Siwu-Tang Treats Various Symptoms Due To Blood Deficiency

Should Be Distinguished With Bazhen-Tang And Liuwei-Wan

By Ju Bong Kang, KMD

Action and Diagnosis

This prescription improves blood-deficiency, or anemia, by supplementing blood and restores blood stasis by promoting blood circulation. Therefore, this relieves symptoms caused by blood shortage, such as headaches, vertigo, poor complexion, deteriorating eyesight, pain in the eye, numbness in the hands and feet, dry eczema, dry dermatitis, insomnia, palpitation, and neurosis. And it also improves menstrual pain, irregular menstruation, leukorrhea, bloody discharge, fetal anxiety, etc.

Siwu-Tang is widely used clinically as necessary drugs are added or omitted depending on the patient’s symptoms, and many prescriptions derived from Siwu-Tang are already applied to various diseases.

For example, it is combined with Sijunzi-Tang to form Bazhen-Tang or Shiquan-Dabu-Tang, combined with Huanqi-Guizhi-Tang to form Shuanghe-Tang, and combined with Huanglian-Jiedu-Tang to form Wenqiang-Yin. In addition, strengthening-yang drugs such as Niuxi, Duchong, and Buguzhi are added to Siwu-Tang to form Buyin-Tang, and Niuxi, Duchong, Duhuo, and Qinjiao are added to form Duhuo-Jisheng-Tang. And, clearing-away-heat and drying-dampness-drugs and diuretic drugs are added to Dangui and Shaoyao, which are in the state of subtracting Chuanxiong and Shaoyao from Siwu-Tang, then Longdan-Xiegan-Tang3) is formed. Some drugs, which have the effects of clearing away heat and dispelling wind and wetness, are added to Dangui and Shaoyao to form Xiaofeng-San. In addition to this, there are many variational prescriptions of Siwu-Tang because the clinical and theoretical importance of blood in Asian Medicine is so great.

As a closer look at the formula, Shudihuang, a monarch drug, replenishes blood and nourishes-yin. Therefore, it relieves internal heat sensation, back pain, gonalgia, palpitation, insomnia, tinnitus, high blood pressure, diabetes, hair loss, asthma, bronchitis, dry skin inflammation, glossitis, etc. Pharmacologically, Shudihuang is rich in essential amino acids and saccharides, which benefit the muscles and tendons, blood, bone marrow, brain, immunity, growth and development of children. However, because it contains many nutrients, if a person with weak digestion consumes a large amount of it simultaneously, side effects such as abdominal pain and diarrhea may occur.

Danggui is a minister drug that replenishes blood, improving palpitation, forgetfulness, insomnia, anxiety, headache, vertigo, tinnitus, chlorosis, emaciation, etc. And with the function of active blood circulation it helps the blood supplemented by Shudihuang to circulate throughout the body and prevents blood stasis. Therefore, it restores angitis caused by thrombus, menstrual pain, menstrual irregularities, cold hands and feet, constipation, chronic furuncle, and bruise.

Shaoyao and Chuanxiong are adjuvant drugs. Shaoyao possesses the function of replenishing blood, pain easing and allaying, so it relieves anemia, abdominal pain, tinnitus, vertigo, paralysis, muscle tremor, and arteriosclerosis, and improves irregular menstruation and menstrual cramps, and blood discharge. Chuaxiong has the functions of promoting blood circulation, dispelling wind, and easing pain. Pharmacologically, it expands the coronary arteries to promote blood flow, increases blood flow in the lower extremities, inhibits cerebral activity, calms emotional excitement, lowers blood pressure, and relieves muscle stiffness. In clinical practice, it is effective for headaches, migraines, joint pain, cerebrovasospasm, insensibility and stiffness caused by stroke, and paralysis of limbs, etc.

In diagnosis, patients need Siwu-Tang to have certain characteristics, such as lower abdominal muscle tension due to anemia with the abdominal diagnosis. Pain in the lower abdomen and abdominal stiffness are detected by pressure in the lower stomach. In other words, the blood is replenished with Shudihuang and Shaoyao, so muscle tension is relieved along with the organs of the abdomen, and the replenished blood is supplied to the lower abdomen and whole body by Danggui and Chuanxiong.

The signal symptoms are subsidence or weakness, numbness of the lower abdomen, and palpitation around the navel. Shaoyao’s signal symptom is hypertonicity. Danggui and Chuanxiong alleviate weak pulse, headache, and nervous symptoms.

Contents of Source Text

This prescription helps Ying and wei control qi and blood. It treats the following symptoms of the consumptive disorder in Chong and Ren-Mai: menstrual irregularity, pain in the lower abdomen, bloody discharge, blood stasis and clotted blood, risk of abortion due to abdominal coldness, fetal anxiety, invasion of wind-cold evils because of postpartum weakness, lochiometra, development of abdominal mass16), and the occasional cold and fever. (“He Ji Ju Fang”)

Application: Symptoms of anemia: menstrual pain due to anemia and menstrual irregularity due to anemia. Aftereffect of stroke.

Distinction: Bazhen-Tang: Siwu-Tang is used for treating a syndrome caused by blood-deficiency. Sijunzi-Tang is used for a syndrome of blood and Qi deficiency. Therefore, this prescription can be used when a patient has a deficiency syndrome of both qi and blood or if a patient has a syndrome of blood deficiency concomitant with weak digestion. Sijunzi-Tang helps digestion and absorption of Shudihuang in Siwu-Tang.

Liuwei-Wan(Liuwei-Dihuang-Tang): Both Liuwei-Wan and Siwu-Tang are prescriptions that use Shudihuang as a monarch drug. So, subsidence or weakness of the lower abdomen appears in the abdominal diagnosis. And since no Shaoyao is included in Liuwei-Wan, the hypertonicity is not palpated, and in Siwu-Tang, the hypertonicity is palpated.

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