When the mind tires before the body
Long days of work or revision, a mind still turning in the evening, light sleep, a foggy head on waking, tiredness that grows as effort goes on… In TCM, these signs may be associated with a Heart and Kidney that are not sufficiently nourished. The Heart houses the Spirit (Shen) and needs Blood to house it peacefully; the Kidney stores Jing, the essence that sustains strength over time. Tradition often adds Phlegm clouding the “orifices of the Heart”.
Bu Nao Wan is a formula from the Chinese pharmacopoeia that brings together, in seven herbs, three families from the tradition: those that nourish the Heart and calm the Spirit, those that support the Kidney, and the aromatic pair of polygala and acorus. Four of its herbs, schisandra, spiny jujube seed, Chinese angelica and polygala, also appear in Tian Wang Bu Xin Dan, the great formula of the Heart and Kidney.
Nourishing the Heart and Kidney, clearing the orifices
Schisandra, the most generously dosed herb, and spiny jujube seeds form the base of the formula: they nourish the Heart and retain what it receives. Chinese angelica nourishes the Blood, goji and walnut kernels support the Kidney, while polygala and acorus transform Phlegm and, according to tradition, connect the Heart and the Kidney.
Nourishes the Blood and supports the Heart: Chinese angelica nourishes the Blood and spiny jujube seeds nourish the Heart and Liver: a well-nourished Heart houses the Spirit more peacefully.
Calms the Spirit and favours sleep: Spiny jujube seeds, schisandra and polygala are three reference herbs of the tradition for calming the Spirit and accompanying the return to rest.
Supports periods of fatigue and intense demand: Schisandra, sour and astringent, helps retain the Qi and Fluids that long days scatter; acorus, aromatic, dispels the Phlegm that weighs down the head.
Strengthens the Jing: Goji nourishes Liver and Kidney Yin, and walnut kernels warm the Kidney: together, they support the deep resources that effort draws on.
