A flagship "tiao-he gan-pi" (harmonize liver and spleen) formula from the Song-dynasty "Formulary of the Bureau of Medicine" (1078), the most widely sold "liver-qi stagnation" formula in TCM.
Cultural reference - how this formula has been discussed in Chinese medical tradition. Not medical advice.
Background & origin
Compiled in the Song-dynasty imperial formulary "Formulary of the Bureau of Medicine" (《太平惠民和剂局方》, 1078), it has been one of the most widely sold "liver-qi stagnation" formulas in East Asia for almost a thousand years. In Japan, it is sold as 逍遙散 (Shōyōsan) by Tsumura (ツムラ), Kracie (クラシエ), and Kotaro (小太郎) and is one of the most common stress-related OTC kampo formulas. In Korea it is sold as 소요산 (Soyo-san) by Kyungdong (경동) and is a fixture in women's-health product lines. The formula is, in short, one of the most cross-culturally reproduced "stress" formulas in existence.
From the source text
This page is cultural documentation, not medical advice.
From the source text · 《局方》卷九·治妇人诸疾·逍遥散
Classical text
治血虚劳倦，五心烦热，肢体疼痛，头目昏重，心忪颊赤，口燥咽干，胸膈不利，减食嗜卧；及血热相搏，月水不调，脐腹胀痛，寒热如疟；又疗室女血弱阴虚，荣卫不和，痰嗽潮热，肌体羸瘦，渐成骨蒸。
Modern Chinese rendering
本方用于血虚劳倦所致的手足心烦热、肢体疼痛、头目昏沉、心中悸动、面颊潮红、口燥咽干、胸膈满闷、食欲减退、嗜睡；以及血热互结所致的月经不调、脐腹胀痛、寒热往来如疟；亦用于未婚女子血弱阴虚、营卫不和、痰中带咳、潮热不退、肌体消瘦、渐成骨蒸劳热。这一段方论把逍遥散定位为"调和肝脾"思路下"血虚肝郁、脾失健运"路径的代表方——以柴胡疏肝解郁为君;白芍、当归养血柔肝为臣;白术、茯苓健脾祛湿,使气血生化有源为佐;薄荷助柴胡疏散肝郁、透达肝热,生姜温胃和中,共为佐使;炙甘草调和诸药为使。八味相合,疏肝与养血并用,健脾与和营共施,体现"见肝之病,知肝传脾,当先实脾"思路下"调和肝脾"路径的最经典配伍。
Editorial translation
This formula is used for "blood deficiency with overwork of body and mind": heat in the palms and soles, aching limbs, heaviness and dizziness of the head and eyes, palpitations, reddening of the cheeks, dry mouth and throat, a sense of oppression across the chest, reduced appetite, and a desire to lie down. Also for blood and heat contending with one another, with menstrual irregularity, distending pain around the navel and lower abdomen, and alternating chills and fever as in malarial patterns; and for the young woman with depleted blood and yin deficiency, disharmony between the ying and wei aspects, phlegm-cough, tidal fever, emaciation of the body, and the gradual onset of "bone-steaming" taxation-fever. This preface positions Xiāo Yáo Sǎn as the Formulary-derived "harmonize liver and spleen" representative formula — the canonical entry for the "blood deficiency with liver-qi stagnation, spleen losing its transport function" register; it uses Chái Hú (smooth the liver and resolve depression) as sovereign, Bái Sháo / Dāng Guī (nourish blood and soften the liver) as ministers, Bái Zhú / Fú Líng (fortify the spleen and drain dampness) as assistants, with Bò Hé (assist Bupleurum to disperse liver-qi stagnation, vent liver-heat) and Shēng Jiāng (warm the stomach and harmonize the middle) as co-assistants/messengers, and Zhì Gān Cǎo (harmonize the formula) as messenger. The eight flavours together use soothing-liver and nourishing-blood in combination, fortify-spleen and harmonize-ying together — embodying the "see the liver disease, know the liver transmits to the spleen, first fortify the spleen" principle as the most canonical entry in the "harmonize liver and spleen" register.
In tradition
In TCM framing, traditionally used in the context of "liver-qi stagnation" affecting the spleen, emotional tightness, occasional sighing, distention in the chest and flanks, irregular appetite, fatigue, and irregular menstruation. The "free wanderer" (xiaoyao) image refers to the unconstrained movement of liver qi, and the formula is one of the most culturally recognizable stress-related tonics in TCM. In Japan, it is sold as 逍遙散 (Shōyōsan) by Tsumura, Kracie, and Kotaro (小太郎), and in Korea as 소요산 (Soyo-san) by Kyungdong.
Formula composition
Monarch1
- Bupleurum root (Chái Hú / 柴胡)
Minister2
- White peony root (Bái Sháo / 白芍)
- Angelica sinensis root (Dāng Guī / 当归)
Assistant4
- Atractylodes macrocephala (Bái Zhú / 白术)
- Poria (Fú Líng / 茯苓)
- Peppermint (Bò Hé / 薄荷)
- Ginger (Shēng Jiāng / 生姜)
Envoy1
- Honey-fried licorice (Zhì Gān Cǎo / 炙甘草)
International availability
Taiwan & Hong Kong
- 順天堂OTC逍遙片Xiao Yao Pian
Cautions & context
- Not appropriate during active "liver-fire" flare-ups with severe irritability, headache, and red eyes, the formula is harmonizing, not strongly clearing.
- People on interferon or immunosuppressant therapies should consult a physician, the formula contains bupleurum, which has documented immunomodulatory effects.
- Not recommended during pregnancy without qualified guidance; some sources consider the combination of liver-moving and spleen-tonifying herbs 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· "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 · digestion
Digestion
Upper-abdominal heaviness, bloating, sour reflux, loose stools, traveler's stomach, and the aftermath of a meal that was richer, spicier, or larger than usual.
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
"Soothe the liver and fortify the spleen, nourish blood and regulate menstruation. Used for liver stagnation with spleen deficiency: depressed mood and discomfort, chest and hypochondriac distension and pain, dizziness, reduced appetite, and menstrual irregularities."
Modern research status
A 2022 systematic review with trial sequential analysis (PMID 35126152) found Xiao Yao San (the classical prescription behind Xiao Yao Pian / Wan / San dosage forms) alone or combined with conventional therapy showed better symptom improvement in functional gastrointestinal disorders than conventional therapy alone; the included trials were rated as low-to-moderate quality, and the authors called for rigorously designed confirmatory trials.
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. 9, the "treating women's various illnesses" (治妇人诸疾) section, the entry for Xiāo Yáo Sǎn (逍遥散), the foundational "harmonize liver and spleen" (调和肝脾) representative formula; the present-day Xiāo Yáo Piàn (片 / tablet dosage form) is the modern industrial evolution of the Formulary original decoction formula (散), the citation above follows the editorial choice in this data file to attribute the modern dosage form to the Formulary lineage; the citation above is harmonized across the tablet (片) and pill (丸) data files in this encyclopedia.
- 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 Xiāo Yáo Sǎn (and the related Piàn / Wán / Sǎn / Kē Lì dosage forms) analysed in the "harmonizing formulas" (和解剂) chapter as the representative "harmonize liver and spleen" formula, the canonical entry for the "liver-qi stagnation with spleen deficiency" register, and the parent formula for the Dān Zhī Xiāo Yáo Sǎn / Hēi Xiāo Yáo Sǎn derivative series.
- 03TextbookTsumura & Co. (ツムラ), Shōyōsan (逍遙散) product documentation, Japan's leading Kampo manufacturer, the standard Japanese Kampo formula for "stress, irritability, premenstrual mood shifts", one of the most common Kampo OTC formulas in Japan, also produced by Kracie (クラシエ) and Kotaro (小太郎); widely sold in Japanese drugstores and used in Japanese Kampo clinical practice for "liver-qi stagnation affecting the spleen" patterns.
- 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 Xiāo Yáo Piàn / Wán / Kē Lì, "functional indication" reads "soothe the liver and fortify the spleen, nourish blood and regulate menstruation, used for liver stagnation with spleen deficiency causing depressed mood and discomfort, chest and hypochondriac distension and pain, dizziness, reduced appetite, and menstrual irregularities".