Imagine temporarily putting aside all your cares, leaving your cell phone at home, forgetting about email, work, your countless family obligations, and taking a long, meandering walk in the woods. Notice the dappled sunlight that breaks through the canopy of leaves above you. Take a moment to appreciate the sounds, of birds, of insects, and the textures of the forest floor, the delicate understory, and the hearty tree trunks that rise up around you. Let yourself meld into your surroundings. Feel yourself in the flow of the world.

This image is very much the sort of thing evoked by the name of the Chinese medicine formula that forms of basis of Emotional Balance. Known as Xiao Yao San in Chinese, this formula has a uniquely evocative name that means to wander freely, to ramble, to move unimpeded and unfettered. This same phrase, "Xiao Yao", is also the title of the first chapter of the famous Daoist text, Zhuang Zi and it captures beautifully the philosophy of this great Daoist thinker of the same name. Zhuang Zi stressed above all the importance of being in the flow, of becoming one with the Way.

The Free Flow of Qi

Like its suggestive name, one of the central goals of this formula is to achieve free flow, in this case the free flow of Qi. We often translate the concept of “Qi” into English as energy. But in Chinese medicine, Qi is more properly a way for speaking about the constant movement and motion that constitutes life. If that movement is impeded, then one’s flow of Qi is constrained, leading to a wide range of symptoms.

According to traditional Chinese medicine, constrained Qi is believed to be associated with emotional ups and downs. All of us experience a range of emotions in our daily lives – frustration at being late for an important meeting, joy when your child does something sweet for you, sadness at the news of an elderly relative whose has fallen sick. But when Qi is constrained, our emotional response can be exaggerated and uncontrolled. Instead of experiencing our emotions and processing them in a healthy way, we may hold on to them, fuming for an entire day at the slightest insult, consumed by the stress of work, unable to return to our proper emotional balance.

Qi Constraint and Emotional Volatility

Conversely, ongoing emotional volatility itself can be an important cause of what Chinese medicine doctors call “Qi constraint,” producing some of the other symptoms that Xiao Yao San helps maintain, which some practitioners use to support overall balance when these patterns are present. Indeed, some doctors have argued that the pace of our modern world, enabled by technology that makes us more efficient, but leads us to overextend ourselves, can itself be the cause of Qi constraint and emotional volatility. When we often find ourselves feeling at odds with the world around us, exhausted, inflexible, and emotionally frayed. Emotional Balance is designed to help maintain a sense of calm during periods of emotional stress.

Although Emotional Balance might sound like the perfect antidote to the ills of modern life, its use is both narrower and wider than one might suppose. This formula is used for a broad range of symptoms that doctors of Chinese medicine recognize as being related – both directly and indirectly – to an obstruction of the free flow of Qi.

In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), constrained or stagnant Qi is believed to contribute to emotional fluctuations. Practitioners often interpret these emotional shifts as part of a broader pattern of imbalance. According to TCM theory, this pattern may also be associated with physical discomforts such as dizziness, headaches, sensations of fullness or discomfort in the flanks, reduced appetite, fatigue, menstrual irregularities, breast tenderness, alternating sensations of heat and cold, abdominal unease, and dryness of the mouth or throat. In such situations, individuals may turn to herbal formulas like 'Emotional Balance,' which are traditionally used to support emotional harmony and overall well-being. 

Chinese Herbal Medicine in Context: Your Liver

In order to understand how and under what conditions Emotional Balance could be effective for these various symptoms, it’s important to understand a little about the underlying “pathology” it is designed to treat. As mentioned above, “Qi constraint” is one of the central underlying conditions and it directly affects the liver, not the anatomical organ, but the Chinese medicine understanding of this organ. Historically, doctors of Chinese medicine have been less interested in the structural foundations of the body than in its functional operations and its resonances with the world we live in.

Thus, the liver in Chinese medicine is the organ responsible for storing Blood and ensuring the smooth flow of Qi in the body. It is also associated with the season of spring, when tender new plants and branches start to grow, extending towards the sun. Constrained liver Qi is therefore analogous to an impediment to this new growth. Individuals may experience some combination of emotional irritability, breast tenderness prior to menstruation, pain in the flanks or abdomen, headaches, dizziness, dry mouth, and other symptoms.

What makes Emotional Balance a unique formula in Traditional Chinese Medicine is its traditional use not only to support the healthy flow of Qi, but also to address the broader pattern of discomforts believed to arise from Qi stagnation. One of the most commonly seen outcomes of Qi constraint in the liver is that over time it will depress appetite and digestion.

Many readers may know this condition well: in moments of considerable stress, we tend to lose our appetites. In the technical terms of Chinese herbal medicine, liver Qi constraint causes a deficiency of "spleen Qi". Quite unlike the anatomical organ, "the spleen" in Chinese medicine is the center of the digestion, absorbing and transporting nutrients and liquids. It is associated with the color yellow, traditionally the color of the emperor, and like the emperor who is at the center of the cosmos, the spleen is imagined to be at the center of the body and its processes.

As a result, when liver Qi is constrained and impairs the spleen, we may feel drained, lethargic, fatigued. We may find ourselves turning to caffeine or sugar to get us through the day, even though we may be getting adequate sleep. On top of this, our appetite and digestion may be off.

Over time, with the ongoing stress of work, family, and other pressures, these pathological states may not resolve themselves and instead become self-reinforcing. Among the many functions of the spleen, one of them is to produce blood – similar to but again not the same as the entity of the same name from Western medicine.

A deficient spleen Qi that fails to generate enough blood will ultimately affect the liver, which stores blood. In turn, liver blood deficiency further impairs the dispersal of Qi, continuing or exacerbating the problem of Qi constraint. At this stage, individuals may feel caught in a recurring pattern of emotional and physical discomfort, and traditional herbal formulas like Emotional Balance are sometimes used to help support a return to internal harmony.

The reason why Emotional Balance can be so effective in helping maintain emotional volatility and the wide range of symptoms that may accompany it is that it is designed precisely to address the underlying pathological complexity described above. Using a treatment principle known as “harmonization,” the formula addresses all three problems at once.

• Bupleurum and mint gently promote the smooth circulation of the liver Qi
• Atractylodes, poria, cooked licorice, and baked ginger restore the spleen’s Qi
• Peony and dang gui nourish liver blood.
• The result of this nicely balanced formula is usually a fairly quick improvement in a noticeable sense of balance and ease for many individuals. Whether one experiences monthly mood changes, fatigue from emotional stress, or general tension brought on by emotional upset, or headaches and other discomforts so common to a stressful work environment – all issues caused by the pathological triumvirate of liver Qi constraint, spleen Qi deficiency, and blood deficiency – Consider Emotional Balance as part of your daily self-care for emotional harmony.

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 at 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.