Today, let's talk about an acclaimed formula in traditional Chinese medicine for addressing "stasis and obstruction"—Guizhi Fuling Pills. Many people know that it can promote blood circulation and remove blood stasis, effectively dealing with some small lumps or nodules in the body. However, in reality, there are many causes of "stasis," and using a single medicine may sometimes seem insufficient in potency.

From the perspective of traditional Chinese medicine, blood stasis does not occur out of thin air; there is often a "driving force" behind it. Only by identifying the root cause and combining appropriate medications can we resolve the problem at its source. Below, I will share with you three golden combination strategies for Guizhi Fuling Pills to help you regulate your body more precisely.

1. For "cold stagnation" characterized by cold sensitivity and cold hands and feet: Combine with Fuzi Lizhong Wan

Typical Profile: Are you particularly afraid of the cold, with hands and feet feeling like ice blocks all year round? Is your lower abdomen or stomach often chilly, and do you feel more comfortable only after drinking warm water? At the same time, you may be able to feel some hard nodules or lumps on your body. Female friends may also experience dysmenorrhea or heavy blood clots.

TCM Perspective: This is a typical case of "yang deficiency with cold stagnation" in traditional Chinese medicine. Our bodies rely on "yang energy" for warmth, much like a small sun within us. If yang energy is insufficient, the body's "firepower" weakens, and blood circulation slows down. Just as river water freezes in winter, blood becomes "frozen," gradually forming blood stasis and hard masses (i.e., those nodules and lumps).

Combination Protocol: Guizhi Fuling Pills (Activate Blood and Resolve Stasis) + Fuzi Lizhong Pills (Warm Yang and Disperse Cold)

Regulatory Rationale: Fuzi Lizhong Pills are a master at warming and tonifying the spleen and kidney yang qi. They raise the internal body "temperature," effectively reigniting the fire of the inner sun. When the fire is strong enough, the "river channels" (blood vessels) that were frozen solid naturally thaw. At this point, Guizhi Fuling Pills step in to perform the task of "breaking the ice and clearing the silt," dispersing and expelling the already formed blood stasis masses. One formula is responsible for adding heat, the other for cleaning up. Working together, they disperse cold and eliminate stasis.

2. For "qi-deficiency stagnation" characterized by weakness and excessive sweating: Combine with Buzhong Yiqi Wan

Typical Profile: Individuals who constantly feel general fatigue and lack of energy, becoming breathless after speaking just a few sentences. They sweat easily with minimal exertion (deficiency sweating) and may even struggle with issues like organ prolapse (e.g., gastroptosis). People with this constitutional type are also prone to developing ecchymosis or nodules on their body.

Traditional Chinese Medicine Perspective: This pattern is categorized as "Qi Deficiency with Blood Stasis." TCM has an aphorism: "Qi is the commander of blood," meaning qi is the general that propels blood circulation. If the body's qi is insufficient (qi deficiency), this "commander" lacks the strength to direct the "soldiers" (blood) to advance. Consequently, blood flow slows down, stagnates, and eventually congeals into blood stasis.

**Combination Formula: Guizhi Fuling Pills (Invigorate Blood and Dissipate Blood Stasis) + Buzhong Yiqi Pills (Tonify Qi and Elevate Yang)**

**Mechanism of Action:** Buzhong Yiqi Pills are a classic formula for replenishing Middle Jiao (spleen-stomach) Qi and boosting the strength of Qi. Think of it as giving extra energy to a weakened "Commander-in-Chief," helping him regain vigor and the strength to propel the circulation of blood. When the Qi is sufficiently strong and can propel the blood, Guizhi Fuling Pills can then follow through effectively, clearing out the traffic jams of stagnant blood. One formula is responsible for boosting the motive force, while the other is responsible for clearing the pathway. When Qi moves, blood circulates.

3. Qi stagnation and blood stasis due to frequent anger and emotional instability: combine with Xiaoyao Pills.

Typical Profile: Do you often suppress your anger, feel easily anxious or irritable? Do you frequently experience a sense of fullness or discomfort in your chest and flanks, as if something is stuck there, along with a persistent sensation in your throat of something that can't be coughed up or swallowed down (in traditional Chinese medicine, this is known as "plum pit qi").

TCM Perspective: This represents the most common pattern of "qi stagnation and blood stasis." In TCM theory, "the liver governs free flow and discharge" and is responsible for regulating the movement of qi throughout the body, much like the "central traffic controller" of a city. When emotions are not flowing smoothly, the liver is the first to be affected, leading to liver qi stagnation, akin to the "traffic control" system malfunctioning, causing congestion of qi throughout the body. When qi cannot flow, blood naturally also becomes stagnant and blocked.

Recommended Formula Combination: Guizhi Fuling Wan (Cinnamon Twig and Poria Pill — activates blood and resolves stasis) + Xiaoyao Wan (Free Wanderer Pill — soothes the liver and relieves stagnation)

Treatment Rationale: Xiaoyao Wan is the "specialist" for soothing the liver and regulating qi. It can calm emotions, restoring the "traffic controller" to its normal function, and allowing the flow of qi throughout the body to become smooth. Once qi flow is smooth, the "upstream problem" of blood stasis is addressed. Then, Guizhi Fuling Wan can be used to clear away the existing "stagnation" downstream, achieving twice the result with half the effort.

Quick Tip: If you notice that the two veins under your tongue are thick and dark, it indicates a significant blood stasis condition. You can replace Xiaoyao Wan with Honghua Xiaoyao Wan, which has stronger blood-activating properties, for more direct results.