They are mostly pungent and bitter in flavor and mainly attributive to the liver and heart meridians and xuefen.

They can facilitate blood flow and remove blood stasis so as to achieve the therapeutic effects of stimulating the menstrual flow, treating arthralgia and trauma and relieving swelling and pain. They are indicated for unsmooth blood flow and blood stasis manifested as fixed pain or numbness; for internal or external lumps, bleeding with darkish blood and purple-dark masses and ecchymosis on the skin and tongue.

There are various causes of forming blood stasis, therefore the causes should be found out by differentiation of syndromes and proper combination of medicinal herbs worked out when they are used. For example, if blood stasis is caused by cold obstruction and qi stagnation, the medicinal herbs warming the interior and dissipating cold should be combined; if by heat invading yingfen and xuefen and blood stasis in the interior, those clearing away heat and cooling the blood should be combined; if by obstructive pain due to wind-dampness, wind-dampness eliminating ones should be combined; if by trauma, those that can promote qi circulation and dredge collaterals should be combined; if by abdominal mass, those that resolve phlegm; soften hardness and disperse stagnation should be used together; if the blood stasis syndrome is accompanied by insufficiency of healthy qi, those that supplement qi should be used together.

Since qi and blood are closely related to each other, i.e. free flow of qi leads to free flow of the blood and stagnation of qi results in blood stasis and vice versa, they are usually used in combination with qi regulating medicinal herbs so as to enhance the action of invigorating the blood and removing stagnation.

They are not suitable for excessive menstruation and used with great caution or contraindicated in pregnant women.

Danshen Radix Salviae Miltiorrhizae

The source is from the root and rhizome of Salvia miltiorrhiza Bunge, family Labiatae. The medicinal herb is produced in most parts of China, mainly in areas of Hebei, Anhui, Jiangsu, and Sichuan, etc., dug and collected in spring and winter, dried in the sun and the crude or the stir-baked with wine is used.

Medicinal Properties Bitter in flavor, slightly cold in nature and attributive to the heart, pericardium and liver meridians.

Actions Promote blood circulation to remove blood stasis, regulate menstruation to relieve pain, cool the blood to relieve carbuncle, and clear away heat from the heart and tranquilize the mind.

Application
1. It is indicated for irregular menstruation, amenorrhea, postpartum abdominal pain resulting from blood stasis, abdominal masses and pain of limbs. Since it is cold in nature, it is especially suitable for syndrome of blood stasis with heat. It is also good at regulating menstruation, therefore it is an essential medicine in maternity department. For women's syndromes due to blood stasis, it is usually combined with Honghua (Flos Carthami), Taoren (Semen Persicae ), and Yimucao (Herba Leonuri), etc.; for the pains in the chest and epigastric abdomen resulting from blood stasis and stagnation of qi, combined with Tanxiang (Lignum Santali Albi ) and Sharen (Fructus Amomi), such as Danshen Yin (Decoction); for abdominal masses, combined with Sanleng (Rhizoma Sparganii ), Ezhu ( Rhizoma Zedoariae ), Zelan (Herba Lycopi), and Biejia ( Carapax Trionycis ), etc.; for trauma with pain due to blood stasis, usually combined with Danggui ( Radix Angelicae Sinensis ), Honghua ( Flos Carthami ) and Chuanxiong ( Rhizom Chuanxiong); for Bi-syndrome of wind-damp-heat type with red, swollen and painful joints, combined with Rendongteng ( Caulis Lonicerae ), Chishaoyao ( Radix Paeoniae Rubra ) and Qinjiao (Radix Gentianae Macrophyllae ) .

2. For carbuncle with swelling and pain, it is combined with medicinal herbs that clear away heat and eliminate toxic materials, which can help relieve carbuncle. For example, for breast abscess with swelling and pain, combined with Ruxiang (Olibanum), Jinyinhua (Flos Lonicerae ) and Lianqiao ( Flos Forsythiae ), that is, Xiaoru Tang (Decoction).

3. It is used for febrile disease with restlessness, coma, palpitation and insomnia; for pathogenic factors invading yingfen and xuefen in the seasonal febrile disease, it is usually combined with Shengdihuang (Radix Rehmanniae), Xuanshen (Radix Scrophulariae), Zhuyexin (the centre of Folium Phyllostachydis Nigrae), such as Qingying Tang (Decoction); for palpitation and insomnia due to preponderant heart-fire or blood failing to nourish the heart, usually combined with Suanzaoren (Semen Ziziphi Spinosae ) and Baiziren ( Semen Biotae ).

But now, clinically, it is usually prepared into tablet or injection to treat hepatosplenomegaly and anginal attack in coronary heart disease.

Usage and Dosage 9 - 15 g is used in decoction for oral use. The stir-baked one with wine can strengthen the action of promoting blood circulation.

Notes It is incompatible with Lilu (Rhizoma et Radix Veratra ) .

Chuanxiong Rhizoma Chuanxiong

The source is from the rhizome of Ligusticum chuanxiong Hort., family Umbelliferae. The medicinal material is a special one of Sichun, being cultivated artificially. It is dug and collected in May, dried by fire and cut into pieces. The crude one or the one stir-baked with wine can be used.

Medicinal Properties Pungent in flavor, warm in nature and attributive to the liver, gallbladder and pericardium meridians.
Actions Promote the circulation of the blood and qi, expel wind and alleviate pain.

Application
1. It is indicated for stagnation of the blood and qi resulting in irregular menstruation, dysmenorrhea, amenorrhea and postpartum abdominal pain due to blood stasis, hypochondriac pain, numbness of limbs, trauma and carbuncle with swelling and pain. It is used together with Danggui (Radix Angelicae Sinensis) every time. On the basis of the combination, other medicinal herbs are combined with according to different syndromes. If the combination is used to regulate menstruation, it is used together with Chishaoyao (Radix Paeoniae Rubra ), Xiangfu (Rhizoma Cyperi) and others; for postpartum abdominal pain due to blood stasis, Yimucao (Herba Leonuri), Taoren ( Semen Persicae), etc. are combined; for hypochondriac pain due to stagnation of liver-qi resulting in unsmooth circultion of blood, Chaihu (Radix Bupleuri), Xiangfu ( Rhizoma Cyperi ), etc. are combined; for numbness of limbs or wound pain, every time Chishaoyao ( Radix Paeoniae Rubra ), Honghua ( Flos Carthami), etc. are combined; for carbuncle and ulcer disease of skin with pus that is ulcerated due to weakness of the healthy qi, Huangqi (Radix Astragali), Jinyinhua ( Flos Lonicerae ), and Zaojiaoci ( Spina Gleditsiae ), etc. can also be combined.

2. It is an essential medicinal herb to be used in the treatment of headache. For headache due to exogenous wind and dampness, it is combined with Baizhi (Radix Angelicae Dahuricae ), Fangfeng ( Radix Saposhnikoviae), and Xixin (Herba Asari), such as Chuanxiong Chatiao San (Powder); for headache due to wind and heat, combined with Juhua (Flos Chrysanthemi), Shigao ( Gypsum Fibrosum) and Baijiangcan (Bombyx Batryticatus), such as Chuanxiong San (Powder); for headache due to wind and dampness, combined with Oianghuo (Rhizoma et Radix Notopterygii ), Gaoben ( Rhizoma Ligustici) and Fangfeng (Radix Saposhnikoviae), such as Qianghuo Shengshi Tang (Decoction); for headache due to blood stasis, combined with Chishaoyao (Radix Paeoniae Rubra ) , Honghua ( Flos Carthami ) , Danshen (Radix Salviae Miltiorrhizae ) and Baizhi (Radix Angelicae Dahuricae); for headache due to blood deficiency, combined with Danggui ( Radix Angelicae Sinensis ), Shudihuang (Rhizoma Rehmanniae Praeparatae), Baishaoyao (Radix Paeoniae Alba ), Juhua ( Flos Chrysanthemi) , etc..

3. For Bi-syndrome of wind and damp type with painful joints, it is combined with wind-dampness eliminating herbs such as Qianghuo (Rhizoma et Radix Notopterygii), Duhuo ( Radix Angelicae Pubescentis ), Sangzhi (Ramulus Mori) and Haifengteng (Caulis Piperis Futokadsurae) to strengthen the therapeutic effects.

Besides, it can also be used for coronary heart disease with angina pectoris and ischemic brain disease.
Usage and Dosage 3 - 10 g is used in decoction for oral use, 1 - 1.5 g of the powder being swallowed with water.
Notes It is pungent, warm, lifting and dispersing in properties, therefore it is contraindicated in the cases with yin deficiency leading to hyperactivity of fire marked by red tongue and dryness in the mouth; used with caution in women with excessive menstruation and cases with bleeding.

Yanhusuo Rhizoma Corydalis
The source is from the tuber of the perennial herbage Corydalis Yanhusuo W. T. Wang, family Papaveraceae. The medicinal material is mainly produced in the areas of Zhejiang, Jiangsu, Hunan and Hubei, collected in the beginning of summer, cleaned and then boiled in boiling water, dried in the sun and pounded into pieces when it is used. The crude one or the one prepared with vinegar is used.

Medicinal Properties Pungent and bitter in flavor, warm in nature and attributive to the heart, liver and spleen meridians.
Actions Promote the circulation of blood and qi to relieve pain.

Application
It is an essential medicine to relieve pain and used for painful syndrome due to stagnation of qi and stasis of the blood, and widely used for pain in all parts of the body. The powder is effective to be taken alone and in order to increase the therapeutic effect, it can also be used in combination according to the painful location and properties. For example, it is combined with Chuanlianzi (Fructus Meliae Toosendan) to treat pains in the epigastric abdomere combined with Xiaohuixiang (Fructus Foenicgli) to treat pain due to hernia; combined with Danggui (Radix Angelicae Sinensis ) , Chuanxiong (Rhizoma Chuanxiong), Baishaoyao (Radix Paeoniae Alba), and Xiangfu (Rhizoma Cyperi), etc., to treat abdominal pain during menstruation combined with Gualou (Fructus Trichosanthis ) , Xiebai ( Bulbus Allii Macrostemi ), Yujin (Radix Curcumae ), and Wuyao ( Radix Linderae ), etc., to treat hypochondriac pain;combined with Danggui (Radix Angelicae Sinensis ) , Guizhi ( Ramulus Cinnamomi), Chishaoyao (Radix Paeoniae Rubra), etc., in the treatment of pain of limbs or general pain due to blood stasis, and trauma.

Usage and Dosage 3 - 10 g is used in decoction for oral use and 1.5 - 3 g of the powder is taken.
Explanation After being prepared with vinegar, it can raise solubility of its effective components in decoction so as to strengthen the effect of arresting pain.