Tian Wang Bu Xin Dan, also known as Tianwang buxin teapills , is a Chinese classic herbal formula

Chinese classic herbal formula

Chinese classic herbal formulas are a form of Chinese herbology, where herbs are combined for greater efficiency, compared to individual herbs. They are the basic herbal formulas that students of Traditional Chinese medicine learn...

. It is commonly made into Chinese patent medicine

Chinese patent medicine

Chinese patent medicine are herbal medicines in Traditional Chinese medicine. Many kinds of Chinese patent medicines are still sold today.-Description:...

.

Variations

There are about 9 common prescription

Medical prescription

A prescription is a health-care program implemented by a physician or other medical practitioner in the form of instructions that govern the plan of care for an individual patient. Prescriptions may include orders to be performed by a patient, caretaker, nurse, pharmacist or other therapist....

 variations using the same name . One such formula is found in Volume 6 of "Revised Fine Formulas for Women" (校注妇人良方 jiào zhù fùrén liáng fāng) by Bi Li-zhai (c. 1529 CE).

The formula was created by Hóng Jī (T: 洪基, S: 洪基). It was published in "Secret Investigations into Obtaining Life" (shè shēng mì pōu, T: 攝生秘剖, S: 摄生秘剖) in 1638. http://home.comcast.net/~piannone/o-s/ch-innerhist.html

There are many variations of the formula proportions. Each maker of Chinese patent medicine

Chinese patent medicine

Chinese patent medicine are herbal medicines in Traditional Chinese medicine. Many kinds of Chinese patent medicines are still sold today.-Description:...

 changes the proportions of the herbs slightly. Some herbs may be changed also. For example, rén shēn

Ginseng

Ginseng is any one of eleven species of slow-growing perennial plants with fleshy roots, belonging to the genus Panax of the family Araliaceae....

 (ginseng root) may be replaced with dǎng shēn

Codonopsis pilosula

Codonopsis pilosula , also known as dang shen or poor man's ginseng, is a perennial species of flowering plant native to Northeast Asia and Korea and usually found growing around streambanks and forest openings under the shade of trees....

 ("poor man's ginseng"). The original formula instructed that the pills be coated with zhū shā (朱砂) (Cinnabar

Cinnabar

Cinnabar or cinnabarite , is the common ore of mercury.-Word origin:The name comes from κινναβαρι , a Greek word most likely applied by Theophrastus to several distinct substances...

), which is banned

Ban (law)

A ban is, generally, any decree that prohibits something.Bans are formed for the prohibition of activities within a certain political territory. Some see this as a negative act and others see it as maintaining the "status quo"...

 by the FDA

Food and Drug Administration

The Food and Drug Administration is an agency of the United States Department of Health and Human Services, one of the United States federal executive departments...

 in the US

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

. It is usually omitted entirely from the formulation or replaced with a substitute.

Chinese classic herbal formula

Name	Common Name Common name A common name of a taxon or organism is a name in general use within a community; it is often contrasted with the scientific name for the same organism...	Pinyin Pinyin Pinyin is the official system to transcribe Chinese characters into the Roman alphabet in China, Malaysia, Singapore and Taiwan. It is also often used to teach Mandarin Chinese and spell Chinese names in foreign publications and used as an input method to enter Chinese characters into...	Chinese (T)	Chinese (S)	Katakana Katakana is a Japanese syllabary, one component of the Japanese writing system along with hiragana, kanji, and in some cases the Latin alphabet . The word katakana means "fragmentary kana", as the katakana scripts are derived from components of more complex kanji. Each kana represents one mora...	Kanji Kanji Kanji are the adopted logographic Chinese characters hanzi that are used in the modern Japanese writing system along with hiragana , katakana , Indo Arabic numerals, and the occasional use of the Latin alphabet...	Genus species Binomial nomenclature Binomial nomenclature is a formal system of naming species of living things by giving each a name composed of two parts, both of which use Latin grammatical forms, although they can be based on words from other languages...	%
Rehmanniae Radix Rehmannia Rehmannia is a genus of six species of flowering plants in the order Lamiales, endemic to China.The genus was included in the family Scrophulariaceae or Gesneriaceae in some older classifications. The current placement of the genus is in neither Scrophulariaceae s.s. nor Plantaginaceae s.l....	Chinese foxglove root	shú dì huáng	熟地黃	熟地黄	ジオウ	地黄	Rehmannia glutinosa	29.6%
Angelicae Radix Angelica sinensis Angelica sinensis, commonly known as "dong quai" or "female ginseng" is a herb from the family Apiaceae, indigenous to China.-Chinese:...	Chinese angelica root	dāng guī	當歸	当归	トウキ	当帰	Angelica sinensis	7.4%
Schisandrae Fructus Schisandra chinensis Schisandra chinensis is a deciduous woody vine native to forests of Northern China and the Russian Far East. It is hardy in USDA Zone 4. The plant likes some shade with moist, well-drained soil...	schisandra fruit	wǔ wèi zǐ	五味子	五味子	ゴミシ	五味子	Schisandra chinensis	7.4%
Zizyphi Spinosi Semen Jujube Ziziphus zizyphus , commonly called jujube , red date, Chinese date, Korean date, or Indian date is a species of Ziziphus in the buckthorn family Rhamnaceae, used primarily as a fruiting shade tree.-Distribution:Its precise natural distribution is uncertain due to extensive cultivation,...	jujube seed, Chinese date seed	suān zǎo rén	酸棗仁	酸枣仁	サンソウニン	酸棗仁	Ziziphus zizyphus	7.4%
Biota Semen Platycladus Platycladus is a distinct genus of evergreen coniferous tree in the cypress family Cupressaceae, containing only one species, Platycladus orientalis, also known as Chinese Arborvitae or Biota. It is endemic to Northwestern China...	Biota tree seed	bái zǐ rén	柏子仁	柏子仁	コノテガシワ	側柏	Platycladus orientalis	7.4%
Asparagi Radix Asparagus (genus) Asparagus is a genus in the plant family Asparagaceae, subfamily Asparagoideae. It comprises up to 300 species. Most are evergreen long-lived perennial plants growing from the understory as lianas, bushes or climbing plants. The best-known species is the edible Asparagus officinalis, commonly...	asparagus root	tiān mén dōng	天門冬	天门冬	テンモンドウ	天門冬	Asparagus cochinchinensis	7.4%
Ophiopogonis Rhizoma Mondo grass Ophiopogon japonicus Ophiopogon japonicus Ophiopogon japonicus (Mondo grass, Fountain plant, monkey grass; ("dragon's beard") or ジャノヒゲ ja-no-hige ("snake's beard") is a species of Ophiopogon native to Japan.-Growth:...	mondo grass rhizome	mài mén dōng	麥門冬	麦门冬	バクモンドウ	麦門冬	Ophiopogon japonicus	7.4%
Scrophularia Radix Ningpo figwort Scrophularia ningpoensis, commonly known as the Ningpo figwort or Chinese figwort, is a perennial plant of the family Scrophulariaceae . It reaches 1 m by 0.4 m. Its flowers are hermaphrodite, insect-pollinated and the plant usually flowers in late spring.-Medical use:This plant is a known to...	Ningpo figwort root	xuán shēn	玄參	玄参	ゲンジン	玄参	Scrophularia ningpoensis	7.4%
Polygalae Radix Polygala Polygala is a genus of about 500 species of flowering plants belonging to the family Polygalaceae, commonly known as milkwort or snakeroot...	milkwort root, snakeroot	yuǎn zhì	遠志	远志	オンジ	遠志	Polygala tenuifolia	3.7%
Salvia Radix Salvia miltiorrhiza Salvia miltiorrhiza , also known as red sage, Chinese sage, tan shen, or danshen, is a perennial plant in the genus Salvia, highly valued for its roots in traditional Chinese medicine. Native to China and Japan, it grows at elevation, preferring grassy places in forests, hillsides, and along...	Chinese sage root	dān shēn	丹參	丹参	タンジン	丹参	Salvia miltiorrhiza	3.7%
Codonopsis Radix Codonopsis pilosula Codonopsis pilosula , also known as dang shen or poor man's ginseng, is a perennial species of flowering plant native to Northeast Asia and Korea and usually found growing around streambanks and forest openings under the shade of trees....	poor man's ginseng root	dǎng shēn	黨參	党参	トウジン	党参	Codonopsis pilosula	3.7%
Poria	tuckahoe mushroom	fú líng	茯苓	茯苓	ブクリョウ	茯苓	Poria cocos	3.7%
Platycodi Radix	Chinese bellflower root, balloon flower root	jié gěng	桔梗	桔梗	キキョウ	桔梗	Platycodon grandiflorum	3.7%

External links

• Biographies of the creators of many Chinese classic herbal formulas