This formula was first recorded in the ‘Formulary of the Tai Ping Welfare Dispensary Bureau’ (tai ping hui min he ji ju fang), 1151 CE, a compilation of popular and effective formulas that were used in the public dispensaries of the Song dynastic period. It was originally prescribed for Liver Blood deficiency; however, it has since come to be used as the basis for prescriptions that treat generalised Blood deficiency as well as a broad range of disorders related to the state of the Blood.