Feishi Daishen Wan: Ding Ganren’s Hereditary Secret Pain-Relieving Formula
“Feishi Daishen Wan” is recorded in the Ding Ganren Jiachuan Zhenfang Xuan (Selected Family-Transmitted Precious Formulas of Ding Ganren); it is a pain-relieving formula. Ding Ganren was a towering figure of modern Chinese medicine, ranked alongside Shi Jinmo; any formula selected into that collection was one Ding Ganren had used with reliable effect.
The composition of Feishi Daishen Wan is: Quandanggui (whole Angelicae Sinensis Radix), Chuanniuxi (Cyathulae Radix), Baizhu (Atractylodis Macrocephalae Rhizoma), Dangshen (Codonopsis Radix), Qinjiao (Gentianae Macrophyllae Radix), Qingpi (Citri Reticulatae Pericarpium Viride), and Chenpi (Citri Reticulatae Pericarpium), each 250 g; Yunfuling (Poria), Baishao (Paeoniae Alba Radix), and Danshen (Salviae Miltiorrhizae Radix et Rhizoma), each 500 g; Jinmao Gouji (Cibotii Rhizoma) 325 g; Chuanxuduan (Dipsaci Radix) 48 g; Duhuo (Angelicae Pubescentis Radix) and Sharen (Amomi Fructus), each 36 g. Grind all into a fine powder and make water-paste pills. Take twice a day, 6–10 g each time, after meals with plain water.
This formula supplements the liver and kidney, boosts qi and blood, and expels wind-damp. It is indicated for liver-kidney deficiency with external wind-damp invasion causing pain in the sinews and bones. It is commonly seen in middle-aged and elderly patients, mostly due to aging and declining metabolic function.
In the formula, Dangshen, Baizhu, and Fuling supplement qi and fortify the spleen; by fortifying the spleen they drain dampness. Danggui, Baishao, and Danshen activate and nourish blood and unblock the channels to stop pain. Niuxi, Xuduan, Qinjiao, Duhuo, and Gouji supplement the liver and kidney, expel wind-damp, and activate blood to stop pain. Qingpi, Chenpi, and Sharen move qi and resolve stagnation, treating qi-stagnation pain. Combined, the herbs both attack and supplement, addressing root and branch, and together achieve the effect of supplementing deficiency and relieving pain.
From a modern pharmacology perspective, this formula has anticoagulant, lipid-lowering, and blood-pressure-lowering effects, and has some therapeutic value for atherosclerosis and thrombosis due to declining metabolism in middle-aged and elderly people. It can improve coronary flow, anticoagulate, and thrombolyze, and is therefore suitable for such patients. These are chronic conditions with long courses; the herbs in the formula have few side effects, and as pills they may be taken long-term. While taking it, patients should also adjust their lifestyle and routine, control caloric balance, and reduce high-fat, high-sugar foods.