SI WU WAN (BP060) Dang Gui Four Combination Complex

Indication

This formula was first recorded in the ‘Formulary of the Tai Ping Welfare Dispensary Bureau’ (tai ping hui min he ji ju fang), 1151 CE, a compilation of popular and effective formulas that were used in the public dispensaries of the Song dynastic period. It was originally prescribed for Liver Blood deficiency; however, it has since come to be used as the basis for prescriptions that treat generalised Blood deficiency as well as a broad range of disorders related to the state of the Blood.

Zhu Dan-xi, the most recent of the Jin-Yuan reform physicians, popularised its use as one of the four essential formulas upon which he based his clinical prescriptions. Zhu classified diseases into four basic types: Qi disorders; Blood disorders; Phlegm disorders; and Stagnation disorders. Thus, he frequently employed four basic formulas as the starting point for prescriptions in his clinical practice: Si Jun Zi Tang (Four Major Herbs) for Qi disorders; Si Wu Tang (Dang-gui Four) for Blood disorders; Er Chen Tang (Citrus & Pinellia) for disorders due to Phlegm; and Yue Ju Wan (Formula to Overcome Stagnation) for disorders due to stagnation.

Clinically this formula may also be used for chronic diseases due to Wind (e.g. itchy skin conditions, dry and itchy eyes) in addition to gynecological conditions characterised by the standard features of Blood deficiency as described above.

The synergistic actions of the ingredients are as follows:

Paeonia root (bai shao), Rehmannia root (shu di huang), Angelica root (dang-gui), Ligusticum root (chuan xiong): nourish the (Liver) Blood.

Angelica root (dang-gui), Ligusticum root (chuan xiong): activate the Blood and dispel stasis.

Indications:

Menstrual disorders due to Blood deficiency

Post partum disorders

Anaemia

Urticaria

Headache

Insufficient lactation

Chronic dry skin and eyes

Slow healing skin lesions

Chronic eczema or chronic dermatitis

Signs & Symptoms:

Sallow or pale and lustreless complexion

Pale finger nail beds, pale lips

Dizziness

Oligomenorrhoea, delayed menstrual cycle or amenorrhoea

Dry skin that may also be itchy

Palpitations

Emaciation

Poor memory

Paraesthesia or numbness of the extremities

Blurred vision

Insomnia

Pelvic pain (dull in nature) that is alleviated by pressure

Tongue is pale and slightly dry

Pulse is thready and weak and may also be wiry

Combinations –

Irregular menstruation:

XIAO YAO SAN

ZUO GUI WAN

TAO HONG SI WU WAN

STRESS RELIEF 1 Formula

STRESS RELIEF 2 Formula

Menorrhagia due to Qi deficiency:

BU ZHONG YI QI WAN

GUI PI WAN

ENERGY TONIC Formula

RESTORE THE SPLEEN Formula

TCM Syndromes: Liver Blood deficiency, General Blood deficiency.

TCM Actions: Nourishes the Liver Blood, promotes circulation of the Qi and Blood.