{ "slug": "liver-blood-deficiency", "name": "Liver Blood Deficiency", "pinyin": "Gan Xue Xu", "chinese": "肝血虚", "organ": "Liver", "nature": "deficiency", "family": "blood-deficiency", "summary": "The Liver stores the blood, and its store is low. The face, lips, and nails are pale, the eyes are dry and tired, vision blurs, limbs go numb or cramp, periods are light or late, and sleep is thin. It is the pale, cool cousin of Liver yin deficiency.", "picture": "The Liver is a reservoir that feeds the eyes, the tendons, the nails, and the cycle. When the reservoir runs low, the farthest fields dry first: the fingertips, the eyes, the period.", "signs": { "key": [ "Pale face, pale lips, pale brittle nails", "Dry, tired eyes, blurry vision, floaters", "Numb limbs, muscle cramps or twitches", "Light, late, or absent periods", "Dizziness, especially on standing" ], "common": [ "Poor sleep with dreams", "Dry skin and hair", "Low mood, easily tired", "Difficulty with night vision" ], "tongue": "Pale, thin, a little dry.", "pulse": "Thin, or thin and wiry." }, "causes": [ "Blood loss from heavy periods, childbirth, or surgery", "A diet short of blood-building food", "Spleen weakness that makes too little blood", "Long illness", "Overwork and worry" ], "tell_apart": [ { "slug": "liver-yin-deficiency", "how": "Yin deficiency is warm and dry: night sweats, a red tongue, a hot temper. Blood deficiency is pale and cool with a pale tongue." }, { "slug": "heart-blood-deficiency", "how": "Heart blood deficiency centers on sleep and palpitations. Liver blood deficiency centers on eyes, tendons, nails, and the cycle. They often sit together." } ], "formulas": [ { "slug": "si-wu-tang", "role": "primary", "when": "The base blood formula for the pale, dizzy, light-cycle picture.", "pinyin": "Si Wu Tang", "_links": { "self": "https://www.naturalherblibrary.com/api/v1/formula/si-wu-tang", "html": "https://www.naturalherblibrary.com/formula/si-wu-tang" } }, { "slug": "suan-zao-ren-tang", "role": "for sleep", "when": "When poor sleep is the loudest complaint.", "pinyin": "Suan Zao Ren Tang", "_links": { "self": "https://www.naturalherblibrary.com/api/v1/formula/suan-zao-ren-tang", "html": "https://www.naturalherblibrary.com/formula/suan-zao-ren-tang" } }, { "slug": "xiao-yao-san", "role": "with stagnation", "when": "Blood deficiency with stress, tension, and an irregular cycle.", "pinyin": "Xiao Yao San", "_links": { "self": "https://www.naturalherblibrary.com/api/v1/formula/xiao-yao-san", "html": "https://www.naturalherblibrary.com/formula/xiao-yao-san" } }, { "slug": "ba-zhen-tang", "role": "with tiredness", "when": "When energy is low along with the blood.", "pinyin": "Ba Zhen Tang", "_links": { "self": "https://www.naturalherblibrary.com/api/v1/formula/ba-zhen-tang", "html": "https://www.naturalherblibrary.com/formula/ba-zhen-tang" } } ], "herbs": [ { "pinyin": "Dang Gui", "role": "Angelica builds and moves blood.", "herb_slug": "root-of-chinese-angelica", "_links": { "herb": "https://www.naturalherblibrary.com/api/v1/herb/root-of-chinese-angelica", "html": "https://www.naturalherblibrary.com/herb/root-of-chinese-angelica" } }, { "pinyin": "Bai Shao", "role": "White peony nourishes Liver blood and relaxes cramps.", "herb_slug": "white-peony-root", "_links": { "herb": "https://www.naturalherblibrary.com/api/v1/herb/white-peony-root", "html": "https://www.naturalherblibrary.com/herb/white-peony-root" } }, { "pinyin": "Shu Di Huang", "role": "Prepared rehmannia, the heaviest blood tonic.", "herb_slug": "prepared-rehmannia-root", "_links": { "herb": "https://www.naturalherblibrary.com/api/v1/herb/prepared-rehmannia-root", "html": "https://www.naturalherblibrary.com/herb/prepared-rehmannia-root" } }, { "pinyin": "Gou Qi Zi", "role": "Goji feeds the Liver and the eyes.", "herb_slug": "fruit-of-chinese-wolfberry", "_links": { "herb": "https://www.naturalherblibrary.com/api/v1/herb/fruit-of-chinese-wolfberry", "html": "https://www.naturalherblibrary.com/herb/fruit-of-chinese-wolfberry" } }, { "pinyin": "He Shou Wu", "role": "Fo-ti nourishes blood and darkens hair.", "herb_slug": "root-of-tuber-fleeceflower", "_links": { "herb": "https://www.naturalherblibrary.com/api/v1/herb/root-of-tuber-fleeceflower", "html": "https://www.naturalherblibrary.com/herb/root-of-tuber-fleeceflower" } }, { "pinyin": "Sang Shen", "role": "Mulberry fruit for dizziness and dry eyes.", "herb_slug": "mulberry-fruit", "_links": { "herb": "https://www.naturalherblibrary.com/api/v1/herb/mulberry-fruit", "html": "https://www.naturalherblibrary.com/herb/mulberry-fruit" } } ], "conditions": [ "blood-deficiency", "anemia", "blurred-vision", "dizziness", "amenorrhea", "menstrual-irregularities", "insomnia" ], "habits": [ "Red meat or liver in small amounts, eggs, dates, goji, black sesame, dark greens, beets.", "Regular meals; blood is made from food eaten on time.", "Screens off early; the Liver refills the eyes from stored blood at night.", "Gentle movement; hard sweating spends blood." ], "watch": [ "Dizziness and the dry eyes ease within a month.", "Nails and lips turn pink over one to two months.", "The cycle fills out over two to three cycles." ], "sources": [ { "title": "Maciocia, The Foundations of Chinese Medicine, 3rd edition", "note": "Liver blood deficiency." }, { "title": "Bensky, Scheid, Ellis and Barolet, Chinese Herbal Medicine: Formulas and Strategies, 2nd edition", "note": "Si Wu Tang." } ], "meta": { "status": "published", "last_updated": "2026-10-12", "reviewed_by": null }, "_links": { "html": "https://www.naturalherblibrary.com/pattern/liver-blood-deficiency", "self": "https://www.naturalherblibrary.com/api/v1/pattern/liver-blood-deficiency", "index": "https://www.naturalherblibrary.com/api/v1/patterns" } }