Stomach Blood Stagnation
The information provided here is not a replacement for a doctor. You shouldn't use it for the purpose of self-diagnosing or self-medicating but rather so you can have a more informed discussion with a professional TCM practitioner.
At a glance
Preliminary reading: What is a pattern? The Stomach in Chinese Medicine The concept of Blood
Key attributes
Chinese name: 胃血瘀 Pinyin name: Wèi Xuè Yū
Pattern nature: Full
Pattern hierarchy: Specific pattern under Blood Stagnation
Causes
Precursor patterns: Stomach Heat or Fire Stomach Qi Deficiency Stomach Yang Deficient and Cold and two other possible precursors
Diagnosis
Common symptoms: Bloody stools Nausea or vomiting Possible vomiting of blood Dislike of pressure on epigastric area Severe epigastric pain that may worsen at night
Pulse type(s): Wiry (Xian)
Tongue description: Purple
Treatment
Treatment principle: Invigorate Stomach Qi
Common formulas: Shi Xiao San Ge Xia Zhu Yu Tang
Pathology
Blood Stagnation often causes a pain of a stabbing or boring nature, hence the stabbing epigastric pain. This pain is much more intense than in any of the other Stomach patterns.
Stasis of Blood always manifests with dark-colored blood, hence the vomiting of dark blood in some cases.
Since the Stomach is related to the Large Intestine, the stasis of Blood extends to it and is manifested with blood in the stools.
The Purple tongue is also a staple symptom of Blood Stagnation. Please note that the tongue may not necessarily be Purple: if a patient has clear manifestations of Blood stasis but the tongue is not Purple, it simply means that the Blood stasis is not severe.
Causes
Precursor patterns: Stomach Blood Stagnation can derive from Stomach Heat or Fire Stomach Qi Deficiency Stomach Yang Deficient and Cold Stomach Qi Stagnation Cold invading the Stomach
Diagnosing Stomach Blood Stagnation
Diagnosing a pattern in Chinese Medicine is no easy feat and should be left to professional practitioners. In particular one has to know how to differentiate between different types of pulses and tongue coatings, shapes and colors as well as learn to read from a long list of seemingly unrelated symptoms.
Pulse type(s): Wiry (Xian)
Tongue description: Purple
Main symptoms: Bloody stools Nausea or vomiting Possible vomiting of blood Dislike of pressure on epigastric area Severe epigastric pain that may worsen at night
Diagnosis commentary: Key characteristic symptoms of this pattern are the stabbing pain in the epigastrium and the vomiting of dark blood (in some cases).
Treating Stomach Blood Stagnation
Treatment principle
Invigorate Stomach Qi
Herbal formulas used to treat Stomach Blood Stagnation
Shi Xiao San
Source date: 1108 AD
Number of ingredients: 2 herbs
Key actions: Invigorates Blood. Dispels Blood Stagnation. Eases pain.
Formula summary
Shi Xiao San is a 2-ingredient Chinese Medicine formula. Invented in 1108 AD, it belongs to the category of formulas that invigorate Blood and dispel Blood Stagnation.
Besides Stomach Blood Stagnation, Shi Xiao San is also used to treat Blood Stagnation or Liver Blood Stagnation.
Ge Xia Zhu Yu Tang
Source date: 1830 AD
Number of ingredients: 12 herbs
Key actions: Invigorates Blood. Eliminates Blood Stagnation below the diaphragm. Stops pain. Promotes Qi movement.
Formula summary
Ge Xia Zhu Yu Tang is a 12-ingredient Chinese Medicine formula. Invented in 1830 AD, it belongs to the category of formulas that invigorate Blood and dispel Blood Stagnation.
Besides Stomach Blood Stagnation, Ge Xia Zhu Yu Tang is also used to treat Blood Stagnation or Liver Blood Stagnation.
Related conditions
Please keep in mind that a Western Medicine condition can be caused by several Chinese Medicine patterns of disharmony and vice versa. As such a patient suffering from one of the conditions below will not necessarily be suffering from Stomach Blood Stagnation, it is just one pattern that's commonly associated with the condition. Click on a condition to learn what other patterns it's associated with.
Hypertension Intercostal neuralgia Migraine Trigeminal neuralgia Depression Psychosis Coronary artery disease Rheumatic valvular heart disease Cor pulmonale Thoracic strains Costochondritis Postconcussion syndrome