"The primary strategy of this formula is to nourish the Heart and calm the spirit. Clearing heat is the secondary strategy. The chief ingredient, sweet, sour, and bland Semen Zizyphi Spinosae (suan zao ren), nourishes the Heart and Liver while calming the spirit. The deputy, Radix Ligustici Chuanxiong (chuan xiong), regulates the Liver blood by encouraging it to flow freely. This combination of one astringent and one dispersing herb is very effective in nourishing and regulating the Liver while calming the spirit. The assistant herbs are Sclerotium Poriae Cocos (fu ling), which calms the spirit and tonifies the Spleen and Stomach, and Radix Anemarrhenae Asphodeloidis (zhi mu), which enriches the yin, clears heat, and moistens internal dryness (thus moderating the drying properties of the deputy herb). Radix Glycyrrhizae Uralensis (gan cao), the envoy, regulates the actions of the other herbs and harmonizes the middle burner." Bensky: Chinese Herbal Medicine Formulas and Strategies.