Author: Zhang Zhong-Jing, 張仲景
Year: c. 220
Source: Essentials from the Golden Cabinet (Jin Gui Yao Lue, 金匱要略)
Category: Formulas that Regulate Blood
Pattern: Blood stasis in the Lower Jiao
Key Symptoms: Piercing pain in the lower abdomen that gets worse with pressure
Secondary Symptoms: Irregular menstruation, pain and inflammation in the lower body, including the lower back in modern usage.
Abdomen: May be palpable masses in the lower abdomen
Ingredients
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Meng Chong
| 9-12g | |
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Pinyin: Meng Chong
Chinese: 虻虫
Pharmaceutical: Tabanus
English: Horsefly / Gadfly |
|
Tastes: Bitter, slightly salty, cool, toxic
Meridians Entered: Liver |
Actions & Indications:
- Breaks up Blood Stasis, reduces abdominal masses and unblocks the Blood vessels
Amenorrhea, abdominal masses or retained lochia from Blood Stasis
- Dispels Stasis, heals injuries and stops pain
Traumatic injury
|
Standard Dosage: 1.5-3g in decoction, or 0.3-0.6g powdered.
Cautions: It is contraindicated for qi and blood deficiency, menstrual period and pregnant women.
Animal products are prohibited from use in the UK under the Medicines Act 1968 ch. 67 which restricts herbalists to the use of plant products only. It is generally substituted with Mu Dan Pi and Chi Shao. |
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Tao ren
| 6-9g | |
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Pinyin: Tao Ren
Chinese: 桃仁
Pharmaceutical: Semen Persicae
Taxonomy: Prunus persica
English: Peach Seed |
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Tastes: Bitter, sweet, neutral, lightly toxic
Meridians Entered: Heart, Liver, Lung and Large Intestine |
Actions & Indications:
- Breaks up Blood Stasis and invigorates Blood circulation
Menstrual disorders, abdominal pain, traumatic injury, flank pain, Lung abscess and Intestinal abscess with fixed abdominal masses associated with Blood Stasis
- Moistens the Intestines and unblocks the bowels
Constipation due to dry Intestines
- Drains abscesses
Lung and Intestinal abscesses
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Standard Dosage: 5-10g in decoction.
Cautions: Prohibited for pregnant women. Use with cautions for loose stool. Not overuse because of its toxicity. |
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Da Huang
| 6g | | |
Pinyin: Da Huang
Chinese: 大黄
Pharmaceutical: Radix et Rhizoma Rhei
Taxonomy: Rheum palmatum
English: Chinese Rhubarb Root |
|
Tastes: Bitter, cold
Meridians Entered: Large Intestine, Spleen, Stomach, Liver and Heart |
Actions & Indications:
- Drains Heat and purges accumulations
Intestinal Heat Excess, with high fever, profuse sweating, thirst, constipation, abdominal distention and pain, delirium, a yellow tongue coat and a full pulse
Yang-Ming Fu Stage
Qi Level Heat in the Intestines
- Drains Fire
Fire from Excess with intense fever, sore throat, and painful eyes and constipation
Fire toxin sores due to Xue Level Heat, especially with constipation
- Clears Heat, transforms Dampness and promotes urination
Damp-Heat with oedema, jaundice, painful urinary dysfunction and acute, hot dysenteric disorders
- Drains Heat from the Blood
Bloody stool either from hemorrhoids or Heat in the Intestines
Chaotic movement of hot Blood with hemoptysis or epistaxis with constipation
It can be powdered and administered orally for bleeding in the upper digestive tract
- Invigorates the Blood and dispels Blood Stasis
Blood Stasis with amenorrhea, fixed abdominal masses or fixed pain
Blood Stasis due to traumatic injury
Intestinal abscess
- Clears Heat and reduces Fire toxicity
Topically or internally for burns or skin lesions (Chuang Yung) due to Heat
- Clears Heat and eliminates Phlegm
Chronic Accumulation of Phlegm-Heat with cough, dyspnea, mania, disorientation and other symptoms of Phlegm Misting the Heart
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Standard Dosage: 10-15g in decoction. Excessive decoction will reduce the purgative action. Therefore it should be added at end to achieve this purpose and over-decocted to eliminate this action.
Cautions: It should be used with caution in case of spleen and stomach deficiency for its bitter and cold property which is easily to damage stomach qi. It is contraindicated to women during pregnancy, menstruation or lactation for it has actions of activating blood and resolving stasis, and can make the purged substances follow lactating out. |
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Subsitutions:
In the UK Meng Chong must be substituted. Mu Dan Pi and Chi Shao are the standard recommendations but other Blood movers could be considered based on the presentation.
Preparation: Decoction.
Actions: Drives out Blood Stasis, drains Heat
Notes:
Originally for abdominal pain during pregnancy, it is now used more for similar post-partum disorders and chronic lower inflammatory disorders in men and women such as PID, prostatitis and lower back disc disease.
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One liang is taken as 3g in modern sources but in Eastern Han times it was equivalent to 13.875g. This means that the dosages in classical formulae could have been more than 4x what is given today making them far higher than recommended safe dosages today but prompts consideration of what an effective dose may be (He, 2013).
Research Links:
Reference Notes: (click to display)
Most formulas are found in Scheid, Bensky, Ellis & Barolet (2009): Chinese Herbal Medicine: Formulas & Strategies and Chen & Chen (2015) Chinese Herbal Formulas and Applications. Others are from translations of primary sources. It is recommended that the original material is cross-referenced for mistakes and additional information.
Substitutions have been taken from Ken Lloyd & Prof. Leung (2004): Mayway UK Substitution List or the above publications and are intended as suggestions to help navigate the tight restrictions in the UK quickly. More applicable substitutions may be appropriate in specific situations.
Individual herb information has initially been sourced from TCM Wiki and American Dragon for basic data and then updated manually with my own notes.
These pages are intended to assist clinicians and are not intended for self-diagnosis or treatment for which a qualified professional should be consulted.
