Notes on This Category

• Herbs in this category are rich and tend to be greasy. Use caution when there is accumulation of dampness in the middle Jiao.
• These herbs are commonly combined with Qi tonics since Qi is necessary for blood production. They may also be combined with herbs to support their digestion (e.g., sha ren, chen pi, mu xiang, ji nei jin, shen qu, etc.) by promoting Qi circulation in the middle jiao.

The two major approaches to nourishing blood are:
1. Build blood directly with blood tonics.
2. Strengthen the digestive system (spleen Qi) to enhance the body’s own production of blood.
(A formula such as Dang Gui Bu Xue Tang, which is just Huang Qi [30g] and Dang Gui [9g], is a simple example of both approaches.)

• Also consider, as appropriate: Qi tonics, Yin tonics, Jing tonics; Gou qi zi, Sang shen, Bai zi ren, Ji xue teng, Dan shen, etc.

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