Blood Stasis-Expelling Decoction

Blood Stasis-Expelling Decoction

Persicae Semen(Tao Ren) 4 qian (12g),Carthami Flos (Hong Hua) 3 qian (9g), Angelicae Sinensis Radix (Dang Gui) 3 qian (9g), Rehmanniae Radix (Sheng Di) 3 qian (9g), Chuanxiong Rhizoma (Chuan Xiong) 1.5 qian (4.5g), Paeoniae Radix Rubra(Chi Shao) 2 qian (6g), Achyranthis Bidentatae Radix (Niu Xi) 3 qian (9g), Platycodonis Radix (Jie Geng) 1.5 qian (4.5g), Bupleuri Radix (Chai Hu) 1 qian (3g), Aurantii Fructus (Zhi Qiao) 2 qian (6g), Glycyrrhizae Radix et Rhizoma (Gan Cao) 2 qian (6g)

Prepare as a decoction.

Invigorates blood, dissolves stasis, and moves qi to relieve pain.

Xue Fu Zhu Yu Tang is indicated for blood stasis in the chest. Symptoms include chest pain, headache, and chronic stabbing pain at a fixed location, continual hiccups or choking when drinking water, nausea, internal heat, dizziness, severe palpitations, insomnia, dreaminess, impatience, irascibility, tidal fever at night, dark lips or eyes, a dark red tongue with ecchymosis or purple spots, and a choppy or wiry, tight pulse.

This pattern is caused by the qi that becomes stagnated due to obstructive blood stasis. Particularly, it is blood stasis in the chest, which is the house of the blood. The chest is where qi roots and blood accumulates, and an area coursed by the liver channel. Long-term chest pain and headaches with stabbing pain at a fixed location are caused by blood stasis in the chest, qi stagnation, and clear yang failing to ascend. Obstruction in the chest caused by blood stagnation may involve the stomach and cause stomach qi to counter-flow ascend. The result is hiccups, belching, and even choking when drinking water. Long-term stasis transforms into heat, which causes internal heat, dizziness, and tidal fever at night. Stasis heat disturbing the heart causes severe palpitations, insomnia, and dreaminess. Enduring qi stagnation hinders the liver’s capacity for free flow, which leads to impatience and irascibility. The manifestations at the lips, eyes, tongue, and pulse reflect symptoms of blood stasis. The therapeutic method is to invigorate blood, dissolve stasis, and move qi to relieve pain.

1. Essential pattern differentiation Xue Fu Zhu Yu Tang is commonly used in many diseases caused by blood stasis in the chest. This clinical pattern is marked by chest pain, headache, fixed pain, dusky red tongue or tongue with stasis macules, choppy or wiry, tight pulse. 2. Modern applications This formula is commonly used in biomedically-defined disorders such as coronary heart disease, rheumatic heart disease, chest contusion, rib cartilage inflammation with chest pain, cerebral thrombosis, hypertension, hyperlipidemia, thromboangiitis obliterans, neurosis, sequelae of cerebral concussion, headache, and dizziness when the patient shows signs and symptoms of blood stasis and qi stagnation. 3. Cautions and contraindications This formula mainly contains blood-invigorating, stasis-dissolving, qi-moving, and collaterals-unblocking medicinals. Consequently, it is not applicable for neither pregnant women nor the sick and elderly.

1. Tong Qiao Huo Xue Tang (Orifices-unblocking and Blood-invigorating Decoction 通竅活血湯)