Codonopsis, Ophiopogon and Schisandra Berry Stewed Chicken (Sheng Mai San Chicken)

Why people make this soup

The classical Chinese herbal formula behind this soup is called Sheng Mai San — “Generate the Pulse Powder” — a three-herb combination that has been used in Chinese medicine for centuries. Its aim is to replenish the heart’s energy and nourish its yin so the heart can beat steadily and the pulse remains strong.

In modern terms, mild palpitations and arrhythmia can arise from various causes: coronary disease, hypertension, stress, or simply the gradual depletion that comes with ageing, illness, chronic dieting, or overwork. Nourilo notes that some people develop palpitations not from structural heart disease but from a sustained blood and qi deficiency — perhaps a woman who has eaten very little for years in an attempt to stay thin, surviving on cold drinks and raw vegetables until her circulatory system simply becomes underpowered.

The original Sheng Mai San uses ginseng as the primary herb. Nourilo substitutes codonopsis (dang shen) here, because ginseng is more forceful and better suited to acute, severe deficiency, whereas codonopsis is gentler — better matched to the mild, chronic fatigue and deficiency that everyday life tends to produce. Codonopsis is also associated in research with increasing red blood cell count and haemoglobin, so it both nourishes qi and supports blood.