.


Some children cry in the middle of the night because of stomachache. You can give them peony and licorice soup. Because it tastes sweet, children think it is sugar water or milk and will not resist it. After the pain is relieved, the child will fall asleep.


Conclusion


As a classic Chinese medicine prescription, Shao Yao Gan Cao Tang has become a panacea for treating pain with its simple composition and wide range of applications. Whether in ancient times or modern times, Peony and Licorice Decoction has played an important role in the clinical practice of Chinese medicine. Through modern pharmacological research, we have a better understanding of its various effects and mechanisms of action, providing a scientific basis for its application in modern medicine. Peony and Licorice Decoction can not only relieve pain, but also reconcile the yin and yang in the body, restore the elasticity of the meridians and tendons, and stop the cramps in the hands and feet.

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