Jujube Seed Sleep Formula - Suan Zao Ren Tang (Insomnia)

  The most well-known and widely used formula for insomnia in the Chinese medical canon. With a history stretching back around 2,000 years to its first mention in Eastern Han Dynasty (25–220 AD) physician Zhang Zhongjing’s classic clinical tome, The Treatise on Cold Damage and Miscellaneous Disease, Suan Zao Ren Tang (SZRT) is a time-tested and highly effective remedy for insomnia. Insomnia comes in many forms: in The Treatise on Cold Damage and Miscellaneous Disease, SZRT is indicated for “insomnia with agitation due to taxation.” In modern terms, this indicates insomnia where one is fatigued and tired, but unable to fall asleep due to racing thoughts and anxiety. SZRT helps to quell the restless mind and calm agitation in the body. Modern studies have lent further credence to the ancient understanding of SZRT’s sleep-promoting effects. A 2015 randomized, parallel-control trial by Hu et al. found SZRT to be more effective at reducing insomnia severity than Lorazepam (Ativan), a commo