Description

This is a variation of Du Huo Ji Sheng Tang where we have taken out Gan Cao which for some people may raise blood pressure.

Alternative Names

• Du Huo Ji Sheng Tang
• Du Huo Tang
• Pubescant Angelica Decoction
• Tu Huo Chi Sheng Tang
• To-huo and Loranthus Decoction
• Pubescent Angelica and Loranthus Decoction
• Tuhuo and Taxillus Combination

This is the go-to formula for aches and pains. Often times, but not always, these pains are aggravated by cold and/or damp weather. The theory is that cold or damp qi from the environment get into the acupuncture channels which then prevent the free flow of qi-energy and blood (which causes pain)

This formula actually addresses both the “root” and the “branch” of aches that are aggravated by cold or damp weather. The branch is the symptoms of dampness in the channels that give rise to numbness, heaviness or tingling. Another branch is the symptoms of cold that enters the channels. These symptoms include stiffness and muscle spasms.

Ingredients

Du Huo 獨活 pubescent angelica root, angelica root, tu-huo Radix Angelicae Pubiscentis
Qin Jiao 秦艽 large gentian root, gentiana macropylla root, chin-chiu Radix Gentianae Qinjiao
Fang Feng 防風 saposhnikovia root, ledebouriella root, siler Radix Ledebouriellae Divaricatae
Xi Xin 細辛 Chinese wild ginger, asarum Herba cum Radice Asari (sometimes not included depending on availibility)

• These four herbs all are warm, spicy and drying. They’re aromatic and help to dry any dampness that has gotten into the acupuncture channels. They’re also warm so they quickly address aches and pains that are aggravated by cold or damp weather.

Du Zhong 杜仲 Eucommiae Cortex eucommia bark
Sang Ji Sheng 桑寄生 mulberry mistletoe stems; taxillus, mistletoe Ramulus Sangjisheng

• These herbs “nourish kidney and liver” which is to say promote joint mobility and lubrication.

Shu Di Huang 熟地黄 cooked rehmannia root, prepared Chinese foxglove root Rehmanniae Radix preparata
Dang Gui 當歸 tangkuei, Chinese angelica root Radix Angelicae Sinensis
Bai Shao 白芍 white peony root, peony Paeoniae Radix alba
Chuan Xiong 川芎 Sichuan lovage root, cnidium, chuanxiong root Rhizoma Ligustici Chuanxiong

• These herbs used together is the key formula for nourishing the blood in Chinese medicine. Blood nourishes and lubricates the joints, helping them move smoothly in a pain-free fashion.

Huai Niu Xi 懷牛膝 achyranthes root Archyanthis bidentatae Radix [don’t use if pregnant]
Rou Gui 肉桂 inner bark of Saigon cinnamon, cinnamon bark Cinnamomi Cortex [don’t use if pregnant]

• “Niu Xi” translates to “ox knee”. Knees can hurt if they’re damp on the inside. The damp impedes the flow of blood. Stagnated blood hurts! Niu Xi supports blood circulation in the legs. Rou Gui is cinnamon bark, it’s warming in nature. Warm herbs are good for pains that are aggravated by cold weather.

Fu Ling 茯苓 sclerotium of tuckahoe, China root, hoelen, Indian bread Poria Cocos
Ren Shen 人蔘 ginseng root Radix Panax Ginseng  (a relatively small amount to support the whole body)