A "tonify qi, nourish yin, restore the pulse" formula from the Jin dynasty, a three-ingredient classical formula for "qi and yin deficiency with collapse of the pulse".
Cultural reference - how this formula has been discussed in Chinese medical tradition. Not medical advice.
Background & origin
Compiled by the Jin dynasty physician Zhang Yuansu (张元素) in "Origins of Medicine" (《医学启源》) as a minimal three-ingredient "qi-yin dual tonifying" formula. In Japan, Shōmyaku-san (生脈散) is sold by Kracie and Kotaro as the standard OTC for "summer fatigue, sweating profusely, dry mouth, post-illness exhaustion". In Korea it appears as Saengmaek-eum (생맥음) in the Hanpung hanbang line. The "Dang Shen Fang" (Dangshen Party) version is the most commonly available OTC variant, substituting codonopsis for the more expensive ginseng.
From the source text
This page is cultural documentation, not medical advice.
From the source text · 《医学启源》卷下·生脉散条
Classical text
据《医学启源》：生脉散，治热伤元气，肢体倦怠，气短口渴，汗多不止；人参、麦门冬、五味子。
Modern Chinese rendering
本方用于"气阴两虚"系列证候：暑热伤津或久病后气阴两亏所致的神疲乏力、气短懒言、自汗不止、口干咽渴、心悸、脉象虚弱。方以人参（党参方以党参代）大补元气、益气生津为君；麦门冬滋阴清热、生津止渴为臣；五味子敛阴止汗、生津止渴为佐使。三药合用，"一补、一清、一敛"，共奏益气生津、敛阴止汗之效。整体上，是金代"三味药成方"的极简"气阴双补"代表方，临床用于暑热伤津、气阴两虚证候。
Editorial translation
This formula is used for "qi-yin dual deficiency" patterns: exhaustion of both qi and yin from summerheat damaging fluids or prolonged illness causing fatigue, shortness of breath, spontaneous sweating, dry mouth and thirst, palpitations, and a weak pulse. The Shēng Mài Sǎn uses Rén Shēn (Codonopsis, in the Dǎng Shēn Fāng variant) to greatly tonify original qi and generate fluids as sovereign; Mài Mén Dōng nourishes yin, clears heat, and generates fluids as minister; Wǔ Wèi Zǐ astringes yin, stops sweating, and generates fluids as assistant-envoy. The three herbs together—one tonifying, one clearing, one astringing—accomplish qi-tonification, fluid generation, and astringing of yin. It is, in short, the Jin-dynasty representative formula of the "minimal three-ingredient qi-yin dual tonification" pattern of the "summerheat damaging fluids / qi-yin dual deficiency" register.
In tradition
In TCM tradition, associated with "qi and yin depletion" patterns: fatigue, shortness of breath, spontaneous sweating, dry mouth, thirst, palpitations, and a thready or weak pulse, particularly after heat illness, prolonged fever, excessive sweating, or chronic illness. It is the formula of choice for the "I feel dried out and exhausted" patient in summer, and is also one of the formulas most often mentioned in the context of post-infectious fatigue in TCM discussions.
Formula composition
Monarch1
- Ginseng (Rén Shēn / 人参)
Minister1
- Ophiopogon root (Mài Mén Dōng / 麦门冬) — nourishes yin, clears heat, generates fluids
Assistant1
- Schisandra (Wǔ Wèi Zǐ / 五味子) — astringes yin, stops sweating, generates fluids
International availability
Japan (Kampo)
- Tsumura & Co.ツムラOTC生脈散Shōmyaku-san
Korea (Hanbang)
- Kyungdong경동OTC생맥음Saengmaek-eum
Taiwan & Hong Kong
- 順天堂OTC生脈飲Sheng Mai Yin
Cautions & context
- A gentle tonic, generally safe, but not appropriate for active fever, acute infection, or `dampness-heavy` presentations.
- Considered inappropriate during acute wind-heat colds, the formula is closing and may "trap" external pathogens.
- 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
Browse by Pattern
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 · 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 "Origins of Medicine" (1186).
Last reviewed: July 18, 2026
Three layers of evidence
Classical source
≈ 800 years · "Origins of Medicine" (1186)
Pharmacopoeia indication
"Benefit qi and restore the pulse, nourish yin and generate fluids. Used for qi-yin dual depletion: palpitations and shortness of breath, faint pulse with spontaneous sweating."
Modern research status
A 2024 systematic review and meta-analysis (PMID 39742019) of randomized controlled trials found that Shengmai San (the classical prescription behind Shengmai Yin / San / Injection dosage forms) showed effectiveness and acceptable safety for viral myocarditis as an add-on to conventional therapy; the authors acknowledged that the strength of evidence is limited by trial quality, and called for rigorously designed confirmatory studies.
References
References reviewed on July 18, 2026 · PubMed search on 2026-07-18
- 01ClassicalZhāng Yuánsù (张元素), 《医学启源》 (Yīxué Qǐyuán / Origins of Medicine), Jin dynasty, compiled 1186, the canonical "three-ingredient qi-yin dual tonification" entry (Shēng Mài Sǎn, 生脉散), the first systematic textual formulation of the Shēng Mài family in TCM history; editorial adaptation, pending scholarly verification of exact chapter / verse wording against the 1186 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 Shēng Mài Yǐn (the Dǎng Shēn Fāng / codonopsis variant) analysed in the "tonifying formulas" (补益剂) chapter as a representative "qi-yin dual tonification" formula and the canonical entry for the "summerheat damaging fluids / qi-yin dual deficiency" register.
- 03TextbookKracie (クラシエ) and Kotaro (小太郎), Shōmyaku-san (生脈散, しょうみゃくさん) prescription documentation, Japan's leading Kampo manufacturers, the standard Japanese Kampo "pulse-generating" formula derived from the Jin-dynasty 《医学启源》 line, sold in Japanese drugstores for "summer fatigue, profuse sweating, dry mouth, post-illness exhaustion" presentations; mirrored in Korean hanbang as 생맥음 (Saengmaek-eum) in Hanpung (한풍) 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 Shēng Mài Yǐn (口服液 / 党参方), "functional indication" reads "benefit qi and restore the pulse, nourish yin and generate fluids, used for qi-yin dual depletion: palpitations and shortness of breath, faint pulse with spontaneous sweating".