{ "slug": "chai-hu-shu-gan-san", "names": { "pinyin": "Chai Hu Shu Gan San", "chinese": "柴胡疏肝散", "english": "Bupleurum Powder to Spread the Liver", "alternate": [ "Chai Hu Shu Gan Wan", "Bupleurum Soothe Liver Formula" ] }, "category": "regulate-qi", "source": { "text": "Jing Yue Quan Shu (Complete Works of Jing Yue)", "author": "Zhang Jie-bin", "dynasty": "Ming", "year": "1624" }, "summary": "Pure qi moving for a stuck Liver when pain is the main complaint. Tightness and pain under the ribs or across the chest, belching, sighing, a bloated stomach, and a short temper, in a person who is not tired or pale. Where Xiao Yao San supports and soothes, this one simply opens.", "picture": "Seven herbs that all move in the same direction. No tonic, no moistener. It is a crowbar for a jammed door, which is why it works fast and should not be used for long.", "patterns": [ { "slug": "liver-qi-stagnation", "role": "with pain", "_links": { "self": "https://www.naturalherblibrary.com/api/v1/pattern/liver-qi-stagnation", "html": "https://www.naturalherblibrary.com/pattern/liver-qi-stagnation" } } ], "indications": [ "Pain or tightness under the ribs, often on both sides", "Chest fullness, frequent sighing", "Belching, bloating, a stomach that feels knotted", "Irritability and frustration", "Pain that moves around and follows stress", "Painful periods with a tense, bloated feeling" ], "signs": { "tongue": "Normal or a little dusky, thin white coat.", "pulse": "Wiry." }, "ingredients": [ { "pinyin": "Chai Hu", "grams": "6", "role": "chief", "job": "Bupleurum spreads the Liver qi.", "herb_slug": "root-of-chinese-thorowax", "english": "Chinese Thorowax Root", "chinese": "柴胡", "latin": "Radix Bupleuri", "_links": { "herb": "https://www.naturalherblibrary.com/api/v1/herb/root-of-chinese-thorowax", "html": "https://www.naturalherblibrary.com/herb/root-of-chinese-thorowax" } }, { "pinyin": "Xiang Fu", "grams": "5", "role": "deputy", "job": "Cyperus moves Liver qi and eases pain.", "herb_slug": "rhizome-of-nutgrass-galingale", "english": "Rhizome of Nutgrass Galingale", "chinese": "", "latin": "Rhizoma Cyperi", "_links": { "herb": "https://www.naturalherblibrary.com/api/v1/herb/rhizome-of-nutgrass-galingale", "html": "https://www.naturalherblibrary.com/herb/rhizome-of-nutgrass-galingale" } }, { "pinyin": "Chuan Xiong", "grams": "5", "role": "deputy", "job": "Ligusticum moves qi and blood and stops pain.", "herb_slug": "chuanxiong-rhizome-szechuan-lovage-root", "english": "Chuanxiong Rhizome, Szechuan Lovage Root", "chinese": "川芎", "latin": "Rhizoma Chuanxiong", "_links": { "herb": "https://www.naturalherblibrary.com/api/v1/herb/chuanxiong-rhizome-szechuan-lovage-root", "html": "https://www.naturalherblibrary.com/herb/chuanxiong-rhizome-szechuan-lovage-root" } }, { "pinyin": "Chen Pi", "grams": "6", "role": "assistant", "job": "Tangerine peel moves qi in the digestion.", "herb_slug": "dried-tangerine-peel", "english": "Dried Tangerine Peel", "chinese": "陈皮", "latin": "Pericarpium Citri Reticulatae", "_links": { "herb": "https://www.naturalherblibrary.com/api/v1/herb/dried-tangerine-peel", "html": "https://www.naturalherblibrary.com/herb/dried-tangerine-peel" } }, { "pinyin": "Zhi Ke", "grams": "5", "role": "assistant", "job": "Bitter orange opens the chest and stomach.", "unlinked": true, "herb_slug": "", "english": "", "chinese": "", "latin": "" }, { "pinyin": "Bai Shao", "grams": "5", "role": "assistant", "job": "White peony softens the Liver and keeps the movers from drying the blood.", "herb_slug": "white-peony-root", "english": "White Peony Root", "chinese": "白芍", "latin": "Radix Paeoniae Alba", "_links": { "herb": "https://www.naturalherblibrary.com/api/v1/herb/white-peony-root", "html": "https://www.naturalherblibrary.com/herb/white-peony-root" } }, { "pinyin": "Zhi Gan Cao", "grams": "2", "role": "envoy", "job": "Honey-fried licorice harmonizes and eases pain.", "herb_slug": "prepared-liauorice-root", "english": "Honey-Fried Licorice Root", "chinese": "炙甘草", "latin": "Radix Glycyrrhizae Praeparata", "_links": { "herb": "https://www.naturalherblibrary.com/api/v1/herb/prepared-liauorice-root", "html": "https://www.naturalherblibrary.com/herb/prepared-liauorice-root" } } ], "actions": [ "Spreads Liver qi and relieves constraint", "Moves blood and stops pain" ], "how_it_works": "Bupleurum, cyperus, and ligusticum unjam the Liver. Tangerine peel and bitter orange clear the stomach and chest. Peony and licorice keep the drying movers in check. Every herb points the same way, which is the strength and the limit of the formula.", "modifications": [ { "for": "Pain that is sharp and fixed", "add": [ "Yan Hu Suo", "Yu Jin" ], "note": "Corydalis and curcuma for blood-level pain." }, { "for": "Heat and a bitter taste", "add": [ "Zhi Zi", "Mu Dan Pi" ], "note": "Cooling herbs." } ], "cautions": [ "Drying and dispersing. Not for a dry, yin-deficient person with a red peeled tongue; use Yi Guan Jian.", "Not for the tired, pale, weak-digestion picture; use Xiao Yao San, which supports while it moves.", "Short courses. Weeks, not months.", "Pregnancy: use only under a qualified practitioner." ], "forms": [ "teapills", "granules", "decoction" ], "typical_dose": { "teapills": "8 pills, three times a day, the usual label dose", "course": "One to three weeks." }, "cousins": [ { "slug": "xiao-yao-san", "difference": "Moves the Liver while feeding the Spleen and blood. The better choice when there is tiredness or a weak appetite." }, { "slug": "si-ni-san", "difference": "Four herbs for stagnation with cold fingers and toes." }, { "slug": "yi-guan-jian", "difference": "For rib pain in a dry person. Nourishes first, moves gently." } ], "commerce": { "store": "supplementsapothecary.com", "store_name": "Supplements Apothecary", "store_slug": "chai-hu-shu-gan-san", "store_url": "https://www.supplementsapothecary.com/supplement/chai-hu-shu-gan-san", "status": "planned", "label_check": "The box reads Chai Hu Shu Gan San or Wan with the characters 柴胡疏肝. Seven ingredients led by Bupleurum, Cyperus, and Ligusticum." }, "conditions": [ "hypochondriac-pain", "liver-qi-stagnation", "chest-pain", "abdominal-distension", "dysmenorrhea", "stress" ], "sources": [ { "title": "Bensky, Scheid, Ellis and Barolet, Chinese Herbal Medicine: Formulas and Strategies, 2nd edition", "note": "Composition, actions, indications, and cautions." } ], "meta": { "status": "published", "last_updated": "2026-10-12", "reviewed_by": null }, "_links": { "html": "https://www.naturalherblibrary.com/formula/chai-hu-shu-gan-san", "self": "https://www.naturalherblibrary.com/api/v1/formula/chai-hu-shu-gan-san", "index": "https://www.naturalherblibrary.com/api/v1/formulas" } }