Tonic Herbs - Blood Tonic

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A simplified definition of Tonic herbs is that they add something to

the body which is missing. They are used in cases of Deficiency (the

person is having problems because s/he lacks enough of something).

 

The Tonic Herbs class is subdivided into 4 subclasses: Qi, Blood,

Yang, and Yin tonic herbs.

 

In a previous post we saw how most Qi tonic herbs enter the Spleen

and Lungs. This is because these are the two systems most

responsible for Qi in the body. The Spleen extracts the Qi from food

(grain Qi) and transports it to the Lungs where it mixes with the Qi

extracted by the Lungs from the air (air Qi). The thermal energy of

Qi tonic herbs will tend to be Neutral or Warm. These herbs tend to

have a sweet taste though they may also have a secondary taste.

(Panax ginseng tastes both sweet and slightly bitter.)

 

The Yin tonic herbs can be further subdivided into two broad

classes: Those which enter the Lungs and Stomach and those which

enter the Liver and Kidneys. The ones that target the Lungs and

Stomach are usually used when a high fever has damaged the Yin of the

Lungs and Stomach. These are the two systems that often get hit the

hardest in terms of Heat damage to the Yin when a person runs a

fever. (Though other things can damage the Yin of the Lungs and

Stomach besides fever.)

 

The Yin tonic herbs that target the Liver and Kidneys are for more

severe and far-ranging Yin Deficiency. Because the Kidneys supply

Yin to the entire body, if a person is Kidney Yin Deficient, the

person will have generalized Yin Deficiency. The Liver is very

closely linked with the Kidneys, more so than other organs.

 

The thermal energy of the Yin tonic herbs tend to be Cold, Cool, or

Neutral. This makes sense as Heat damages Yin. One function of Yin

is to cool the body. It also calms the body, and Heat excites,

speeds up. The tastes of the Yin tonic herbs vary a lot, but bitter-

sweet tastes predominate. All the Yin tonic herbs will moisten.

 

All the Blood tonic herbs enter the Liver. The Liver stores Blood.

The thermal energy of Blood tonics tends to be warm or neutral. The

taste of Blood tonic herbs vary.

 

Radix (root of) Rehmanniae Glutinosae Conquitae (prepared), aka

cooked rehmannia, aka Shu Di Huang, is classified as a Blood tonic

but it also is a Yin tonic. This can be a particularly good herb

when a person is both Blood and Yin Deficient (though many American

Caucasians have problems with this herb because of Dampness problems

due to a high percentage of American Caucasians have Spleen Qi

Deficiency thanks to lousy diets, overwork, and irregular meals). Use

cooked rehmannia cautiously or not at all in cases of Spleen Qi

Deficiency, Stomach Qi Deficiney, Dampness, Phlegm, or Stagnant Qi.

 

The most familiar Blood tonic herb in America (though few Americans

realize it's a Blood tonic herb) is Rx (radix - root of) Angelicae

Sinensis, aka Dang Gui. This is an herb that you can find in the

vitamin and supplement sections of many supermarkets and many

discount stores like Wal-Mart or K-Mart. In addition to being a

Blood tonic herb, Dang Gui also Invigorates Blood. It breaks up

Congealed Blood masses. It's a particularly good herb for when both

Blood Deficiency and Congealed Blood are present - like injury from

an accident that results in both trauma and Blood loss. It's also a

particularly good herb for people with Blood Deficiency with Wind

Damp Painful Obstruction (arthritis/ rheumatism). Dang Gui is one of

the herbs that usually gets included in women tonic formulas because

it regulates menses. Use Dang Gui cautiously in cases where diarrhea

and Damp Obstruction in the abdomen are present. It's

contraindicated in Yin Deficiency with Heat. (Part of the reason for

this is its thermal energy is Warm. Cooked Dang Gui is edible. This

is an herb that you can use in soups and leave in when the soup is

served in addition to taking it as a decocted tea.

 

Note: Like so many things in TCM, Blood in the TCM sense is NOT the

same thing as blood as defined by Western medicine. They're similar,

but there are some differences. It is possible for a Western blood

test to come back normal but there be Blood Deficiency problems for

which Blood tonics are indicated by TCM standards. Blood Deficiency

is not limited to the Western concept of anemia. However, there are

some Western-defined blood problems for which Blood tonics are not

the most appropriate treatment or the first line of treatment. For

example even though Blood Deficiency is characterized by Dryness,

there are some cases (not all) where the person's Blood tends to

dehydrate but treating Spleen Deficiency may be the best line of

treatment in these particular cases. (The Spleen is responsible

among other things for keeping the proper balance of fluids in the

body - neither too much or too little in all tissues and for keeping

the Blood in the vessels.)

 

Victoria