Red Yeast Rice Classic Formulas … Natural Herb Library

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Invigorates blood and dispels stasis ... Hong Qu is used for postpartum retention, traumatic bruising, and fixed pain when food medicine and blood movement overlap.
Reduces food stagnation and improves digestion ... it is especially associated with overeating greasy or heavy foods, abdominal fullness, and poor appetite.
Harmonizes the middle burner without harsh purgation ... the fermented rice is gentler than strong downward-draining digestants and often sits near the food-medicine boundary.

Digestive and meat-retention combinations with Shan Zha and Mai Ya ... classic pairing style when greasy food accumulation and fullness dominate.
Postpartum or lochia-resolving combinations with Dang Gui and Tao Ren ... traditional use when stasis and food weakness coexist after childbirth.
Hong Qu wine or powder traditions ... older single-herb preparations used for mild food stagnation or blood stasis rather than as a general tonic.

Traditional materia medica describes Hong Qu as sweet and warm, entering the Liver, Spleen, and Large Intestine to invigorate blood and reduce food stagnation.
Its identity depends on Monascus fermentation of rice, which explains why it is discussed both as a medicinal and as a food-derived fermented material.