Qi stagnation and blood stasis can lead to numerous diseases. How can women identify the early signs of qi stagnation and blood stasis in their bodies to prevent issues before they arise?To diagnose whether one has qi stagnation and blood stasis, we can consider two main aspects: emotions and physical symptoms.Below are some emotional and physical signals for self-assessment:1) Irritability.Feeling angry or irritable for no apparent reason indicates a phenomenon of “liver qi disease”.2) Low mood.Feeling depressed, unable to think clearly, fixating on trivial matters, and experiencing blurred vision are all caused by liver qi stagnation, indicating that qi is not flowing smoothly. When qi is not smooth, it can easily lead to blood not flowing smoothly.3) Unusual temperament.A person who is usually very calm may suddenly become irritable without reason.4) Frequent dreams at night.Mr. Zhao Shaoqin from Beijing University of Chinese Medicine often uses methods to invigorate blood and cool blood during treatment, but he never forgets to ask patients: “Do you dream a lot at night?” If the patient answers yes, he would add Chai Hu (Bupleurum), Huang Qin (Scutellaria), and Chuan Lian Zi (Toosendan) to the prescription to soothe the liver. His experience suggests that those with qi stagnation and blood stasis tend to dream more at night.5) Insomnia.In the insomnia cases I have seen, they are primarily caused by either blood deficiency or liver qi stagnation, with one of these being present. If calming the mind and nourishing the blood does not work, it is likely due to liver qi stagnation.6) Restlessness at night.Feeling the urge to sit up one moment and lie down the next, making it difficult to settle down, with severe cases resulting in tossing and turning all night.7) Unexplained dry heaving and belching.When no specific problem can be found, but there is persistent dry heaving and belching, this is likely due to liver qi stagnation harming the spleen and stomach, leading to stomach qi rising. If there is also blood stasis, the condition will be more stubborn, causing symptoms like acid reflux, vomiting, and belching.8) Heart discomfort.Women with liver qi stagnation often experience various heart issues, feeling palpitations, irritability, and chest tightness, but using Gui Pi Wan (Restore the Spleen Pill) does not help.9) Headaches and dizziness.Many women with liver qi stagnation experience headaches and dizziness, which are reactions caused by liver qi stagnation.10) Long-term chest pain.Pain that feels like a needle prick and is fixed in one location is typically caused by qi stagnation leading to blood stasis.11) Sweating until dawn.This situation indicates that blood stasis has obstructed the movement of body fluids. Blood stasis caused by liver qi stagnation can be treated with methods to soothe the liver and invigorate blood circulation, and after three doses of medicine, excessive sweating will cease.12) Lantern disease.This refers to feeling heat internally while feeling cold externally, commonly known as “external cold and internal heat”. This is not caused by external pathogens but is due to obstructed qi and blood flow, with yang qi being trapped internally, similar to the Si Ni San (Four Reverse Powder) syndrome.13) Nighttime fever accompanied by other symptoms.If there is a consistent feeling of heat at night, along with a dark red tongue or tongue with stasis spots, and a pulse that is choppy or tight, it can be clearly diagnosed as blood stasis.Qi stagnation and blood stasis are actually a combination of two states:one is liver qi stagnation,the other is blood stasis.These two are mutually causal; liver qi stagnation leads to blood stasis, and blood stasis exacerbates the degree of liver qi stagnation.I see many tongue signs of blood stasis daily, and among the causes of blood stasis, liver qi stagnation is a major culprit.To treat qi stagnation and blood stasis, one can use “Xue Fu Zhu Yu Tang” (Blood Mansion Dispersing Blood Stasis Decoction).Qi is the driving force behind blood circulation, but if liver qi is stagnant and qi flow is obstructed, it will lead to insufficient driving force, resulting in poor blood circulation and ultimately blood stasis, which is termed “qi stagnation and blood stasis”.Many women have issues with qi stagnation and blood stasis; some have blood stasis in specific areas of the body; some have varying degrees of blood stasis throughout the body; and some have poor blood circulation.These are all health risks that must be addressed promptly.When encountering qi stagnation and blood stasis, simply invigorating blood and dispersing stasis will not be very effective; a dual approach is necessary, soothing the liver and regulating qi flow while also invigorating blood and dispersing stasis.For this type of situation, ancient practitioners developed a famous formula called “Xue Fu Zhu Yu Tang”.“Xue Fu Zhu Yu Tang” was established by the famous Qing Dynasty physician Wang Qingren.The origin of this formula came when Wang Qingren discovered a pool of blood in the diaphragm during an autopsy, leading him to believe that living people are similarly affected, thus naming this area “blood mansion” and asserting that once blood stasis occurs in the “blood mansion”, it can lead to many problems.Therefore, according to the original description, “Xue Fu Zhu Yu Tang” primarily treats blood stasis in the chest.In fact, there is no anatomical structure called “blood mansion”, but the TCM theory applied by Wang Qingren is not incorrect; his formula effectively soothes the liver, regulates qi, and invigorates blood while dispersing stasis.Due to liver qi not being smooth, qi stagnation is particularly pronounced in the chest, so the approach of invigorating blood and dispersing stasis while soothing the liver and regulating qi is very relevant to clinical practice.This is an interesting situation; Wang Qingren attempted to combine TCM theory with his anatomical practice but did not succeed in that integration. However, the formula he developed based on TCM theory has miraculous effects and has been passed down to this day.The formula is as follows:Ingredients:Dang Gui (Angelica Sinensis) 9g, Sheng Di (Rehmannia Glutinosa) 9g, Tao Ren (Peach Kernel) 12g, Hong Hua (Carthamus) 9g, Zhi Qiao (Bitter Orange) 6g, Chi Shao (Red Peony) 6g, Chai Hu (Bupleurum) 3g, Gan Cao (Licorice) 3g, Jie Geng (Platycodon) 5g, Chuan Xiong (Ligusticum) 5g, Niu Xi (Achyranthes) 9g.Method:Decoct in water and soak feet.Dr. Luo particularly advises:When soaking feet, do not do so on an empty stomach; additionally, it is contraindicated for pregnant women.The composition of this formula is based on “Tao Hong Si Wu Tang” (Peach Blossom Four Substance Decoction).However, since the conditions treated by “Xue Fu Zhu Yu Tang” often involve stagnation and heat, with liver fire, Sheng Di is used instead of Shu Di (cooked rehmannia) to cool the blood.Peach kernel is used in larger quantities to enhance the effect of invigorating blood and dispersing stasis.Generally, women with blood stasis can soak their feet in “Tao Hong Si Wu Tang” while also taking San Qi powder for better effects in invigorating blood and dispersing stasis.Why nourish blood while dispersing stasis? It is like wanting to clear the silt in a river; first, the river must have water to wash away the silt.In “Xue Fu Zhu Yu Tang”, in addition to “Tao Hong Si Wu Tang”, there is also “Si Ni San” (Four Reversal Powder), which consists of: Chai Hu (Bupleurum), Shao Yao (Peony), Zhi Qiao (Bitter Orange), and Gan Cao (Licorice).“Si Ni San” is specifically for regulating liver qi stagnation that leads to qi stagnation.The term “Si Ni” refers to the inability of the body to harmonize internally and externally, with yang qi trapped internally, causing coldness in the limbs.Coldness can have several causes, one of which is yang deficiency, and another is liver qi stagnation.In “Si Ni San”, Chai Hu has an upward-moving property, while Zhi Qiao moves downward, opening the qi flow up and down; Chai Hu disperses outward, while Shao Yao gathers inward, harmonizing the qi flow inside and outside, making it a formula for regulating qi flow.In “Xue Fu Zhu Yu Tang”, Jie Geng (Platycodon) and Niu Xi (Achyranthes) are added, with Jie Geng moving upward and Niu Xi moving downward, also helping to regulate the qi flow up and down.In summary, the core of “Xue Fu Zhu Yu Tang” is:Regulating qi flow, invigorating blood and dispersing stasis, along with nourishing blood.Wang Qingren cleverly combined these three directions of regulation into one formula. The symptoms treated are quite broad; as long as there is liver qi stagnation, qi stagnation, and blood stasis, this formula can be used for regulation.If you have the following symptoms, you can soak your feet in “Xue Fu Zhu Yu Tang”:(1) Chest pain, headache, persistent for a long time: This type of pain feels like a needle prick and is fixed in one location, all caused by qi stagnation and blood stasis.(2) Long-term belching, even water can cause choking, or dry heaving:This reflects liver qi stagnation and stomach qi rising, and with blood stasis, the condition will be more stubborn than ordinary liver qi stagnation.(3) Internal heat, feeling depressed:Internal heat refers to feeling heat in the heart; feeling depressed, according to Wang Qingren’s own explanation, is being unable to let go of trivial matters, leading to frustration.(4) Palpitations, insomnia with many dreams, irritability:This is a clear manifestation of liver qi stagnation, even with excessive liver fire.(5) Evening tidal heat, dark lips or dark circles under the eyes:This is a symptom of blood stasis; if accompanied by a dark red tongue or tongue with stasis spots, and a pulse that is choppy or tight, a clear diagnosis can be made.When women use this formula, it is ideal to consult a TCM practitioner nearby to adjust the formula according to their constitution for better results.I will not discuss cases for this formula, as it is the most common formula used in TCM to invigorate blood and disperse stasis, with countless cases.Below, I will list the conditions treated by Wang Qingren himself for this formula for your reference, but remember, Wang Qingren only listed these symptoms, and we must be clear that these symptoms can also appear in other conditions. This formula regulates only the symptoms caused by liver qi stagnation and qi stagnation:——Wang Qingren: The diseases treated by Xue Fu Zhu Yu Tang are listed below.🔹Headache:If there is an external pathogen, there must be fever and chills as surface symptoms, which can be resolved by dispersing; if there is accumulated heat, there must be dry tongue and thirst, which can be resolved with Cheng Qi; if there is qi deficiency, it may feel like pain without pain, which can be resolved with Ren Shen and Huang Qi. If a person has headaches without surface symptoms, internal symptoms, or qi deficiency, and the condition fluctuates, with no treatment effect from various methods, this formula can cure it in one dose.🔹Chest pain:For chest pain in the front, it can be resolved with Mu Jin San; if there is pain in the back, it can be resolved with Gua Lou and Xie Bai Bai Jiu Tang; in cases of febrile disease, Gua Lou, Xie Xiong, and Chai Hu can all be effective. If there is sudden chest pain, and previous treatments do not work, this formula can stop the pain immediately.🔹Chest discomfort:Governor of Jiangxi, A Lin Gong, aged seventy-four, could sleep with his chest exposed at night, but could not sleep if a layer of cloth pressed down, for seven years. He summoned me for diagnosis, and this formula cured him in five doses.🔹Chest heaviness:A twenty-two-year-old woman had her maid sit on her chest while sleeping for two years; I also used this formula, and she was cured in three doses.How can one answer the source of the disease?🔹Sweating at dawn:Waking up with sweating is called spontaneous sweating; sweating while awake is called night sweats, which depletes one’s qi and blood. This is an unchanging principle throughout history. There are those who use qi tonics to stabilize the exterior, nourish yin, and reduce fire, but this can worsen the condition. Blood stasis can also cause spontaneous sweating and night sweats. Using Xue Fu Zhu Yu Tang, one or two doses can stop the sweating.🔹Food stuck in the right lower chest:Food travels down the stomach; it should go straight down the middle. If food gets stuck in the right side of the chest, it indicates that blood stasis is pressing against the stomach tube. If it is mild, it can be treated easily; if severe, it can be difficult to treat, as it can obstruct the stomach tube. This formula can be effective, but recovery may be difficult.🔹Internal heat (known as lantern disease):Feeling cold externally and heat internally, hence the name lantern disease, indicates internal blood stasis. If one believes it is deficiency heat, nourishing will worsen the stasis; if it is excess heat, cooling will worsen the stasis. Two or three doses of this formula can reduce heat.🔹Feeling depressed:This refers to being unable to proceed with small matters, indicating blood stasis. Three doses can help.🔹Irritability:If someone is usually calm but becomes irritable when ill, it indicates blood stasis. One or two doses will definitely help.🔹Frequent dreams at night:Frequent dreaming at night indicates blood stasis. One or two doses of this formula can cure it, as there are no better methods.🔹Dry heaving (commonly known as hiccups):When there are no other symptoms, only dry heaving, it indicates blood stasis. Using this formula to disperse blood will stop the heaving immediately.🔹Evening heat:If there is internal heat every evening, along with skin heat at times, one dose of this formula can cure it; if severe, two doses.Book Title: Life-Saving Formulas: A Book to Teach You How to Solve Common Health Problems for Your Family Author: Luo Dalun
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The best doctor is yourself, the best hospital is your kitchen.
The best medicine is food, and the best effect is persistence.