Excerpts from a previous life:
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Ding Zhi San (定志散) is a Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) formula traditionally used to calm emotional upset due to a sudden fright ([redacted], personal communication, February 16, 2012). The formula consists of four herbs combined to mediate anxiety.
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Experimental investigation of the formula Ding Zhi San has not previously been attempted, although its individual ingredients have been subject to some review.
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The most abundant of the four herbal constituents of the formula is Radix Panacis ginseng (人参 Rén Shēn).
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Previous research suggests anxiolytic effects of ginseng root (Carr, Bekku & Yoshimura, 2006; Kim et al., 2009) while Chinese medicine scholars note that ginseng “quiets the spirit” ([redacted], personal communication, February 22, 2012).
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Sclerotium Poriae cocos (茯苓 Fú Líng), whose sedative and tonic effects are particularly well-documented (Rios, 2011), is the second most abundant herb in the formula.
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In addition to promoting general health and well being, this herb is said to “stabilize and quiet the heart” as well as “calm the spirit” ([redacted], personal communication, February 22, 2012).
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Third in the formula is Radix Polygalae tenuifoliae (远志 Yuǎn Zhì). Research has confirmed the effectiveness of Radix Polygalae in TCM for mediating depression (Liu et al., 2010), but little has been reported in terms of its possible anxiolytic properties.
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However, in clinical practice, Radix Polygalae is classified as one of the “spirit-quieting medicinals”, suggesting a relationship with anxiety reduction ([redacted], personal communication, February 22, 2012).
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The fourth herb is Rhizoma Acorus tatarinowii (菖蒲 Chāng Pú). The closely related Acorus gramineus functions as a delivering servant to facilitate the uptake of ginsenosides to the brain after oral administration in formula (Wang et al., 2010).
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In TCM clinical practice, this herb is a CNS suppressant said to “pacify the spirit” and treat agitation ([redacted], personal communication, February 22, 2012).
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Unfortunately, the results were inconclusive. Then again, my lab rats were literally lab rats. Had they been humans, the research may have panned out differently. Since then, it's possible human studies have been (or will be) conducted.
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