Sheng Mai San: A Cooling Remedy for Summer Wellness
- Health Lab
- Feb 2
- 5 min read
Updated: Apr 30
Sheng Mai San, a classic formula from Medical Origin, is a gentle blend of three herbs—ginseng, dwarf lilyturf root, and schisandra berry—that boosts energy, hydrates the body, and calms excessive sweating. Perfect for summer’s heat, it helps with fatigue, thirst, and heart and lung weakness caused by low energy and dehydration. This article explains its ingredients, benefits, modern uses, and how dietary tweaks can enhance its effects.
What’s in Sheng Mai San?
This simple formula combines three herbs to nourish the heart and lungs:
Ginseng (9g): Boosts energy, hydrates the body, and strengthens the lungs.
Dwarf lilyturf root (15g): Moistens the lungs, quenches thirst, and calms the heart.
Schisandra berry (6g): Soothes coughs, supports lung function, and stabilizes energy.
How to Use Sheng Mai San
Traditionally, boil 9g ginseng, 15g dwarf lilyturf root, and 6g schisandra berry in water twice, splitting the result into two doses taken daily. Modern practice often involves boiling one dose three times and drinking it all in one day. Consult a practitioner for the right method and dosage.
What It Does and When to Use It
Sheng Mai San restores energy, hydrates the body, nourishes yin (cooling energy), and stops excessive sweating. It’s ideal for:
Fatigue, weakness, or low vitality.
Thirst, dry mouth, or dry cough with little phlegm.
Shortness of breath, laziness, or excessive sweating.
Palpitations, insomnia, or irritability.
Red tongue and weak pulse.
In Traditional Chinese Medicine, summer heat depletes energy and fluids, especially in the heart and lungs, as sweat (linked to the heart) drains both.
Sheng Mai San counters this by boosting energy, hydrating, and stabilizing the body, making it a go-to for heat-related exhaustion.
Why Sheng Mai San Works
Each herb plays a key role:
Ginseng restores energy and lung function to ease shortness of breath.
Dwarf lilyturf root hydrates the lungs and heart, soothing coughs and restlessness.
Schisandra berry supports lung health and stabilizes fluids to reduce sweating.
Together, they revive energy, cool the body, and protect vital organs from summer stress.
Modern Uses
Sheng Mai San is widely used for conditions involving low energy and dehydration, including:
Heart conditions: Coronary heart disease, heart failure, arrhythmias, or angina.
Lung issues: Chronic bronchitis, pulmonary tuberculosis, or chronic cough.
Heat-related illnesses: Heat exhaustion, heatstroke, or dehydration symptoms.
Other conditions: Shock, Alzheimer’s disease, or neonatal sclerosis with energy and fluid deficiency.
Research shows it improves heart function, boosts immunity, and supports respiratory health, making it a versatile remedy for summer and beyond.
Customizing the Formula
Adjustments can be made based on symptoms:
Mild energy deficiency: Swap ginseng for codonopsis root.
Internal heat with low energy: Use American ginseng instead of regular ginseng.
Severe cough or phlegm: Add herbs like loquat leaf or fritillary bulb (under practitioner guidance).
Preventing Heat Exhaustion
Summer heat can cause heat exhaustion, with symptoms like thirst, dizziness, weakness, or cold, clammy skin. Severe cases may lead to heatstroke, with high fever and confusion, requiring urgent care.
Heat exhaustion isn’t just for outdoor workers—office workers moving between hot outdoors and cold air-conditioned rooms can also suffer, as sudden temperature changes trap heat in the body.
To prevent it:
Transition gradually from hot to air-conditioned spaces, lingering in hallways or shaded areas.
Stay hydrated and avoid prolonged heat exposure.
Eat cooling, hydrating foods (see below).
Pairing with Food for Extra Relief
Boost Sheng Mai San’s effects with these cooling, spleen-friendly foods:
Barley porridge: Cook barley to clear heat and promote urination.
Watermelon slices: Eat fresh watermelon to hydrate and cool the body.
Loofah soup: Simmer loofah to reduce heat and ease chest tightness.
These foods combat summer dampness, which can cause nausea, fatigue, or diarrhea in humid climates.
Things to Watch Out For
Not for heat-heavy conditions: Avoid if you have fever, unresolved infections, or excess internal heat.
Not for phlegm with heat: Don’t use for coughs with hot, thick phlegm.
Pure deficiency only: Best for weakness without active infections or strong pathogens.
Seek guidance: Consult a Traditional Chinese Medicine practitioner, especially for chronic conditions or complex symptoms.
Wrapping Up
Sheng Mai San is a gentle, effective remedy for summer’s toll on the heart and lungs, restoring energy, hydrating the body, and easing fatigue or thirst. Its blend of ginseng, dwarf lilyturf root, and schisandra berry supports everything from heat exhaustion to chronic heart and lung issues.
Pair it with cooling foods like watermelon or barley for added relief. Always use it under professional guidance to ensure safety and maximize its benefits, helping you stay strong and refreshed through the summer heat.
Chinese Name | 生脈散 |
Phonetic | Sheng Mai San |
English Name | Pulse-Engendering Powder |
Classification | Tonic formulas |
Source | 《Origins of Medicine》Yi Xue Qi Yuan《醫學啟源》 |
Combination | Ginseng Radix et Rhizoma (Ren Shan) 5 fen (9g), Ophiopogonis Radix (Mai Men Dong) 5 fen (9g), Schisandrae Chinensis Fructus (Wu Wei Zi) 7 pieces (6g) |
Method | It was noted in the source text that the formula should be decocted with running spring water and taken anytime. The modern method is to decoct and take one dosage three times within one day. |
Action | Boosts qi and promotes fluid production; astringes yin and arrests sweating. |
Indication | 1. Qi and yin consumption due to warm-heat or summerheat invasion. The clinical manifestations include profuse sweating, mental fatigue, general sluggish sensation, lack of strength, weak breathing, reluctance to speak, dry throat, and thirst. The tongue is red and dry with a scanty coating and the pulse is deficient and rapid. 2. Deficiency of both qi and yin due to a prolonged cough. The clinical manifestations include a dry cough with little expectoration, weak breathing, spontaneous sweating, and a dry mouth. The tongue is dry and the pulse is deficient and thready. |
Pathogenesis | Sheng Mai San is indicated for deficiency of both qi and yin. The deficiency pattern may follow a warm-heat or summer-heat attack or caused by a chronic cough. When warm-heat or summer-heat attacks the body, there will be a loss of fluids due to sweating which can easily lead to qi and fluid deficiency. The lung governs the skin and body hair. Summer-heat impairs the lung qi. The lung qi fails to control the pores and protect the exterior of the body. The result is fluid leakage that manifests as profuse sweating. Weak breathing and reluctance to speak are caused by lung qi impairment, as it governs the qi. Profuse sweating consumes body fluids, as a result, there is not enough fluid to nourish the throat; therefore; thirst and dry throat occur. Mental fatigue, lack of strength, and the tongue and pulse manifestations are all signs of qi and yin consumption. Long term cough will damage the lung and cause qi and yin deficiency with the same manifestations. The treatment principle is to boost qi, nourish yin, and promote fluid production. |
Application | 1. Essential pattern differentiation Sheng Mai San is a basic formula applicable to deficiency of both qi and yin. This clinical pattern is marked by mental fatigue, shortness of breath, dry throat, red tongue, deficient pulse. 2. Modern applications Sheng Mai San is widely used for the following diseases that have the pattern of both qi and yin deficiency: pulmonary tuberculosis, chronic bronchitis, cough, vexation and insomnia caused by neurasthenia, cardiac arrhythmia, etc. Sheng Mai Injection is proven by pharmacological research to have little toxicity and wide margin of safety. It is often used to treat acute myocardial infarction, cardiac shock, toxic shock, hemorrhagic shock, coronary heart disease, and endocrinopathy in patterns differentiated as deficiency of both qi and yin. 3. Cautions and contraindications It is inappropriate for patterns accompanied with invasion of external pathogens or for summerheat attack without qi and yin deficiency. For qi and yin deficiency due to chronic cough pattern, it is only appropriate for pure deficiency without excess complications. |
Remark | Ginseng (Panax ginseng) is listed in the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) Appendix II. Its trade is allowed but subject to licensing controls. |
Comments