January 4, 2023 by Margie Navarro

SET case: 'Winter Reset'

This SET formula was created for someone who wanted to regulate and improve their mood– particularly heading out of the height of winter. I chose as the base a traditional East Asian combination of herbs and Poria mushroom shown in research to improve mood “by the regulation of several factors, including the monoaminergic systems, hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis, synaptic plasticity, inflammation, brain-derived neurotrophic factor levels, [and the] brain-gut axis” (Wang, et al., 2023). The low point in her mood was often first thing in the morning. To nip this tendency in the bud and get her spring started off right, I blended this formula that she could take right before bed so that it could be assimilated over night and set her day off right. I encapsuled this formula for the patient for ease of taking– she could leave it on her nightstand so she remembered to take it, pack it to go while traveling. Two of the herbs that are particularly important in this formula also have a bitter flavor, so while some formulas taste great enough to enjoy as a beverage, this is one that sometimes does best in capsules.

Reference:

Wang, Y. T., Wang, X. L., Wang, Z. Z., Lei, L., Hu, D., & Zhang, Y. (2023). Antidepressant effects of the traditional Chinese herbal formula Xiao-Yao-San and its bioactive ingredients. Phytomedicine : international journal of phytotherapy and phytopharmacology, 109, 154558. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.phymed.2022.154558

– Margie Navarro, herbalist & acupuncturist