Classic formula · Tonify blood
Dang Gui Bu Xue Tang
当归补血汤 Tangkuei Decoction to Tonify the Blood
Two herbs, five parts astragalus to one part angelica, to rebuild blood fast after it has been lost. For the pale, tired, flushed, thirsty person after heavy bleeding, childbirth, or surgery, whose pulse feels large but empty. It builds blood from qi, which is the only fast way to build it.
You cannot pour blood in. You can only make it, and making it takes qi. So the formula is mostly astragalus, the qi herb, with just enough angelica to tell the qi what to build.
Also sold as: Dang Gui Bu Xue Wan · Astragalus and Angelica Combination
Who Dang Gui Bu Xue Tang is for
This formula is chosen for 2 patterns. Match your own picture before you match the name.
Signs it is classically given for
- Tiredness and pallor after heavy bleeding, childbirth, or surgery
- A low fever with a red face and thirst in a pale, weak person
- Dizziness and palpitations after blood loss
- Heavy periods that leave you drained
- Sores that will not heal in a weak person
- Headache from blood deficiency
- Tongue
- Pale.
- Pulse
- Large but empty when pressed, the key sign.
What is in Dang Gui Bu Xue Tang
Amounts are the classic decoction range in grams. Patent pills use the same herbs in the same proportion, so read the box for these names.
| Herb | Amount | Role | Job in the formula |
|---|---|---|---|
| Huang Qi Root of Membranous Milkvetch Use caution | 30 g | Chief | Astragalus tonifies qi so the body can make blood, and holds the surface so the empty heat settles. |
| Dang Gui Root of Chinese Angelica Use caution | 6 g | Deputy | Angelica directs the qi into making blood and keeps it moving. |
How Dang Gui Bu Xue Tang works
The five-to-one ratio is the lesson. Li Dong-yuan understood that blood is made from qi, so after blood loss the fastest route is a large dose of the qi tonic with a small dose of the blood tonic as a guide. The empty heat that shows as a red face and thirst settles once the blood returns.
Actions in classic terms
- Tonifies qi to generate blood
Common changes to Dang Gui Bu Xue Tang
A practitioner rarely gives the bare formula. These are the classic additions for a specific picture.
- Heavier blood deficiency add Shu Di Huang, Bai Shao Toward Ba Zhen Tang.
- Ongoing bleeding add E Jiao, Ai Ye Donkey-hide gelatin and mugwort leaf.
Cautions with Dang Gui Bu Xue Tang
- The red face and thirst here come from blood loss, not from real heat. If the pulse is strong and the tongue red with a yellow coat, this is the wrong formula.
- Not for yin-deficiency heat with night sweats and a peeled tongue.
- Pause during a cold or flu.
- Pregnancy: use only under a qualified practitioner.
Forms and typical dose
Sold as teapills, granules, decoction.
- Decoction
- One bag a day in two doses, with the amounts above
- Teapills
- 8 pills, three times a day, the usual label dose
- Course
- Two to four weeks after blood loss.
Follow the label of the brand you buy. Pill sizes differ between makers.
Buying Dang Gui Bu Xue Tang
The box reads Dang Gui Bu Xue Tang or Wan with the characters 当归补血. Two ingredients: Astragalus and Angelica, with far more astragalus.
Brand comparisons for formulas live on Supplements Apothecary, the buying side of this library.
Formulas often confused with Dang Gui Bu Xue Tang
- Si Wu Tang 四物汤 Four blood tonics for a slower, deeper deficiency without the qi collapse.
- Ba Zhen Tang 八珍汤 Qi and blood in full, for longer rebuilding.
Conditions where Dang Gui Bu Xue Tang comes up
Sources
- Bensky, Scheid, Ellis and Barolet, Chinese Herbal Medicine: Formulas and Strategies, 2nd edition Composition, actions, indications, and cautions.
Important Note
Formula pages describe classic use so you can read a label, ask a better question, and find the right monographs. They are education, not a prescription. A formula that fits the wrong pattern can make things worse, so match the picture first.