RESUMEN
Tianwang buxin dan （TWBXD），as a classic prescription for treating insomnia ，in forms of tablet ，drop pill ，patch and others ，has been widely used in clinical practice . Its compound prescription and single ingredient can play a calming and tranquilizing role by regulating neurotransmitters ，inhibiting oxidative stress reaction and the expression of inflammatory factors . Based on the theory of traditional Chinese medicine and combined with modern pharmacological research ，this paper reviews single ingredient and active components of TWBXD ，calming and tranquilizing role of related couplet medicinals . The results showed that the single ingredients such as Rehmannia glutinosa ，the seeds of Zizyphus jujube ，the seeds of Platycladus orientalis ，Angelica sinensis，Schisandra chinensis ，Poria cocos and their effective components as well as related couplet medicinals of Z. jujube could improve the insomnia symptoms in different degrees . Except that the mechanism of the seeds of P. orientalis has not been studied ， other ingredients mainly act on nervous -endocrine-immune system . They can play the sedative and hypnotic effects by regulating neurotransmitters，inflammatory factors and oxidation .