Evenings
Tian Wang Bu Xin Dan
Heavenly Emperor's Heart Formula
4.0 · 4 reviews
Rehmannia, dong quai and eleven friends. The Fire formula herbalists talk about most.
£24.50
The Five Elements
The Fire Element
Fire is summer in the Chinese Five Elements. Long light evenings, a garden full of friends, laughing till your sides hurt. It's also the element of the Heart, which is why so many of the formulas herbalists tie to Fire are about calm nights and keeping the Blood moving. These are the ones we make.
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Find your Fire formula
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Traditionally chosen
Te Xiao An Mian Pian
Silk tree bark and red sage. A modern recipe, and a popular night-time pick in China.
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14 formulas
Shop Fire element formulas
Evenings
Circulation
Fu Fang Dan Shen Pian
Red Sage & Notoginseng
5.0 · 5 reviews
Just two herbs, both deep red roots. Red is Fire's colour, which feels about right.
£24.50
For women
Tao Hong Si Wu Tang
Peach Kernel & Safflower
5.0 · 3 reviews
The classic Four Things recipe with peach kernel and safflower added. More red flowers.
£24.50
Tonic
Shi Quan Da Bu Tang
Ten Great Tonics
Twelve herbs on the label, still called Ten Great Tonics. Take it up with the Song dynasty.
£24.50
Two herbs
Dang Gui Bu Xue Tang
Dong Quai & Astragalus
Five parts astragalus to one part dong quai. Small, simple and very old.
£24.50
Night-time
Te Xiao An Mian Pian
Silk Tree Bark & Red Sage
Eight herbs, led by the silk tree, which the Chinese call the 'happy together' tree.
£24.50
Summer
Side by side
Our Fire formulas compared
| Compare | Tian Wang Bu Xin Dan | Te Xiao An Mian Pian | Sheng Mai San | Fu Fang Dan Shen Pian |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Herbs | 13 | 8 | 3 | 2 |
| Key herbs | Rehmannia, dong quai | Silk tree bark, red sage | Ginseng, ophiopogon | Red sage, notoginseng |
| The idea | Settle the Heart so the mind can rest | Calm a busy evening | Top up on hot, tiring days | Keep the Blood moving |
| First recorded | Ming dynasty | A modern recipe | 1186 | Modern, and hugely popular |
A bit of history
What is the Fire element?
Wu Xing (五行), the Five Elements, goes back a long, long way in China. Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, Water. They're not really things, if we're honest, they're more like phases. Ways of describing how stuff grows, peaks, settles and fades. Fire is the peak. Summer, midday, everything at full blast.
In the body Fire belongs to the Heart and its partner, the Small Intestine. The old books also hand it the Pericardium and something called the Triple Burner, which honestly takes a whole evening to explain. Its emotion is joy. Too little and life feels a bit flat. Too much and you're the one lying awake after a great party.
Fire is fed by Wood (logs on the fire, if that helps) and it makes Earth, as ash. Water keeps it in check. Herbalists used those cycles to make sense of the seasons and the moods that come with them. Nobody's asking you to take it literally, mind. We just think it's a lovely way of looking at things.
What's inside
Herbs behind our Fire formulas
Three herbs that keep popping up across the Fire range, all with a long history around the Heart.
丹参
Red Sage Root
Dan Shen, "cinnabar root"
A cousin of garden sage with a brick-red root. Red for Fire, which the old herbalists definitely noticed.
Found in: Fu Fang Dan Shen Pian, Te Xiao An Mian Pian and Tian Wang Bu Xin Dan
合欢皮
Silk Tree Bark
He Huan Pi, "happy together bark"
From the silk tree, the one with fluffy pink flowers. Its Chinese name means something like 'happy together', and joy is Fire's emotion. You couldn't make it up.
Found in: Te Xiao An Mian Pian and Tian Wang Bu Xin Dan
人参
Ginseng
Ren Shen, "person root"
The famous root that looks a bit like a little person. In Sheng Mai San it does most of the heavy lifting.
Found in: Sheng Mai San, Shi Quan Da Bu Tang and Tian Wang Bu Xin Dan
This is about how these herbs were used traditionally, not medical advice. A heads-up too: red sage isn't one for anyone on blood thinners like warfarin, so have a word with your GP or pharmacist first.
Living with the season
Looking after your Fire
Old summer advice from the herbalists. Most of it your nan would agree with.
- 1Get outside earlyMorning light, before the day heats up. Fire's season is there to be enjoyed.
- 2See your peopleJoy is Fire's emotion, and it's a lot easier to find with friends round.
- 3Eat a bit lighterFruit and salads when it's hot. Bitter leaves like rocket were thought to suit Fire nicely.
- 4Don't burn outLate nights catch up with you. Herbalists said too much Fire scatters the mind, and we'd tend to agree.
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What does the Fire element mean in Chinese medicine?
It's summer, basically. Everything warm and at full stretch, and in the body that's the Heart. Joy goes with it, so does red, and so do bitter flavours. Don't picture actual flames. It's more a way of describing a season and a mood.
Which bits of the body are Fire?
The Heart and the Small Intestine. The tradition also adds the Pericardium, a sort of protective wrapper round the Heart, and the Triple Burner.
What's a Fire personality like?
The classic Fire type is warm, chatty and first on the dance floor. Generous with hugs. On an off day they get a bit scattered or can't switch off at night. Fun idea, though we wouldn't make any big decisions based on it.
Do I need to know my element to pick a formula?
Nope. The elements are just a fun way in. Loads of people browse by sleep or energy instead, and plenty just drop us a line.
So which formulas go with Fire?
The ones on this page, mainly. Tian Wang Bu Xin Dan and Te Xiao An Mian Pian for evenings, Sheng Mai San for hot days and Fu Fang Dan Shen Pian for circulation.
And if I'm on tablets from the doctor?
Then have a word with your GP or pharmacist before you start, please. Doubly so with the red sage ones if anything you take thins the blood.
Learn with Aura
More on the Five Elements
Just so we're clear, these are food supplements. They don't replace a decent diet and a healthy lifestyle, and they won't diagnose, treat or cure anything.