A "yi-qi bu-xue, jian-pi yang-xin" (augment qi, tonify blood, strengthen the spleen, nourish the heart) formula from Yan Yonghe's "Formulary to Aid the Living" (1253), the ginseng-substituted, stronger form of the classical Gui Pi Tang.
Cultural reference - how this formula has been discussed in Chinese medical tradition. Not medical advice.
Background & origin
Compiled in the Song-dynasty text "Formulary to Aid the Living" (《济生方》, 1253) by Yan Yonghe (严用和), it is the ginseng-substituted, stronger form of the classical Gui Pi Tang. In Japan, it is sold as 人参帰脾湯 (にんじんきひとう / Ninjin-kihito) by Tsumura (ツムラ) and is one of the most widely prescribed kampo formulas for chronic fatigue, palpitations, and insomnia. In Korean hanbang, similar 인삼귀비탕 preparations appear in the Hanpung (한풍) line, and it is a fixture in women's-health and geriatric product lines. The formula is, in short, one of the most cross-culturally reproduced "tonic" formulas in East Asia.
From the source text
This page is cultural documentation, not medical advice.
From the source text · 《济生方》卷四·怔忡健忘·归脾汤
Classical text
治思虑过度，劳伤心脾，健忘怔忡。白术、当归、白茯苓、黄芪、龙眼肉、远志、酸枣仁、木香、甘草、人参。
Modern Chinese rendering
本方用于思虑过度、劳伤心脾所致的健忘怔忡、心悸失眠、食少体倦、面色萎黄、舌淡苔白。这一段方论把归脾汤定位为"心脾同调、气血双补"思路下"心脾两虚"路径的代表方——以人参(本方"人参归脾丸"沿用)、黄芪、白术、甘草四君合用以补气健脾;当归、龙眼肉、酸枣仁、远志、茯神养血安神;佐木香理气醒脾,使补而不滞。十味相合,心脾同治、气血并补,体现"心藏神、脾藏意""思虑伤脾、累及心神"病机下"心脾同调"思路的经典应用。
Editorial translation
This formula is used for "over-thinking injuring the heart and spleen" patterns: poor memory and palpitations, fatigue, reduced appetite, sallow complexion, and a pale tongue with thin coating. This preface positions Guī Pí Tāng as the Formulary-derived "treat heart and spleen together, tonify both qi and blood" representative formula — the canonical entry for the "heart-spleen dual deficiency" register; the present-day "Rén Shēn Guī Pí Wán" (Ginseng Spleen-Returning Pill) is the modern production form with the original formulation unchanged but more explicit ginseng substitution; it uses Rén Shēn / Huáng Qí / Bái Zhú / Gān Cǎo (the Four Gentlemen) to tonify qi and fortify the spleen, Dāng Guī / Lóng Yǎn Ròu / Suān Zǎo Rén / Yuǎn Zhì / Fú Shén to nourish blood and quiet the spirit, with Mù Xiāng as the regulating qi and awakening-spleen assistant to ensure the tonic is cloying-free. The ten flavours together treat the heart and spleen together, tonify qi and blood together — embodying the "heart houses shen, spleen houses yi" / "over-thinking injures the spleen, which then burdens the heart-shen" pathomechanism as the canonical application of the "treat heart and spleen together" approach.
In tradition
In TCM framing, traditionally used in the context of "heart-spleen deficiency", fatigue, poor appetite, palpitations, difficulty falling asleep or easily disturbed sleep, poor memory, occasional anxiety, and a pale tongue. The formula is one of the most discussed "double-deficiency" tonics in TCM and is the standard first-line formula for the "overworked" presentation. In Japan, it is sold as 人参帰脾湯 (にんじんきひとう / Ninjin-kihito) by Tsumura (ツムラ) and is one of the most widely prescribed kampo formulas for chronic fatigue, palpitations, and insomnia. In Korean hanbang, similar 인삼귀비환 preparations appear in the Hanpung (한풍) line.
Formula composition
Monarch1
- Ginseng (Rén Shēn / 人参)
Minister2
- Astragalus root (Huáng Qí / 黄芪)
- Atractylodes macrocephala (Bái Zhú / 白术)
Assistant6
- Poria with pine root (Fú Shén / 茯神)
- Ziziphus seed, sour (Suān Zǎo Rén / 酸枣仁)
- Longan flesh (Lóng Yǎn Ròu / 龙眼肉)
- Polygala root (Yuǎn Zhì / 远志)
- Costus root (Mù Xiāng / 木香)
- Angelica sinensis root (Dāng Guī / 当归)
Envoy3
- Honey-fried licorice (Zhì Gān Cǎo / 炙甘草)
- Ginger (Shēng Jiāng / 生姜)
- Chinese date (Dà Zǎo / 大枣)
International availability
Japan (Kampo)
- Tsumura & Co.ツムラOTC人参養栄湯Ninjin Kihi-tō
Korea (Hanbang)
- Kyungdong경동OTC인삼귀비환Insam-gwibi-hwan
Taiwan & Hong Kong
- 順天堂OTC人參歸脾丸Ren Shen Gui Pi Wan
Cautions & context
- Not appropriate during acute illness with fever, TCM tradition warns against "tonifying during an external pathogen".
- People taking sedative or hypnotic medications should consult a clinician, the formula contains several calming herbs.
- Pregnant women should use only with qualified guidance, the formula is a tonic and contains several moving herbs.
- Persistent fatigue, palpitations, or insomnia should be evaluated by a clinician, TCM tonics are not a substitute for evaluation of underlying anemia, thyroid, or cardiac conditions.
Related formulas
Other formulas from this text· "Formulary to Aid the Living"
Other formulas by this contributor· Yan Yonghe
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 · sleep
Sleep
Difficulty falling asleep, light sleep, dream-disturbed sleep, and the "tired but cannot switch off" pattern that follows overwork or worry.
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 "Formulary to Aid the Living" (1224).
Last reviewed: July 18, 2026
Three layers of evidence
Classical source
≈ 800 years · "Formulary to Aid the Living" (1224)
Pharmacopoeia indication
"Benefit qi and nourish blood, fortify the spleen and nourish the heart. Used for heart-spleen dual deficiency with qi-blood insufficiency: severe palpitations, insomnia with frequent dreams, poor memory, reduced food intake with bodily fatigue, and sallow complexion."
Modern research status
As of 2026-07-18, a PubMed search using the formula name and the Latin / Korean / Japanese transliterations together with "systematic review" and "meta-analysis" did not identify a dedicated systematic review for this formula. Any clinical evidence that does exist is fragmented across small individual trials or covered in broad herbal-medicine umbrella reviews, which do not allow a per-formula evidence assessment; the absence of a dedicated SR is itself the relevant editorial fact here.
References
References reviewed on July 18, 2026 · PubMed search on 2026-07-18
- 01ClassicalYán Yònghé (严用和), 《济生方》 (Jì Shēng Fāng / Formulary to Aid the Living), Southern Song dynasty, compiled ca. 1253, vol. 4 (卷四), the "palpitations and forgetfulness" (怔忡健忘) section, the entry for Guī Pí Tāng (归脾汤), the foundational "treat heart and spleen together, tonify both qi and blood" (心脾同调、气血双补) representative formula; the present-day Rén Shēn Guī Pí Wán (Ginseng Spleen-Returning Pill) is the modern industrial production form of the classical formula, with the original formula constitution unchanged but with Rén Shēn (ginseng) as the explicit sovereign; F22 correction: the formula's classical source is 《济生方》 not 《太平惠民和剂局方》 as originally listed in plan §4.2.
- 02TextbookDuan Fuqin (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 Guī Pí Tāng (and the related Rén Shēn Guī Pí Wán / Guī Pí Wán dosage forms) analysed in the "tonifying formulas" (补益剂) chapter as the representative "treat heart and spleen together" formula, the canonical entry for the "heart-spleen dual deficiency" register, and the parent formula for numerous derivative products (Bǔ Xīn / Yǎng Xīn variants).
- 03TextbookTsumura & Co. (ツムラ), Ninjin-kihito (人参帰脾湯) product documentation, Japan's leading Kampo manufacturer, one of the most widely prescribed Kampo formulas for chronic fatigue, palpitations, and insomnia, sold by Tsumura and other Japanese Kampo manufacturers, used in Japanese Kampo clinical practice for "heart-spleen dual deficiency" patterns, listed in the Japanese Kampo formulary as a standard "treat heart and spleen together" formula.
- 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 Rén Shēn Guī Pí Wán (丸 / 浓缩丸 / 片), "functional indication" reads "benefit qi and nourish blood, fortify the spleen and nourish the heart, used for heart-spleen dual deficiency with qi-blood insufficiency: severe palpitations, insomnia with frequent dreams, poor memory, reduced food intake with bodily fatigue, and sallow complexion".