Invigorate The Blood Flashcards
Chuǎn xiōng *
Nature: acrid, warm
Enters: Liver, Gallbladder, Pericardium
Pharmaceutical Name: Chuanxiong Rhizoma
English translation: Chuanxiong root, Szechuan lovage root,
Indications: Invigorates the blood, promotes the movement of qi, expels wind, stops pain (esp. useful for headaches) blood circulation.
Invigorates the blood and promotes the movement of qi: for any blood stasis pattern. This is an important herb in gynecology and is used for such problems as dysmenorrhea, amenorrhea, difficult labor, or retained lochia. It is also indicated for patterns of stagnant qi and blood stasis with pain and soreness in the chest, flanks and hypochondria.
Expels wind and alleviates pain: a leading herb for any externally-contracted wind disorder characterized by headache, dizziness, or painful obstruction. Particulary useful for headaches. Also used for a variety of skin problems caused by wind. (Shaoyang H.A.: Temporal or Jueyin: Vortex)
Dān Shēn *
Nature: bitter, slightly cold
Enters: Heart, Pericardium, Liver
Pharmaceutical Name: Salviae miltiorrhizae Radix
English translation: Salvia root
Actions: Invigorates the blood, tonifies the blood, calms irritability due to blood heat.
Invigorates the blood and dispels stasis: for a wide variety of blood stasis disorders in any part of the body. Most commonly used for problems affecting the lower abdomen, chest, or hypochondria. It is a very important herb in gynecology.
Clears heat and soothes irritability: especially useful for restlessness, irritability, palpitations, and insomnia due to heat entering the nutritive level. Can also be used in patterns of Heart and Kidney yin deficiency.
Cools the blood and reduces abscesses: as an adjunctive herb to treat sores or the early stages of breast abscesses. (goes to pericardium)
Jĭ xuè téng (compared to Dang qui: to tonify blood)
Nature: bitter, sweet, warm
Enters: Heart, Liver, Spleen
Pharmaceutical Name: Spatholobi Caulis
English translation: Spatholobus root and vine
Actions: Invigorates the blood, tonifies the blood, soothes the sinews and invigorates the collaterals.
Indications:
• Promotes the movement of and tonifies the blood: for blood deficiency patterns presenting with such problems as dysmenorrhea, irregular menstruation, or amenorrhea accompanied by abdominal pain.
Invigorates the channels and relaxes the sinews: for numbness of the extremities, lower back pain, knee pain, or generalized joint soreness from wind-damp painful obstruction, with either blood deficiency or stasis. Also used for weakness of the extremities in the elderly or paralysis and vertigo due to blood stasis or wind-stroke.
Yán hú suŏ *
Nature: acrid, bitter, warm
Enters: Heart, Liver, Stomach
Pharmaceutical Name: Corydalis Rhizoma
English translation: Corydalis rhizome
Actions: Invigorates the blood, strongly stops pain. (painkiller in TCM)
Indications:
• Invigorates the blood, promotes the movement of qi, and alleviates pain: for pain of almost any kind affecting the chest, abdomen, or limbs, including that due to blood stasis and trauma. Especially useful for epigastric pain and dysmenorrhea.
Yù jĭn *
Nature: acrid, bitter, cold
Enters: Heart, Lung, Liver,
Pharmaceutical Name: Curcumae Radix
English translation: Curcuma tuber
Actions: cools the blood, breaks up stasis, promotes the movement of qi, relives constraint. =
Indications:
• Invigorates the blood and stops pain while promoting the movement of qi and resolving constraint (LV Qi stagnation): used topically and internally for pain related to traumatic injury and to hasten the healing process of chronic sores as well as such symptoms as chest, abdominal, flank, or menstrual pain from constrained Liver qi. Particularly useful for constrained Liver qi patterns with heat signs.
Clear heat and cools the blood: for heat in the blood aspect causing chaotic movement of the blood leading to such problems as nosebleed, vomiting of blood, and blood in the urine. Especially useful for nosebleed at the onset of menstruation or instead of menstruation, known as inverted menses (not common for bleeding).
Clears the Heart and opens the orifices: used when hot phlegm obstructs the Heart orifices with such symptoms as anxiety, agitation, seizures, or mental derangement. Although it is rather effective in clearing the Heart, its ability to open the orifices is weak. (wind or phlegm heat)
Benefits the Gallbladder and reduces jaundice: for gallbladder disorders and jaundice (stones, inflammation, infection)
Jiāng huáng
Nature: acrid, bitter, warm
Enters: Spleen, Stomach, Liver
Pharmaceutical Name: Curcumae longae rhizoma
English translation: turmeric rhizome
Actions: invigorates the blood, breaks up blood stasis, drives qi downward, treats wind-damp painful obstruction.
Indications:
Invigorates the blood and unblocks menstruation: for chest or abdominal pain, amenorrhea, or dysmenorrhea due to blood stasis caused by cold from deficiency. Also used for pain and swelling due to trauma or the early stages of sores and abscesses.
Promotes the movement of qi and alleviates pain: for epigastric and abdominal pain due to stagnant qi.
Expels wind and promotes the movement of blood: for wind-damp painful obstruction with blood stasis, especially in the shoulders (b syndrome upper limb)
Yì mǔ cǎo (similar to ZeLan)
Nature: acrid, bitter, slightly cold
Enters: Heart, Liver, Bladder
Pharmaceutical Name: Leonuri Herba
English translation: leonurus, Chinese motherwort
Actions: Invigorates the blood, regulates menstruation, facilitates urination, resolves toxicity.
Indications:
Invigorates the blood and dispels stasis: commonly used for gynecological disorders such as irregular menstruation, premenstrual abdominal pain, heavy menstruation with clots, fixed abdominal masses, infertility, and postpartum abdominal pain with retained lochia. Also used for traumatic pain.
Promotes urination and reduces swelling: for acute systemic edema. Especially useful when accompanied by blood in the urine. (edema: period is related to hormones)
Clears heat and resolves toxicity: for sores, abscesses, and toxic swellings. Also, for itchy rashes from damp-heat collecting and steaming the muscles and subcutaneous tissues. Used either internally or topically.
Zé lán (similar to Yi mu cao)
Nature: acrid, bitter, slightly warm
Enters: Liver, Spleen
Pharmaceutical Name: Lycopi Herba
English translation: lycopos, bugleweed
Actions: Gently invigorates the blood without injuring the normal qi, promotes urination.
Indications:
Invigorates the blood and dispels stasis: for pain due to blood stasis obstructing the menses, and for postpartum abdominal pain from blood stasis. Also used topically or internally for pain and swelling from traumatic injury or abscess.
Promotes urination: for postpartum edema, postpartum painful urinary dribbling, and systemic or facial edema. This effect is rather milder and is adjunctive in nature.
Chì sháo
(clears heat @ blood level: Shen disturbance due to high fever w/ mental confusion, skin rashes)
Nature: Bitter, Sour, Slightly cold
Enters: Liver, Spleen
Pharmaceutical Name: Paeoniae Radix rubra
English translation: Red peony root
Actions: Invigorates the blood, transforms stasis, stops pain, cools heat in the blood.
Indications:
Invigorates the blood and dispels blood stasis: for dysmenorrhea, amenorrhea, abdominal pain, and fixed abdominal masses. Also for the swelling and pain associated with traumatic injury and the early stages of abscesses and boils.
Clears heat and cools the blood: for heat entering the blood level with fever, purple tongue, maculae, and bleeding due to the chaotic movement of hot blood. Also for gynecological problems associated with hot blood.
Táo rén (used with Hong hua)
Nature: Bitter, Sweet, Neutral
Enters: Heart, Large Intestine, Liver, Lung
Pharmaceutical Name: Persicae Semen
English translation: Peach kernel, perisca
Actions: Invigorates the blood, dispels stasis, moistens the Intestines, stops coughs and wheezing.
Indications:
Breaks up blood stasis: (blood clots) an important herb used in resolving many kinds of problems associated with blood stasis including menstrual disorders, abdominal pain, traumatic injury, flank pain, Lung abscess, and Intestinal abscess with fixed abdominal mass.
Moistens the Intestines and unblocks the bowels: for constipation due to dry intestines.
Hóng huā (used with Tao Ren)
Nature: Acrid, Warm
Enters: Heart, Liver
Pharmaceutical Name: Carthami Flos
English translation: Safflower, carthamus
Actions: Invigorates the blood, stops pain.
Indications:
Invigorates the blood, dispels stasis and unblocks menstruation: for a wide variety of problems due to blood stasis. Because it is particularly effective in unblocking the menses, in women it is used for blood stasis patterns with amenorrhea, abdominal pain, postpartum dizziness, retained lochia, and abdominal masses. Other uses include trauma, nonsuppurative sores, carbuncles, and dark purplish erythema. Also for incomplete expression of the rash or measles or painful obstruction of the chest due to blood stasis.
É zhú
Nature: Bitter, Acrid, Warm
Enters: Liver, Spleen
Pharmaceutical Name: Curcumae Rhizoma
English translation: Curcuma rhzome
Actions: Promotes the movement of blood and qi, breaks up accumulations, reduces food stagnation.
Indications:
Breaks up blood stasis, promotes the movement of qi, and alleviates pain: for abdominal pain, dysmenorrhea, amenorrhea, abdominal masses, and epigastric masses due to blood stasis.
Dissolves accumulations and alleviates pain: for pain, distention, fullness, and constriction in the chest and abdomen due to food stagnation. Also for childhood nutritional impairment.
Sān léng
Nature: Bitter, Acrid, Neutral
Enters: Liver, Spleen
Pharmaceutical Name: Sparganii Rhizoma
English translation: Sparganium, burr reed rhizome, scirpus, common burr reed
Actions: Breaks up stagnation of both the qi and blood, disperses food stagnation, stops pain.
Indications:
Forcefully breaks up blood stasis, promotes the movement of qi, and alleviates pain: for stasis patterns with amenorrhea, dysmenorrhea, postpartum abdominal pain, and abdominal masses.
Dissolves accumulations: for severe abdominal pain and distention due to food stagnation and stagnant qi.
Rǔ xiāng
Nature: Acrid, Bitter, Warm
Enters: Heart, Liver, Spllen
Pharmaceutical Name: Olibanum
English translation: frankincense, gum olibanum, mastic
Actions: invigorates the blood, promotes the movement of qi, stops pain, generates flesh.
Indications:
Invigorates the blood and promotes the movement of qi: for traumatic pain due to blood stasis, as well as the early stages of carbuncles, sores, swellings, and pain. Also for chest, epigastric, or abdominal pain due to blood stasis.
Relaxes the sinews, invigorates the channels, and alleviates pain: for wind-damp painful obstruction, rigidity and spasms.
Reduces swelling and generates flesh: applied topically as an ointment or powder to reduce swelling, generate flesh, alleviate pain, and promote healing of sores, carbuncles, and traumatic injury. Also for pain, redness, and swelling of the gums, mouth, and throat.
Mò yào
Nature: Bitter, Neutral
Enters: Heart, Liver, Spleen
Pharmaceutical Name: Myrrha
English translation: myrrh
Actions: breaks up blood stasis to stop pain, reduces, generates flesh.
Indications: Invigorates the blood and dispels blood stasis, reduces swelling, and alleviates pain: for problems due to blood stasis, including pain from trauma, sores, carbuncles, swellings, fixed abdominal masses, painful obstruction, chest pain, abdominal pain, and amenorrhea.
Promotes healing: used topically to promote the healing of chronic nonhealing sores.
Niú xī
Nature: Bitter, Sour, Neutral
Enters: Liver, Kidney
Pharmaceutical Name: Achyranthis bidentatae radix
English translation: achyranthes root
Actions: unprepared form: breaks up blood stasis, unblocks menstruation, guides blood to descend, directs fire downward; prepared form: tonifies the Liver and Kidneys, strengthens the sinews and bones.
Indications:
Invigorates the blood and dispels blood stasis: for blood stasis patterns with such symptoms as dysmenorrhea, amenorrhea, and retained lochia. Also used for post-traumatic pain.
Tonifies the Liver and Kidneys, strengthens the sinews and bones, and benefits the joints: for pain and soreness affecting the lower back and knees due to deficiency.
Induces the downward movement of blood and fire: for chaotic movement of hot blood in the upper burner or yin deficiency with ascending fire. Manifestations include nosebleed, vomiting blood, toothaches, bleeding gums. Also for dizziness, headache, and blurred vision due to ascendant Liver Yang.
Clears damp-heat in the lower burner: for cases of damp heat pouring downward manifesting as knee pain or lower back damp painful obstruction. It is also an auxiliary herb for painful urinary dribbling or vaginal discharge. Especially useful for painful urinary dribbling with stones accompanied by lower back pain and bloody urine
Wáng bù liú xíng
Nature: Bitter, Neutral
Enters: Liver, Stomach
Pharmaceutical Name: Vaccariae semen
English translation: vaccaria seeds
Actions: powerfully and rapidly invigorates the blood and disperses clumping and stasis.
Indications:
Promotes the movement of blood and invigorates the channels: in the upper part of the body this herb promotes lactation, and in the lower part it unblocks menstruation. For insufficient lactation or amenorrhea due to blood stasis.
Reduces swellings: for painful swellings, especially of the breast or testicles.
Wǔ líng zhī
Nature: Bitter, Sweet, Warm
Enters: Liver
Pharmaceutical Name: Trogopterori Faeces
English translation: Flying squirrel feces, pteropus
Actions: Invigorates the blood, stops pain.
Indications:
Disperses blood stasis and alleviates pain: for a variety of disorders caused by blood stasis, including amenorrhea, dysmenorrhea, postpartum abdominal pain, and epigastric pain.
Transforms stasis and stops bleeding: for uterine bleeding and retained lochia due to blood stasis.
Also used for childhood nutritional impairment with focal distention.
