Your shopping bag is empty
Go to the shop
Herbsmith Rx Sheng Mai San is a classical Chinese herbal formula recommended by holistic veterinarians to augment the qi, generate fluids, preserve the yin, and stop excessive sweating in dogs, cats, and horses. Comparable to Ginseng and Ophiopogon Formula, Great Pulse, Generate the Pulse Pills, The Great Pulse Generator Decoction, and Sheng Mai Yin, it augments the qi, generates fluids, preserves the yin, and stops excessive sweating. A three-herb formula addressing the combined pattern of qi and yin deficiency with fluid depletion, well suited for pets and horses presenting with simultaneous qi and yin deficiency signs including fatigue and shortness of breath alongside dry mucous membranes, thirst, a dry tongue, spontaneous or excessive sweating that further depletes the qi and fluids, and the general signs of insufficient qi and yin failing to maintain the body's fluid balance, pulse strength, and cardiovascular vitality. Particularly relevant for animals recovering from summer heat patterns, prolonged illness, or chronic qi and yin depletion. Available as a concentrated powder mixed into food; cats and dogs use the Canine Blend, while horses use the Equine/Horse Blend. Dosing varies by species and body weight, and your authorizing veterinarian will provide specific guidance.
VETERINARY AUTHORIZATION REQUIRED: Submit Your Authorization Request or Request a TCVM Telemedicine Consultation
What It Supports
- Qi augmentation and cardiovascular vitality: Augments the qi and supports cardiovascular vitality using Ren Shen as the principal qi tonic, addressing the qi deficiency component of the pattern that produces the fatigue, shortness of breath, weak pulse, and reduced cardiovascular stamina that arise when insufficient qi fails to power the heart and lungs and maintain the strength and regularity of the pulse.
- Fluid generation and yin preservation: Generates fluids and preserves the yin using Mai Men Dong as the principal fluid-generating and yin-nourishing herb, addressing the yin and fluid deficiency component of the pattern that produces the dry mucous membranes, thirst, dry tongue, and parched quality of the tissues that arise when insufficient yin and fluids fail to moisten and nourish the body's surfaces and organs.
- Excessive sweating control and fluid astringing: Stops excessive sweating and astringes the fluids using Wu Wei Zi's astringent action, addressing the fluid and qi loss that is perpetuated by excessive or spontaneous sweating, preventing the further depletion of the qi and yin that drives the pattern and creating the clinical synergy between the formula's tonifying and astringent actions needed to rebuild the qi and yin while preventing their continued loss.
- Summer heat and heat stroke recovery support: Supports recovery from summer heat patterns, heat stroke, and prolonged febrile illness by simultaneously replenishing the qi depleted by the heat's tax on the body's defenses, generating the fluids consumed by sweating and heat damage to the yin, and astringeing the remaining fluids to prevent further loss, addressing the characteristic post-heat pattern of simultaneous qi exhaustion, fluid depletion, and persistent sweating that arises after the acute heat has been cleared.
TCVM Principles
- Primary action - qi tonification and fluid generation: Augments the yuan qi and spleen and lung qi with Ren Shen, providing the foundational qi tonification needed to restore cardiovascular vitality and the qi's ability to hold and distribute fluids; generates fluids and nourishes the lung and heart yin with Mai Men Dong, directly replenishing the yin and fluid deficiency that is the second pillar of the pattern and moistening the dry tissues, mucous membranes, and tongue that reflect the fluid depletion.
- Secondary action - fluid astringing and qi securing: Astringes the lung qi, secures the exterior, and stops excessive sweating and fluid loss with Wu Wei Zi, providing the astringent counterbalance needed to prevent the qi and fluids being tonified and generated by Ren Shen and Mai Men Dong from continuing to leak out through the spontaneous and excessive sweating, creating the three-directional approach of tonify, generate, and astringe that makes Sheng Mai San effective for the qi and yin deficiency with fluid depletion pattern.
Available Forms
- Powder - Canine Blend (for dogs and cats): Available in 75 g, 150 g, 500 g, 900 g, and 1200 g sizes; mix into food at the recommended dose for your pet's weight. Cats and dogs both use this blend.
- Powder - Equine/Horse Blend (for horses only): Available in 150 g, 500 g, 900 g, and 1200 g sizes; mix into grain at the recommended dose for your horse.
Suggested Use
For Dogs (Canine Blend Powder):
- Under 30 lbs: ½ tsp twice daily, or as prescribed
- 30-80 lbs: 1 tsp twice daily, or as prescribed
- 80-120 lbs: 1½ tsp twice daily, or as prescribed
- Over 120 lbs: 2 tsp twice daily, or as prescribed
For Cats (Canine Blend Powder): ¼ tsp twice daily, or as prescribed
For Horses (Equine/Horse Blend, 1,000 lb horse): Two tablespoons twice daily for 20 days, then two tablespoons once daily in grain. If the horse initially refuses, start with a small amount mixed into grain and gradually increase until the horse is accustomed to the taste. Most horses will readily accept the herbs in their grain.
Ingredients
Active Ingredients: Ren Shen (Ginseng Radix), Mai Men Dong (Ophiopogonis Radix), Wu Wei Zi (Schisandrae Fructus)
Inactive Ingredient: Flaxseed
VETERINARY AUTHORIZATION REQUIRED: Submit Your Authorization Request or Request a TCVM Telemedicine Consultation
Active Ingredient TCVM Actions
Sheng Mai San is an elegant three-herb formula addressing qi and yin deficiency with fluid depletion through three precisely complementary actions: tonifying the qi, generating fluids and nourishing the yin, and astringing the fluids and stopping excessive sweating:
- Ren Shen (Ginseng Radix) - Ginseng Root: Principal herb; powerfully tonifies the yuan qi and spleen and lung qi, generates fluids, and calms the spirit; the foundational qi tonic of the formula, addressing the qi deficiency root that drives the cardiovascular weakness, fatigue, and shortness of breath of the pattern, supporting the heart and lung qi specifically to restore pulse strength and respiratory vitality, and contributing to fluid generation alongside Mai Men Dong through its own mild fluid-generating action. Ren Shen's dual qi-tonifying and fluid-generating actions make it the ideal principal herb for a pattern defined by simultaneous qi and fluid deficiency.
- Mai Men Dong (Ophiopogonis Radix) - Ophiopogon Root / Mondo Grass Root: Nourishes the yin and generates fluids, moistens the lung and stomach, and clears heat from deficiency; the principal yin and fluid-nourishing herb of the formula, directly replenishing the yin and fluids depleted by the pattern's characteristic fluid loss through sweating and the drying effect of qi deficiency on the body's fluid generation, moistening the dry mucous membranes, tongue, and tissues that reflect the fluid deficiency, and clearing any residual deficiency heat that has arisen from the yin depletion, addressing the fluid and yin component of the pattern alongside Ren Shen's qi-tonifying action.
- Wu Wei Zi (Schisandrae Fructus) - Schisandra Berry / Five-Flavor Berry: Astringes the lung qi and stops excessive sweating, generates fluids, tonifies the kidney qi, and calms the spirit; the astringent herb that completes the formula's three-directional strategy, preventing the fluids being generated by Ren Shen and Mai Men Dong from continuing to leak out through excessive sweating by securing the exterior and astringeing the lung qi's dispersing action, simultaneously contributing to fluid generation through its own fluid-generating action and tonifying the kidney qi to provide the constitutional support needed for sustained qi and yin recovery. Named Wu Wei Zi (Five-Flavor Berry) for its simultaneous expression of all five tastes, reflecting its broad tonic and regulatory actions across multiple organ systems.
Potential Drug Interactions
Sheng Mai San contains Ren Shen (ginseng), which has known effects on platelet aggregation, blood glucose regulation, and certain hepatic enzyme pathways, and Wu Wei Zi (schisandra), which has significant effects on cytochrome P450 hepatic enzyme pathways and can meaningfully alter the metabolism and blood levels of pharmaceuticals processed through those pathways. Pets on cardiac medications, antidiabetic medications, anticoagulants, or hepatically metabolized pharmaceuticals should use this formula under veterinary supervision, as Wu Wei Zi's hepatic enzyme effects are among the most clinically significant herb-drug interaction risks in the Chinese materia medica and can increase or decrease drug levels in ways that affect both efficacy and safety, and herb-drug interaction research in dogs, cats, and horses remains limited.
Medication categories warranting extra caution include cardiac medications and antiarrhythmics where Wu Wei Zi's effects on drug metabolism may alter therapeutic levels, anticoagulant and antiplatelet medications, antidiabetic medications and insulin where Ren Shen's blood glucose effects may be additive or counteracting, immunosuppressive medications and chemotherapy agents where Wu Wei Zi's CYP450 effects may be clinically significant, and any hepatically metabolized pharmaceutical where altered drug levels could affect safety. Your authorizing veterinarian can determine appropriateness based on your animal's condition, current medications, and laboratory results.
VETERINARY AUTHORIZATION REQUIRED: Submit Your Authorization Request or Request a TCVM Telemedicine Consultation
Frequently Asked Questions
What conditions is Sheng Mai San used for in TCVM?
In Traditional Chinese Veterinary Medicine, Sheng Mai San is indicated for the combined pattern of qi and yin deficiency with fluid depletion, presenting with fatigue, shortness of breath, and weak pulse alongside dry mucous membranes, thirst, a dry tongue, and excessive or spontaneous sweating that further depletes the qi and yin. Comparable to Ginseng and Ophiopogon Formula, Great Pulse, Generate the Pulse Pills, The Great Pulse Generator Decoction, and Sheng Mai Yin, it is particularly indicated for animals recovering from summer heat patterns, heat stroke, prolonged febrile illness, or chronic qi and yin depletion where the simultaneous presence of qi deficiency and yin and fluid deficiency requires a formula that addresses both simultaneously.
How is Sheng Mai San administered to dogs, cats, and horses?
Mix the powder directly into food or grain at the dose recommended for your animal's species and body weight. Dogs and cats use the Canine Blend; horses use the Equine/Horse Blend. Dogs and cats receive the formula twice daily; horses receive two tablespoons twice daily for the first 20 days, then once daily for maintenance. If the horse initially refuses, start with a small amount mixed into grain and gradually increase until the horse is accustomed to the taste. Most horses will readily accept the herbs in their grain. Your authorizing veterinarian will confirm the appropriate dose and schedule for your individual animal.
How long does it take to see results with Sheng Mai San?
Many pets show improvement in energy, hydration status, mucous membrane moisture, and sweating patterns within 3 to 6 weeks of consistent use as qi is augmented, fluids are generated, and excessive sweating is arrested. Because the qi and yin deficiency with fluid depletion pattern often reflects a more profound deficiency than simple qi or yin deficiency alone, a longer course of 8 to 12 weeks or more may be needed to adequately restore both the qi and the yin and fluid levels and maintain improvement in pulse strength, vitality, and fluid balance. Your veterinarian may reassess the pattern periodically as each component responds to treatment.
How does Sheng Mai San differ from formulas that address qi deficiency or yin deficiency separately?
Sheng Mai San specifically addresses the combined pattern of simultaneous qi and yin deficiency with fluid depletion and adds the critical astringent action of Wu Wei Zi to prevent ongoing fluid loss through excessive sweating, making it distinct from formulas that address qi deficiency alone, such as Si Jun Zi Tang, or yin deficiency alone, such as Liu Wei Di Huang Wan. It is indicated when both qi deficiency signs and yin and fluid deficiency signs are present simultaneously, and when excessive or spontaneous sweating is perpetuating the deficiency by continuously depleting both the qi and the fluids. Your authorizing veterinarian will determine which qi-tonifying or yin-nourishing formula best matches your animal's full TCVM pattern based on whether the qi deficiency, yin deficiency, or fluid loss component is predominant.
QUESTIONS & ANSWERS
Have a Question?
Be the first to ask a question about this.
