Sadness and melancholy (Gan Mai Da Zao Tang)

Traditional preparation for :

• sadness
• melancholy
• frequent feelings of extreme sadness with an urge to cry
• hysterical behavior
• nervous breakdown
• depressive mood
• insomnia
• restless sleep
• tight abdominal muscles
• menopausal symptoms caused by heart and lung yin deficiency.

Actions of this formula according to Chinese medicine

• Nourish the heart
• Calms the mind
• Harmonizes spleen and stomach
• Tonify spleen
• Relaxes tension

Preparation

Using a knife, make several cuts all around the jujubes. In a glass, stainless steel, Pyrex or terracotta container, pour spring or filtered water up to 5 cm above the ingredients and leave to soak for 30 minutes (this step can be omitted if there isn’t enough time).
Bring to the boil over high heat, then reduce heat to low and simmer for 30 minutes. Remove only the liquid by placing it in a thermos, for example, and add 500ml water to the ingredients and heat again to boiling, then simmer for 30 minutes. Pour the liquid with the first.
Drink half in the morning and half in the evening.

Or you can make the first decoction in the morning, drink it, then keep the ingredients in the container until the evening. Make the 2nd decoction in the evening with the same herbs.

Contraindications

People with gluten intolerance.