Chai Hu Shu Gan Tang 柴胡舒肝湯

ACM/CCM/TCM Global Status: Safe & Effective

Clear Your Vision™

This is Si Jin Bao’s version of a classical formula that dates back to the 17th century. It is well known for addressing symptoms of emotional imbalance as well as disturbances in the Liver Qi. Developed by Wang Ken-tang, Chai Hu Shu Gan Tang is the modification of a formula written over 1400 years earlier.

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SKU: 38255 Categories: Body Type Decoctions, Classical Formulas, Formulas that Harmonize, Internal Formulas, Professional Decoctions, Regulate and Harmonize the Liver and Spleen Tags: Chai Hu Shu Gan Tang, Clear Your Vision, Si Jin Bao

Classical Formula · Ming Dynasty · c. 1602

柴胡舒肝湯

Chái Hú Shū Gān Tāng

Bupleurum Decoction to Spread the Liver

Clear Your Vision™

Over Four Centuries in Continuous Clinical Use

The Formula

Course the Liver, Move the Qi

Chái Hú Shū Gān Tāng, the Bupleurum Decoction to Spread the Liver, is Si Jin Bao’s version of Wang Ken-tang’s classical formula for constrained Liver Qi. It courses the Liver, regulates the Qi, and relieves the pain and emotional strain that follow when the Qi is no longer moving freely.

In Chinese medicine the Liver governs the free coursing of the Qi. When emotion or prolonged stress binds that movement, the Qi stagnates, and a familiar picture follows: distension and pain along the flanks and ribs, a tight chest, frequent sighing, irritability, and low mood. Because the Liver also governs the movement of Blood, the constraint often reaches the menstrual cycle. This formula was built to move what has become stuck.

Classical Foundation

From Sì Nì Sǎn to Wang Ken-tang

The formula was recorded by the Ming physician Wang Ken-tang in the Zhèng Zhì Zhǔn Shéng (Indispensable Tools for Pattern Treatment), completed in 1602. It is an expansion of a much older formula, Sì Nì Sǎn, set down by Zhang Zhongjing in the Shāng Hán Lùn nearly fourteen centuries earlier. To the four herbs of that base, Bupleurum, Bitter Orange, White Peony, and Licorice, Wang Ken-tang added Cyperus, Sichuan Lovage, and Tangerine Peel, strengthening its power to regulate the Qi and move the Blood.

A Note on the Name

The classical literature writes the formula 柴胡疏肝散 (Chái Hú Shū Gān Sǎn), with 疏, to disperse, as a powder. Si Jin Bao prepares it as 柴胡舒肝湯, with 舒, to soothe, as a decoction. The two characters are read alike and name the same action on the Liver Qi.

The Pattern

Liver Qi Constraint · 肝氣鬱結

The pattern is Liver Qi that has lost its free movement. It shows above all as distension and pain in the flanks and ribs, along with the emotional signs of constraint: irritability, frequent sighing, a tight chest, and low mood. When the constraint reaches the Blood, the menstrual cycle becomes irregular and painful.

Clinical Indications

Hypochondriac pain, abdominal pain and cramps
Chest oppression, frequent sighing, emotional imbalance
Irritability, easily angered; alternating chills and fever
Irregular, delayed, or painful menstruation

Classical tongue & pulse: a thin white coating; a wiry pulse.

How It Works

Seven Herbs: Course, Regulate, and Ease

Chái Hú courses the Liver and spreads the constrained Qi. Xiāng Fù regulates the Qi and relieves constraint, and with Chuān Xiōng reaches into the Blood to move what the stagnation has slowed. Zhǐ Ké directs the Qi downward and reduces distension, working opposite Chái Hú, which lifts.

Chén Pí regulates the Qi and harmonizes the middle, protecting the Spleen. Bái Sháo nourishes the Blood and softens the Liver, and with Zhì Gān Cǎo relaxes cramp and eases pain. Together they course the Liver, regulate the Qi, and settle the pain and emotion that constraint produces.

Clinical Recognition

When to Reach for It

Reach for Chái Hú Shū Gān Tāng for Liver Qi constraint: distension and pain in the flanks and ribs, chest oppression and frequent sighing, irritability and low mood, and irregular or painful menstruation, with a wiry pulse.

Western conditions and terminology that are commonly associated with these TCM patterns:

Hepatitis, gastritis, cholecystitis, fatty liver, gallstones
Peptic ulcers; tension headache
Anxiety, postpartum depression, chronic fatigue syndrome
Dysmenorrhea, amenorrhea, late menstruation, mastitis

舒肝

The Si Jin Bao Preparation

Si Jin Bao’s Chái Hú Shū Gān Tāng is a concentrated decoction prepared in small batches by traditional methods. It is vegan and alcohol-free, with no fillers, so the formula reaches the patient as the seven herbs and nothing else.

Materia Medica · 本草

柴胡舒肝湯

Chái Hú Shū Gān Tāng

Bupleurum Decoction to Spread the Liver

Clear Your Vision™

When the Liver Qi will not move, the body feels it: a tightness under the ribs, a short temper, a sigh that never quite finishes. Wang Ken-tang’s answer was not a single herb but a coordinated one. Bupleurum opens the door, and the others move through it, some regulating the Qi and reaching into the Blood, some settling the pain and the emotion that constraint leaves behind. Below is each herb on its own terms: its nature, the channels it enters, its classical actions, and the part it plays here.

CategoryCourse the Liver · Release the Exterior

Nature & FlavorBitter, Acrid; Cool

ChannelsLiver · Gallbladder

Actions

Courses and spreads the constrained Liver Qi; harmonizes and releases the exterior, reducing fever; raises the clear yang.

Indications

Liver Qi constraint with flank pain and irritability; alternating chills and fever.

Classical Reference

Recorded in the Shén Nóng Běn Cǎo Jīng (神農本草經), long used to course the Liver and free constrained Qi.

Role in this Formula

Courses the Liver and spreads the constrained Qi. It is the center of the formula, the herb the others are built around.

CategoryRegulate Qi

Nature & FlavorAcrid, Bitter; Warm

ChannelsSpleen · Lung

Actions

Regulates the Qi and harmonizes the middle; dries Dampness and transforms Phlegm.

Indications

Qi stagnation of the Spleen and Stomach with distension, poor appetite, and nausea.

Classical Reference

Documented in the classical materia medica as a principal herb to regulate the Qi and harmonize the middle.

Role in this Formula

Regulates the Qi and harmonizes the middle, protecting the Spleen from the effects of Liver constraint.

CategoryRegulate Qi

Nature & FlavorBitter, Acrid, Sour; Cool

ChannelsSpleen · Stomach · Large Intestine

Actions

Directs the Qi downward, breaks up Qi stagnation, and reduces distension and fullness.

Indications

Qi stagnation with distension and fullness of the chest and abdomen.

Classical Reference

Long paired in the classical formulas with Chái Hú, one herb lifting the Qi while the other directs it down.

Role in this Formula

Directs the Qi downward and relieves distension, balancing the lifting action of Chái Hú.

CategoryRegulate Qi

Nature & FlavorAcrid, Slightly Bitter, Slightly Sweet; Neutral

ChannelsLiver · Spleen · San Jiao

Actions

Courses the Liver and regulates the Qi; relieves constraint, regulates menstruation, and eases pain.

Indications

Liver Qi constraint with flank and epigastric pain; irregular or painful menstruation.

Classical Reference

Called in the classical texts the commander of the Qi within the Blood and the chief herb of gynecology.

Role in this Formula

The principal Qi-regulator of the Liver, relieving constraint and, where the pattern reaches the cycle, regulating menstruation.

CategoryInvigorate Blood

Nature & FlavorAcrid; Warm

ChannelsLiver · Gallbladder · Pericardium

Actions

Invigorates the Blood and moves the Qi; expels Wind and relieves pain.

Indications

Blood stasis and Qi stagnation with pain; headache; menstrual pain.

Classical Reference

Known in the classical materia medica as the Qi-herb within the Blood, moving both together.

Role in this Formula

With Xiāng Fù, reaches into the Blood to move what the Qi stagnation has slowed, relieving pain.

CategoryTonify Blood

Nature & FlavorBitter, Sour; Cool

ChannelsLiver · Spleen

Actions

Nourishes the Blood and preserves the Yin; softens the Liver and relieves pain; calms ascendant Liver yang.

Indications

Blood deficiency with a stiff, constrained Liver; cramping pain of the abdomen and flanks.

Classical Reference

Paired in the classical formulas with Gān Cǎo to relax cramp and ease pain.

Role in this Formula

Nourishes the Blood and softens the Liver, and with Zhì Gān Cǎo relaxes cramp and eases pain.

CategoryTonify Qi · Harmonize

Nature & FlavorSweet; Neutral (Warm when honey-prepared)

ChannelsHeart · Lung · Spleen · Stomach

Actions

Tonifies the Spleen qi; harmonizes and moderates the other herbs in a formula; with sour herbs, relaxes spasm.

Indications

The need to harmonize a formula and to temper cramping and pain.

Classical Reference

Recorded in the Shén Nóng Běn Cǎo Jīng (神農本草經); honey-frying deepens its warming, harmonizing nature.

Role in this Formula

Harmonizes the whole, and with Bái Sháo relaxes cramp and eases pain.

Nature (性)

Neutral · 平 Píng

Taste (味)

Sweet · 甘 Gān

Category

Vehicle · Neutral Carrier

Traditional Actions (功效)

Not a classical herb in its own right. It functions as a neutral carrier, a pharmaceutically pure vehicle that allows the active constituents of the classical herbs in the formula to extract, stabilize, and deliver without interference.

Role in this Formula

Biomedical role: A pharmaceutically pure solvent, ensuring consistent extraction and delivery of active compounds without introducing mineral ions, microbial contaminants, or chemical interference. Clinical relevance: Acts as a safe vehicle, analogous to saline in biomedicine, so that every dose of the formula performs identically, from the first bottle to the last.

Modern Research

Pharmacopeial Standard · Herbal Decoction Stability

Distilled water ensures stability, reproducibility, and safety in herbal decoction preparations by eliminating mineral ions and microbial contaminants that would otherwise compromise extraction consistency and shelf life.

Clinical Pharmacology · Oral Solution Vehicles

Distilled water is recognized in clinical pharmacology as the neutral carrier of choice for both intravenous and oral solutions, chosen specifically for its non-reactive profile with active ingredients.

Clinical Translation

Li Shi-zhen devoted an entire section of the Ben Cao Gang Mu (本草綱目) to the classification of waters, recognizing that the water in which a formula is prepared shapes the clinical outcome. SJB honors this principle by using pharmaceutically distilled water as the neutral vehicle for every decoction.

舒肝

Course, and Ease

Four centuries ago Wang Ken-tang took the four herbs of Zhang Zhongjing’s Sì Nì Sǎn and added three more to move the Qi and the Blood. The result has been used ever since for a single problem: a Liver Qi that will not flow, and the pain and unrest that come with it.

Dosage & Preparation · 用法用量

How to Prepare & Dose

Si Jin Bao Concentrated Decoctions™ are activated in hot water, steeped briefly, and taken warm. Follow the four steps below, then refer to the age-appropriate dosing grid.

Preparation

The Four Steps

Step 01

Shake

Shake the bottle well before each use.
Step 02

Add Hot Water

Add the age-appropriate dosage into 1 oz of hot water, as you would for tea.
Step 03

Steep

Cover and steep for 5 minutes, then allow to cool to a warm, drinkable temperature.
Step 04

Drink

Drink warm, twice daily or as directed by your practitioner.

For best results: take on an empty stomach — approximately 30 minutes before or after food or drink.

Dosage

By Age Group

Newborn

3drops

Twice daily

1 Year

7drops

Twice daily

2–6 Years

10drops

Twice daily

7 Years to Adult

20drops

Twice daily

Treatment Protocols

Suggested Clinical Course

Acute

10 Days

Then Reevaluate

Subacute

30 Days

Then Reevaluate

Chronic

90 Days

Then Reevaluate

Bottle Longevity

11½ days

at standard adult dosage

Research · 研究

柴胡舒肝湯

Chái Hú Shū Gān Tāng

The Modern Evidence

Nine Studies on Chai Hu Shu Gan Tang and Its Herbs

Few formulas of this age have been studied as closely, and the research falls about where the pattern would predict. Two trials look at the formula whole, one in depression and one in chronic gastritis, the emotional and the digestive faces of a constrained Liver Qi. The rest take up its seven herbs one at a time.

Design

Meta-analysis of 42 RCTs, 3,234 patients

Intervention

Formula, alone or with standard care

Relevance

Direct, the emotional side of Liver constraint

Background

Constraint of the Liver Qi produces low mood and irritability. This review pooled randomized trials of the formula for depression across fifteen associated conditions.

Findings

The pooled analysis reported an advantage for the formula in treating depression, with the clearest signal in post-stroke and post-partum depression. The authors call for further rigorous trials.

Relevance to Chai Hu Shu Gan Tang

The formula, in its classical composition, was studied for the emotional constraint it was built to relieve.

Citation

Treatment of depression with Chai Hu Shu Gan San: a systematic review and meta-analysis of 42 randomized controlled trials. BMC Complement. Altern. Med. 2018;18:66. PMID: 29454341.

Design

Meta-analysis of 21 RCTs, 2,572 patients

Intervention

Formula vs conventional treatment

Relevance

Direct, the digestive side of Liver-Spleen disharmony

Background

When constrained Liver Qi invades the Stomach, digestion suffers. This review pooled randomized trials of the formula across several types of chronic gastritis.

Findings

Across bile reflux, superficial, atrophic, and erosive gastritis, the pooled risk ratios favored the formula over conventional treatment alone.

Relevance to Chai Hu Shu Gan Tang

A second reading of the same formula, this time on the Liver-Stomach disharmony that constraint produces in the digestive tract.

Citation

Chaihu-Shugan-San, an oriental herbal preparation, for the treatment of chronic gastritis: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. J. Ethnopharmacol. 2013;146(2):433-439. PMID: 23376045.

Design

Systematic review

Active Compounds

Saikosaponins (a, c, d, b₂)

Relevance

Direct, courses the Liver

Background

Chái Hú is used to relieve the exterior, clear heat, regulate the Liver-qi, and lift the yang-qi. This review compiled its saikosaponins and their activities.

Findings

Radix Bupleuri and its saikosaponins are documented for anti-inflammatory, immunoregulatory, and antiviral activity, acting largely through the NF-κB and MAPK pathways.

Relevance to Chai Hu Shu Gan Tang

Chái Hú courses the Liver and spreads the constrained Qi. It is the center of the formula, and the review documents its Liver-regulating pharmacology.

Citation

A systematic review of the active saikosaponins and extracts isolated from Radix Bupleuri and their applications. Pharm. Biol. 2017. PMCID: PMC6130612.

Design

Systematic review

Active Compounds

Flavonoids (hesperidin, nobiletin)

Relevance

Direct, regulates the Qi

Background

Chén Pí is among the most-used qi-regulating herbs. This review summarized its chemistry and pharmacology.

Findings

Its principal flavonoids, hesperidin and nobiletin, are documented for anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and digestive-regulating activity.

Relevance to Chai Hu Shu Gan Tang

Chén Pí regulates the Qi and harmonizes the middle, protecting the Spleen from the effects of Liver constraint.

Citation

Phytochemistry, pharmacological properties and pharmacokinetics of Citri Reticulatae Pericarpium: A systematic review. J. Ethnopharmacol. 2024. PMID: 38942157.

Design

Network pharmacology and molecular docking

Active Compounds

Flavonoids (naringin, neohesperidin), synephrine

Relevance

Direct, directs the Qi downward

Background

Zhǐ Ké, the mature fruit of bitter orange, is a Qi-regulating herb long used to move the Qi and relieve fullness of the chest and abdomen. This study mapped its active compounds and targets.

Findings

Fructus Aurantii is documented for regulating the Qi and enhancing gastrointestinal motility, alongside antidepressant and cardiovascular-protective activity.

Relevance to Chai Hu Shu Gan Tang

Zhǐ Ké directs the Qi downward and relieves distension, balancing the lifting action of Chái Hú.

Citation

Systematically Deciphering the Pharmacological Mechanism of Fructus Aurantii via Network Pharmacology. Evid. Based Complement. Alternat. Med. 2021;2021:6236135. PMCID: PMC7843179.

Design

Systematic review

Active Compounds

Volatile oil, flavonoids, terpenes

Relevance

Direct, regulates the Liver Qi and menses

Background

Xiāng Fù soothes the Liver and relieves constraint, regulates the Qi, regulates menstruation, and relieves pain. This review compiled its chemistry and pharmacology.

Findings

Cyperi Rhizoma is documented for antidepressant, analgesic, anti-inflammatory, and antioxidant activity, with volatile oil, flavonoids, and terpenes as its main constituents.

Relevance to Chai Hu Shu Gan Tang

Xiāng Fù is the principal Qi-regulator of the Liver, relieving constraint and, where the pattern reaches the cycle, regulating menstruation.

Citation

Systematic review of ethnomedicine, phytochemistry, and pharmacology of Cyperi Rhizoma. Front. Pharmacol. 2022;13:965902. PMCID: PMC9585201.

Design

Comprehensive review

Active Compounds

Ligustilide, senkyunolide A, tetramethylpyrazine

Relevance

Direct, moves the Blood and the Qi

Background

Chuān Xiōng invigorates the Blood and moves the Qi, relieving pain. This review compiled its phthalides, alkaloids, and their pharmacology.

Findings

Its phthalides and tetramethylpyrazine are documented for improving blood circulation, reducing blood stasis, and relieving pain, including in dysmenorrhea.

Relevance to Chai Hu Shu Gan Tang

With Xiāng Fù, Chuān Xiōng reaches into the Blood to move what the Qi stagnation has slowed, relieving pain.

Citation

Ligusticum chuanxiong: a chemical, pharmacological and clinical review. Front. Pharmacol. 2025;16:1523176. PMCID: PMC11996930.

Design

Comprehensive review

Active Compounds

Paeoniflorin, albiflorin

Relevance

Direct, softens the Liver and relieves pain

Background

Bái Sháo nourishes the Blood, softens the Liver, and relieves pain. This review compiled the pharmacology of Radix Paeoniae Alba.

Findings

Its principal compound, paeoniflorin, is documented for analgesic, antispasmodic, and anti-inflammatory activity.

Relevance to Chai Hu Shu Gan Tang

Bái Sháo nourishes the Blood and softens the Liver, and with Zhì Gān Cǎo relaxes cramp and eases pain.

Citation

Efficacy, Chemical Constituents, and Pharmacological Actions of Radix Paeoniae Rubra and Radix Paeoniae Alba. Front. Pharmacol. 2020;11:1054.

Design

Phytochemical / pharmacological review

Active Compounds

Triterpenes (glycyrrhizin, glycyrrhetinic acid)

Relevance

Supporting, harmonizes and relaxes spasm

Background

Gān Cǎo, here honey-fried, harmonizes a formula, and paired with a sour herb it relaxes spasm. This review summarized the chemistry and pharmacology of licorice.

Findings

Glycyrrhizin and glycyrrhetinic acid are documented for anti-inflammatory and antiallergic activity, with wide use across formulas to moderate and harmonize.

Relevance to Chai Hu Shu Gan Tang

Zhì Gān Cǎo harmonizes the whole, and with Bái Sháo relaxes cramp and eases pain.

Citation

Liquorice (Glycyrrhiza glabra): A phytochemical and pharmacological review. Phytother. Res. 2018. PMCID: PMC7167772.

Mechanism Notes

How the formula’s herbs work at a biochemical level.

Chái Hú

Saikosaponins documented for anti-inflammatory, immunoregulatory, and antiviral activity, with a classical action of coursing the Liver and lifting the yang-qi (PMC6130612, 2017).

Chén Pí

Flavonoids (hesperidin, nobiletin) documented for anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and digestive-regulating activity (PMID 38942157, 2024).

Zhǐ Ké

Flavonoids (naringin, neohesperidin) and synephrine documented for regulating gastrointestinal motility and relieving distension (PMC7843179, 2021).

Xiāng Fù

Volatile oil, flavonoids, and terpenes documented for antidepressant, analgesic, and menstruation-regulating activity (PMC9585201, 2022).

Chuān Xiōng

Ligustilide, senkyunolide A, and tetramethylpyrazine documented for blood-activating and analgesic activity (PMC11996930, 2025).

Bái Sháo

Paeoniflorin and albiflorin documented for analgesic, antispasmodic, and anti-inflammatory activity (Front Pharmacol 2020;11:1054).

Zhì Gān Cǎo

Glycyrrhizin and glycyrrhetinic acid documented for anti-inflammatory activity, harmonizing the formula and, with Bái Sháo, relaxing spasm (PMC7167772, 2018).

Western Terminology

Western conditions and terminology commonly associated with these TCM patterns:

Dysmenorrhea · Amenorrhea · Late Menstruation · Hepatitis · Gastritis · Cholecystitis · Peptic Ulcers · Tension Headache · Anxiety · Chronic Fatigue Syndrome · Fatty Liver · Gallstones · Mastitis · Postpartum Depression

舒肝

Move What Is Stuck

Studied as a whole, the formula has been read into the modern clinic along the two lines its pattern predicts: the emotional constraint of a bound Liver Qi, and the digestive disharmony that follows when that Qi invades the Stomach. Beneath it, each of the seven herbs has been examined on its own, from Bupleurum coursing the Liver to Peony and Licorice easing the cramp and pain. Four centuries on, the mechanisms now carry names for the single instruction Wang Ken-tang set down: course the Liver, and move what is stuck.

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Chai Hu Shu Gan Tang 柴胡舒肝湯

Course the Liver, Move the Qi

From Sì Nì Sǎn to Wang Ken-tang

Liver Qi Constraint · 肝氣鬱結

Seven Herbs: Course, Regulate, and Ease

When to Reach for It

Chái Hú Shū Gān Tāng

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