Wang Qingren pioneered the understanding of blood stasis in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). He was also a humble and pragmatic physician, stating in his writings: “Diseases have countless manifestations and cannot be fully described in a single book.”In Wang Qingren’s formulas, the most frequently used and effective one is Xuefu Zhuyu Tang (Blood Mansion Decoction to Remove Stasis).Nowadays, people generally do not lack nutrition, and when they fall ill, it is mostly due to qi stagnation and blood stasis, or diseases causing qi stagnation and blood stasis.Conditions such as wind-cold injuries, staying up late, and prolonged sitting all lead to qi stagnation and blood stasis. Xuefu Zhuyu Tang specifically addresses qi stagnation and blood stasis.
Formula composition: Dang Gui (Angelica Sinensis) 9g, Sheng Di Huang (Rehmannia Glutinosa) 9g, Chi Shao (Red Peony Root) 6g, Chuan Xiong (Ligusticum Chuanxiong) 6g, Tao Ren (Peach Kernel) 12g, Hong Hua (Safflower) 9g, Zhi Ke (Bitter Orange) 6g, Chai Hu (Bupleurum) 3g, Gan Cao (Licorice) 3g, Jie Geng (Platycodon) 6g, Chuan Niu Xi (Cyathula Officinalis) 9g.The formula is based on Tao Hong Si Wu Tang (Peach Blossom Four Substance Decoction) which includes Tao Ren, Hong Hua, Dang Gui, Chuan Xiong, Sheng Di Huang, and Chi Shao, with the addition of Chai Hu, Zhi Ke, Jie Geng, Niu Xi, and Gan Cao.This formula uses Tao Hong Si Wu Tang to invigorate blood and resolve stasis while nourishing blood, preventing further stasis damage; Chai Hu and Zhi Ke soothe the liver and regulate qi; Jie Geng directs the herbs upward to the chest (Blood Mansion); Niu Xi guides the stasis downward and unblocks the blood vessels; Gan Cao harmonizes and alleviates urgency, coordinating the effects of the other herbs. Together, they promote blood circulation, regulate qi, dispel stasis, and relieve pain.Xuefu Zhuyu Tang can treat fourteen types of conditions, and even more.First, it treats headaches.Headaches can be caused by external factors, internal heat accumulation, or qi deficiency.For external factors, sweating is used; for heat accumulation, purging is applied; for qi deficiency, tonification is necessary.However, there is a type of headache that does not fear cold, does not become agitated, and is neither qi deficient nor weak. This headache is recorded in texts as occurring intermittently, resistant to various treatments, and can be cured with a single dose of Xuefu Zhuyu Tang.Second, it treats chest pain.The chest is the Blood Mansion, where blood gathers. All stabbing pains in the chest, including gallbladder inflammation, rib pain, back pain, stomach pain, and lung pain from coughing, can be alleviated with this formula if the pain is fixed and unresponsive to other treatments.For traumatic injuries, adding a small half bowl of alcohol can enhance the effect; if alcohol cannot be consumed, ordinary yellow wine or lower concentration wine can be used.Alcohol can facilitate the movement of qi and blood, allowing the effects of Sheng Di and Dang Gui to be better extracted.Without alcohol, the effects may only reach about sixty to seventy percent.Third, it addresses chest tightness.When sleeping, if anything presses on the chest, it becomes very uncomfortable, like an explosion, making it impossible to sleep. Xuefu Zhuyu Tang immediately relaxes the chest and relieves stagnation.Fourth, it treats the need for pressure on the chest to sleep.Some people can only sleep with something pressing on their chest; without it, they can only sleep face down, indicating blood stasis blocking the chest.Fifth, it addresses spontaneous sweating and night sweats.Whether spontaneous or night sweats, both indicate issues with qi and blood. Stagnation of blood in the chest can lead to inexplicable sweating.Sweat is the fluid of the heart; if there is blood stasis in the heart, the body will try to expel it through sweating, but it cannot. Two doses of Xuefu Zhuyu Tang will stop the sweating.Sixth, it treats nasopharyngeal cancer and esophageal cancer.When the esophagus or throat is damaged, swallowing becomes difficult, leading to discomfort.
Regardless, if hungry, eating is painful; if not eating, one feels hungry, and food gets stuck. Xuefu Zhuyu Tang opens the chest, allowing food to pass down smoothly.Seventh, it treats lantern disease.Lantern disease is characterized by a hot interior and a cool exterior. Thus, the hands and feet feel cool, but the heart feels like a fire is burning. Xuefu Zhuyu Tang is very effective for this condition.Eighth, it addresses depression.When there is a stone in the chest that cannot be released, one often feels irritable without reason, getting angry multiple times a day.“Depression, when small matters cannot be resolved, indicates blood stasis; three doses can help.” The chest is the Blood Mansion, which is why it is necessary to resolve stasis. Qi stagnation leads to blood stasis.Therefore, any obstruction in the chest is due to blood stasis, and this formula is effective for all such cases.This decoction primarily consists of herbs that promote the natural flow and clear the turbid, with appropriate combinations to nourish the true essence, aiming to achieve the principle of “dissolving what is bound” as stated in the Huangdi Neijing (Yellow Emperor’s Inner Canon).When the heart is knotted, it must be immediately helped to untie.Xiao Yao San (Free and Easy Wanderer Powder) treats emotional issues, while Xuefu Zhuyu Tang treats blood stasis.On the level of qi, Xiao Yao San is effective. Once qi is obstructed, blood becomes stagnant.Ninth, it addresses night sweats.Every night, there is internal heat and skin heat at times. As recorded in texts: “Fever occurs in the second half of the day, more severe in the first half of the night, lighter in the second half of the night, and not at all in the first half of the day; this indicates blood stasis.”Light blood stasis does not differentiate into four segments, only occurring around sunset; lighter cases may have fever for a time, indicating internal heat and body heat.Tenth, it addresses irritability.When usually calm, one becomes irritable when something happens; this indicates blood stasis. When something occurs, one becomes furious, indicating that blood and qi are obstructed. Xuefu Zhuyu Tang can help soothe the mind.Eleventh, it treats excessive dreaming.When sleeping, if there are many chaotic dreams, and upon waking, one cannot remember clearly, this indicates blood stasis in the chest and abdomen, treated with Xuefu Zhuyu Tang.Twelfth, it addresses insomnia.If insomnia persists, even nourishing blood and calming the spirit herbs do not work, a different approach is needed: Xuefu Zhuyu Tang is miraculous.Thirteenth, it treats choking when drinking water.If one chokes when drinking water, it is strange; this indicates stasis in the epiglottis. There may also be metabolic disorders of water that need to be differentiated.Fourteenth, it addresses palpitations and anxiety.If formulas like Gui Pi Tang (Restore the Spleen Decoction) do not work, this formula is highly effective. Why? The heart governs the blood vessels; only a heart with smooth blood flow will not feel anxious.The heart is the command center, and blood vessels are like roads; when the roads are blocked, the heart becomes anxious.Finally, it is worth mentioning who is suitable for Xuefu Zhuyu Tang: those with dark lips, poor complexion, a darkened area between the eyebrows, and dark veins under the tongue. Taking two doses of Xuefu Zhuyu Tang will clear the clouds and reveal the sun.