Chinese Medicine and Insomnia

Yea!! I did some research on Traditional Chinese Medicine and found something from Active Herb for insomnia called "Tian Wang Bu Xin Dan." I thought this sounded like the formula best suited for me so I decided to order some and give it a try.

The formula that may fit for you could be different. Here is some info I found by way of the internet that could be helpful. If you 'd like to see the full article click here.

"In TCM, a primary concept is the idea of "root and branch." Symptoms like insomnia are considered to be the branches of a disease. The root of a disease is a dysfunction or imbalance of the fundamental substances (Chi, blood, Yin, Yang, Jing, Shen), or of the major organ systems (Lungs, Heart, Spleen, Liver, Kidneys). When a person suffers from insomnia, the two organs most often out of balance are the Heart and the Liver. Each of these two organs houses a specific aspect of the spirit. If these organs are out of balance, they will not be able to house the spirit properly, and the spirit will wander. (TCM, although a very complex medical system, had its origins in Taoism, and before that in shamanism. Therefore, there is a spiritual consciousness built into TCM theory.) A wandering spirit, or Shen disturbance, can manifest in a number of ways, including mood disorders and heart palpitations, but insomnia is one of the commonest symptoms.

There is a lot of space devoted to insomnia in classical Chinese medicine textbooks. Several different types of insomnia are noted, and the differences point to different origins of the problem. The commonest types of insomnia are as follows:

Dream-disturbed sleep: Nightmares normally indicate a disorder of the Gall Bladder meridian. Dreams in which we go over and over the same ground, walking in a maze, reliving aspects of our jobs or our relationships generally are due to a Spleen/Heart imbalance. People with this problem say, "I can't shut my mind off."

Difficulty falling asleep: This is usually related to an excess condition of the Liver or Liver and Gall Bladder. People will lie awake, tossing and turning for hours.

Waking up easily: Many people can fall asleep easily, but then they wake up later and find it difficult to go back to sleep again. They may be awake for an hour or so, or may not go back to sleep at all. These people have a deficiency pattern, often a Heart/Spleen deficiency.

Waking up at a specific time every night: For example, some people regularly wake up at three o'clock in the morning. In Chinese medicine theory, the body's energy (Chi) circulates through the twelve principal meridians over a 24-hour period. Each meridian relates to an internal organ. If a person wakes or has some unusual symptoms at the same time every day, it is probable that there is an imbalance in the organ system that is "highlighted" at that time of day. Energy peaks in the Liver meridian at 3:00 a.m., which is why people often wake up then. Liver problems can result from unexpressed anger, stress triggering Liver Chi stagnation, and Liver Fire.

Other symptoms: When a Chinese medicine practitioner is analyzing a patient's sleeping problems, he narrows down the possibilities by looking for other symptoms that are characteristic of a particular disorder. For example, people with the Liver Fire pattern get angry easily, and have Heat signs such as a red face, dark yellow urine, and dry bowel movements. People with Spleen/Heart deficiency tend to be forgetful, have poor concentration, feel very fatigued, and are always worrying about something. People with a Kidney/Heart disharmony can have tinitus, palpitations, weakness in the low back, feel light-headed, and get flushed easily. Chinese medicine practitioners also examine their patients' tongues and feel the pulse for further indications of which particular pattern is predominant.

Everyone wants to sleep well and have sweet dreams every night. Nobody wants insomnia, but some people have been suffering with it for a long time. In my practice, patients come in with these complaints every day: "I've only slept a couple of hours a night for seven years." "I have not slept well for 15 years since my divorce." "I have been taking sleeping pills for years. It all started when our company went down." "I was diagnosed with fibromyalgia, and my doctor said my aches and pains are related to my sleeping disorder. Can you do anything?

In the first part of this section, I mentioned that Chinese medicine sees insomnia as a symptom of an imbalance in either the fundamental substances of the body (Chi, Blood, Yin, Yang, Shen), or of the major organ systems (Lungs, Heart, Spleen, Liver, Kidneys). Insomnia most often results from imbalances of the Heart or Liver. I also outlined the principal types of insomnia, as described in Chinese medicine textbooks: dream-disturbed sleep; difficulty falling asleep; waking early; and waking at a specific time every night. This article will discuss the Chinese medicine approach to treating insomnia.

In this country, people say "acupuncture" as a shorthand term for traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). Most TCM practitioners also include Chinese herbal formulas and dietary modifications in their treatments. When treating insomnia, acupuncture and Chinese herbal formulas are combined for the quickest and most effective results. Not every insomnia patient will be treated with the same herbs or acupuncture points, however. A particular combination of signs and symptoms is called a pattern, and different patterns are treated differently. For example, students who are burned out on studying and can't shut their minds off usually fall into a Spleen/Heart imbalance pattern; whereas elderly people who have trouble sleeping are generally manifesting a Heart/Kidney imbalance.

One of the most popular herbs in China for treating insomnia is Suan Zao Ren. This is the kernel of a small red date that grows wild in the mountainous areas of northern China. The branches of this shrubby plant are so thorny that farmers use it as fencing to keep their animals contained. I remember the scratches I got as a little girl when I visited the mountains and picked the dates for their sweet/sour flavor. Suan Zao Ren has the effect of nourishing Heart Shen and Liver Blood, as well as regulating Liver Chi. This makes it very effective at "calming the spirit" and dealing with stress. I often prescribe a formula which has Suan Zao Ren as a principal component when my patients have insomnia due to a Liver/Heart imbalance. For people with a Spleen/Heart disorder, such as the overworked students mentioned above, Gui Pi Wan is a useful herbal formula.

The Kidney/Heart disharmony pattern is also very common in this country, especially in peri-menopausal women and the elderly. Tian Wang Bu Xin Dan is an old and well-studied Chinese herbal formula that is often used for Kidney/Heart imbalances. Several studies have proven that it can help people to sleep deeply and stay asleep longer. People who take this formula tend to feel more refreshed and energetic in the morning. It can also be used to treat the nervous exhaustion that comes with depression".