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Source: Shāng Hán Lùn 伤寒论

Ingredients:

• Shuǐ zhì (水蛭 Hirudo , leech) 1–3g
• Méng chóng (虻虫 Tabanus , tabanus) 0.3–1g
• Dà huáng (大黄 Rhei Radix et Rhizoma, rhubarb) (washed in wine) 6–12g
• Táo rén (桃仁 Persicae Semen, peach kernel) 6–9g

Action: Breaks blood and expels stasis.

Indication: (a) Blood amassment in the lower burner and stasis-heat in the interior with hard fullness in the lesser abdomen, uninhibited urination, mania, and black stool that is passed easily, and pulse that is sunken and replete; (b) amenorrhea with painful fullness or hardness in the lesser abdomen that rejects pressure.

Category: Blood-rectifying formulas / Blood-quickening stasis-transforming formulas

Method: Decoct with water.

Rationale: Shuǐ zhì and Méng chóng (gadfly) expel malign static blood, and break up blood concretions, accumulations, and gatherings. They are therefore the sovereign agents in the formula. They are supported by Táo rén, which breaks blood and moves stasis, and by Dà huáng, which flushes heat and abducts stasis. This formula is contraindicated in the absence of static blood and in pregnancy.

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