Zhen Ling Dan
Star震灵丹 (Rouse the Spirits Special Pill)
Source: Tai Ping Hui Min He Ji Ju Fang — Imperial Medical Department (Song, 1107)
Last updated October 1, 2026
Description
Zhen Ling Dan (Rouse the Spirits Special Pill), from the Tai Ping Hui Min He Ji Ju Fang (Imperial Grace Formulary of the Tai Ping Era) by Imperial Medical Department.
Actions: Stops bleeding and dissolves blood stasis.
Presentation: Beng lou (flooding and spotting) caused by deficiency and cold of the chong (thoroughfare) and ren (conception) channels accompanied by blood stasis in the uterus: continuous menstrual bleeding that is purplish red or purplish black in color, bleeding with or without clots, abdominal pain worsened by pressure and relieved by the passing of blood clots, dark purplish tongue, and a deep, fine and wiry pulse.
Composition: Nuo Mi (Oryza Glutinosa) paste is used to form the pills; it warms the middle jiao and tonifies qi. Vinegar enhances the stasis-resolving effect.
Cautions:
- Focuses on stopping bleeding and dissolving stasis; not suitable for deficiency-cold syndromes without blood stasis
- Zhu Sha is a potentially toxic heavy metal, rarely used today and usually removed or substituted
Source: Chen JK, Chen TT. Chinese Herbal Formulas and Applications: Pharmacological Effects & Clinical Research. Art of Medicine Press, 2009, p. 805.
Composition
| Herb | Amount | % | Role | Function |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Chi Shi Zhi
duan (calcined) with fire and cui (quenched) with vinegar; printed dose 120g (no single modern dose); as printed: Chi Shi Zhi, duan (calcined) with fire and cui (quenched) with vinegar (Halloysitum Rubrum) 120g
|
g | — | Jun (Chief) | warms the uterus, stabilizes chong and ren, stops bleeding |
|
Yu Yu Liang
duan (calcined) with fire and cui (quenched) with vinegar; printed dose 120g (no single modern dose); as printed: Yu Yu Liang, duan (calcined) with fire and cui (quenched) with vinegar (Limonitum) 120g
|
g | — | Jun (Chief) | warms the uterus, stabilizes chong and ren, stops bleeding |
|
Zi Shi Ying
duan (calcined) with fire and cui (quenched) with vinegar; printed dose 120g (no single modern dose); as printed: Zi Shi Ying, duan (calcined) with fire and cui (quenched) with vinegar (Fluoritum) 120g
|
g | — | Chen (Deputy) | warms the uterus, stabilizes chong and ren, stops bleeding |
|
Dai Zhe Shi
duan (calcined) with fire and cui (quenched) with vinegar; printed dose 120g (no single modern dose); as printed: Zhe Shi, duan (calcined) with fire and cui (quenched) with vinegar (Haematitum) 120g
|
g | — | Chen (Deputy) | warms the uterus, stabilizes chong and ren, stops bleeding |
|
Ru Xiang
yan (ground) to small particles separately; printed dose 60g (no single modern dose); as printed: Ru Xiang, yan (ground) to small particles separately (Gummi Olibanum) 60g
|
g | — | Zuo (Assistant) | activates blood to remove stasis, regulates qi to relieve pain |
|
Mo Yao
yan (ground) to small particles; printed dose 60g (no single modern dose); as printed: Mo Yao, yan (ground) to small particles (Myrrha) 60g
|
g | — | Zuo (Assistant) | activates blood to remove stasis, regulates qi to relieve pain |
|
Wu Ling Zhi
yan (ground) to small particles; printed dose 60g (no single modern dose); as printed: Wu Ling Zhi, yan (ground) to small particles (Faeces Trogopteri) 60g
|
g | — | Zuo (Assistant) | activates blood to remove stasis, regulates qi to relieve pain |
|
Zhu Sha
shui fei (refined with water); printed dose 30g (no single modern dose); as printed: Zhu Sha, shui fei (refined with water) (Cinnabaris) 30g
|
g | — | Zuo (Assistant) | tranquilizes the mind and reduces pain |
Preparation
Powder the ingredients; cook Nuo Mi into a paste and form large pills the size of a small chicken's head; sun-dry. Take one pill daily on an empty stomach; per the source, men with warm grain liquor and women with vinegar.
Relationships
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Formula family
Full herb lists
- This formula = Chi Shi Zhi Yu Yu Liang Tang + Dai Zhe Shi, Zi Shi Ying, Mo Yao, Ru Xiang, Wu Ling Zhi and Zhu Sha
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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