HERB FORMULAS

SHAO YAO GAN CAO TANG

English: Peony and Licorice Decoction
Also Known As: Peony and Licorice Combination
Decoction of Paeoniae and Glycyrrhizae

HERBS AND ACTIONS

Pharmaceutical Latin
Pin Yin
Dosage
Actions
Rx. Paeoniae Alba

 

Bai Shao 6-30g Nourishes the Blood, preserves Yin, softens the Liver and alleviates pain.
With Bai Shao, Regulates the Liver and Spleen and nourishes the sinews.
With Zhi Gan Cao for abdominal pain due to disharmony between the Liver and Stomach and muscle spasms, especially in the calf, due to Blood Deficiency.
Rx. Glycyrrhizae Preparata Zhi Gan Cao 6-20g Tonifies and augments the Qi of the Middle Jiao, especially that of the Spleen.

FORMULA ACTIONS

  • Softens the Liver
  • Nourishes the Blood
  • Nourishes the Yin
  • Moderates painful spasms
  • Relieves pain,
  • Harmonizes the Middle Jiao
  • Replenishes Body Fluids

SYNDROMES

  • Pain in the calves with Blood Deficiency or injury to fluids
  • Cramps in the hands and abdominal pain that improves with pressure
  • Insufficiency of Yin and Yang
  • Disharmony between the Liver and Spleen

CLINICAL MANIFESTATIONS

  • Abdominal pain
  • Irritability
  • Slight chills
  • Spasms of the calf muscles
  • Cramps in the hands
  • Weak legs
  • Hypertonicity of the extremities characterized by difficult flexion and extension
  • Wheezing
  • Coughing
  • Hiccough
  • Vomiting
  • Diarrhea
  • Sciatic pain
  • Severe and painful muscle spasms in the Stomach, bronchi, Gallbladder and uterus. Intestines
  • Shoulder pain
  • Pain in the head, body or limbs due to arterial spasms characterized by a severe pulling pain
  • T: Normal or Reddish
  • C: None or Yellowish
  • P: Wiry and rapid or Thready and rapid

TREATS

  • Intercostal neuralgia
  • Sciatica
  • Trigeminal neuralgia
  • Postherpetic neuralgia
  • Chronic pelvic inflammatory disease
  • Primary dysmenorrhea
  • Muscular rheumatism
  • Pancreatitis
  • Dysuria
  • Bronchial asthma
  • Spasmodic cough
  • Hemorrhoid pain
  • Bladder pain
  • Fibromyalgia
  • Cramping calf muscles
  • Priapism
  • Post stroke contractures
  • Acute lumbar strain
  • Biliary colic
  • Gastric spasm
  • Peptic ulcers
  • Pertussis
  • End-stage hepatic carcinoma
  • Rheumatoid arthritis
  • Cervical spine syndrome
  • Disc disease
  • Recalcitrant hiccoughs
  • Bruxism
  • Parkinson's disease
  • Atrial fibrillation
  • Enuresis
  • Allergic purpura
  • Bronchiectasis
  • Male and female infertility
  • Impotence from increased prolactin levels
  • Hepatitis
  • Acute mastitis
  • Habitual constipation
  • Coronary artery disease
  • Intestinal cramps
  • Systremma
  • Perimenopause with uterine leiomyoma
  • Toothache
  • Beri beri
  • Palsy in legs
  • Noctiphobia
  • Lumbago
  • Frozen shoulder
  • Hernia pain
  • Nephrolithiasis pain
  • Cholelithiasis pain
  • Muscle spasms in waist and back
  • Intestinal cramps
  • Pain and discomfort from spasms of the skeletal muscles, ligaments and related tissues
  • Vaginismus
  • Laryngeal spasm
  • Periarthritis of the shoulder
  • Spinal osteophytes
  • Renal colic
  • Intestinal adhesions
  • Atrophic gastritis
  • Ulcerative colitis
  • Threatened miscarriage
  • Heel pain
  • Necrosis of the femoral head
  • Neuralgia
  • Diabetic neuropathy
  • Restless leg syndrome
  • Facial tics
  • Essential tremors
  • Night terrors
  • Thrombocytopenic purpura
  • Upper gastrointestinal bleeding
  • Recurrent epistaxis
  • Hypertestosteronemia
  • Myasthenia gravis
  • Diabetes
  • Bacillary dysentery
  • Anal fissures
  • Convulsions
  • Frozen shoulder
  • Hyperosteogeny
  • Drug induced menopause

CONTRAINDICATIONS AND HERB/DRUG INTERACTIONS

CONTRAINDICATIONS
  • Use caution for those with hypertension.
HERB/DRUG INTERACTIONS
  • This formula may be effective in treating schizophreniapatients with neuroleptic-induced hyperprolactinemia.
  • This formula has been shown to decrease paclitaxel-induced myalgia/arthralgia.
  • This formula has been shown to be effective in treating menopausal symptoms induced by gonadotropin-releasing hormone agonists without a negative effect on serum estradiol levels.

NOTES

  • Some say the dosage between Peony and Licorice should be two to one.

MODIFICATIONS

For fixed pain that increases with pressure: For a slow pulse and other signs of Cold:
- Rx. Paeoniae Alba Bai Shao + Rz. Zingiberis Gan Jiang
+ Rx. Paeoniae Rubra Chi Shao
For a flooding pulse and other signs of heat:
To increase the effectiveness of the in treating spasms of the calf muscles:
+ Rz. Coptidis Huang Lian
+ Rx. Achyranthis Bidentatae Niu Xi
For abdominal pain:
+ Fr. Chaenomelis Mu Gua + Rz. Cyperi Xiang Fu
For Wind rash:
For spasms of the extremities and stiff neck and back associated with encephalitis, after the fever has broken:
+ Per. Cicadae Chan Tui + Scorpio Quan Xie
+ Fr. Jujube Da Zao + Scolopendrae Wu Gong
+ Fr. Kochiae Di Fu Zi
For spasms and cramps of the extremities:
For dysuria:
+ Hb. Asari Xi Xin
+ Rz. Atractylodis Macrocephalae Bai Zhu + Rz. Zingiberis Gan Jiang
+ Poria Fu Ling
For back pain:
For neck and shoulder pain:
+ Cx. Eucommiae Du Zhong
+ Rx. Puerariae Ge Gen + Rx. Achyranthis Bidentatae Niu Xi
or
 + Rz. Corydalis Yan Hu Suo
+ Kudzu Decoction
Ge Gen Tang
For severe pain:
For bone fractures:
+ Rz. Corydalis Yan Hu Suo
+ Olibanum Ru Xiang
For dysmenorrhea:
+ Myrrh Mo Yao + Rz. Cyperi Xiang Fu
or
+ Sudden Smile Powder
Shi Xiao San
+ Purple and Gold Pill for Righteous Bones
Zheng Gu Zi Jin Dan
For pain from Kidney stones:
For fibromyalgia due to Qi and Blood Stagnation:
+ Polyporus Decoction
Zhu Ling Tang
+ Tonify Yang to Restore Five-Tenths Decoction
Bu Yang Huan Wu Tang
+ Spora Lygodii Hai Jin Sha
+ Drive Out Blood Stasis from a Painful Body Decoction
Shen Tong Zhu Yu Tang  
 + Hb. Lysimachiae Jin Qian Cao
    + Endothelium Corneum Gigeriae Galli Ji Nei Jin