Blood-activating herbs are a category of Chinese medicinal herbs primarily used to promote blood circulation, eliminate blood stasis, and resolve various blood-related issues. These herbs often possess warming and dispersing properties, effectively moving through the blood system to unblock meridians, enhance blood flow, activate blood, resolve stasis, dispel blood stasis, regulate menstruation, alleviate pain, reduce swelling, and stop bleeding.
Some blood-activating and stasis-resolving herbs also have additional effects such as calming the heart and mind, promoting diuresis and reducing swelling, cooling the blood and dispelling wind, facilitating lactation, and alleviating jaundice.
Blood-activating and stasis-resolving herbs are mainly used for various conditions caused by blood circulation disorders and blood stasis, such as amenorrhea, dysmenorrhea, blood stasis headaches, abdominal pain due to trauma or postoperative blood stasis, rheumatic pain, stroke paralysis, and abscess pain. Additionally, certain blood-activating herbs can be used to treat conditions like febrile diseases with delirium, rheumatic heat, edema, jaundice, breast distension, and insufficient lactation.
Commonly used herbs include Chuan Xiong (Ligusticum chuanxiong), Jiang Huang (Curcuma longa), Dan Shen (Salvia miltiorrhiza), Ru Xiang (Boswellia carterii), Mo Yao (Commiphora molmol), Yan Hu Suo (Corydalis yanhusuo), Yu Jin (Curcuma aromatica), Hu Zhang (Polygonum cuspidatum), Yi Mu Cao (Leonurus japonicus), Ji Xue Teng (Sargentodoxa cuneata), Hong Hua (Carthamus tinctorius), Tao Ren (Prunus persica), Wu Ling Zhi (Trogopterus xanthipes), Niuxi (Achyranthes bidentata), Chuan Shan Jia (Manis pentadactyla), Ze Lan (Lycopus lucidus), Ling Xiao Hua (Campsis grandiflora), Zi Ran Tong (Copper), Xue Jie (Dragon’s blood), Wang Bu Liu Xing (Vaccaria segetalis), Su Mu (Caesalpinia sappan), Chong Wei Zi (Caryopteris), Ma Bian Cao (Verbena officinalis), Shi Jian Chuan (Herba Leonuri), Zao Jiao Ci (Gleditsia sinensis), Niujiao (Horn of a cow) and others.
Chuan Xiong
【Properties】Spicy, warm. Enters the liver, gallbladder, and pericardium meridians.
【Functions】Activates blood and moves qi, dispels wind and alleviates pain.
【Indications】Used for irregular menstruation, amenorrhea, abdominal pain from masses, stabbing pain in the chest and flanks, swelling and pain from trauma, headaches, and rheumatic pain.
【Dosage】3-9g.
【Usage】1. For migraine: finely chop Chuan Xiong, soak in wine, and take. 2. For dizziness and vertigo due to wind-cold invasion: 1 pound of Chuan Xiong and 4 ounces of Tian Ma. Grind into powder, mix with honey to form pills, 10 pills per dose. Chew thoroughly and take with tea or wine after meals. 3. For wind-heat headache: 1 qian of Chuan Xiong and 2 qian of tea leaves. Boil in 1 cup of water for 5 minutes, take hot before meals. 4. For abdominal pain during pregnancy (due to obstruction): 2 ounces of Chuan Xiong, 2 ounces of Ejiao, 2 ounces of licorice, 3 ounces of mugwort, 3 ounces of Angelica, 4 ounces of peony, and 6 ounces of rehmannia. Boil with 5 liters of water and 3 liters of clear wine, reduce to 3 liters, remove dregs, dissolve the gelatin, and take 1 liter warm, three times a day until healed.
Jiang Huang
【Properties】Spicy, bitter, warm. Enters the spleen and liver meridians.
【Functions】Breaks blood and moves qi, regulates menstruation and alleviates pain.
【Indications】Used for stabbing pain in the chest and flanks, amenorrhea, masses, rheumatic shoulder and arm pain, and swelling and pain from trauma.
【Preparation】Remove impurities, soak slightly, wash clean, cut into thick slices, and dry in the sun.
【Dosage】3-9g; appropriate amount for external use.
【Usage】1. For unbearable heart pain: 1 ounce of Jiang Huang (slightly stir-fried) and 1 ounce of Angelica (sliced and roasted), each half an ounce of Mu Xiang and Wu Yao (slightly stir-fried). Grind into powder, take 2 qian with vinegar decoction. 2. For various heart pains that occur at any time, and unbearable pain from worms: 3 fen of Jiang Huang, half an ounce of betel nut, half an ounce of dry lacquer (crushed and stir-fried until smoke appears), and 1 ounce of lime (stir-fried until yellow). Grind into fine powder, take 2 qian with warm wine, no time restriction. 3. For gastritis, cholangitis, abdominal distension, pain, vomiting, and jaundice: 1.5 qian of Jiang Huang, 6 fen of Huang Lian, 3 fen of cinnamon, 1.2 qian of Yan Hu Suo, 1.5 qian of Yu Jin, and 1.5 qian of Mian Yin Chen. Boil in water. 4. For shoulder and back pain, not due to wind or phlegm: 1 ounce each of Jiang Huang, licorice, and Qiang Huo, and 2 ounces of Bai Zhu. Take 1 ounce, boil in water. For pain below the waist, add Hai Tong Pi, Angelica, and Peony.
Dan Shen
【Properties】Bitter, slightly cold. Enters the heart and liver meridians.
【Functions】Dispels stasis and alleviates pain, activates blood and regulates menstruation, clears the heart and calms the mind.
【Indications】Used for irregular menstruation, amenorrhea, abdominal masses, stabbing pain in the chest and abdomen, heat bi pain, abscess swelling and pain, irritability and insomnia; liver and spleen enlargement, angina.
【Preparation】Wine-prepared Dan Shen: take Dan Shen slices and dry them according to the wine-frying method.
【Dosage】9-15g.
【Usage】1. For irregular menstruation: 1 pound of purple Dan Shen, cut into thin slices, dry in the sun until crisp, grind into fine powder, and use good wine to form pills. Take 3 qian with warm water in the morning. 2. For scanty menstrual blood and postpartum abdominal pain due to blood stasis, and abdominal pain from amenorrhea: 3 qian each of Dan Shen, Yi Mu Cao, and Xiang Fu. Boil in water. 3. For abdominal masses: 3 qian each of Dan Shen, San Leng, and E Zhu, and 1 qian of Zao Jiao Ci. Boil in water. 4. For acute and chronic hepatitis with pain in the flanks: 5 qian of Yin Chen, and 3 qian each of Yu Jin, Dan Shen, and Ban Lan Gen. Boil in water.
【Caution】Should not be used with Li Lu.
Medication Precautions
Most blood-activating herbs can promote blood circulation and menstruation, and some can break blood, induce abortion, or stimulate labor, so they should be avoided or used with caution by women with excessive menstruation or pregnant women.