Three Two-Herb Hemostatic Formulas
Small formulas often have unexpectedly powerful effects. This article introduces three hemostatic formulas composed of only two herbs each.
Er Cao Dan (Two-Herb Elixir; source: Zabing Yuanliu Xizhu)
Composed of equal parts of Hanliancao (Ecliptae Herba) and Cheqiancao (Plantaginis Herba). Crush and squeeze out the juice, strain out the dregs. Take 200ml each time on an empty stomach, 2–3 times daily; stop once the illness is cured. This formula cools the blood and stops bleeding, and clears heat and promotes diuresis; it mainly treats blood in the urine (hematuria).
Hanliancao, also called Mohanlian, belongs to TCM's yin-supplementing herbs. It nourishes yin and supplements the kidneys, and cools the blood to stop bleeding; it is a common herb for treating hematemesis, epistaxis, hematuria, hematochezia, uterine bleeding, and external injury bleeding. Fresh Eclipta juice works even better. While taking Hanliancao, stool color will turn black; this is not a symptom of gastric bleeding and need not cause alarm.
Cheqiancao promotes diuresis and relieves strangury, clears the liver and improves vision, and resolves phlegm and stops cough. It mainly treats edema, strangury, red swollen painful eyes, and also clears heat and resolves toxicity. Hematuria patients are mostly affected by urinary stones or infection; using Cheqiancao together with Hanliancao treats both the root and the manifestation—clearing heat and resolving toxicity, promoting diuresis and reducing edema, while cooling blood and stopping bleeding.
Er Shen San (Two-Divine Powder; source: Gujin Yitong)
Composed of Chen Huaihua (aged Sophora flower, stir-fried until charred black) 2 liang (60g) and Baicaoshuang (sweet-fern/soot) 5 qian (15g).
Grind these two herbs into a fine powder. Each time take 3 qian (9g), mixed with an appropriate decoction of Baimaogen (Imperatae Rhizoma), twice daily. For tongue bleeding, sprinkle directly onto the affected area. This formula cools the blood and stops bleeding; it mainly treats hematemesis, hematochezia, and metrorrhagia caused by exuberant heat in the blood division, as well as swelling, ulceration, and bleeding of the tongue.
Huaihua is the dried flower and flower bud of the Sophora tree (family Fabaceae), a commonly used hemostatic herb in TCM. It cools blood and stops bleeding, and clears liver fire; it is commonly used for various bleedings due to blood-heat frenetic movement, and for headache and red eyes caused by liver-yang rising. Aged Sophora flower, charred by stir-frying, stops bleeding even better. Modern pharmacological research confirms that Huaihua is a strong hemostatic; it reduces vascular permeability, stops bleeding, lowers blood pressure and lipids, has anti-inflammatory, anti-ulcer, anti-radiation, and mild laxative effects.
Baicaoshuang is the soot that adheres to the stove or the bottom of the pot after weeds are burned; it is also a commonly used hemostatic in TCM, treating hematemesis, epistaxis, hematochezia, metrorrhagia, diarrhea and dysentery, and food accumulation. In addition, Baicaoshuang has the adsorptive action of activated charcoal and can adsorb intestinal toxins.
Combining Huaihua and Baicaoshuang strengthens the hemostatic effect; although there are only two herbs, they can treat various bleeding disorders.
Er Huang Tang (Two-Yellow Decoction; source: Shengji Zonglu)
Composed of Shengdihuang (raw Rehmanniae Radix) and Puhuang (Typhae Pollen), each 1 liang (30g).
Grind the above herbs into coarse powder. Each time take 2.5 qian (7.5g), with one bowl of water (about 150ml), add 7 pieces of Zhuye (Lophatheri Herba), and decoct down to two-thirds of a bowl (about 100ml), strain out the dregs. Let cool and take after meals, twice daily. This formula cools the blood and stops bleeding; it mainly treats incessant hematemesis due to heat in the blood division.
Shengdihuang is the fresh or dried root tuber of Rehmannia glutinosa (family Scrophulariaceae), i.e., unprepared rehmannia. Its main actions are to clear heat and cool blood, nourish yin and generate fluids. It is used for warmth diseases where heat enters the nutritive-blood division, presenting with blood-heat hematemesis, epistaxis, hematuria, and uterine bleeding; it also treats yin-deficiency fever, internal-heat xiaoke (wasting-thirst), and intestinal-dryness constipation.
Puhuang is the dried pollen of Typha angustifolia or related species (family Typhaceae), also called Puhua. It resolves stasis and stops bleeding, activates blood and promotes diuresis; when charred by stir-frying it astringes and stops bleeding. It is commonly used for hemoptysis, epistaxis, hematemesis, hematuria, hematochezia, metrorrhagia, external bleeding, blood-stasis chest and abdominal pain, dysmenorrhea, postpartum stasis obstruction, and painful, bloody urination.
Combining Shengdihuang and Puhuang, the action leans toward cooling blood and stopping bleeding, so this formula focuses on treating hematemesis—vomiting blood, i.e., gastric bleeding. But in practice it can also be used for hematuria, hematemesis, metrorrhagia, and various other bleedings due to blood-heat frenetic movement.