Shen Tong Zhu Yu Tang
Star身痛逐瘀汤 (Drive Out Blood Stasis from a Painful Body Decoction)
Source: Yi Lin Gai Cuo (1830)
Last updated October 1, 2026
Description
Shen Tong Zhu Yu Tang (Drive Out Blood Stasis from a Painful Body Decoction), from the Yi Lin Gai Cuo, is used to drive out blood stasis in meridians and collaterals of the limbs.
Presentation: chronic pain of all joints; general body pain; Bi syndrome with blood stasis.
Syndrome: Syndrome of blood stagnation.
Composition strategy:
- collateral-reaching substances (Di Long, Chuan Xiong) added
- wind-cold-damp expellers (Qin Jiao, Qiang Huo) address Bi
- Qi stimulators (Chuan Xiong, Mo Yao, Xiang Fu) strengthen removal of stasis and pathogens
Source: Yang Y. Chinese Herbal Formulas: Treatment Principles and Composition Strategies. Churchill Livingstone Elsevier, 2010, p. 283.
Composition
| Herb | Amount | % | Role | Function |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Qin Jiao
as printed: Qin Jiao (Gentianae macrophyllae radix)
|
3g | 4% | expel wind-cold-damp (Bi) | |
|
Chuan Xiong
as printed: Chuan Xiong (Chuanxiong rhizoma)
|
6g | 8% | reach collaterals, stimulate Qi | |
|
Tao Ren
as printed: Tao Ren (Persicae semen)
|
9g | 12% | move blood | |
|
Hong Hua
as printed: Hong Hua (Carthami flos)
|
9g | 12% | move blood | |
|
Gan Cao
as printed: Gan Cao (Glycyrrhizae radix)
|
6g | 8% | — | |
|
Qiang Huo
as printed: Qiang Huo (Notopterygii rhizoma)
|
3g | 4% | expel wind-cold-damp | |
|
Mo Yao
as printed: Mo Yao (Myrrhae)
|
6g | 8% | stimulate Qi and remove congealed blood | |
|
Dang Gui
as printed: Dang Gui (Angelicae sinensis radix)
|
9g | 12% | move blood | |
|
Wu Ling Zhi
as printed: Wu Ling Zhi (Trogopterori faeces)
|
6g | 8% | move blood | |
|
Xiang Fu
as printed: Xiang Fu (Cyperi rhizoma)
|
3g | 4% | stimulate Qi | |
|
Chuan Niu Xi
as printed: Chuan Niu Xi (Cyathulae radix)
|
9g | 12% | move blood | |
|
Di Long
as printed: Di Long (Pheretima)
|
6g | 8% | reach and open the collaterals |
Energetics dose-weighted
The formula's overall nature, taste balance and channel reach, weighted by each herb's dose. Classical formulas often pair warm and cool herbs on purpose, so a net figure summarises the mix — it doesn't describe every herb in it.
Nature
Net slightly warm (+0.28)
From 100% of the weighed grams.
Grams by band: cold 8%, neutral 48%, warm 44%.
Small but decisive: Di Long 6g (cold, 8% of the grams). Dose weighting nearly cancels a herb this small, but it may be what the formula is for.
Taste
- pungent 35%
- sweet 30%
- bitter 24%
- salty 11%
From 100% of the weighed grams.
Channels reached
- Liver 88%
- Heart 52%
- Spleen 48%
- Lung 40%
- Kidney 16%
- Large intestine 12%
Share of the grams entering each channel, from 100% of the weighed grams.
Dose-weighted from each herb's recorded nature, taste and channels (missing values are left out, never counted as neutral). It describes the composition — it is not a recommendation.
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Formula family
Full herb lists
- This formula = Sheng Hua Tang without Pao Jiang + Chuan Niu Xi, Di Long, Hong Hua, Mo Yao, Qiang Huo, Qin Jiao, Wu Ling Zhi and Xiang Fu
Each entry reads as the larger formula written out: “+” adds its other catalogue cores, then the herbs none of them hold. A catalogue formula counts as a core only when at least 80% of its herbs are present, no more than 1 is absent, and the absent herb is not its chief.
Formula Network
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Similar Formulas by composition
Match score combines dosage-weighted composition (cosine, 70%) with shared-herb overlap (Jaccard, 30%).
Traditional formula information is for educational purposes only. Herbal formulas should be prescribed by a qualified practitioner — dosages and combinations are individualized and can interact with medications.
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