Xiao Yao San: A Simple Guide to a Liver-Soothing, Mood-Lifting Herbal Formula
Health Lab- Dec 29, 2024
- 6 min read
Updated: May 5
Xiao Yao San, or "Free and Easy Powder," is a time-honored Chinese herbal formula from the Song Dynasty’s Taiping Huimin Hejijufang, a renowned prescription manual compiled by the Imperial Medical Bureau.
Celebrated for easing depression and stress, this blend soothes the liver, nourishes blood, and strengthens the spleen, making it a versatile remedy for emotional and physical imbalances, especially in women’s health.
What’s in Xiao Yao San?
Xiao Yao San combines eight herbs to balance the liver and spleen:
Bupleurum (Chai Hu): The lead herb, it soothes liver qi, relieving stress and depression.
Angelica Root (Dang Gui): Nourishes and moves blood, supporting the liver and easing pain.
White Peony Root (Bai Shao): Softens the liver, nourishes yin, and calms tension.
Atractylodes (Bai Zhu): Strengthens the spleen and dries dampness for better digestion.
Poria (Fu Ling): Supports the spleen, calms the mind, and clears dampness.
Ginger (Sheng Jiang, simmered): Warms the stomach and aids digestion.
Mint (Bo He): Cools and disperses liver heat, enhancing bupleurum’s effects.
Licorice (Gan Cao, roasted): Harmonizes the formula and soothes the liver.
Recipe: 4g each of bupleurum, angelica, peony, atractylodes, poria; 4g simmered ginger; 2g mint; 2g roasted licorice (28g daily). Boil into tea or take as powder with warm water three times daily.
How Xiao Yao San Works
Xiao Yao San targets liver qi stagnation, blood deficiency, and spleen weakness, which cause:
Emotional stress, irritability, or depression
Fatigue, poor appetite, or bloating
Irregular or painful periods, breast tenderness
Dizziness, headaches, or dry throat
Pale tongue, weak or wiry pulse
Its actions include:
Soothing the Liver: Bupleurum and mint relieve qi stagnation, lifting mood.
Nourishing Blood: Angelica and peony enrich blood and soften liver tension.
Strengthening the Spleen: Atractylodes, poria, and licorice boost digestion and energy.
Balancing Qi and Blood: Ginger and licorice ensure smooth flow and harmony.
The name “Free and Easy” reflects its ability to free stuck emotions and restore ease.
Modern Uses
Xiao Yao San is widely used for:
Mental Health: Treats depression, anxiety, schizophrenia, and menopausal mood swings.
Women’s Health: Eases irregular periods, endometriosis, uterine fibroids, and infertility.
Digestive Issues: Improves appetite and reduces bloating in chronic hepatitis or ulcers.
Other Conditions: Helps with eczema, chronic thyroiditis, optic neuritis, and more.
Customizations:
Anxiety: Add lily bulb and peony bark (Danhua Xiao Yao San) for calming effects.
Breast Cancer: Include prunella and oyster to clear heat and nodules.
Hot Flashes: Add rehmannia, ophiopogon, or schisandra for cooling.
Phlegm Stagnation: Use pinellia or trillium to clear mucus.
Menstrual Pain: Add corydalis or costus root for pain relief.
Research shows its antidepressant effects come from balancing liver qi and nourishing blood, offering a natural alternative to chemical drugs.
Why It Works
In TCM, the liver governs smooth qi flow and stores blood, but stress or emotional upset can stagnate it, causing depression or pain. This also weakens the spleen, leading to fatigue and poor digestion. Xiao Yao San restores liver flow, nourishes blood, and boosts spleen function, addressing both mind and body.
Dietary and Lifestyle Support
To enhance Xiao Yao San’s effects:
Rose Tea: Soothes the liver and lifts mood.
Barley Porridge: Supports spleen and digestion.
Moderate Exercise: Yoga or walking promotes qi flow.
Stress Management: Meditation or journaling eases liver stagnation.
Avoid Triggers: Skip spicy, raw, or cold foods that disrupt qi.
Things to Keep in Mind
Xiao Yao San is gentle but requires caution:
Pregnancy/Breastfeeding: Use only under a doctor’s guidance.
Menstrual Issues: Adjust dosage if periods are irregular or heavy.
Not for Heat Conditions: Avoid if you have fever, dry mouth, or sore throat.
Professional Guidance: Consult a TCM practitioner to tailor the dose to your symptoms (blood deficiency, liver stagnation, or spleen weakness).
Why Xiao Yao San Matters
Xiao Yao San is a TCM gem, blending bupleurum, angelica, and peony to free the liver, nourish blood, and uplift the spleen. From easing depression to balancing hormones, it’s a versatile formula rooted in Song Dynasty wisdom and thriving in modern clinics. With supportive foods, stress relief, and expert guidance, Xiao Yao San helps you feel free and easy, restoring harmony to body and mind.
Chinese Name | 逍遙散 |
Phonetic | Xiao Yao San |
English Name | Free Wanderer Powder |
Classification | Harmonizing formulas |
Source | 《Formulas from the Imperial Pharmacy》Tai Ping Hui Min He Ji Ju Fang《太平惠民和劑局方》 |
Combination | Bupleuri Radix (Chai Hu) 1 liang (30g), Angelicae Sinensis Radix (Dang Gui) 1 liang (30g), Paeoniae Radix Alba (Bai Shao) 1 liang (30g), Glycyrrhizae Radix et Rhizoma Praeparata cum Melle(Zhi Gan Cao) 0.5 liang (15g), Poria (Fu Ling) 1 liang (30g), Atractylodis Macrocephalae Rhizoma (Bai Zhu) 1 liang (30g) |
Method | Grind these six medicinals into a crude powder. Take two qian (6g) of the powder and boil it with a big zhan (large bowl) of water, add one piece of sliced wei jiang, a little bit of bo he and boil down until seven fen remain, remove the dregs and take the hot decoction at any time. (Modern use: Grind these six medicinals into a crude powder and boil 6-9g with a little wei jiang and bo he. Take it warm three times a day. It can also be prepared as a decoction by adjusting the medicinal quantities based on the original ratios. |
Action | Soothes the liver and resolves constraint, nourishes blood and fortifies the spleen. |
Indication | Xiao Yao San is indicated for the pattern of liver constraint, blood deficiency, and spleen weakness, characterized by rib-side pain, headache, dizziness, dry mouth, dry throat, mental fatigue, reduced food intake, menstrual irregularities, distending pain of the breasts, and a wiry, deficient pulse. |
Pathogenesis | The liver likes to govern free activity and dislikes inhibition and constraint. It stores the blood and belongs to yin in form but yang in function. When emotion is inhibited, the liver fails to free and soften the form, which may result in liver constraint and blood deficiency. Since “the foot jueyin liver channel distributes along the rib-side, circulates behind the throat… connects with the eyes, ascends to the forehead, and joins the du mai at the top of the head,” liver constraint and blood deficiency may result in rib-side pain, headache, and dizziness. When the liver constraint transforms into fire, a dry mouth and dry throat may result. Liver disease tends to transmit to the spleen, which may result in mental fatigue and reduced food intake due to the spleen and stomach weakness. The liver stores the blood and governs the free flow of qi. When women suffer from liver constraint, blood deficiency, and spleen weakness they may suffer menstrual irregularities and distending pain of the breasts. The treatment is to soothe the liver, resolve constraint, nourish blood, and fortify the spleen. |
Clarification | About the dosage of bo he Bo he has many functions: it scatters and dissipates wind-heat, comforts the throat, promotes the skin eruption, and soothes and frees the liver. The function that bo he exhibits is associated with medicinals it is combined with and its dosage. Medium and large dosages of bo he emphasize its function to scatter and dissipate wind-heat and promote the skin eruption; while, a large dosage of bo he emphasizes its function to soothe the liver. This formula is aimed at treating the pattern of liver constraint, blood deficiency, and spleen weakness. In this formula, bo he is used with chai hu to soothe and free the liver; therefore, 6g is appropriate since it should not be too large. |
Application | 1. Essential pattern differentiation Xiao Yao San serves as the most common formula to soothe the liver and nourish the blood, and is also commonly applied for regulating menstruation. This clinical pattern is marked by rib-side pain, mental fatigue, reduced food intake, menstrual irregularities, and a wiry, deficient pulse. 2. Modern applications This formula may be used in the following biomedically defined disorders when the patient shows signs of liver constraint, blood deficiency, and spleen weakness: chronic hepatitis, cirrhosis, gallstones, gastric and duodenal ulcers, chronic gastritis, gastrointestinal neurosis, premenstrual stress disorder, breast lobular hyperplasia, menopausal syndrome, pelvic inflammatory disease, infertility, and uterine fibroids. |
Additonal formulae | 1. Jia Wei Xiao Yao San (Supplemented Free Wanderer Powder, 加味逍遙散) [Source]《Summary of Internal Medicine》Nei Ke Zhai Yao《內科摘要》 [Ingredients] Chai hu 1 qian (3g), dang gui 1 qian (3g), bai shao 1 qian (3g), fu ling 1 qian (3g), bai zhu (fried) 1 qian (3g), mu dan pi 0.5 qian (1.5g), shan zhi (fried) 0.5 qian (1.5g),zhi gan cao 0.5 qian (1.5g) [Preparation and Administration] Prepare it as a decoction. [Actions] Nourishes blood and fortifies the spleen, soothes the liver and clears heat. [Applicable Patterns] Liver constraint and blood deficiency, accompanied with internal heat constraint. Symptoms include: late afternoon tidal fever, vexation, agitation, and irascibility, spontaneous sweating, night sweating, headache, dry eyes, red cheek, dry mouth, menstrual irregularities, distending pain of the lesser abdomen, difficult and painful urination, a red tongue, a thin yellow coating, and a wiry, deficient, and rapid pulse. 2. Hei Xiao Yao San (Black Free Wanderer Powder, 黑逍遙散) [Source]《Six Texts on Essentials from Medicine‧Essential Knowledge of Gynecology》Yi Lue Liu Shu Nu Ke Zhi Yao《醫略六書‧女科指要》 [Ingredients] Xiao Yao San with the addition of sheng di or shu di huang [Preparation and Administration] Prepare it as a decoction. [Actions] Soothes the liver and fortifies the spleen, nourishes blood and regulates menstruation. [Applicable Patterns] Liver and spleen blood deficiency. Symptoms include: abdominal pain near menstruation, and a wiry, deficient pulse. |
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