Chuanxiong, Angelica, Ass-Hide Glue, and Mugwort Decoction

金匱要略

The master said: Women may have lochiorrhea; some, after a miscarriage, may have continuous uterine bleeding that does not stop; some may have bleeding during pregnancy. If a pregnant woman has abdominal pain, this is fetal obstruction, and Jiao Ai Tang governs it. (Jin Gui Yao Lue (Essential Prescriptions of the Golden Cabinet))

Chuanxiong 2 liang, Ejiao 2 liang, Gancao 2 liang, Aiye 3 liang, Danggui 3 liang, Shaoyao 4 liang, dried Dihuang 4 liang. For the seven ingredients above, use 5 sheng of water and 3 sheng of clear wine, boil together and take 3 sheng, remove the dregs, add the glue, and let it dissolve completely. Take 1 sheng warm, three times a day. If not improved, make it again. (Shanghan Zabing Lun)

Use 5 sheng of water and 3 sheng of clear wine, boil together and take 3 sheng, remove the dregs, add the glue, and let it dissolve completely. Take 1 sheng warm, three times a day. If not improved, make it again. (Modern usage: boil nine bowls of water down to three bowls, and take one bowl warm after each of the three meals.)

湯劑

Warm the channels and tonify deficiency, move stagnation and stop bleeding.

For women with damage and depletion of the Chong and Ren vessels, and a pattern of blood deficiency with cold. For flooding and spotting with bleeding, excessive menstruation, continuous dripping without stopping, postpartum or miscarriage damage to the Chong and Ren vessels with unceasing bleeding; or pregnancy with fetal obstruction, leakage of blood during pregnancy, and abdominal pain.

Continuous dripping menstruation or flooding and spotting: combine with Guizhi Jia Longgu Muli Tang. -- Fetal leakage, restless fetus, menstrual flooding and spotting, with Qi deficiency: add Huangqi:15. -- Restless fetus, or soreness and pain in the lower back: add Duzhong:10, Xuduan:10, Sangjisheng:10. -- Qi deficiency with a bearing-down sensation in the lower abdomen: combine with Buzhong Yiqi Tang. -- Unceasing leakage of blood: add Paojiang:10, Diyutan:10, Aiye Tan:10.

What this formula treats belongs to patterns of blood deficiency with a tendency to cold. If excessive menstruation or flooding and spotting is caused by reckless movement of blood due to blood heat or by stasis obstructing the uterus, it is contraindicated. As stated in Gujin Mingfang Fawei: "Although this formula is an effective formula for treating flooding and spotting and bleeding during pregnancy, after all it is designed for patterns of depletion and damage of the Chong and Ren vessels. If there is heat in the blood aspect, or abdominal masses obstructing the fetus, leading to fetal restlessness and bleeding, then this formula is prohibited. The Classic says: Where there is [a cause], seek it; where there is none, seek it; for excess, hold it responsible; for deficiency, hold it responsible. Excess and deficiency patterns are as distinct as water and fire; if differentiation is unclear, life and death turn in the palm. When facing the clinical situation, can one fail to be cautious?"