Natural Herb Library

Classic formula · Calm the spirit

Suan Zao Ren Tang

酸枣仁汤 Sour Jujube Decoction

Five herbs for the sleep problem of Liver blood deficiency: you lie down tired and cannot switch off, you wake easily, your mouth is dry, your mind is a little irritable, and your heart flutters. The old, simple sleep formula for the person who is worn down rather than wound up.

The mind rests in the Liver's blood at night the way a boat rests on water. When the water is low the boat bumps the bottom. Jujube seed refills the water; the other four quiet the ripples.

5 herbs Source: Jin Gui Yao Lue (Essentials from the Golden Cabinet), Han dynasty, c. 220 Updated 2026-10-12 View API data

Also sold as: Zizyphus Combination · Suan Zao Ren Wan

Who Suan Zao Ren Tang is for

This formula is chosen for 3 patterns. Match your own picture before you match the name.

Primary pattern Heart Blood Deficiency Hard to fall asleep, light sleep, many dreams, Palpitations, especially when anxious or tired, Easily startled, anxious, forgetful, Pale face, pale lips, pale eyelids Primary pattern Liver Blood Deficiency Pale face, pale lips, pale brittle nails, Dry, tired eyes, blurry vision, floaters, Numb limbs, muscle cramps or twitches, Light, late, or absent periods For sleep pattern Heart and Spleen Deficiency Tired, especially after eating, with a poor appetite, Hard to fall asleep, light sleep, dream-filled nights, Worry that runs in circles, poor memory, Palpitations when anxious

Signs it is classically given for

  • Hard to fall asleep, light sleep
  • Waking tired after a full night
  • Irritability and restlessness in a tired person
  • Palpitations
  • Dizziness
  • Dry mouth and throat
  • Night sweats
  • Mild anxiety that is worse at night
Tongue
Pale or slightly red, a little dry.
Pulse
Thin and wiry.

What is in Suan Zao Ren Tang

Amounts are the classic decoction range in grams. Patent pills use the same herbs in the same proportion, so read the box for these names.

HerbAmountRoleJob in the formula
Suan Zao Ren Sour Jujube Seed 15 g Chief Sour jujube seed nourishes Liver blood and calms the Heart. The first herb for sleep.
Fu Ling Poria 6 g Deputy Poria calms the mind and drains damp.
Zhi Mu Rhizome of Common Anamarrhena 6 g Deputy Anemarrhena clears the mild heat and dryness that come with blood deficiency.
Chuan Xiong Chuanxiong Rhizome, Szechuan Lovage Root Use caution 6 g Assistant Ligusticum moves the Liver's qi and blood so the tonic does not sit still.
Gan Cao Raw Licorice Root Use caution 3 g Envoy Licorice harmonizes and soothes.

How Suan Zao Ren Tang works

A large dose of jujube seed feeds the Liver blood the mind sleeps in. Anemarrhena cools the dry irritability. Ligusticum keeps the Liver moving so the sour seed does not clamp it shut. Poria and licorice settle everything. It is small, gentle, and fast, which is why it has lasted eighteen centuries.

Actions in classic terms

  • Nourishes blood and calms the spirit
  • Clears mild heat and settles irritability

Common changes to Suan Zao Ren Tang

A practitioner rarely gives the bare formula. These are the classic additions for a specific picture.

  • Heat with a red tongue tip add Huang Lian, Zhi Zi Coptis and gardenia cool the Heart.
  • Palpitations that frighten add Long Gu, Mu Li Dragon bone and oyster shell anchor.
  • Deeper blood deficiency add Dang Gui, Bai Shao Or combine with Si Wu Tang.

Cautions with Suan Zao Ren Tang

  • Not for insomnia from excess: a hot, loud, phlegmy, or food-stuffed picture with a thick coat. That needs clearing, not nourishing.
  • Mild. If sleep is unchanged after two weeks, the pattern is deeper and the formula should change.
  • Pregnancy: use only under a qualified practitioner.

Forms and typical dose

Sold as teapills, granules, decoction.

Teapills
8 pills, three times a day, with the last dose an hour before bed
Decoction
One bag a day, the larger half an hour before bed
Course
Two to six weeks.

Follow the label of the brand you buy. Pill sizes differ between makers.

Buying Suan Zao Ren Tang

The box reads Suan Zao Ren Tang with the characters 酸枣仁汤. Five ingredients beginning with Zizyphus (sour jujube seed).

Brand comparisons for formulas live on Supplements Apothecary, the buying side of this library.

Formulas often confused with Suan Zao Ren Tang

  • Gui Pi Tang 归脾汤 For the sleeper who is also tired after meals, bloated, pale, and worried. Feeds the Spleen as well as the Heart.
  • Tian Wang Bu Xin Dan 天王补心丹 For the sleeper with heat and dryness: night sweats, mouth ulcers, a red peeled tongue.
  • Gan Mai Da Zao Tang 甘麦大枣汤 Three food-grade herbs for restlessness, crying, and yawning from a dry, upset Heart. Even gentler.

Conditions where Suan Zao Ren Tang comes up

Insomnia Palpitations Anxiety Night Sweats Dizziness

Sources

  • Bensky, Scheid, Ellis and Barolet, Chinese Herbal Medicine: Formulas and Strategies, 2nd edition Composition, actions, indications, and cautions.
  • Zhang Zhong-jing, Jin Gui Yao Lue, c. 220 Source text.

Important Note

Formula pages describe classic use so you can read a label, ask a better question, and find the right monographs. They are education, not a prescription. A formula that fits the wrong pattern can make things worse, so match the picture first.