PIANYU 十全大補湯 SHI QUAN DA BU TANG / Tenfold Tonic

Creative Inspiration | The Soul of Chinese Herbal Incense from an Incense Master

The inspiration for this creation stems from my daily practice. As an incense master dedicated to traditional Chinese incense culture, I have worked alongside raw herbal ingredients for many years. Indeed, incense and medicine have always been one and the same.

The classic Chinese medical text, Huangdi Neijing (The Yellow Emperor's Inner Canon), is one of the foundational origins of Chinese incense culture. There is a saying: "Incense and medicine share the same root." This means that incense materials are inherently medicinal, and medicinal herbs can likewise become incense. When we blend scents, we call it he xiang (the art of compounding incense): emphasizing clear layers governed by the principles of "Emperor, Minister, Assistant, and Envoy," while treasuring the harmonious co-existence of the "Seven Emotional Receptions." This shares the exact same lineage of thought as traditional Chinese medicine prescriptions—seeking therapeutic essence while honoring harmony and aesthetic beauty among scents.

The golden age of incense culture flourished during the Song Dynasty. Scholars and literati of that era regarded incense burning as one of the Four Arts of the Literati. Beyond whisking tea, arranging flowers, and hanging paintings, they delighted in burning incense to entertain friends and connect through fragrance. Many scholars created their own incense recipes and left behind handwritten manuscripts; for instance, Huang Tingjian’s Ying Xiang Tie remains a treasured artifact of classical incense lore.

Feeling inspired by the twenty to thirty traditional medicine incense formulations I had accumulated over the years, a sudden thought struck me: why not transform these healing recipes into perfume? Thus, I began researching how to lend these traditional herbal scents a modern, wearable form—ultimately crafting this unexpected creation that I originally intended only to share with close friends and family.

It became the catalyst for the birth of the "Shi Quan Da Bu Tang" (Ten-Peaked Great Tonic Soup) Chakra Spray.

To Pian Yu, this is not just a perfume.
It is a tiny elixir (Neidan) refined from the soul of Chinese herbal incense.
An indispensable medicine for traveling the realm.

Scent Pyramid
Top Notes:
The exact moment of pulling back the lid on a bowl of Taiwan Tobacco & Liquor Corporation Huadiao Chicken instant noodles—like a bowl of warm tonic soup fresh off the stove. A comforting fragrance rushes to greet the nose, gentle rather than overpowering, slowly drawing you into the kitchen.

Heart Notes:
A sweet, rich, and warm herbal aroma unfolds layer by layer. Chinese Angelica (Dang Gui), Milkvetch Root (Huang Qi), Prepared Rehmannia (Shu Di Huang)... like the lingering aftertaste on the tip of the tongue right after taking a sip, holding a subtle sweetness beneath its grounded serenity.

Base Notes:
The warm herbal scent quietly draws to a close, like the comforting lingering atmosphere of a kitchen after brewing a pot of medicine. The palms still hold an un-dissipated stream of soothing warmth—a subtle flow of Qi, circulating in quiet tranquility.

10ML