Prescriptions for Enriching Blood
Si Wu Tang (四物汤)
Name
Decoction of Four Ingredients
The Prescription of 四物汤
Source
The book Tai Ping Hui Min in He Ji Ju Fang
Ingredients
Dang Gui (Radix Angelicae Sinensis) 10 g,Shu Di (Radix Rehmanniae Preparata) 15 g,Bai Shao (Radix Paeoniae Alba) 10 g,Chuan Xiong (Rhizoma Chuanxiong) 6 g.Explanation
Shu Di: The principal drug, nourishing yin, enriching blood, supplementing essence of the kidney.
Dang Gui: Tonifying and coordinating blood, regulating menstruation.
Bai Shao: Nourishing blood and astringing Yin.
Chuan Xiong: Promoting the circulation of blood and removing the stagnation of Qi, thus preventing other sticky-natured tonics in this prescription from bringing about the stagnation of Qi and blood.
The Effect of 四物汤
Effect
Enriching blood and regulating menstruation.
Indications
Syndrome due to blood deficiency and blood stasis, marked by palpitation, dizziness, blurred eyes, tinnitus, pallor lips and finger/toe nails, scanty menstruation, or amenorrhea, pain around the umbilicus, pale tongue, and taut thready or thready uneven pulse; including such diseases with the above symptoms as anemia and irregular menstruation.
Administrations
Decocted in water for oral dose to be taken twice.
Contraindication
Because Shu Di and Shao Yao are liable to cause stagnation of Qi and impairment of Yang-Qi due to their Yin-soft nature, this prescription should not be used to treat cases with Yang deficiency of the spleen and stomach, marked by poor appetite and loose stools.
Sources and further reading
We cite classical materia medica and modern reference works. This article is health education, not medical advice.
- Shennong Bencao Jing (The Divine Farmer's Materia Medica), Han dynasty.
- Bencao Gangmu (Compendium of Materia Medica), Li Shizhen, 1578.
- Chinese Pharmacopoeia, current edition — identity, quality and safety monographs.
- NCCIH and WHO reference material on traditional medicine safety.
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