Have you noticed that as you get older, your body seems like an old machine, with minor issues constantly popping up? Feeling out of breath with just a little exercise, lacking energy and always wanting to rest during the day, tossing and turning and unable to sleep well at night, having dry, split ends in your hair, and a sallow, dull complexion that looks particularly lifeless—all these are actually signals of Qi and Blood deficiency!

I’m often asked: "Can health supplements replenish Qi and Blood?" To be honest, many people waste money on them and still end up feeling weak, with not very good results. In fact, Traditional Chinese Medicine has a ready-made and effective method—the Eight Treasures Decoction (Ba Zhen Tang). This formula is a classic and frequently used remedy for replenishing Qi and Blood.

This formula is famously known as the "golden formula" for dual tonification of qi and blood. Its brilliance lies in combining two classic ancient formulas into one: Si Jun Zi Tang (Four Gentlemen Decoction)—composed of ginseng, white atractylodes, poria, and licorice—which is responsible for tonifying qi; the other is Si Wu Tang (Four Substances Decoction)—made up of Chinese angelica root, Szechuan lovage root, white peony root, and prepared rehmannia root—specifically designed to tonify blood. By pairing these two groups of herbs together, it not only tonifies qi but also nourishes blood, truly achieving dual tonification of qi and blood.

Why is Ba Zhen Tang (Eight Treasures Decoction) considered comprehensive? Because traditional Chinese medicine emphasizes targeting the root cause during regulation. Where do qi and blood come from? They rely entirely on the spleen and stomach to digest food and transform it into nutrients. If the spleen and stomach are weak, it's like a factory running out of raw materials—no matter how much qi and blood you try to supplement, it will be in vain. The white atractylodes, poria, and licorice in Ba Zhen Tang not only tonify qi but also regulate the spleen and stomach, akin to repairing the body's production line. This way, the supplemented qi and blood can be stored and utilized effectively, preventing a situation where you supplement one moment and find no new qi and blood generated the next.

Traditional Chinese medicine places great emphasis on personalized prescriptions. If you also experience poor appetite, an aversion to cold foods, or abdominal pain after consuming cold items, this is often due to spleen and stomach deficiency-cold. In such cases, it’s necessary to add dried ginger and aconite to Ba Zhen Tang to warm the spleen and stomach. In summary, if the body presents other accompanying issues, this formula can be flexibly adjusted based on individual needs.

Finally, a reminder to everyone: the content of this article is for reference only. Do not blindly follow trends when tonifying qi and blood! If you experience physical discomfort, it is advisable to first observe your tongue coating and have a doctor check your pulse to accurately identify the problem before proceeding with regulation. This approach is far more reliable than randomly taking health supplements!