Chuan Xiong: The TCM Herb for Blood Flow and Pain Relief

Hongji Medical
Jun 11
4 min read

Chuan Xiong, also known as Ligusticum chuanxiong or Szechuan Lovage Root, is the dried rhizome of a plant in the parsley family, famous for its strong aroma and its role in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). Often called the "qi-moving herb in the blood," it excels at promoting blood circulation, relieving pain, and dispelling wind.

Chuan Xiong’s use dates back to the Shennong Bencao Jing (Shennong’s Classic of Materia Medica), where it was listed as a top-grade herb for treating headaches, strokes, and menstrual issues.

The Mingyi Bielu noted its ability to clear wind-related symptoms and stagnant blood. In the Compendium of Materia Medica, Li Shizhen described its Sichuan origins and its vital role in treating headaches, emphasizing that "if a headache persists, it’s not because Chuan Xiong failed, but because it wasn’t used." Its importance in TCM for pain and circulatory issues is well-established.

Properties of Chuan Xiong

Nature and Channels

Taste: Pungent
Nature: Warm
Channels: Liver, Gallbladder, Pericardium

Main Benefits

Promotes blood circulation and qi flow
Dispels wind and relieves pain
Relieves stagnation and depression

Dosage

Internal use: 3–9 grams, boiled in decoctions.

Growing Regions

Primarily grown in Sichuan, China, where it earns its name "Chuan" (Sichuan) Xiong, with autumn harvests yielding the best quality.

Identification

Shape: Irregular, nodular, fist-like clumps, 2–7 cm in diameter.
Color: Yellowish-brown to brownish, rough, with raised nodes and distinctive "chrysanthemum-like" ring patterns.
Texture: Hard, not easily broken, with a yellowish-white or grayish-yellow cross-section dotted with brownish oil spots.
Scent and Taste: Strong, distinctive aroma; pungent, slightly bitter taste with a numbing sensation.

Preparation

Used raw, wine-fried, or steamed. Wine-frying boosts its blood-activating effects, while steaming softens its pungent nature.

Clinical Uses of Chuan Xiong

Chuan Xiong is used in TCM to treat various conditions:

Headaches: Effective for all types, including those caused by wind-cold, wind-heat, blood stasis, or qi deficiency.
Menstrual Irregularities: Relieves irregular periods, heavy or scanty flow, dark purple blood with clots, and abdominal pain.
Amenorrhea: Treats stopped or delayed menstruation due to blood stagnation.
Postpartum Stasis: Eases retained lochia, abdominal pain, or fever after childbirth.
Chest and Rib Pain: Alleviates stabbing or wandering pain worsened by emotional stress.
Rheumatic Pain: Reduces joint and limb pain aggravated by cold.

Specific Benefits

Promoting Blood and Qi Flow: Contains ligustrazine, which dilates blood vessels and improves microcirculation, relieving stasis.
Dispelling Wind and Relieving Pain: Clears wind to ease headaches and body aches.
Relieving Stagnation: Soothes qi stagnation, reducing chest pain and emotional tension.

Chuan Xiong in TCM Formulas

Chuan Xiong is often combined with other herbs in TCM formulas to enhance its effects. Here are some examples:

Si Wu Tang (Four Substances Decoction): Combines Chuan Xiong with Dang Gui, Bai Shao, and Rehmannia to nourish and activate blood, used for menstrual issues and postpartum anemia.
Xiong Xin San (Chuan Xiong and Asarum Powder): Pairs Chuan Xiong with Asarum to dispel wind and relieve wind-cold headaches.
Tao Hong Si Wu Tang (Peach Kernel and Safflower Four Substances Decoction): Adds Peach Kernel and Safflower to Si Wu Tang for stronger blood stasis relief, treating painful periods.
Bu Yang Huan Wu Tang (Tonify Yang to Restore Five Decoction): Includes Chuan Xiong to boost qi and blood flow, aiding recovery from stroke symptoms like paralysis or numbness.

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Comparison with Similar Herbs

Chuan Xiong shares blood-activating properties with other TCM herbs but has unique strengths:

Dang Gui (Angelica Root): Nourishes and activates blood, focusing on blood deficiency with stasis.
Dan Shen (Salvia Root): Activates blood and cools it, ideal for stasis with heat symptoms.
Hong Hua (Safflower): Strongly activates blood and clears channels, best for severe stasis.

Chuan Xiong’s warm nature and qi-moving focus make it ideal for pain from qi and blood stagnation, while Dang Gui nourishes, Dan Shen cools, and Hong Hua targets heavy stasis.

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Modern Applications and Research

Modern research highlights Chuan Xiong’s benefits:

Vasodilation: Ligustrazine expands blood vessels, improving brain blood flow and relieving headaches.
Anti-Platelet Aggregation: Prevents blood clots by inhibiting platelet clumping.
Pain Relief: Provides analgesic effects for various pain types.
Anti-Inflammatory: Volatile oils reduce inflammation.
Antioxidant: Neutralizes free radicals, protecting cells.

Clinically, Chuan Xiong is used for cardiovascular conditions like coronary heart disease, stroke, and hypertension, as well as gynecological issues like irregular periods and dysmenorrhea. It also shows promise for migraines and nerve pain.

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How to Use Chuan Xiong Safely

Precautions

Yin Deficiency with Heat: Avoid use, as its warm nature may worsen dry mouth or heat symptoms.
Pregnant Women: Use cautiously due to its blood-activating effects.
Bleeding Disorders: Avoid in conditions like hemophilia or low platelets.

Usage Tips

Wine-fried Chuan Xiong is preferred for pain relief, while raw is stronger for blood stasis. Consult a TCM practitioner for proper dosage and suitability.

Conclusion

Chuan Xiong is a vital TCM herb known for promoting blood and qi flow, relieving pain, and dispelling wind. It effectively treats headaches, menstrual issues, postpartum stasis, and rheumatic pain, with modern research supporting its cardiovascular, analgesic, and anti-inflammatory benefits. As studies deepen, Chuan Xiong’s therapeutic potential continues to grow. To ensure safe and effective use, consult a TCM practitioner for guidance on dosage and preparation.

See All

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Si Wu Tang: Your Guide to a Classic Blood-Nourishing Herbal Formula

Ba Zhen Tang: A Simple Guide to a Qi and Blood-Nourishing Herbal Formula

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中醫知識

Chinese Medicine - Qi

Blood and semen

Heart and lungs

Spleen and Liver

Kidney

Gallbladder, stomach, intestines, bladder

Interrelationships among the five internal organs

Other questions

Qi is the constantly moving subtle substance that constitutes the human body and maintains its vital activities.

There are three main sources of Qi in the human body: the innate essence inherited from parents, the essence of water and grain in food, and the pure Qi existing in nature.

Qi has many important physiological effects on the human body. The normal functioning of the internal organs, meridians, limbs, bones, five senses and nine orifices all depends on the physiological effects of Qi.

Generally speaking, the physiological effects of Qi include five aspects: promotion, warming, defense, consolidation, and qi transformation.

Yuan Qi is the most original Qi in the human body.

Yuan Qi is mainly composed of the essence of the kidneys and is generated from the essence of the kidneys.

The distribution of primordial energy is throughout the body, reaching everywhere. The internal organs, meridians, body parts, five senses and nine orifices are all places where primordial energy rises, falls, enters and exits.

The main physiological functions of Yuan Qi are twofold: one is to promote and stimulate the growth, development and reproduction of the human body. The other is to promote and stimulate the physiological activities of the internal organs and meridians.

If the kidneys are deficient in essence and energy due to congenital deficiency, postnatal malnutrition, or long-term illness, and the kidneys lack the source of vital energy, various diseases may occur.

Zong Qi is the Qi that accumulates in the chest. The place where Zong Qi accumulates is called "Tan Zhong" (between the two breasts). Because it is the place where Zong Qi is most concentrated, it is also called "Qi Hai".

Zong Qi is mainly composed of the fresh air from nature inhaled by the lungs and the essence of water and grain produced by the spleen and stomach from food.

The main functions of Zong Qi are twofold:

1. It is to walk the Xi Dao to control breathing. All breathing, speech, and voice are related to the Zong Qi. When the Zong Qi is abundant, the breathing is slow and the rhythm is even, the speech is clear and the voice is loud; otherwise, the breathing is short and the voice is low.

Second, it is to circulate Qi and blood through the heart meridians. All the beating of the heart and the circulation of Qi and blood are related to Zong Qi. If the pulse is gentle, the rhythm is consistent, and there is spirit and root, it is a manifestation of abundant Zong Qi. On the contrary, if the pulse is agitated, scattered, weak, or irregular, it means that the Zong Qi is insufficient or even weak.

Zhongqi refers to the Qi of the middle burner. Because the spleen and stomach are located in the middle burner, the Qi of the spleen and stomach is generally called "Zhongqi".

It is generally believed that the formation of Zhong Qi is formed by the combination of the Yuan Qi distributed in the Zhongjiao and the water and grain essence produced by the spleen and stomach.

The middle qi is mainly distributed in the middle burner, spreading between the spleen, stomach, and intestines, and it rises and falls, constantly mediating.

The main functions of Zhongqi include three aspects:

1. It controls the rise and fall of Qi. The middle burner is the hub of the rise and fall of Qi. When the middle Qi is abundant and harmonious, the Qi of the liver and spleen will rise healthily, and the Qi of the lungs and stomach will descend smoothly. When the rise and fall are smooth, all organs will be at peace.

Second, it stimulates the spleen and stomach to absorb and transport. When the middle qi is abundant, the spleen rises and the stomach descends normally, the water and grain are received and transported normally, and the essence of water and grain is continuously produced to generate qi and blood, nourishing the whole body.

Third, it maintains the position of the internal organs. The reason why the internal organs maintain their relatively constant position depends on the rise and fall of the qi of the middle jiao spleen and stomach.

Ying Qi, also known as "Rong Qi", is the Qi that flows in the veins.

The distribution and movement of Ying Qi are clearly discussed in Suwen Bi Lun, which points out that Ying Qi "harmonizes the five internal organs, flows through the six bowels, and then enters the meridians."

It explains that the nutrient energy enters the meridians, circulates throughout the body, flows into the internal organs, and reaches the limbs, repeating the cycle over and over again.

The main functions of Ying Qi:

1. It is the transformation of blood.

Second, it nourishes the whole body. The nourishing qi enters the blood vessels and causes the body fluids to penetrate into the blood vessels. The two combine to form blood.

The so-called Qi can produce blood, mainly refers to: Ying Qi transforms into blood. Ying Qi is produced by the refined part of the essence of grains, and is a nutrient necessary for physiological activities such as viscera and meridians, and plays an important role in maintaining human life activities.

The Inner Canon of Medicine states that the Nutritive Qi "harmonises the five internal organs, and spreads throughout the six bowels", "nourishes the four extremities", etc., which emphasizes that the Nutritive Qi has a nourishing effect.

Wei Qi is the Qi that circulates outside the veins. It is so called because it protects the skin and resists external pathogens.

The distribution of Wei Qi is fast, smooth and agile, and is not restricted by blood vessels, so it can "flow through the skin, between the flesh, fumigate the peritoneum, and spread to the chest and abdomen" (Suwen Bi Lun). This shows that Wei Qi spreads throughout the body, externally between the skin and muscles, and internally to the peritoneum of the chest and abdomen - the area inside the diaphragm of the chest cavity.

The main physiological functions of Wei Qi are three-fold:

First, it protects the skin and prevents the invasion of external pathogens. In clinical practice, if a patient is prone to colds and fever, the treatment is usually based on the theory that the Wei surface is not solid. The theoretical basis is here. Second, it warms the internal organs, muscles, fur, etc. Wei Qi has a strong warming effect. If Wei Yang is deficient, the warming power is weakened, and cold symptoms such as cold body, cold limbs and low body temperature may appear. If Wei Qi is stagnant and turns into heat, hot symptoms such as fever and malignant fever may appear.

Third, it regulates the opening and closing of pores and controls sweat excretion, which is what Lingshu Benzang says about the Wei Qi having the function of “controlling opening and closing”.

Chuan Xiong: The TCM Herb for Blood Flow and Pain Relief

Properties of Chuan Xiong

Nature and Channels

Main Benefits

Dosage

Growing Regions

Identification

Preparation

Clinical Uses of Chuan Xiong

Specific Benefits

Chuan Xiong in TCM Formulas

Comparison with Similar Herbs

Modern Applications and Research

How to Use Chuan Xiong Safely

Precautions

Usage Tips

Conclusion

Related Posts

中醫知識

The concept of Qi

Vitality

Zong Qi

Middle Qi

Ying Qi

Health

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