Friends with blood stasis in their bodies should pay close attention. Don't just jump straight to promoting blood circulation and resolving stasis. Replenishing Yang is the real key to truly dissolving stagnant blood. Why is that? In Traditional Chinese Medicine, there is a saying: "Blood flows with warmth and congeals with cold." This means that blood relies on warm, propulsive energy to flow smoothly. If it is affected by cold, it will stagnate and become sluggish. However, many people nowadays don't understand this principle. As soon as they discover they have blood stasis, they habitually use those blood-activating and stasis-resolving herbs or formulas, such as Honghua (Carthamus tinctorius), Taoren (Persicae Semen), Ezhu (Curcumae Rhizoma), and Xuefu Zhuyu Wan. While these substances are indeed powerful for activating blood, their effect of dispersing qi is also significant.

People with blood stasis in their bodies already have insufficient qi and blood. Taking these blood-activating and stasis-resolving herbs can further seriously damage their qi and blood. After taking such medications, a person will only become increasingly deficient and lack strength. Therefore, if you want to resolve stasis, you must first replenish the body's qi and blood and raise the level of Yang energy. When Yang energy is sufficient, it can also add momentum to the spleen and stomach, enabling them to transform and generate even more qi and blood.

The medical sage Zhang Zhongjing pondered over a formula for warming yang and resolving blood stasis a thousand years ago, called Wenjing Tang (Channel-Warming Decoction). The herbs in this formula are quite particular and can be divided into four groups according to their functions.

The first group is for dispersing cold, consisting of Evodia fruit, cinnamon twig, and ginger, all of which are warm-natured herbs. Evodia fruit warms the liver channel, which is the longest meridian in the human body, stretching from the top of the head all the way down to the soles of the feet; Evodia fruit warms this entire pathway. Cinnamon twig disperses heart cold, while ginger disperses cold in the spleen and stomach. Many people have spleen and stomach deficiency-cold and feel uncomfortable after eating anything cold; ginger works very well to dispel this cold.

The second group is for nourishing and invigorating the blood, using Chinese angelica root, white peony root, donkey-hide gelatin, and ophiopogon root. Chinese angelica root is an excellent blood-tonifying herb, and donkey-hide gelatin is also highly effective for nourishing blood. White peony root excels at softening the liver and nourishing blood. The liver stores blood, so when the liver is well-nourished, blood can also become more abundant. Ophiopogon root nourishes yin and moistens dryness while also moderating the warm and drying nature of yang-tonifying herbs to prevent excessive supplementation from damaging the body’s fluids.

The third group is for activating blood and resolving stasis, consisting of peony root bark and Sichuan lovage root. These two herbs regulate qi and resolve stasis. In traditional Chinese medicine, it is said that “when qi moves, blood moves.” When qi flows smoothly, stagnant blood is flushed away, and heart blood can circulate normally. Many people have blood stasis due to qi stagnation; when qi is blocked, blood also becomes blocked, so regulating qi and resolving stasis are very important.

The last set has tonic effects—these are Dangshen (Codonopsis pilosula) and Gancao (licorice root). The spleen and stomach are the source of qi and blood production; only when the spleen and stomach functions are strong can qi and blood be continuously generated. Dangshen tonifies the middle and augments qi, while Gancao harmonizes all herbs in the formula and also tonifies the spleen and augments qi.

Thus, looking at it this way, the Wenjing Tang formula not only elevates yang qi but also replenishes deficient qi and blood, while also activating blood circulation and resolving stasis—truly achieving three goals at once. Friends with blood stasis in the body might consider trying this formula under a doctor's guidance.