Emotional Balance, inspired by the calming, popular and powerful herbal blend Free & Easy Wanderer (Xiao Yao San), continues to amaze me as I discover the incredible versatility this powerful blend of 8 herbs offers.  From easing stress to offering a modest boost in energy, this formula can be incorporated in a number of ways for improved health and wellness.

You may be wondering, how can Xiao Yao San help me?  

Below are 5 simple ways to incorporate Xiao Yao San to your lifestyle:

First & Foremost: Sleep 

During our recent "Show Us Your Tongue" campaign, we were overwhelmed by the number of people whose tongues showed us they weren't sleeping due to Liver Qi Stagnation.  Xiao Yao San translates to “Free & Easy Wanderer”, named after the traveling Daoists.  If you wake up in the middle of the night with festering thoughts, this formula may help you sleep.  Instead of stressing out over what happened earlier in the day, what you said that you wish you hadn’t, or what you have going on the next day, it helps you move past those thoughts much like a true “Free & Easy Wanderer".  One customer writes “It helps my overall sleep” and another writes “I can always tell a difference in not only my sleep but my ADD when I miss my Emotional Balance herbs. Love it!”  Many of our customers take one packet in the evening to help them sleep better, but you can also add one packet to your morning routine.

A Wonderful Reliever of Stress

You know those weeks that are so busy, your head spins?  If that feels like pretty much every week for you, Xiao Yao San would be a great formula.  A customer writes: "Emotional Balance provides impressive results in times of increased stress. I have numbing anxiety when big things are happening in my life, the last while I've had insane stress from work where I feel broken and like I can't even function properly. Today I woke up with anxiety, so I drank the tea for the first time. WOW. I literally felt the anxiety wash away and felt this rush of relaxation. Mind you, I still have a lot on my mind, but I'm not in mental agony over it. First try was a success, I'll be buying a lot more now!” This formula works great during stressful times  Our founder recently wrote about how this formula makes him feel happier, and you can read more here.

Increases Energy, with Just the Correct Amount

Many of our customers are looking to either reduce or completely ditch caffeine, and they find that our version of Xiao Yao San is a great replacement. 
One customer writes: “Instant Mood Lifter.  Shifting away from caffeine throughout the day had caused mood swings I wasn't prepared for. A packet of Emotional Balance not only curbed those, but gave me the pep in my step I was lacking without coffee. It has now replaced my morning coffee all together. I can also have one mid-day without the worry of not being able to sleep that night as a result. Fantastic product.”  Again, we often find these results instantaneous.  Take in place of coffee for a natural, caffeine free energy boost.

Addresses Bloating

Have you ever felt so anxious about something that you feel that anxiousness in the pit of your stomach?  As more research comes to light about the gut/brain connection, we are starting to better understand why a happy mind often means a happy gut, and visa versa.  If you experience bloating or digestive issues and also suffer from anxiousness or moodiness, it’s likely they’re related and helping one will in turn help the other.  One of our customers writes: “Excellent formula! I really loved the balancing effect on my stress level and it also had a positive impact on my digestion as a bonus.”  If you’re feeling bloated or your digestion feels sluggish, I recommend taking two of these a day.

PMS & Peri-Menopause 

During PMS (the week right before the new cycle begins), women can feel anxious, moody, bloated, and off-balance.  They might complain about breast tenderness, hormonal acne, and other physical and mental conditions associated with hormonal changes. When perimenopause occurs, these symptoms can go from bad to worse. These women believe that Xiao Yao San is a revolutionary formula. DAO Labs includes this formula as a part of the Women’s Kit, as it has been used for centuries as a part of women’s health in China - one major component to a better monthly cycle and naturally balanced hormones.  Most powerful when combined with Women’s Formula, it can improve and harmonize a woman’s month like no other supplement. For best results, we recommend taking two to three packets of Emotional Balance a day starting about 1 week before your period begins, or as needed through perimenopause.

Xiao Yao San has been around for centuries, but DAO Labs offers a unique twist, with the goal of making it easier to incorporate into your wellness protocol.  Herbs only work if you take them, and traditionally Chinese herbs are confusing for the general consumer, not very tasty, or clunky.  Available in pills or granules, granules work faster but these herbs are bitter, and taste terrible. Pills often need to be taken in high doses multiple times a day, and for those of us who are on the go, can be easy to forget and therefore difficult to incorporate.  DAO Labs has taken these powerful herbs in a granulated format and complemented the natural flavors of these herbs with refreshing cucumber and apple. Simply add cool or room temperature water and within moments, feel cooler, calmer, and ready to take on the next challenge your day may bring.  

Care Consideration: Just a reminder that the above information is not a substitute for medical care and is not a substitute for medical advice or recommendations  from a healthcare provider.  This information is not intended to treat, mitigate or cure any disease.  That said, we encourage you to connect with an Acupuncturist in your community to learn more about this and other Traditional Chinese Medicine options.  If you’ve got questions about Chinese herbal medicine or getting started with an Acupuncturist, feel free to connect with us on hello@mydaolabs.com. 

Dr. Eric Karchmer is a practicing Chinese medical doctor, medical anthropologist, and co-founder and Chief Doctor of Chinese Medicine for DAO Labs. From 1995-2000, Eric studied at the Beijing University of Chinese Medicine and today is both a licensed acupuncturist and professor at Appalachian State University. Eric can be reached at drkarchmer@mydaolabs.com.