When the Blood loses its flow

Dull complexion, marked dark circles, darker lips, hands and feet often cold, a feeling of heaviness or numbness that always returns to the same place… In TCM, these signs may be associated with Blood stasis: the Blood, which should circulate freely to nourish the whole body, slows down and lingers. Tradition often sees in this the continuation of Qi stagnation, of a long period of fatigue or of a cold that has settled in.

Fu Fang Dan Shen Pian is a modern preparation from the Chinese pharmacopoeia. Its name describes its construction: fu fang (复方), “compound”, signals that red sage (Dan Shen) is not alone in it. It is paired with notoginseng (San Qi), and according to tradition this pair is the foundation of the modern preparations known as “compound Dan Shen”.

Two herbs, two ways of moving the Blood

Red sage, cool, moves the Blood and tempers its heat; notoginseng, warm, disperses stasis while keeping the Blood within its pathways. Together, the pair sets the Blood in motion without forcing it. A famous saying even credits red sage, on its own, with the value of Si Wu Tang, the foundational Blood formula, which both nourishes and moves it.

Supports Blood circulation: Red sage, which makes up seven tenths of the formula, gently sets the Blood moving again.

Disperses Stasis: Notoginseng helps disperse what lingers, while keeping the Blood within its pathways.

Gently nourishes the Blood: According to the saying, red sage nourishes as much as it moves: the formula renews the Blood instead of merely moving it.