Prescriptions for Regulating Blood Circulation
Prescriptions for regulating blood circtulation are chiefly composed of drugs that activate blood circulation.They bear the function of promoting blood circulation or arresting bleeding and are indicated for syrndromes of blood stasis and hemorrhage.
Blood circulates incessantly in the vessels, but once the flow of blood is impeded, stagnation will be turned into stasis, blood will overflow from the vessels (namely bleeding syndrome). Therefore, this group of prescriptions is accordingly subdivided into prescriptioms for activating blood flow to remove blood stasis and those for arresting bleeding.
The former mainly consists of drugs to activate blood flow and remove blood stasis and is indicated for blood accumulation and blood stasis syndrome due tto stagnant blood in viscera or meridiens and collateralls. The latter,however, is chiefly composed of drugs with styptic action and fit for hemorrhage at various locations of diseases as the result of extravasation of blood.
The former mostly possesses drastic and purgative effect and is apt to consume blood and impair healthy qi and liable to cause blood and fetus disorder.. Therefore
drugs for removing blood stasis should not be rased with an overdose, or it is advisable to use simultaneoussly drugs for building up body resistance to remove stagnant: blood without impairing healthy qi. Besides, it should be used with great caution in women with profuse menstruation or at pregnancy. The latter usually has an astringent action and is liable to cause blood stagnation, so they should be combined with some drugs that activate blood flow and remove blood stasis to prevent stagnation of blood. In addition, whichever syndrome it is, it is certainly caused by cold and heat syndromes as well as excess and deficiency syndromes. Thus clinically, it is necessary to differentiate syndromes for etiology, distinguish between the primary and secondary aspects of the disease and determine severity of the disease. On this basis, therapeutic principle should be determined whether to treat the secondary or primary aspect, or deal with both simultaneously.
Prescriptions for Promoting Blood Flow to Remove Stasis
Taohe Chengqi Tang
(Decoction of Peach Nucleus for Activating Qi )
Source: Shanghan Lun (Treatise on F:xogenous Febrile Diseases).
Ingredients:
No. 1 Taoren ( Semen Perisicae) 12 g;
No. 2 Dahuang (Radix et Rhizoma Rhei) 12 g;
No. 3 Guizhi (Ramulus Cinnamomi) 6 g;
No.4 Zhigancao (Radix Glycyrrhizae Praeparatae) 6 g;
No. 5 Mangxiao (Natrii Sulfas) 6 g.
Adminstration: Decoct the first four ingredients in Water; dissolve the last in this decoction after the residue is removed.
Actions: Purging away heat and removing blood stasis Clinical Application: This recipe is indicated for accumulation of heat m the lower-energizer, marked by
lower abdominal pain, normal urination, fever at night, or delirium, polydipsia, even dysphoria, or dysmenorrhea, amenia and postpartum lochiostasis, deep replete and uneven pulse. It is applicable to acute pelvic inflammation,retention of placenta, annexitis and others, which are ascribed to heat accumulation in the lower energizer. If concomitant with functional disorder of qi with severe flatulence and pain, add Xiangfu (Rhizoma Cyperi ) and Wuyao (Radix Linderae) to promote the flow of qi and relieve pain. If the excessive heat invades upward manifesting headache and fullness of head, conjunctival congestion and flushed face, add Shengdihuang (Radix Rehmanniae ), and Mudanpi (Cortex Moutan Radicis ) to clear away heat from blood.
Elucidation: The syndrome is caused by heat accumulation in the lower energizer and its upward invasion to the mind. It should be treated by purging away heat stagnation. The first ingredient can remove blood stasis because of its potent properties, and No. 2 can remove stasis and purge away heat. Both are used as monarch drugs to deal with beth stasis and heat and to lead heat downward. No. 3 is capable of promoting smooth flow of blood in the vessels and helps No. 1 remove blood stasis. While No. 5 bears the. function of purging away heat stagnation and helping No. 2 remove blood stasis. No. 3 and No. 5 together play the part of minister drugs. No. 4 functions as adjuvant drug, which has the effect of supplementing qi and regulating the middle-energizer, and mediating the properties of other ingredients. It can also reduce the potent efficacy of other drugs and prevent them from impairing healthy qi.
Cautions : This recipe is drastic in effect and used to remove blood stasis. Therefore it should be applied carefully to ]patients with usual deficiency of the spleen and loose stool.
Xuefu Zhuyu Tang
( Decoction for Removing Blood Stasis in the Chest)
Source: Yilin Gaicuo (Corrections on Medical Works).
Ingredients :
No. 1 Taoren ( Semen Persicae) 12 g;
No. 2 Honghua (Flos Carthami) 9 g;
No. 3 Danggui (Radix Angelicae Sinensis ) 9 g;
No. 4 Shengdihuang (Radix Rehmanniae) 9 g;
No.5 Chuanxiong(Rhizoma Ligustici Chuanxiong) 5 g;
No. 6 Chishaoyao (Radix Paeoniae Rubra ) 6 g;
No. 7 Niuxi (Radix Achyranthis Bidentatae ) 9 g;
No. 8 Jiegeng (Radix Platycodi) 5 g;
No. 9 Chaihu (Radix Bupleuri) 3 g;
No. 10 Zhike (Fructus Aurantii) 6 g;
No. 11 Gancao (Radix Glycyrrhizae) 3 g.
Administration: Decoct the above drugs in water for oral application.
Actions: Promoting blood circulation to remove blood stasis, and promoting flow of qi to relieve pain.
Clinical Application: This recipe is indicated for blood stasis in the chest, marked by protracted chest Fain and headache at fixed location as if pricked with needles, or protracted hiccup, or dysphoria due to interior heat, or Palpitation, insomnia, irritability, hectic fever at dusk, dark-purple lips or blackish eyelids, deep-red tongue with ecchymoses, uneven or taut and tense pulse. It is applicable to chest pain as seen in angina pectoris of coronary heart disease, rheumatic heart disease, chest contusion and costal chondritis. It may also be used in headache,
