活血法
huó xuè fǎ治则治法
概述
The blood-quickening stasis-removing method (huo xue fa) is a TCM therapeutic strategy using moving medicinals to restore blood flow and dissolve blood stasis (xue yu), blood that has slowed or pooled outside its normal course. It rests on the principle that 'qi is the commander of blood and blood is the mother of qi,' moving qi and quickening blood together, and is used for fixed stabbing pain, bruising, varicosities, masses, and menstrual disorders caused by stasis.
理论要点
- Blood nourishes and moistens the whole body, and its normal flow depends on qi propelling it within the vessels; weakened propulsion or vessel stagnation slows the blood and creates stasis.
- Main causes of stasis are qi stagnation impeding blood flow, injuries and trauma, cold freezing the vessels, heat drying and thickening the blood, and chronic qi-blood deficiency weakening propulsion.
- Hallmarks of blood stasis are fixed stabbing pain worsening at night, dark or purplish color, bruising, a purple tongue with dark spots, and menstruation with clots.
- Strength ranges from gentle blood-quickening to strong stasis-breaking; the latter is used cautiously because it is highly dispersing and may cause bleeding or harm pregnancy.
常见病机
- Fixed localized stabbing pain (localized stasis): quicken the blood, remove stasis, and harmonize the vessels.
- Qi stagnation with blood stasis: emotional distress with stabbing pain and clots; combine regulating qi with quickening blood.
- Blood stasis with cold: coldness and pain relieved by warmth; add vessel-warming and cold-expelling actions.
- Toxic heat with blood stasis in the skin: painful purple patches or rash; cool the blood and resolve toxin while quickening.
- Chest impediment (xiong bi): pressing stabbing chest pain from qi-blood stasis in the heart vessels; quicken the blood and free the vessels.
- Gynecology and trauma: dysmenorrhea with dark clots, postpartum conditions, bruises, and sprains are key fields of blood-quickening.
日常调养
- Maintain regular exercise that supports circulation, and avoid prolonged immobility and direct cold on the limbs and abdomen.
- Reduce smoking and saturated fats that burden blood flow, and keep the body warm, especially in cold weather.
- Strong stasis-breaking medicinals are forbidden in pregnancy and bleeding disorders and must be prescribed by a qualified practitioner.
传统医学科普内容，不替代执业医师诊疗。中文白话译文制作中，暂显示英文。