Blood Stasis

The syndrome results from clogged circulation, stagnation of blood or retention of blood inside or outside blood vessels.

Clinical manifestations/Indications: Prolonged headache, fixed and stabbing pain, more severe at nighttime, or history of traumatic head injury, long-standing prickly chest pain, endless hiccup, dysphoria, palpitation, insomnia, liability to anger, darkish complexion, squamous and dry skin, dark eyes, purplish lips and nails, thready and uneven pulse.

This syndrome is found in headache, coronary heart disease, angina pectoris, chest pain, tumor, purpura, hypertension, hepatosplenomegaly, cirrhosis of liver, hemorrhagic diseases, cerebral thrombosis, thromboangiitis obliterans, dysmenorrhea, amenia, exfetation.

Etiopathology: It usually occurs because of:

1. Stagnation of qi: It leads to blood circulation blockage.
2. Qi deficiency: It leads to weak blood circulation.
3. Accumulation of pathogenic coldness: This obstructs circulation of qi and blood.

In consequence, blood stasis results in fixed pains, bleeding, with dark purple lips and tongue.

Therapeutic Principle: Promoting blood circulation to remove blood stasis, promoting movement of qi to relieve pain.

Recipe: Decoction for Removing Blood Stasis in the Chest

Ingredients: Radix Angelicae Sinensis, Rhizoma Ligustici Chuanxiong, Radix Paeoniae Rubra, Semen Persicae, Flos Carthami, Radix Achyranthis Bidentatae, Radix Bupleuri, Radix Platycodi, Fructus Aurantii, Radix Rehmanniae, Radix Glycyrrhizae.

The formulae can be modified accordingly to treat headache, coronary heart diseases, cerebral thrombosis, thromboangiitis obliterans, hypertension, cirrhosis of liver, dysmenorrhea, amenia, postabortal retention of placenta, chest pain, and hypochondriac pain that show the syndrome of qi stagnancy and blood stasis.

Modern researches have shown that this recipe is particularly effective in anti-coagulation and antispasm. For women, it has some effect on uterine contraction.

Cautions:

1.      Syndromes that show no blood stasis must not use this recipe.

2.      The recipe is contraindicated in pregnancy.