Corydalis Decoction
Chinese Prescription: Yan Hu Suo Tang
English Translation: Corydalis Decoction
Formula Type: Invigorate the Blood and Dispel Blood Stasis
Actions: Invigorates the blood, moves the qi, alleviates pain.
Indications: For qi stagnation & blood stasis in women due to damage by any one of the seven emotions, manifesting as chest & abdominal pain radiating downward in to the lower back & flanks, or upward along the spine & severe spasms. All of these pains will be stabbing in nature. The menses will be late or irregular. Can also be used for any type of pain due to stimulation of qi & blood stagnation. This formula focuses to an equal extent on qi stagnation & blood stasis. It is therefore widely used in gynecology to treat all kinds of pain.
Contraindications: Contraindicated during pregnanacy.
Pinyin | English | Suggested Dosage |
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view: Yan Hu Suo |
Corydalis | 15g |
view: Dang Gui |
Angelica Sinensis | 15g |
view: Pu Huang |
Cattail Pollen | 15g |
view: Chi Shao |
Red Peony | 15g |
view: Rou Gui |
Cinnamon Bark | 15g |
view: Jiang Huang |
Turmeric (Curcuma) Rhizome | 90g |
view: Ru Xiang |
Frankincense | 90g |
view: Mo Yao |
Myrrh | 90g |
view: Mu Xiang |
Aucklandia / Saussurea | 90g |
view: Zhi Gan Cao |
Honey-fried Licorice | 7.5g |
Yan Hu Suo / Corydalis Rhizome | |||
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Taste: Acrid, Bitter • Temperature: Warm • Category: Regulate Blood • Sub Category: Invigorate Blood | |||
Dosage4.5-12g |
Actions1. Invigorates the blood & alleviates pain: for pain due to blood stasis & traumatic injury. Especially useful for dysmenorrhea.2. Promotes the movement of qi & alleviated pain: for stagnant qi that manifests with such symptoms as chest pain, abdominal pain, menstrual pain, hernial disorders, & especially epigastric pain. |
MeridiansHeart, Liver, Lung, Stomach |
CautionsContraindicated during pregnancy. |
Dang Gui / Angelica (Chinese) Root | |||
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Taste: Sweet, Acrid, Bitter • Temperature: Warm • Category: Tonic • Sub Category: Tonify Blood | |||
Dosage3-15g |
Actions1. Tonifies the blood & regulates the meses: for patterns of blood deficiency with such symptoms as a pallid, ashen complexion, tinnitus, blurred vision, & palpitations. Also very commonly used fro blood deficiency associated with menstrual disorders such as irregular menstruation, amenorrhea, dysmenorrhea, etc.2. Invigorates & harmonizes the blood & disperses cold: an important herb for stopping pain due to blood stasis. Commonly used for abdominal pain, traumatic injury, & carbuncles due to blood stasis, especially when there is also cold from deficiency. Also used in the treatment of blood deficiency with chronic wind-damp painful obstruction. 3. Moistens the Intestiones & unblocks the bowels: for dry Intestines due to blood deficiency. 4. Reduces swelling, expels pus, generates flesh, & alleviates pain: used in treating sores & abscesses where its ability to both tonify & invigorate the blood leads to improvement. |
MeridiansHeart, Liver, Spleen |
CautionsUse with caution in cases of diarrhea or abdominal distention due to damp obstruction. Contraindicated for yin deficiency with heat signs. |
Pu Huang / Cattail Pollen, Bulrush Pollen | |||
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Taste: Sweet, Acrid • Temperature: Neutral • Category: Regulate Blood • Sub Category: Stop Bleeding | |||
Dosage4.5-12g |
Actions1. Stops bleeding: for external bleeding associated with traumatic injury, & various forms of internal bleeding such as uterine bleeding, vomiting blood, nosebleed, coughing of blood, blood in the urine, blood in the stool, or subcutaneous bleeding. This herb has an astringent nature & is quite effective in stopping bleeding.2. Invigorates the blood & dispels blood stasis: for chest pain, post partum abdominal pain, & menstrual pain due to blood stasis. |
MeridiansLiver, Heart, Spleen |
CautionsUse with caution during pregnancy. |
Chi Shao / Peony (Red) Root | |||
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Taste: Sour, Bitter • Temperature: Slightly Cold • Category: Regulate Blood • Sub Category: Invigorate Blood | |||
Dosage4.5-9g |
Actions1. Invigorate the blood & dispels blood stasis: for dysmenorrhea, amenorrhea, abdominal pain & immobile abdominal masses. Also for the swelling & pain associated with traumatic injury, & the early stages of abscesses & boils.2. Clears heat & cools the blood: for heat entering the blood level with fever, purple tongue, skin blotches, & bleeding due to the reckless movement of hot blood. Also for gynecological problems associated with hot blood. 3. Clears Liver fire: for red, swollen, painful eyes. |
MeridiansLiver, Spleen |
CautionsUse with caution in cases of blood deficiency. |
Rou Gui / Cinnamon, (inner bark) | |||
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Taste: Acrid, Sweet • Temperature: Hot • Category: Warm Interior & Expel Cold • Sub Category: | |||
Dosage1.5-4.5g, crush into small pieces before using, usually taken as powder, pill or tincture to avoid loss of volatile oils |
Actions1. Warms the Kidneys & fortifies the yang: for a wide variety of problems due to insufficiency of Kidney yang & waning of the gate of vitality. Common manifestations include aversion to cold, cold limbs, weak back, impotence, frequent urination. Also for waning of the Spleen & Kidney yang with abdominal pain & cold, reduced appetite, & diarrhea. Also important for wheezing due to the failure of the Kidneys to grasp the qi.2. Leads the fire back to its source: the principal herb for treating the upward-floating of the deficient yang. Manifestations include flushed face, wheezing, severe sweating (when the sweat pours out like oil), weak & cold lower extremities, & a deficient & rootless pulse. This patterns is called illusionary heat & true cold, or heat above/cold below. Also used for other conditions where the upper part of the body is hot (e.g., dry mouth, sore throat, or toothache that become worse at night) & the lower part is cold (e.g., lower back pain, cold lower extremities, diarrhea, weakness in the proximal position of the pulse). 3. Disperses deep cold, warms the channels, unblocks the channels & vessels, & alleviates pain: for deep cold causing qi stagnation or blood stasis. Associated problems include cold in the blood causing amenorrhea or dysmenorrhea, damp-cold painful obstruction, yin type boils (chronic sores that are usually concave & ooze a clear fluid), & abcesses or sores that do not heal. 4. Encourages the generation of qi & blood: with qi & blood tonics as an auxiliary herb for chronic deficiency of qi & blood. |
MeridiansHeart, Kidney, Liver, Spleen |
CautionsContraindicated in cases of yin deficiency with heat signs, interior excess heat, & the reckless movement of hot blood. Use with caution during pregnancy. |
Jiang Huang / Tumeric Rhizome | |||
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Taste: Acrid, Bitter • Temperature: Warm • Category: Regulate Blood • Sub Category: Invigorate Blood | |||
Dosage3-9g |
Actions1. Invigorates the blood & unblocks menstruation: for chest or abdominal pain, amenorrhea, or dysmenorrhea due to blood stasis caused by cold from deficiency. Also used for pain & swelling due to trauma.2. Promotes the movement of qi & alleviates pain: for epigastric & abdominal pain due to stagnant qi. 3. Expels wind & promotes the movement of blood: for wind-dampness painful obstruction with blood stasis, especially in the shoulders. |
MeridiansSpleen, Stomach, Liver |
CautionsContraindicated in cases of blood deficiency without stagnation qi or blood stasis. |
Ru Xiang / Frankincense | |||
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Taste: Acrid, Bitter • Temperature: Warm • Category: Regulate Blood • Sub Category: Invigorate Blood | |||
Dosage3-9g |
ActionsHeart, Liver, Spleen |
MeridiansContraindicated during pregnancy. Use with caution in cases of Spleen deficiency. |
Cautions |
Mo Yao / Myrrh | |||
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Taste: Bitter • Temperature: Neutral • Category: Regulate Blood • Sub Category: Invigorate Blood | |||
Dosage3-12g |
Actions1. Invigorates the blood & dispels blood stasis, reduces swelling & alleviates pain: for problems due to blood stasis, including pain from trauma, sores, carbuncles, swellings, immobile abdominal masses, painful obstruction, chest pain, abdominal pain, & amenorrhea.2. Promotes healing: used topically to promote the healing of chronic nonhealing sores. |
MeridiansHeart, Liver, Spleen |
CautionsContraindicated during pregnancy & in cases of excessive uterine bleeding. |
Mu Xiang / Saussurrea or Aucklandia Root | |||
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Taste: Acrid, Bitter • Temperature: Warm • Category: Regulate Qi • Sub Category: | |||
Dosage1.5-9g |
Actions1. Promotes the movement of qi & alleviates pain: for Speen or Stomach stagnant qi with such symptoms as lack of appetite, epigastric or abdominal pain or distention, nausea, & vomiting. Also used for stagnant Liver or Gallbladder qi with such symptoms as flank pain, distention, or soreness.2. Adjusts & regulates stagnant qi in the Intestines: for diarrhea & dysentric disrders, or for abdominal pain & tenesmus. Because of its slightly astringent property, this is a common herb for treatnig tenesmus. 3. Strengthens the Spleen & prevents stagnation: used with tonifying herbs to ameliorate their side effects. Especially useful when the transformative & transportive functions of the Spleen are weak. |
MeridiansGallbladder, Large Intestine, Spleen, Stomach |
CautionsContraindicated in cases of yin deficiency or depleted fluids. |
Zhi Gan Cao / Licorice Root, honey-baked | |||
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Taste: Sweet • Temperature: Warm • Category: Tonic • Sub Category: Tonify Qi | |||
Dosage2-12g |
Actions1. Tonifies the Spleen & augments the qi: commonly used for Spleen deficiency with shortness of breath, lassitude, & loose stools. Also for qi or blood deficiency patterns with an irregular or intermittent pulse & /or palpitations.2. Moistens the Lungs & stops coughing: for coughing & wheezing. Because of its neutral properties, it can be used for either heat or cold in the Lungs. 3. Clears heat & relieves fire toxicity: used raw for carbuncles, sores, or sore throat due to fire toxin. For this purpose, it can be taken internally or applied topically. 4. Moderates spasms & alleviates pain: for painful spasms of the abdomen or legs. 5. Moderates & harmonizes the characteristics of other herbs: by virtue of its sweet, neutral, & moderating properties, this herb moderates hot & cold herbs, & mitigates the violent properties of other herbs. Since it is said to enter all 12 primary channels, it can lead & conduct other herbs into the channels. 6. Used as an antidote for a variety of toxic substances, both internally & topically. 7. The raw root clears heat & relieves toxicity, the honey-fried tonifies the middle & moderates spasms. |
MeridiansAll 12 channels (principally the Heart, Lung, Spleen, & Stomach) |
CautionsContraindicated in cases of excess dampness, nausea, or vomiting. May be in compatible with jing da ji, yuan hua, gan sui, & hai zao, & may antagonize yuan zhi. The toxicity of gan cao is very low, but if taken long-term it may cause hypertension &/or edema. Glycyrrhetinic acid has been reported to cause a reduction in the activity of the thyroid & a reducation in the basal metabolic rate. |