A "tonify qi and blood, nourish the heart, calm the spirit" formula from the Song dynasty, the formula of choice for the post-illness, post-partum, or chronically depleted patient.
Cultural reference - how this formula has been discussed in Chinese medical tradition. Not medical advice.
Background & origin
Finalized in the Song dynasty "Formulary of the Bureau of Medicine" (《太平惠民和剂局方》) as a court-level "qi-and-blood tonic with spirit-calming" formula. In Japan, Ninjin-yōei-tō (人参養栄湯) is sold by Tsumura and Kracie as the standard OTC for "post-illness weakness, post-partum recovery, fatigue with poor appetite and pale complexion". In Korea it appears as Insam-yangyeong-hwan (인삼양영환) in the Hanpung hanbang line. The formula is the most frequently mentioned post-partum tonic in the Sino-Japanese tradition.
From the source text
This page is cultural documentation, not medical advice.
From the source text · 卷五·治诸虚·人参养荣汤
Classical text
治积劳虚损，四肢沉滞，骨肉酸疼，吸吸少气，行动喘啜，小腹拘急，腰背强痛，心虚惊悸，咽干唇燥，饮食无味，阴阳衰弱，悲忧惨戚，多卧少起。久者积年，急者百日，渐至瘦削，五脏气竭，难可振复。又治肺与大肠俱虚，咳嗽下利，喘乏少气，呕吐痰涎。
Modern Chinese rendering
本方用于积劳虚损所致的四肢沉滞、骨肉酸疼、气短乏力、动则喘促、小腹拘急、腰背强痛、心虚惊悸、咽干唇燥、饮食无味、阴阳衰弱、悲忧惨戚、多卧少起。久者积年不愈,急者百日即病,渐至形体消瘦、五脏气竭,难以恢复。又治肺与大肠俱虚所致的咳嗽下利、喘乏少气、呕吐痰涎。这一段方论把人参养荣汤定位为"五脏俱虚、阴阳并亏"恢复期的代表方,也是"益气养血"思路下"气血双补、宁心安神"路径的经典条目。
Editorial translation
This formula is used for accumulated taxation and depletion damage: heaviness and stagnation in the limbs, aching in the bones and flesh, faint shortness of breath, panting on exertion, cramping tension in the lower abdomen, rigidity and pain in the lower back, heart-deficiency with fright-palpitation, dry throat and parched lips, food without flavor, depletion of yin and yang, sorrowful and grief-stricken affect, lying down more than getting up. In chronic cases the condition lasts years; in acute cases it reaches a hundred days; the body progressively emaciates, the five zang run out of qi, and recovery becomes hard to restore. It also addresses lung and large intestine both deficient, with cough and diarrhea, panting fatigue and shortness of breath, and vomiting of phlegm-drool. This preface positions Rén Shēn Yǎng Róng Tāng as the Formulary's representative formula for the recovery stage of "all five zang depleted, yin and yang both deficient", the canonical entry for the "supplement qi and nourish blood" approach in its qi-and-blood double-supplementing and heart-calming register.
In tradition
In TCM tradition, associated with "qi and blood deficiency with heart-spleen depletion" patterns: fatigue, shortness of breath, pale complexion, palpitations, poor appetite, loose stools, anxiety or restless sleep, and a general sense of being "worn out" after illness, childbirth, or chronic stress. It is the formula of choice when the patient has been depleted by a long illness and needs both qi and blood replenished together.
Formula composition
Monarch1
- Ginseng (Rén Shēn / 人参)
Minister6
- Astragalus (Huáng Qí / 黄芪)
- White atractylodes (Bái Zhú / 白术)
- Poria (Fú Líng / 茯苓)
- Rehmannia root, cooked (Shú Dì Huáng / 熟地黄)
- White peony root (Bái Sháo / 白芍)
- Dang gui (Dāng Guī / 当归)
Assistant6
- Cinnamon bark (Ròu Guì / 肉桂)
- Schisandra (Wǔ Wèi Zǐ / 五味子)
- Polygala root (Yuǎn Zhì / 远志)
- Tangerine peel (Chén Pí / 陈皮)
- Ginger (Shēng Jiāng / 生姜)
- Chinese date (Dà Zǎo / 大枣)
Envoy1
- Licorice root, honey-fried (Zhì Gān Cǎo / 炙甘草)
International availability
Japan (Kampo)
- Tsumura & Co.ツムラOTC人参養栄湯Ninjin Yōei-tō
Korea (Hanbang)
- Kyungdong경동OTC인삼양영환Insam-yangyeong-hwan
Taiwan & Hong Kong
- 順天堂OTC人參養榮丸Ren Shen Yang Rong Wan
Cautions & context
- A nourishing tonic, not appropriate for active fever, acute infection, or `dampness-heavy` presentations with greasy tongue coating.
- Contains cinnamon bark, generally considered inappropriate during pregnancy at high doses.
- Long-term daily use should be monitored by a practitioner, even gentle tonics can shift the body's balance over months.
- Persistent fatigue with weight loss, night sweats, or fever requires medical evaluation before any herbal remedy is considered.
Related formulas
Other formulas from this text· "Formulary of the Bureau of Medicine"
Other formulas by this contributor· Imperial Medical Bureau (Song)
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 · immune
Immune Support
The everyday language of "wanting to stay well", a sense of being run down, the change of seasons, occasional mouth ulcers, the slow recovery after a cold.
Editorial note
Compiled from "Formulary of the Bureau of Medicine" (1078).
Last reviewed: July 18, 2026
Three layers of evidence
Classical source
≈ 900 years · "Formulary of the Bureau of Medicine" (1078)
Pharmacopoeia indication
"Warm and tonify qi and blood. Used for heart-spleen insufficiency with dual qi-blood depletion: thin build with listlessness, reduced food intake with loose stools, and post-illness weakness."
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
- 01ClassicalChen Shiwen (陈师文) et al. (eds.), 《太平惠民和剂局方》 (Tài Píng Huì Mín Hé Jì Jú Fāng / Formulary of the Bureau of Medicine), Song dynasty, compiled 1078, vol. 5, the "addressing various deficiencies" (治诸虚) section, the entry for Rén Shēn Yǎng Róng Tāng (人参养荣汤), the canonical Song-era formula for the recovery stage of "accumulated taxation and depletion damage" with simultaneous qi-and-blood and yin-and-yang deficiency.
- 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 Rén Shēn Yǎng Róng Tāng analysed as the representative "qi-and-blood double supplement with heart-nourishing spirit-calming" (气血双补，宁心安神) formula, derived from Bā Zhēn Tāng with the addition of remote-qi-and-blood herbs and the removal of Chuān Xiōng.
- 03TextbookTsumura & Co. (ツムラ), Ninjin-yoei-to (人参養栄湯) product documentation, Japan's leading Kampo manufacturer, the standard Japanese OTC adaptation of the Rén Shēn Yǎng Róng Tāng lineage, widely used in Japan for the "post-illness weakness, post-partum recovery, and chronic fatigue with pallor" presentations, listed in the Japanese Kampo formulary as a tonic for qi-and-blood depletion.
- 04PharmacopoeiaChinese Pharmacopoeia Commission, 《中华人民共和国药典》 2020 年版一部 (Zhōnghuá Rénmín Gònghéguó Yàodiǎn, Pharmacopoeia of the People's Republic of China, 2020 Edition, Vol. I), China Medical Science Press, 2020, the official monograph for Rén Shēn Yǎng Róng Wán (and Tāng dosage form), with the "functional indications" reading "温补气血" (warm and supplement qi and blood), for the heart-spleen two-deficiency pattern with qi-and-blood insufficiency.