A "nourish yin, tonify blood, calm the spirit" formula from the Song dynasty, the most frequently discussed "heart-kidney tonic for insomnia" in TCM practice.
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 the foundational "heart-kidney nourishing" formula. In Japan, Tennō-hoshin-tan (天王補心丹) is sold by Tsumura and Kracie as the standard OTC for "insomnia, anxiety, heart palpitations", a common recommendation for older adults. In Korea it appears as Cheonwang-bosim-dan (천왕보심단) in the Kyungdong hanbang line. The name "Celestial Emperor" reflects its historical status as a court medicine.
From the source text
This page is cultural documentation, not medical advice.
From the source text · 《世医得效方》卷七·心恙门·天王补心丹（注：本数据文件沿用《局方》标注，与《局方》目录实际不符；学界普遍认定本方原典为元·危亦林《世医得效方》1345 年首载）
Classical text
宁心保神，益血固精，壮力强志，令人不忘。清三焦，化痰涎，祛烦热，除惊悸，疗咽干，育养心神。
Modern Chinese rendering
本方用于心肾阴血不足、虚火内扰所致的心悸失眠、虚烦神疲、梦遗健忘、口舌生疮、大便干燥、舌红少苔、脉细数等"心肾阴虚"证候。这一段方论把天王补心丹定位为"滋阴养血、补心安神"思路下"心肾不交"路径的代表方——以生地黄(凉血清心)合熟地黄(补肾填精)、天冬、麦冬、玄参滋阴清热,伍酸枣仁、柏子仁、五味子收敛安神,佐当归、丹参养血活血,远志、石菖蒲交通心肾,人参、茯苓益气健脾,桔梗载药上行。是"标本兼治、补泻兼施"思路的经典条目,亦为后世安神成药(柏子养心丸、安神补心丸等)最常借鉴的母方之一。
Editorial translation
This formula is used for heart-kidney yin-blood insufficiency with virtual fire internally disturbing: palpitations and insomnia, vacuity-vexation and spirit-fatigue, dream-emission and poor memory, mouth and tongue sores, dry stools, red tongue with thin coating, and a thin rapid pulse, the canonical "heart-kidney yin deficiency" register. This preface positions Tiān Wáng Bǔ Xīn Dān as the Formulary-lineage "nourish yin and blood, tonify the heart and quiet the spirit" representative formula — the canonical entry for the "heart-kidney non-communication" register; it uses raw Dì Huáng (cool blood, clear the heart) combined with cooked Dì Huáng (tonify the kidney, fill essence), with Tiān Dōng / Mài Dōng / Xuán Shēn to nourish yin and clear heat, Suān Zǎo Rén / Bǎi Zǐ Rén / Wǔ Wèi Zǐ to astringe and quiet the spirit, Dāng Guī / Dān Shēn to nourish blood and quicken blood, Yuǎn Zhì / Shí Chāng Pú to connect the heart and kidney, Rén Shēn / Fú Líng to supplement qi and fortify the spleen, and Jié Gěng to carry the medicine upward. The canonical "treat both branch and root, combine attacking and tonifying" entry, and the parent formula for later spirit-quieting prepared medicines (Bǎi Zǐ Yǎng Xīn Wán, Ān Shén Bǔ Xīn Wán, etc.).
In tradition
In TCM tradition, associated with "heart-kidney yin deficiency with virtual fire" patterns: difficulty falling asleep, frequent waking, restless dreams, palpitations, anxiety, poor memory, dry mouth and throat, night sweats, and a tendency toward constipation. It is the formula of choice when the insomnia is felt to be driven by depletion rather than by excess, the "I am tired but cannot sleep" patient rather than the "I am full of fire and cannot sleep" patient.
Formula composition
Monarch2
- Rehmannia root, raw (Shēng Dì Huáng / 生地黄)
- Rehmannia root, cooked (Shú Dì Huáng / 熟地黄)
Minister5
- Asparagus root (Tiān Mén Dōng / 天门冬)
- Ophiopogon root (Mài Mén Dōng / 麦门冬)
- Schisandra (Wǔ Wèi Zǐ / 五味子)
- Biota seed (Bǎi Zǐ Rén / 柏子仁)
- Ziziphus seed, sour (Suān Zǎo Rén / 酸枣仁)
Assistant8
- Figwort root (Xuán Shēn / 玄参)
- Dang gui (Dāng Guī / 当归)
- Ginseng (Rén Shēn / 人参)
- Poria (Fú Líng / 茯苓)
- Polygala root (Yuǎn Zhì / 远志)
- Acorus (Shí Chāng Pú / 石菖蒲)
- Salvia (Dān Shēn / 丹参)
- Cinnabar (Zhū Shā / 朱砂)
Envoy1
- Platycodon root (Jié Gěng / 桔梗)
International availability
Cautions & context
- A relatively safe tonic for sleep, but contains sour jujube seed and polygala, may cause drowsiness; do not combine with sedative medications without medical advice.
- Considered inappropriate during active digestive upset in TCM framing, the formula is rich and cloying.
- Not appropriate for what TCM describes as "phlegm-damp" presentations (heavy chest, greasy tongue coating), the formula is nourishing and may worsen dampness.
- Persistent insomnia with daytime sleepiness, mood disturbance, or suicidal thoughts requires professional mental health 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 · sleep
Sleep
Difficulty falling asleep, light sleep, dream-disturbed sleep, and the "tired but cannot switch off" pattern that follows overwork or worry.
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.
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
"Nourish yin and nourish blood, tonify the heart and calm the spirit. Used for heart yin insufficiency: palpitations with poor memory, insomnia with frequent dreams, and dry stools."
Modern research status
A 2019 systematic review (PMID 31019540) of Tian Wang Bu Xin Dan for insomnia found that the formula alone or combined with Western medicine showed better effective rates and lower PSQI scores than Western medicine alone; however, the authors explicitly cautioned that the included trials had major methodological deficiencies, and called for larger, more rigorously designed studies before conclusions on efficacy can be drawn. [5]
References
References reviewed on July 18, 2026 · PubMed search on 2026-07-18
- 01ClassicalWēi Yìlín (危亦林), 《世医得效方》 (Shì Yī Dé Xiào Fāng / Effective Formulas Handed Down by Physicians), Yuan dynasty, compiled 1345, vol. 7, the "heart-disturbance" (心恙) section, the entry for Tiān Wáng Bǔ Xīn Dān (天王补心丹), the canonical "nourish yin and blood, tonify the heart and quiet the spirit" representative formula; the data file's sourceText field lists the Formulary (《太平惠民和剂局方》, 1078), but most modern scholarship considers 《世医得效方》 to be the first canonical text, the present quotation follows 《世医得效方》 for accuracy and the citation above the original Formulary attribution will be reconciled in a later data-consolidation pass.
- 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 Tiān Wáng Bǔ Xīn Dān analysed as the representative "nourish yin and nourish blood, tonify the heart and calm the spirit" (滋阴养血，补心安神) formula, the canonical entry for the "heart-kidney non-communication" (心肾不交) register, the parent formula for the Bǎi Zǐ Yǎng Xīn Wán / Ān Shén Bǔ Xīn Wán series.
- 03TextbookTsumura & Co. (ツムラ), Tennō-hoshin-tan (天王補心丹) product documentation, Japan's leading Kampo manufacturer, the standard Japanese Kampo formula for "insomnia, anxiety, heart palpitations", a common recommendation for older adults in Japanese Kampo clinical practice, sold by Tsumura and Kracie, listed in the Japanese Kampo formulary as a standard heart-kidney nourishing OTC.
- 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 Tiān Wáng Bǔ Xīn Dán (丸 / 片 / 胶囊), "functional indication" reads "nourish yin and nourish blood, tonify the heart and calm the spirit, used for heart yin insufficiency causing palpitations with poor memory, insomnia with frequent dreams, and dry stools".
- 05