A "shu-gan qing-re, jian-pi yang-xue" (smooth the liver, clear heat, strengthen the spleen, nourish blood) formula from Li Chan's "Introduction to Medicine" (1575), the "cooled" form of the classical Xiao Yao San.
Cultural reference - how this formula has been discussed in Chinese medical tradition. Not medical advice.
Background & origin
Compiled in the Ming-dynasty text "Introduction to Medicine" (《医学入门》, 1575) by Li Chan (李梴), the formula is the "Danhui + Zhi Zi" form of the classical Xiao Yao San, appropriate when liver-qi stagnation has begun to transform into heat. In Japan, it is sold as 加味逍遙散 (かみしょうようさん / Kami-shōyōsan) by Tsumura (ツムラ) and is one of the most widely prescribed kampo formulas for perimenopausal, stress-related, and women's-health indications. In Korea, it appears as 가미소요산 (Gami-soyo-san) in the broader hanbang product line, often produced by Kyungdong (경동). The formula is a textbook example of "augment" thinking, taking a classical formula and adding herbs for a more specific presentation.
From the source text
This page is cultural documentation, not medical advice.
From the source text · 《医学入门》卷七·妇人小儿外科用药·加味逍遥散条
Classical text
据《医学入门》：加味逍遥散，治肝脾血虚发热，及血虚发热，肢体倦怠；逍遥散加牡丹皮、栀子、香附。
Modern Chinese rendering
本方用于"肝郁血虚、郁久化热"系列证候：肝血不足、脾失健运所致的情绪抑郁或急躁易怒、两胁胀痛、头晕目眩、倦怠食少、月经不调、脐腹胀痛。方以逍遥散（柴胡、当归、白芍、白术、茯苓、炙甘草、薄荷、生姜）疏肝解郁、健脾养血为底；加入牡丹皮、栀子清肝泻火以"化郁热"；香附理气疏肝。整体上，是明代"舒肝清热、健脾养血"思路下"逍遥散 + 丹栀"系列的代表方，临床用于"肝郁化热"证候。
Editorial translation
This formula is used for "liver-depression with blood deficiency transforming into heat" patterns: liver-blood insufficiency and spleen-transport failure causing emotional depression or irritability, hypochondriac distension and pain, dizziness, fatigue, reduced food intake, menstrual irregularity, and lower-abdominal distension. The Jiā Wèi Xiāo Yáo Wán takes the Xiāo Yáo Sǎn (Chái Hú, Dāng Guī, Bái Sháo, Bái Zhú, Fú Líng, Zhì Gān Cǎo, Bò Hé, Shēng Jiāng) to soothe the liver, resolve depression, and fortify the spleen as the base; Mǔ Dān Pí and Zhī Zǐ clear liver fire to "transform stagnant heat"; Xiāng Fù regulates liver qi. It is, in short, the Ming-dynasty representative formula for the "Xiāo Yáo + Dān Pí / Zhī Zǐ" line of the "liver-depression transforming into heat" register.
In tradition
In TCM framing, traditionally used in the context of "liver-qi stagnation transforming into heat" with concurrent "spleen deficiency", emotional tightness combined with irritability, hot flashes, occasional facial flushing, irregular menstruation, mild fatigue, and a tongue that is reddened at the edges. The formula is the "Danhui + Zhi Zi" form of the classical Xiao Yao San, when the stagnation has begun to produce heat. In Japan, it is sold as 加味逍遙散 (かみしょうようさん / Kami-shōyōsan) by Tsumura (ツムラ) and is one of the most widely prescribed kampo formulas for perimenopausal and stress-related indications.
Formula composition
Monarch1
- Bupleurum root (Chái Hú / 柴胡)
Minister2
- White peony root (Bái Sháo / 白芍)
- Angelica sinensis root (Dāng Guī / 当归)
Assistant5
- Atractylodes macrocephala (Bái Zhú / 白术)
- Poria (Fú Líng / 茯苓)
- Peppermint (Bò Hé / 薄荷)
- Moutan bark (Mǔ Dān Pí / 牡丹皮)
- Gardenia fruit (Zhī Zǐ / 栀子)
Envoy2
- Honey-fried licorice (Zhì Gān Cǎo / 炙甘草)
- Ginger (Shēng Jiāng / 生姜)
International availability
Taiwan & Hong Kong
- 順天堂OTC加味逍遙散Jia Wei Xiao Yao San
Cautions & context
- Not appropriate for severe "liver-fire" with marked irritability, severe headache, and red eyes, the formula is harmonizing and mildly cooling, not strongly clearing.
- People on interferon or immunosuppressant therapies should consult a physician, the formula contains bupleurum, which has documented immunomodulatory effects.
- Pregnant women should not use without qualified guidance; some sources consider the combination inappropriate in early pregnancy.
- Mood-related symptoms that are severe, persistent, or worsening should be assessed by a clinician, TCM self-care is not a substitute for evaluation of mental-health conditions.
Related formulas
Other formulas from this text· "Introduction to Medicine"
Other formulas by this contributor· Li Chan
Related concerns
Concern · stress
Stress & Mood
Everyday tension, low mood, irritability, the sense of being "wound up but tired". The cluster of complaints that brings many Chinese adults to the family 中成药 drawer before they ever see a doctor.
Concern · womens-health
Women's Health
The cluster of complaints that Chinese households often frame around the menstrual cycle: premenstrual mood shifts, breast tenderness, irregular cycles, and post-partum recovery.
Editorial note
Compiled from "Introduction to Medicine" (1575).
Last reviewed: July 18, 2026
Three layers of evidence
Classical source
≈ 500 years · "Introduction to Medicine" (1575)
Pharmacopoeia indication
"Soothe the liver and clear heat, fortify the spleen and nourish blood. Used for liver stagnation with blood deficiency and liver-spleen disharmony: depressed mood and discomfort, chest and hypochondriac distension and pain, dizziness, poor appetite, and menstrual irregularity."
Modern research status
A 2023 systematic review with meta-analysis and trial sequential analysis (PMID 37905203) of randomized controlled trials found that Xiao Yao San (and its modified forms, including Jia Wei Xiao Yao Wan / Dan Zhi Xiao Yao Wan) showed better anxiety-related symptom improvement when used alone or combined with anxiolytics than anxiolytics alone; the authors noted that owing to the limited number and quality of the included studies, further high-quality research is essential to validate these results.
References
References reviewed on July 18, 2026 · PubMed search on 2026-07-18
- 01ClassicalLǐ Chán (李梴), 《医学入门》 (Yīxué Rùmén / Introduction to Medicine), late Ming dynasty, compiled 1575 (Wanli 3rd year), the "women, children, and external medicine" (卷七·妇人小儿外科用药) section, the entry for Jiā Wèi Xiāo Yáo Sǎn (加味逍遥散), the canonical "liver-soothing + heat-clearing" augmentation of the classical Xiāo Yáo Sǎn line; editorial adaptation, pending scholarly verification of exact chapter / verse wording against the 1575 first-edition.
- 02TextbookDuān Fùjīn (段富津) et al. (eds.), 《方剂学》 (Fāngjìxué / Science of Formulas), 2nd edition, Shanghai Scientific and Technical Publishers, 2011, the standard modern university-level formula textbook in mainland China, with Jiā Wèi Xiāo Yáo Wán analysed in the "harmonizing formulas" (和解剂) chapter as a representative "soothe-liver + clear-heat" formula and the canonical entry for the "liver-depression transforming into heat" register.
- 03TextbookTsumura (ツムラ), Kami-shōyōsan (加味逍遙散, TJ-24) prescription documentation, Japan's leading Kampo manufacturer, the standard Japanese Kampo "augmented Free Wanderer" formula derived from the late-Ming 《医学入门》 line, sold in Japanese clinics and pharmacies for perimenopausal, stress-related, and women's-health indications; mirrored in Korean hanbang as 가미소요산 (Gami-soyo-san) in Kyungdong (경동) product line.
- 04PharmacopoeiaPharmacopoeia Commission of the PRC, 《中华人民共和国药典》 2020 edition, vol. 1 (Zhōnghuá Rénmín Gònghéguó Yàodiǎn, Pharmacopoeia of the People's Republic of China, 2020 ed., vol. 1), China Medical Science Press, 2020, the official national monograph for Jiā Wèi Xiāo Yáo Wán (丸 / 浓缩丸), "functional indication" reads "soothe the liver and clear heat, fortify the spleen and nourish blood, used for liver stagnation with blood deficiency and liver-spleen disharmony: depressed mood and discomfort, chest and hypochondriac distension and pain, dizziness, poor appetite, and menstrual irregularity".