Background
In TCM, the everyday language of "stress" maps onto several classical patterns: "liver qi stagnation" (irritability, sighing, a tight chest, premenstrual mood shifts), "heart-spleen deficiency" (overthinking, fatigue, poor sleep after a hard week), and "liver qi invading the spleen" (digestive upset that arrives with deadlines). The medicines on this page are not antidepressants, and they are not sedatives. They are formulas that Chinese households have traditionally associated with restoring a sense of ease. None of this is a substitute for clinical evaluation when low mood is severe or persistent.