Cheongsimsan
It's not that you can't sleep;
It's that your mind won't settle.
Are nights like these
repeating themselves for you?
Sleep is not something you can force with willpower.
If the heat that rises during the day doesn't subside at night,
your body cannot begin to prepare for sleep.
Your mind becomes clearer the moment you lie down
You've been tired all day, but as soon as the lights go out, your thoughts begin. Tomorrow's tasks, a single word you heard during the day. You toss and turn for over an hour, then check the clock.
3 AM, your eyes inevitably open
You fell asleep, but you always wake up once or twice in the early morning. It takes a long time to fall back asleep, and you feel most drowsy just as your alarm rings.
Waking up feeling like you haven't slept at all
You've been in bed for seven hours, yet you don't feel refreshed. It feels like you've been dreaming all night, and from morning, your head feels heavy and your eyes are strained.
Hesitation about starting sleeping pills
You worry that once you start, you won't be able to stop, or that you'll sleep even worse if you discontinue them. So, today, you chose to simply endure.
Cheongsimsan is not a food product.
It is a herbal medicine prescribed by a Korean medicine doctor after consultation.
Cheongsimsan approaches with
three key principles
Eleven ingredients are grouped into three axes.
We openly disclose which ingredient belongs to which axis.
Clear the Heart · Purge Fire
This axis works to bring down heat that has risen upwards. If the heat accumulated during the day remains in the chest and head at night, the body cannot begin to prepare for sleep. Gypsum and Anemarrhena cool this heat, while Gardenia alleviates the discomfort concentrated in the chest.
Settle the Spirit · Tranquilize
This axis addresses the state of incessant thoughts. Coptis directly calms the 'fire' of the Heart meridian (心經), while baicalin from Scutellaria assists the body's natural sleep switch. Peony helps relax a body stiffened by tension.
Nourish Yin · Supplement Qi
This axis sustains sleep. Simply reducing heat can lead to waking up again in the early morning. Donkey-hide Gelatin replenishes Yin and Blood to ensure uninterrupted sleep, while Codonopsis and Japonica Rice support the stomach, protecting it from the cooling properties of other herbs.
Why We Didn't Use a Sedative
The fastest way to induce sleep is to suppress the central nervous system, thereby interrupting consciousness. Indeed, you will sleep that night.
The problem lies in the quality of that sleep and what happens when you stop. Sleep induced by suppression is often shallow, leaving you unrested even after sleeping. When the medication is stopped, nights of even worse sleep can follow. This is why many hesitate to start.
Cheongsimsan takes the opposite approach. It first creates the conditions for natural sleep by addressing the root causes of sleeplessness — upward-rising heat and chest vexation. The Cooling Axis (Gypsum · Gardenia · Anemarrhena), the Calming Axis (Coptis · Scutellaria · Peony), and the Restorative Axis (Donkey-hide Gelatin · Codonopsis · Japonica Rice) each target different aspects.
Not forcing sleep, but enabling it. Instead of a medication that makes you sleep like a log from day one, we chose an approach with minimal rebound effect upon discontinuation. This is a 'Jun-Sin-Jwa-Sa' (君臣佐使) formulation where eleven ingredients each play a specific, complementary role, and it's also why Cheongsimsan discloses all its ingredients.
The power to fall asleep,
mechanisms confirmed by research
We verify the functions of the herbal ingredients in Cheongsimsan,
through publicly available research. Each paper also indicates
which aspect of this prescription it supports.
※ The above information refers to publicly available research on the herbal ingredients and components used in Cheongsimsan, and does not guarantee the efficacy of a specific product. Results may vary for individuals.
Cheongsimsan is
crafted directly by us
Herbal ingredients used
Testing completed
Prescription and blending
Certified
Not outsourced production, but at the Paju External Herbal Preparation Facility designated by the Ministry of Health and Welfare,
we directly handle everything from prescription, preparation, inspection, to packaging.
Jaimdang Korean Medicine Clinic
We determine prescriptions based on an individual's constitution and lifestyle.
Even for the same symptoms, we do not prescribe the same medicine.
JAIMDANG Clinic Director
Jeong Hyunjae
PhD in Korean Medicine
Why JAIMDANG?
Clinical experience in one place
We have not changed our prescriptions to follow trending ingredients. For 11 years, we have maintained the same approach in the same location, and the accumulated responses during this time have shaped our current formulations.
Cumulative patient data
Understanding which body types were overly affected by cooling herbs, or which types of insomnia required qi (氣) supplementation — our judgment is rooted in real-world cases. The accumulated records of over 200,000 individuals serve as the foundation for determining prescriptions after consultation.
Prescriptions chosen across borders
Beyond Korea, we prescribe to patients in 24 countries, including Japan and the United States. Our experience with patients of varying dietary habits and physiques has broadened our range of intensity adjustments.
In-house manufacturing, not outsourced
We directly operate the Paju External Herbal Preparation Facility designated by the Ministry of Health and Welfare. Since everything from herbal ingredient reception to blending, inspection, and packaging is completed in one place, it is possible to adjust the formulation ratios to suit each patient.
Prescriptions are determined by a Korean medicine doctor after reviewing the consultation details.
Even for the same Cheongsimsan, the intensity and formulation vary for each individual.
Herbal Ingredient Composition ·
Efficacy and Mechanisms
Formulated according to the Jun-Sin-Jwa-Sa (君臣佐使) principle.
We disclose both the traditional Korean medicine mechanisms and pharmacological mechanisms of each ingredient.
Explore all ingredients and formulation
Gypsum 石膏
Cools heat and calms vexation
Clears heat, purges fire, relieves vexation and thirst — alleviates vexation caused by excess heat in the Qi (氣) level.
Hydrous calcium sulfate. Antipyretic and sedative effects have been reported.
Fermented Soybean 豆豉
Relieves chest discomfort and promotes stability
Disperses stagnant heat, relieves vexation — alleviates chest oppression (煩悶) to calm the spirit.
Fermented soybean. Contains isoflavones, etc., and a mild sedative effect has been reported.
Gardenia 梔子
Calms heat and vexation in the chest
Purges fire, relieves vexation — alleviates insomnia and vexation caused by heat in the heart and chest.
Geniposide · crocin. Sedative, anxiolytic, and sleep-improving pharmacological effects have been reported.
Anemarrhena 知母
Nourishes Yin and cools heat
Clears heat, purges fire, nourishes Yin and moistens dryness — cools vexation from Yin deficiency with blazing fire (陰虛火旺).
Mangiferin · sarsasapogenin. Antipyretic and sedative effects.
Japonica Rice 粳米
Protects the stomach and replenishes fluids
Benefits the stomach, generates fluids, harmonizes the middle — protects stomach Qi (胃氣) from cooling herbs.
Starch · polysaccharides. Gastric mucosal protection and buffering action.
Coptis 黃連
Calms heart fire
Purges heart fire, relieves vexation — calms the spirit by reducing excess fire in the Heart meridian (心經).
Berberine. Sedative, anxiolytic, and neuroprotective effects.
Scutellaria 黃芩
Cools heat in the upper burner and calms the spirit
Clears heat, dries dampness, purges fire — calms the mind by cooling heat in the upper burner.
Baicalin. Activates GABA-A receptors to regulate sleep-wake rhythms.
Peony 芍藥
Nourishes Yin and Blood, calms
Nourishes blood, astringes Yin, soothes the liver — calms by relieving blood deficiency and tension.
Paeoniflorin. Sedative, anticonvulsant, and anxiolytic effects.
Codonopsis 黨參
Supplements Qi to aid insomnia due to Qi deficiency
Tonifies the middle, benefits Qi, generates fluids — supplements for insomnia caused by Qi deficiency.
Polysaccharides · saponins. Anti-fatigue and immunomodulatory effects.
Donkey-hide Gelatin 阿膠珠
Nourishes Yin and Blood for sleep continuity
Nourishes Yin, enriches blood, calms the spirit — replenishes blood to sustain sleep.
Collagen-derived peptides · amino acids. Blood nourishing.
Licorice 甘草
Harmonizes the prescription
Harmonizes other herbs, moderates urgency — harmonizes the properties of various medicines.
Glycyrrhizin. Anti-inflammatory and soothing effects.
Formulation ratios are adjusted according to the prescription stage, and the final composition is determined after consultation with a Korean medicine doctor.
Choose the duration that suits you
Start your journey
Choose your option and continue below.
Medication Guide
If any of the following apply, please inform us during your consultation
- If you are pregnant, breastfeeding, or planning to become pregnant
- If you typically have a cold stomach or frequent diarrhea (this formula contains cooling herbs)
- If you are taking blood pressure medication, diuretics, or steroids
- If you are already taking sleeping pills or anti-anxiety medication
Cheongsimsan is an herbal medicine formulated by a Korean medicine doctor after assessing your constitution and condition. Even for the same insomnia, the blend will differ for types with upward-rising heat versus those with deficient Qi and Blood. The intensity will be determined after reviewing your sleep patterns during consultation.
FAQ
How is it different from sleeping pills?
Sleeping pills suppress the central nervous system to interrupt consciousness. Cheongsimsan addresses the root causes of sleeplessness (upward-rising heat · chest vexation) to create the conditions for natural sleep. Therefore, it is not a medication that makes you sleep like a log from day one, but it has minimal rebound effect upon discontinuation.
How long should I take it?
Sleep rhythms do not stabilize in just a few days. Typically, we monitor your sleep onset time and number of awakenings on a monthly basis to adjust the dosage. Once your rhythm is established, you can gradually reduce or discontinue use.
I'm currently taking sleeping pills; can I take this with them?
While some individuals do take them concurrently, the combination and dosage must always be determined by a Korean medicine doctor. Please be sure to inform us of the name and duration of any medications you are taking during your consultation. Do not take them together arbitrarily.
Will I feel drowsy during the day?
This prescription is not formulated with ingredients that induce drowsiness, and it is not designed to affect daytime activities. However, individual responses vary, so please exercise caution with activities like driving during the first few days of use.
Starting tonight,
begin to sleep again.
After confirming your sleep onset time, number of awakenings, and daytime condition via KakaoTalk,
our Korean medicine doctor will guide you on the duration and intensity of your dosage.