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Shennong Bencao Jing
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Zhigancao (Honey-fried Licorice) — classical plate
Glycyrrhizae Radix Preparata · Honey-fried Licorice Plate 008
Glycyrrhizae Radix Preparata
炙甘草 Zhigancao
Honey-fried Licorice
Radix Glycyrrhizae Preparata cum Melle
Nature & FlavorSweet; warm
ChannelsHeart, Lung, Spleen, Stomach
Actions
Tonifies qiRestores the pulseRelieves urgencyMoistens the lung
Six ChannelsShaoyin heart disease, knotted and intermittent pulse
The Classic The original text

「蜜炙后甘温益气，主心动悸，脉结代，虚劳肺痿。」

Honey-fried, it is sweet and warm and boosts the qi — it treats palpitations with a stirring heart, a knotted and intermittent pulse, and consumptive taxation with withered lungs. (Classical summary of the prepared form.)

RootBro's note — Zhigancao Tang is the classical formulary's core formula for arrhythmia. Raw licorice leans toward clearing heat and resolving toxins; honey-fried licorice leans toward tonifying qi and restoring the pulse. Honey-frying changes the herb's direction of action, not merely its taste.
PhD Insight A systems-biology reading
After honey-frying, liquiritin content rises, while the fructose and glucose from the honey synergistically strengthen energy supply to the heart muscle — better protection for myocardial cells than raw licorice.
Liquiritin · 甘草苷（炙后升高）
Protects myocardial cells → stabilizes membrane potential → fewer ectopic beats → arrhythmia corrected. Together with rehmannia and ejiao replenishing the electrolyte substrate, it forms a complete anti-arrhythmic combination.
A modern reading of Zhigancao Tang treating the 'knotted, intermittent pulse': the knotted-intermittent pulse is arrhythmia (premature beats or atrial fibrillation). In the formula, zhigancao stabilizes myocardial potential, ophiopogon root replenishes intracellular K⁺, and rehmannia supplies the energy substrate — a multi-target intervention for disordered cardiac electrophysiology.
Logic Pairing Classical pairings
Zhigancao Tang (Honey-Fried Licorice Decoction)Xiao Jianzhong Tang (Minor Fortify-the-Middle Decoction)Huangqi Jianzhong Tang (Astragalus Decoction to Fortify the Middle)Gan Mai Dazao Tang (Licorice, Wheat & Jujube Decoction)
← Previous Gancao · 甘草

⚠️ Safety note: This page is study material on the Chinese medical classics, offered for cultural and educational understanding only. It is not a diagnosis, a prescription, or a promise of treatment. Herbs are medicine — use them only under the guidance of a licensed practitioner, and never compound or take them on your own.

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