🌿 Folk Prescriptions

Insomnia troubles many people, and many seek TCM treatment to overcome sleeplessness.
Dr. Li Tao, head of the Neurology Department at Xiyuan Hospital, China Academy of Traditional Chinese Medicine, was interviewed.
Dr. Li explained that TCM refers to insomnia as "bù mèi" (not sleeping), attributing it to imbalance of zang-fu organs and yin-yang. In TCM theory, daytime activity involves vigorous yang energy; nighttime involves reduced mental activity and increased yin energy. At night, the body should transition from yang to yin, becoming calm. If yang fails to enter yin, mental activity remains overly excited, leading to insomnia. Additionally, TCM believes "the heart stores spirit"—all mental activities are governed by the heart (in ancient TCM, "heart" referred more to a functional concept than a physical organ). Thus, the fundamental approach to treating insomnia is nourishing the heart, calming the spirit, clearing heat, and nourishing yin.
TCM treatments include herbal decoctions, acupuncture, and qigong, with herbal decoctions being most common. Dr. Li emphasized that prescriptions are not standardized; adjustments are made based on individual conditions, making a universal formula impossible.
Dr. Li once treated a woman in her forties who had suffered insomnia for over a month. Initially, she self-medicated with sleeping pills (1 tablet daily), but gradually increased to 2 tablets. She developed anxiety and stopped taking them, turning to TCM. Dr. Li diagnosed her condition as deficiency of heart and spleen with phlegm-heat accumulation.
The prescription centered on Gui Pi Tang (containing Codonopsis, Astragalus, Atractylodes, Poria, Angelica, Rehmannia, longan flesh, etc.), supplemented with herbs like sour jujube seed, mimosa bark, lily, and stir-fried gardenia to clear heat. The patient took one decoction daily, boiled twice, divided into two doses. After one week, her insomnia improved; after two weeks, nearly fully recovered.
Dr. Li noted other formulas like Huang Lian E Jiao Ji Zi Huang Tang, Sour Jujube Seed Decoction, and patent medicines like Tian Wang Bu Xin Dan are also commonly used to tonify heart and spleen, clear heart fire, and calm the spirit for insomnia.
Regarding acupuncture, though effective, its requirement for repeated clinic visits makes it less practical than home-based decoctions, so Dr. Li considers it less accessible for widespread use.
Additionally, dietary therapy is widely applied in treating insomnia. Common ingredients include lily, jujubes, wheat (floating wheat), lotus seeds (or lotus seed cores). These can be decocted into tea or cooked into porridge—easy to consume.
Dr. Li also stressed the importance of proper sleep habits. Short-term sleep deprivation does not severely harm health; fear of sleep is unnecessary. If unable to sleep, get up and return to bed when tired. Avoid naps during the day. For occasional insomnia, simple rest or adapting to environmental changes usually resolves symptoms.