“Blood stasis causes a hundred diseases.” When the flow of Qi and blood in the body is obstructed, diseases follow. Blood stasis is common in daily life, where the obstruction of Qi and blood leads to the organs losing their nourishment, resulting in severe illnesses. For example, blood stasis in the brain can lead to a stroke; if the heart is affected, it can cause a myocardial infarction, both of which can directly threaten life.

Seven Symptoms Indicating Blood Stasis:

1. Dark purple lips, dull complexion, or facial spots;2. Fixed pain in certain body parts that worsens with pressure;3. A bluish-purple tongue with stasis spots and prominent veins underneath;4. Irregular menstruation in women, presence of blood clots, dysmenorrhea;5. Poor memory and slow reactions;6. Elevated levels of blood sugar, lipids, pressure, uric acid, cholesterol;7. Appearance of bruises and stasis spots on the body.

Do not be afraid if you experience these symptoms. In ancient times, Wang Qingren, known as the “first person to resolve blood stasis,” proposed the theory that “the cause of all diseases is blood stasis” and passed down four formulas to resolve it: Tongqiao Huoxue Decoction, Xuefu Zhuyu Decoction, Ge Xia Zhuyu Decoction, and Shentong Zhuyu Decoction, which can clear stasis in the head, limbs, chest, upper abdomen, and lower limbs!1. Blood Stasis in the Head and Face – Tongqiao Huoxue Decoction【Ingredients】3g Chi Shao (Red Peony), 3g Chuan Xiong (Szechuan Lovage), 9g Tao Ren (Peach Kernel, ground), 7 pieces of Hong Zao (Red Dates, pitted), 9g Hong Hua (Safflower), 3 stalks of Lao Cong (Scallion, chopped), 9g Sheng Jiang (Fresh Ginger, chopped), 0.15g She Xiang (Musk, in silk bag)【Usage】Use 250ml of yellow wine to decoct the first seven ingredients until 150ml remains, strain, then add musk to the wine and decoct again until boiling.【Function】Invigorates blood and resolves stasis, opens the orifices and unblocks channels.【Indications】Stroke, headache, hair loss, rosacea, urticaria, vitiligo, dental sores, women’s blood deficiency, pediatric malnutrition, etc.【Note】Blood stasis in the brain leads to insufficient heart blood, and obstruction of pathways can cause the above conditions. Musk is aromatic and can traverse the twelve meridians, specifically opening orifices and unblocking channels, making it the monarch herb; Chi Shao and Chuan Xiong invigorate blood, Tao Ren and Hong Hua promote blood circulation, while Scallion and Ginger warm Yang, and yellow wine unblocks channels, harmonizing the spleen and stomach to facilitate the flow of Yang Qi and invigorate blood.2. Blood Stasis in the Chest – Xuefu Zhuyu Decoction【Ingredients】9g Dang Gui (Angelica), 9g Sheng Di (Rehmannia), 12g Tao Ren, 9g Hong Hua, 6g Zhi Qiao (Bitter Orange), 6g Chi Shao, 3g Chai Hu (Bupleurum), 3g Gan Cao (Licorice), 4.5g Jie Geng (Platycodon), 4.5g Chuan Xiong, 10g Niu Xi (Achyranthes)【Function】Invigorates blood, dispels stasis, promotes Qi, and alleviates pain.【Indications】Blood stasis in the upper jiao, headache, chest pain, chest tightness, hiccups, insomnia, palpitations, stasis heat, dark red tongue with stasis spots, coronary heart disease, angina, hypertension, hyperlipidemia, thrombophlebitis, pigmentation, women’s blood stasis leading to amenorrhea, dysmenorrhea, menopausal syndrome, etc.【Note】This formula was used by Wang Qingren to treat “blood stasis in the chest.” It is due to liver Qi stagnation and blood stasis that causes chest pain, headache, and dark red tongue with stasis spots.This formula combines Tao Hong Si Wu Decoction (Tao Ren, Hong Hua, Dang Gui, Chuan Xiong, Sheng Di, Chi Shao) with Si Ni San (Chai Hu, Zhi Qiao, Gan Cao, Chi Shao) plus Jie Geng and Niu Xi. The formula invigorates blood and dispels stasis while nourishing blood, preventing the harm of pure stasis; Si Ni San regulates liver Qi, allowing Qi to flow and blood to circulate; Jie Geng directs the medicine upward to the chest (blood mansion); Niu Xi guides stasis blood downward to unblock the vessels. It not only resolves blood stasis but also alleviates Qi stagnation, invigorates blood without depleting it, dispels stasis while generating new blood, thus clearing the stasis in the “blood mansion” and allowing Qi to flow freely, thereby alleviating all symptoms, hence the name “Xuefu Zhuyu Decoction.”

3. Blood Stasis in the Upper Abdomen – Ge Xia Zhuyu Decoction【Ingredients】6g Ling Zhi (Resin), 9g Dang Gui, 6g Chuan Xiong, 9g Tao Ren (ground), 6g Dan Pi (Moutan), 6g Chi Shao, 6g Wu Yao (Lindera), 3g Xuan Hu Suo (Corydalis), 9g Gan Cao, 4.5g Xiang Fu (Cyperus), 9g Hong Hua, 4.5g Zhi Qiao【Function】Invigorates blood, dispels stasis, promotes Qi, and alleviates pain.【Indications】Stasis below the diaphragm causing Qi stagnation, resulting in masses, fixed pain, and abdominal heaviness; chronic diarrhea. Currently used for chronic active hepatitis, diabetes, ectopic pregnancy, uterine fibroids, infertility, etc., associated with blood stasis and Qi stagnation.【Note】The area below the diaphragm refers to the spleen, stomach, liver, and small intestine, above the navel. The formula includes Dang Gui, Chuan Xiong, and Chi Shao to nourish and invigorate blood, used with stasis-dispelling herbs to eliminate blood stasis without harming Yin blood; Dan Pi cools blood and invigorates circulation; Tao Ren, Hong Hua, and Ling Zhi break blood and dispel stasis to eliminate masses; Xiang Fu, Wu Yao, Zhi Qiao, and Xuan Hu Suo promote Qi and alleviate pain; especially Chuan Xiong not only nourishes and invigorates blood but also promotes Qi within the blood, enhancing the power to dispel stasis; Gan Cao harmonizes the herbs. The entire formula primarily consists of stasis-dispelling and blood-invigorating herbs, allowing Qi to lead blood flow, better exerting its power to invigorate blood and dispel stasis, and eliminate masses.4. Shoulder, Neck, Leg, and Lower Back Pain – Shentong Zhuyu Decoction【Ingredients】3g Qin Jiao (Gentiana), 6g Chuan Xiong, 9g Tao Ren, 9g Hong Hua, 6g Gan Cao, 3g Qiang Huo (Notopterygium), 6g Mo Yao (Myrrh), 9g Dang Gui, 6g Ling Zhi (fried), 3g Xiang Fu, 9g Niu Xi, 6g Di Long (Earthworm, cleaned)【Function】Invigorates blood, dispels stasis, expels wind, eliminates dampness, unblocks channels, and alleviates pain.【Indications】Blood stasis combined with wind and dampness, obstructing the meridians, causing shoulder pain, arm pain, lower back pain, or generalized pain that persists without relief.【Note】Exposure to wind, cold, dampness, and heat can lead to joint and muscle pain, numbness, and restricted movement due to Qi and blood obstruction, resulting in bi syndrome. In Shentong Zhuyu Decoction, Qin Jiao and Qiang Huo expel wind and dampness, while Tao Ren, Hong Hua, Dang Gui, and Chuan Xiong invigorate blood and dispel stasis; Mo Yao, Ling Zhi, and Xiang Fu promote Qi and blood, alleviating pain; Niu Xi and Di Long unblock the meridians to benefit the joints, and Gan Cao harmonizes the herbs.