Today, let’s discuss a concerning condition: Blood Stasis (Xue Yu). Why is Blood Stasis considered alarming? Let me give you an analogy: the flow of Qi and Blood in our body is like the Yangtze and Yellow Rivers, which nourish and irrigate the land of China. Once Blood Stasis occurs, it is akin to the Yangtze and Yellow Rivers becoming blocked, leading to disasters, causing drought in some areas and flooding in others, resulting in crop failures and even the risk of dam breaches. If blockage occurs in major rivers, it will cause problems; then Blood Stasis in our small bodies is naturally even more dangerous. Some say Blood Stasis is the source of all diseases. Indeed, various conditions such as headaches, cardiovascular diseases including coronary heart disease, rheumatic heart disease, arrhythmia, as well as cerebrovascular diseases like stroke, cerebral hemorrhage, and cerebral infarction, liver and gallbladder diseases, gout, asthma, and issues faced by women such as scanty menstruation, dysmenorrhea, amenorrhea, infertility, breast hyperplasia, fibroids and cysts, menopausal syndrome, varicose veins, and many more are related to Blood Stasis. Some say Blood Stasis is a health killer. This is also true; if you experience dizziness and blurred vision, if your memory is poor and your reactions slow, if you often suffer from lower back pain, neck and shoulder stiffness, joint and muscle soreness, high blood sugar, blood lipids, blood pressure, uric acid, and cholesterol, chest tightness and discomfort, and if women have dark menstrual blood with clots, there is no doubt that Blood Stasis is gradually eroding your health. Some say people with Blood Stasis age particularly quickly. Women should feel this acutely, with dark yellow complexion, dark lips and skin, prone to pigmentation, chloasma, and butterfly spots, hair falling out in clumps, and graying hair. Once women have severe Blood Stasis, they will quickly appear aged. Nowadays, women often wear makeup when going out, and this may also relate to aging caused by Blood Stasis. Many people ask, how can one determine if they have Blood Stasis? First, those under significant work and life stress are prone to Blood Stasis, as are those with a bad temper, those who worry excessively, those who stay up late and overwork, and those who consume too much cold and raw food. In modern times, nearly nine out of ten people have Blood Stasis. Of course, the method to determine Blood Stasis is quite simple: individuals with Blood Stasis often bruise easily, their tongue is purplish, with purple spots on the surface and two prominent blue veins underneath. The darker and thicker the veins, the more severe the Blood Stasis. If you have similar symptoms or conditions, it is likely that you have a Blood Stasis constitution. 
What should you do if you know you have Blood Stasis? Don’t worry! Today, I will present to you the most powerful formula for activating blood and resolving stasis. It is one of the top ten famous formulas in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), known by all who study TCM. It is calledXue Fu Zhu Yu Tang, from the renowned Qing Dynasty physician Wang Qingren’s “Yi Lin Gai Cuo”.Wang Qingren, also known as Wang Quanren, courtesy name Xuncheng, was a martial arts enthusiast who began studying medicine in his twenties and gained some fame by his thirties. He spent most of his life researching blood stasis. If there are experts in TCM, Li Dongyuan is known for the spleen and stomach, Fu Qingzhu for women’s diseases, Zhang Zhongjing for general practice, while Wang Qingren is the expert in treating blood stasis. In his “Yi Lin Gai Cuo”, he recorded his lifelong studies and left behind five remarkable formulas for blood stasis, among which the most influential and widely used is Xue Fu Zhu Yu Tang! The ingredients of Xue Fu Zhu Yu Tang are: Dang Gui (Angelica Sinensis) 9g, Sheng Di Huang (Rehmannia Glutinosa) 9g, Tao Ren (Peach Kernel) 12g, Hong Hua (Safflower) 9g, Zhi Qiao (Bitter Orange) 6g, Chi Shao (Red Peony) 6g, Chai Hu (Bupleurum) 3g, Gan Cao (Licorice) 6g, Jie Geng (Platycodon) 5g, Chuan Xiong (Ligusticum Chuanxiong) 5g, Niu Xi (Achyranthes Bidentata) 9g. Decoction, take one dose daily, divided into two warm doses in the morning and evening. If you do not want to decoct the herbs or drink the soup, you can directly buy the prepared medicine of Xue Fu Zhu Yu Tang from the pharmacy, which comes in various forms such as pills, granules, and capsules. 
Those with some knowledge of TCM will recognize that Xue Fu Zhu Yu Tang is composed of the previously sharedTao Hong Si Wu Tang (with Sheng Di Huang replacing Sheng Di, and Chi Shao replacing Bai Shao),plus Si Ni San (with Chi Shao replacing Bai Shao, and Zhi Qiao replacing Zhi Shi), and then adding Jie Geng and Chuan Niu Xito create a classic combination focused on activating blood and resolving stasis, with the secondary function of promoting Qi and alleviating pain.The main force for activating blood and resolving stasis in this formula is still Tao Hong Si Wu Tang, with Tao Ren, Hong Hua, Chuan Xiong, and Chi Shao primarily focusing on activating blood and dispelling stasis. When blood coagulates and forms stasis, it inevitably damages blood, consumes blood, and generates heat. What to do? No worries, we have Sheng Di Huang and Dang Gui to nourish Yin, enrich blood, and cool blood.
To effectively activate blood and resolve stasis, we must also ensure the smooth flow of Qi.To promote Qi and adjust its flow, Wang Qingren borrowed from the famous physician Zhang Zhongjing’s Si Ni Tang, using Chai Hu, Zhi Qiao, and Jie Geng to open the chest and disperse nodules, allowing the dispelling stasis herbs to reach the areas of stasis in the chest and throughout the body. Jie Geng opens the airways, facilitating the upward movement of Qi, while Chuan Niu Xi has the strongest effect in breaking blood and promoting the downward flow of blood. Gan Cao acts as a harmonizer, balancing the various herbs while also alleviating pain.
The entire formula is clear in thought and exquisite in its use of herbs.While dispelling stasis, it also nourishes blood; while activating blood, it also promotes Qi, treating both Qi and blood together, achieving a balance of rising and descending. It truly deserves its place as one of the top ten famous formulas in TCM. What diseases can Xue Fu Zhu Yu Tang treat? Let’s discuss this next.1. Headaches and migraines: If other treatments are ineffective, Xue Fu Zhu Yu Tang can be used. If the headache is caused by an external pathogen, such as a cold, with symptoms of fever or chills, it can be treated by dispersing. If the headache is due to accumulated heat, Cheng Qi Tang can be used. If the headache is due to Qi deficiency, Ren Shen (Ginseng) and Huang Qi (Astragalus) can be used. Excluding these external causes, some people suffer from severe headaches or migraines that are bearable when not active but become extremely painful during episodes, often due to blood stasis. The elder Wang Qingren stated that for this type of headache, one dose of Xue Fu Zhu Yu Tang can provide relief. 2. Chest tightness and pain, or feelings of agitation: Xue Fu Zhu Yu Tang can resolve these issues. Blood stasis causing chest tightness can be treated with Xue Fu Zhu Yu Tang. What about chest pain? If the pain is in the front of the chest, Mu Jin San can be used. If the chest pain radiates to the back, Gua Lou Xie Bai Bai Jiu Tang can be used. If your chest pain does not respond to these two formulas, the elder Wang Qingren said to use Xue Fu Zhu Yu Tang, and the chest pain will stop immediately. Xue Fu Zhu Yu Tang can also treat a condition called “muddled mind”. What does this mean? It refers to feelings of agitation and mental confusion. Wang Qingren stated that muddled mind is due to blood stasis, and three doses of Xue Fu Zhu Yu Tang can resolve it! If you were previously calm but have become irritable due to health issues, this is also a result of blood stasis. Wang Qingren said that in such cases, one to two doses of Xue Fu Zhu Yu Tang can help. 3. A peculiar condition called “lantern disease”: I believe many people have experienced this, and it is also an indication for Xue Fu Zhu Yu Tang. What is lantern disease? As the name suggests, it is characterized by internal heat and external cold. Some people feel very hot and agitated inside but are cold and fearful of cold on the outside, with cold hands and feet. Some believe this is due to deficiency heat, but the more they supplement, the more stasis they create. Others think it is due to excess heat, but using cold herbs only worsens the cold and blood stasis. Wang Qingren stated that this peculiar disease is due to internal blood stasis, and two to three doses of Xue Fu Zhu Yu Tang can activate blood and reduce heat, resolving the issue. If someone experiences palpitations and anxiety, and using Gui Pi or other formulas does not help, Xue Fu Zhu Yu Tang can also be used for regulation, with consistent effectiveness. 4. Hiccups and belching: These minor issues can also be treated with Xue Fu Zhu Yu Tang. For hiccups and belching, ancient practitioners often used Ju Pi Zhu Ru Tang, Cheng Qi Tang, or Fu Zi Li Zhong Tang for treatment. However, Wang Qingren had a different perspective. He believed that hiccups and belching are due to blood stasis compressing the airways, affecting the downward movement of Qi, leading to hiccups. If blood stasis is severe, it can completely block the trachea, preventing the intake and expulsion of air, which can even lead to suffocation. These situations are suitable for Xue Fu Zhu Yu Tang, and one dose can be effective. If you find it difficult to swallow water, Wang Qingren said this indicates blood stasis in the epiglottis, and Xue Fu Zhu Yu Tang is even more effective in this case. 5. Difficulty falling asleep, vivid dreams, and restless sleep: The most stubborn insomnia can be addressed with Xue Fu Zhu Yu Tang. If you have trouble falling asleep at night and have tried calming and blood-nourishing formulas without success, what should you do? Try Xue Fu Zhu Yu Tang; it may work wonders. If you have many dreams at night, which is caused by blood stasis, one to two doses of Xue Fu Zhu Yu Tang can be effective. Some people have restless sleep, feeling drowsy when sitting but unable to sleep soundly when lying down, tossing and turning. Wang Qingren stated that this is due to blood stasis, and ten doses of Xue Fu Zhu Yu Tang can resolve it. Additionally, children’s sleep issues, where they play well during the day but cry incessantly at night, can also be attributed to blood stasis, and Xue Fu Zhu Yu Tang can be used for diagnosis and treatment. 6. Xue Fu Zhu Yu Tang can also treat liver Qi stagnation, irritability, and being easily angered. Some say these are personality issues, but they are not. The famous physician Wang Qingren attributed these problems to excessive blood stasis, which blocks the body. When the body is obstructed, it manifests in behavior as being unable to think clearly, being stubborn, and naturally giving the impression of being narrow-minded, petty, and easily angered. Therefore, Xue Fu Zhu Yu Tang is used to activate blood and resolve stasis to address these issues. 7. Dry heaving, difficulty swallowing food, and easy vomiting can also be treated with Xue Fu Zhu Yu Tang. If you often experience dry heaving or find it difficult to swallow food, this may also be due to blood stasis blocking the esophagus, and Xue Fu Zhu Yu Tang can be used for treatment. 8. Xue Fu Zhu Yu Tang can regulate night sweats and early morning sweating. If you feel hot at night or have skin that feels excessively hot, this is also a sign of blood stasis, and Xue Fu Zhu Yu Tang can be used. Additionally, waking up with sweating is known as spontaneous sweating, while sweating during sleep is called night sweats. In TCM, sweat is considered a fluid of the heart. When there is blood stasis in the heart’s vessels, prolonged stasis leads to heat, and heat causes sweating. This morning sweating can be stopped with one to two doses of Xue Fu Zhu Yu Tang. 9. Xue Fu Zhu Yu Tang can be used for cerebrovascular diseases. Cerebrovascular diseases are considered high-risk in modern times, including cerebral infarction and cerebral hemorrhage, all falling under the category of stroke in TCM. The differentiation often involves the internal organs, making it a TCM emergency. The pathogenesis and etiology are complex, and modern TCM often uses Xue Fu Zhu Yu Tang with modifications for treating cerebrovascular diseases characterized by Qi stagnation and blood stasis. 10. Xue Fu Zhu Yu Tang is also widely used in the treatment of cardiovascular diseases. This includes coronary heart disease, rheumatic heart disease, pericardial effusion, arrhythmias, and other heart conditions, as well as the common modern issues of high blood pressure, high blood sugar, and high cholesterol. Xue Fu Zhu Yu Tang has shown remarkable efficacy in differentiated applications. Friends, the above is just a brief discussion of the conditions that Xue Fu Zhu Yu Tang can regulate. Of course, this is just the tip of the iceberg. As the premier formula for activating blood and resolving stasis, it can address a multitude of conditions. It can also treat chronic hepatitis, liver cirrhosis, gallstones, liver and spleen enlargement, retinal artery or vein obstruction, vitreous hemorrhage, optic nerve atrophy, female infertility, dysmenorrhea, amenorrhea, ectopic pregnancy (tubal pregnancy), fibroids and cysts, menopausal syndrome, breast hyperplasia, and other gynecological diseases; as well as bronchial asthma, hematuria, gout, chronic pharyngitis, recurrent oral ulcers, dry mouth syndrome, tongue pain and itching, sleepwalking, constipation, adhesive intestinal obstruction, neurosis, and neurasthenia, among nearly 60 other difficult and complicated diseases, all of which fall within the scope of differentiation and treatment with Xue Fu Zhu Yu Tang. Well, this concludes our discussion on the premier formula for activating blood and resolving stasis. Thanks to the renowned physician Wang Qingren, and may everyone enjoy smooth blood circulation and freedom from diseases!
