ChinaHerb – Serene Centre (Ye Ning Pian)

Size

240 pills

NAPPI code: To be allocated

Ingredients

Each pill contains:

Polygoni Multiflori Caulis (Ye Jiao Teng) – Fleeceflower Vine / Tuber Fleeceflower Stem – 202.5mg
Tritici Levis Fructus (Fu Xiao Mai) – Blighted Wheat / Light Wheat – 585mg
Albiziae Cortex (He Huan Pi) – Albizia / Silk Tree Bark – 202.5mg
Glycyrrhizae Radix et Rhizoma (Gan Cao) – Liquorice Root and Rhizome – 60mg
Jujubae Fructus (Da Zao) – Chinese Jujube / Red Date Fruit – 150mg
Ganoderma (Ling Zhi) – Reishi / Lingzhi Mushroom – 97.5mg
Ligustri Lucidi Fructus (Nu Zhen Zi) – Glossy Privet Fruit – 202.5mg

• 100% herbal
• No animal ingredients
• Sugar free

Directions to Use

Adults: Take 8 pills twice daily, 30 minutes before or after meals. Alternatively, use as directed by a Traditional Chinese Medicine practitioner or healthcare professional.

Warning

Consult your healthcare professional before use if you are pregnant or breastfeeding, take prescription medication, or have an existing medical condition.

This product contains wheat (Fu Xiao Mai). People with coeliac disease, wheat allergy or medically diagnosed gluten sensitivity should seek professional advice before use.

Because Serene Centre supports relaxation and sleep, assess your individual response before driving or operating machinery.

Understanding Serene Centre in Traditional Chinese Medicine

TCM views healthy sleep as closely connected with the Shen.

The Shen is traditionally said to reside in the Heart. When adequately nourished and settled, the mind can become calm at night. When the Shen becomes disturbed, sleep may become light, restless or difficult to initiate.

Traditional practitioners may see several patterns behind this disturbance. These include insufficient Heart Blood or Yin, emotional constraint, excessive thinking or broader constitutional weakness.

Serene Centre brings together herbs traditionally associated with calming the Shen, nourishing Yin and Blood, easing emotional constraint and supporting restorative sleep.

This creates a gentler and more nourishing strategy than simply trying to force sleep.

A Closer Look at the Ingredients

Ye Jiao Teng – Fleeceflower Vine

Ye Jiao Teng (Polygoni Multiflori Caulis) is the stem or vine of Polygonum multiflorum.

It should not be confused with He Shou Wu, which comes from the root of the same plant and has different traditional uses.

TCM traditionally uses Ye Jiao Teng to nourish the Heart, calm the Shen and support restful sleep.

Its relationship with sleep has also attracted scientific interest. Experimental research published in 2024 found that flavonoids isolated from Polygoni Multiflori Caulis influenced sleep behaviour and several serotonin- and GABA-related pathways in an animal model of sleep disturbance. These findings are preclinical and do not prove the same effect in people.

Fu Xiao Mai – Blighted Wheat

Fu Xiao Mai (Tritici Levis Fructus) is the light or incompletely developed grain of wheat.

Within TCM, practitioners traditionally use it to nourish the Heart, support emotional calm and reduce excessive spontaneous sweating.

It forms the largest ingredient in Serene Centre at 585mg per pill.

He Huan Pi – Albizia Bark

He Huan Pi (Albiziae Cortex) comes from the bark of the silk tree, Albizia julibrissin.

Its Chinese name carries a beautiful association with joy, harmony and emotional ease.

TCM traditionally uses He Huan Pi to calm the Shen and ease emotional constraint, making it particularly relevant when restlessness accompanies sadness, worry or irritability.

Interestingly, a 2026 laboratory study specifically investigated the traditional herbal pairing of He Huan Pi and Ye Jiao Teng. Researchers identified several constituents with activity involving the serotonin 5-HT1A receptor, an important signalling pathway in mood and sleep regulation. This remains mechanistic research rather than clinical proof.

Gan Cao – Liquorice Root

Gan Cao (Glycyrrhizae Radix et Rhizoma) is Liquorice Root.

TCM commonly uses Gan Cao to support Qi and harmonise the actions of other herbs in a formula.

In Serene Centre, its role complements Fu Xiao Mai and Da Zao while helping bring the seven-herb combination together.

Da Zao – Chinese Jujube

Da Zao (Jujubae Fructus) is Chinese Jujube or Red Date.

It is both a food and an important traditional herbal ingredient.

TCM traditionally uses Da Zao to support Qi, nourish the Blood and harmonise the formula.

Ling Zhi – Reishi Mushroom

Ling Zhi (Ganoderma) is the medicinal mushroom better known internationally as Reishi.

TCM has traditionally associated Ling Zhi with calming the Shen, supporting Qi and promoting general resilience.

Modern researchers have also explored Ganoderma in relation to sleep. One systems-pharmacology study identified multiple potential molecular pathways related to insomnia, including inflammatory, immune and nervous-system signalling. These findings help explain scientific interest in Ling Zhi but are not the same as evidence from controlled human clinical trials.

Nu Zhen Zi – Glossy Privet Fruit

Nu Zhen Zi (Ligustri Lucidi Fructus) is Glossy Privet Fruit.

TCM traditionally uses it to nourish Liver and Kidney Yin.

Its inclusion gives Serene Centre a deeper nourishing element and helps distinguish the formula from herbal combinations aimed only at immediate sedation.

Serene Centre and Healthy Sleep

The combination used in Serene Centre has a recognised history within Chinese proprietary medicine.

The same seven-herb Ye Ning combination – He Huan Pi, Ling Zhi, Ye Jiao Teng, Da Zao, Nu Zhen Zi, Gan Cao and Fu Xiao Mai – appears in Chinese pharmaceutical literature for Ye Ning preparations.

Modern research on the exact Ye Ning combination remains more limited than research on some other classical formulas.

However, a 2024 experimental study examined a seven-herb Ye Ning preparation derived from the pharmacopoeial Ye Ning formula. Researchers observed sedative and sleep-supporting effects in mice and investigated changes involving GABA, serotonin, dopamine and noradrenaline.

The broader scientific literature also supports continued investigation of several Serene Centre ingredients.

For example, a study combining He Huan Pi and Ye Jiao Teng with other traditional night-associated herbs found improvements in sleep measures and changes in serotonin and other neurotransmitters in an animal model of insomnia.

These findings are encouraging and fit the traditional use of the formula. However, more well-designed human clinical trials on the finished Ye Ning formula would strengthen the evidence considerably.

Serene Centre and Emotional Wellbeing

Sleep and emotional wellbeing often influence one another.

Stress can make it harder to sleep. Poor sleep can then increase irritability, emotional sensitivity and difficulty concentrating the following day.

TCM has long recognised this connection through the concept of the Shen.

For this reason, practitioners may consider Serene Centre when sleep disturbance occurs alongside:

• nervous tension
• restlessness
• emotional sensitivity
• irritability
• persistent thoughts at bedtime
• difficulty relaxing
• mental fatigue following poor sleep
• vivid or restless dreaming

Did You Know?

Ye Ning can be understood as relating to peacefulness or tranquillity at night, which captures the traditional intention of the formula particularly well.

One of its most interesting ingredients is He Huan Pi – Albizia Bark.

The Chinese name He Huan is associated with joy and harmony, while Ye Jiao Teng has a longstanding connection with night-time calm and sleep.

The formula also contains Fu Xiao Mai and Da Zao, creating an interesting relationship with another classical TCM sleep and emotional formula, Gan Mai Da Zao Tang.

Finally, Ling Zhi and Nu Zhen Zi add a more nourishing dimension.

Rather than relying on one strongly sedating herb, Serene Centre combines several traditional strategies:

calm the Shen
nourish the Heart and Yin
ease emotional constraint
support Qi
encourage a settled night-time state

This is a good example of a broader principle within Chinese herbal medicine: a traditional formula usually seeks to address the pattern surrounding the symptom, rather than the symptom alone.

Disclaimer: This unregistered medicine has not been evaluated by the SAHPRA for its quality, safety or intended use.