This tablet has the same ingredients and indications as the above homonymous prescription.
The tongue presentation appropriate to this remedy is a Red body without coating or with
rootless coating.
Case History 10.2
Insomnia: Liver-Yin Deficiency-Male, Age 61
A 61-year-old man had been suffering from insomnia ever since his wife died 2 years previously.
He found it difficult to fall asleep and also woke up frequently during the night. He was
extremely sad about his wife's death and found it very difficult to come to terms with it.
His vision was sometimes blurred and his memory was affected. His tongue was Red, dry,
Flabby, and its coating was too thin (Plate 10.1(324)). His pulse was Floating-Empty and very
slightly Wiry on the left side.
Diagnosis In this case sadness affected the Liver and Heart rather than the Lungs
and Heart. In particular, sadness weakened Liver-Yin so that the
Ethereal Soul was deprived of its root. When this happens it wanders at
night causing insomnia.
The "Spiritual Axis" in chapter 8 clearly states that sadness can affect
the Liver: "... The Liver's sadness and shock injure the Ethereal Soul
..."and "When sadness affects the Liver it injures the Ethereal Soul; this
causes mental confusion ... the Yin is damaged, the tendons contract
and there is hypochondrial discomfort".47(325) This quotation clearly
indicates that Liver-Yin may be damaged by sadness.The blurred vision confirms the deficiency of Liver-Yin.Treatment principle Nourish Liver-Yin, root the Ethereal Soul and calm the Mind.
Acupuncture The points used were:
LIV-8 Ququan, SP-6 Sanyinjiao and Ren-4 Guanyuan to nourish
Liver-Yin.HE-7 Shenmen and Ren-15 Jiuwei to calm the Mind.Du-24 Shenting and G.B.-13 Benshen to calm the Mind and root the
Ethereal Soul.Herbal treatment No herbs were prescribed but only the patent remedy Suan Zao Ren
Tang Pian Tablet of the Ziziphus Decoction which specifically treats