In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), there is a saying: Qi and blood are the fundamental substances that constitute the life activities of the human body.
This fundamental substance is essential; without it, you cannot maintain basic life activities. Therefore, Qi and blood are extremely important for the human body.
When issues arise with Qi and blood, they often manifest as blood deficiency (xue xu), blood cold (xue han), and blood dryness (xue zao). What are the differences among these three conditions?
If blood deficiency occurs, what problems can arise? The Huangdi Neijing states: “Blood and Qi are the spirit of a person; one must understand this.” This indicates that the spiritual activities of the human body depend on the nourishment of Qi and blood, and dreaming is a form of spiritual activity. Individuals with blood deficiency have insufficient blood in their bodies, which cannot adequately nourish the organs and meridians, leading to an inability to maintain normal spiritual activities, often resulting in insomnia and vivid dreams. In such cases, we can use Gui Pi Tang (Restore the Spleen Decoction) to nourish the blood and calm the spirit.
The second condition is blood cold. The causes of blood cold primarily stem from two aspects: one is insufficient Yang Qi in the body, which fails to warm the blood, resulting in cold blood. The other is the invasion of external cold pathogens, leading to blood cold.
Both of these causes can lead to blood cold. TCM believes that when blood encounters cold, it coagulates; when it is not flowing, it causes pain. Therefore, after blood becomes cold, the body will feel pain, which is alleviated by heat and worsened by cold. Additionally, it may manifest as cold hands and feet. In this case, we can use Gui Zhi Fu Ling Tang (Cinnamon Twig and Poria Decoction) for treatment.
The third condition is blood dryness. What is blood dryness? It refers to blood lacking a moistening quality, resulting in a dry and pale appearance.
This means that compared to an average person, those with blood dryness have diminished Yin essence in their blood, and the total volume of blood is insufficient, indicating a deficiency of Yin blood. At the same time, this deficiency of Yin blood can lead to the manifestation of false heat in the body.
In this situation, the body is prone to wind generation, and once wind is generated, the skin becomes prone to itching. For this condition, we can use Xiao Feng San (Wind-Dispersing Powder) for treatment.
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