Research progress on mechanism of Banxia Shumi decoction in regulating circadian rhythms and improving insomnia
GAO Xiangye
HOU Suyu
LUO Dandan
LIU Xijian
ZHANG Yan
Abstract：Insomnia is a common sleep disorder primarily characterized by difficulties in sleep initiation and mainte-nance,and its occurrence and development are closely associated with circadian rhythm disruption.As a representative formula in traditional Chinese medicine for guiding yang into yin,Banxia Shumi decoction has demonstrated certain thera-peutic effects in improving insomnia.Banxia Shumi decoction can ameliorate sleep-wake rhythm disturbances by regulat-ing the rhythmic expression of core clock genes such as circadian locomotor output cycles kaput(CLOCK),brain and mus-cle ARNT-like 1(BMAL1),period(PER),and cryptochrome(CRY).Simultaneously,it restores the central excitatory-inhibitory balance by modulating multiple neurotransmitter systems,including melatonin,γ-aminobutyric acid(GABA),glutamate,serotonin,dopamine,norepinephrine,and orexin.Additionally,it suppresses the overactivation of the hypo-thalamic-pituitary-adrenal(HPA)axis and improves abnormalities in the circadian rhythm of inflammatory factors,thereby synergistically enhancing sleep architecture and sleep homeostasis.The mechanism by which Banxia Shumi decoction im-proves insomnia through multi-target and multi-pathway regulation of the circadian rhythm network aligns with the theoreti-cal connotation of traditional Chinese medicine in harmonizing yin and yang and guiding yang into yin.This provides a the-oretical reference for mechanistic research and clinical applications of traditional Chinese medicine in the prevention and treatment of insomnia.
Keywords：Banxia Shumi decoctioninsomniacircadian rhythmsclock genesguiding yang into yin
Publication Date：2026-02-25
Online Publishing Date：2026-03-19(First online date of this platform, not the publication date of the document)
Pages：5( 149-153 )