Mind is the Yang aspect of Jing-Shen (soma-psyche), the unity of body and consciousness. Whereas Jing (Essence) is stored and secured by the Kidney, Shen (Mind) is enveloped and protected by the Heart. The Shen is not synonymous with the Heart, but the Heart, through its governance of the Blood, maintains the matrix through which the enlivening power of the Shen expresses the true nature of the organism. Shen then is the “complexion” or fullest revelation of the essential nature (Jing-Shen) of the individual. Embodiment and anchoring of the Shen endows us the quality of animation and the faculty of attention, which we recognize as our conscious awareness. This non-corporeal aspect of our being is somewhat autonomous and evanescent and is said to easily wander and desert its bodily vessel when startled or restless. Any number of influences may unsettle or disturb the Shen, leading to a kind of sense of unease that may be experienced as occasional lack of sleep, over-excitement, emotional shock or travail, an uncomfortable feeling of heat and dryness, occasional dehydration and even intense pleasure. The interpenetration of Shen Jing is likened to that of Yin Yang. When the Shen is not peacefully settled within its bodily matrix, the fundamental unity and equilibrium of soma and psyche, of the Shen Jing, is vulnerable. Comfort Shen soothes the Shen by settling the Heart and Liver Yang, nurturing the Heart Blood and strengthening the Kidney Yin. Unlike the formula for supplementing the Heart, Comfort Shen emphasizes sedating and cooling. RATIONALE Reishi fruiting body, Polygala root, Polygonum multiflorum stem, dry fried Sour jujube seed and Ophiopogon tuber nourish the Qi, Blood and Moisture of the Heart while calming the mind. Poria with wood root and Amber resin ease the mind and help to clear Heat from the Heart via the Urinary Bladder. Mother-of-pearl shell, Dragon bone and Magnetite are dense and cooling mineral agents that subdue the Yang (Heat and Wind) that flares upward when there is agitation of the Liver and Heart Qi and can unsettle the Hun and the Shen. Sichuan lovage rhizome aids the other herbs by mobilizing Qi and Blood and dispelling Internal Wind. And lastly, Schisandra fruit helps to relax the body and mind by toning the Kidney and Heart, conserving Moisture and consolidating Essence. All together these herbs help to harmonize the Heart and Kidney, ease the mind, soothe the Spirit and relax the body, encouraging an attitude of serenity and fostering a feeling of inner peace.
