Wujin Wan, to Move Qi and Resolve Stasis, Unblock the Menses and Stop Pain
"Wujin Wan" (Black-Gold Pill) comes from Readily Available Formulas Explained (Cheng Fang Bian Du). Its composition is: xiangfu (Cyperi Rhizoma) 4 liang (120 g); niuxi (Achyranthis Bidentatae Radix) 1 liang 5 qian (45 g); guigui (cinnamon bark), wulingzhi (Trogopterori Faeces), yanhusuo (Corydalis Rhizoma), danggui (Angelicae Sinensis Radix, vinegar-fried), taoren (Persicae Semen, skin and tip removed), wuyao (Linderae Radix), and ezhu (Curcumae Rhizoma), each 1 liang; ruxiang (Olibanum, oil removed), moyao (Myrrha, oil removed), and muxiang (Aucklandiae Radix), each 5 qian (15 g); heidou (black soybean) 9 liang (270 g, decocted to a juice); honghua (Carthami Flos) and sumu (Sappan Lignum), each 2 liang; and yellow rice wine 2 jin.
Preparation: decoct the sumu and honghua, strain out the dregs, and boil the resulting liquid together with the black-soybean decoction into a paste. Powder all the remaining herbs, mix them with the paste, and add refined honey and yellow wine (the wine may be omitted) to make honey pills, each weighing 2 qian (6 g), sealed in wax. Twice daily, take one pill each time, washed down with yellow wine or with a decoction of ginger and scallion. It may also be made into small water-honey pills 6–8 mm in diameter: twice daily, 6 g each time.
This formula moves qi and resolves stasis, unblocks the menses and stops pain. It is indicated for women with qi stagnation and blood binding, abdominal jia (masses) and pain, and amenorrhea; in modern practice it is commonly used for polycystic ovary syndrome, uterine fibroids, amenorrhea and gynecologic tumors. The formula's blood-activating action is strong, so it is contraindicated in those with a bleeding tendency or menorrhagia. Historically there was also a formula called "Wujin San," separated from this by only one character, but it was specifically used for women with persistent uterine bleeding (benglou) that would not stop for days; its effect was actually the opposite of this formula. That one used equal parts sangpiaoxiao (Mantidis Oötheca) and huangmingjiao (Colla Corii Bovis), ground into a powder and taken in solution: twice daily, 6 g each time.
In this formula, xiangfu, wuyao and muxiang move qi and stop pain; guigui warms the channels and stops pain; while niuxi, wulingzhi, yanhusuo, danggui, taoren, ezhu, ruxiang, moyao, honghua and sumu are all blood-activating, stasis-resolving herbs. Among them ezhu, taoren, ruxiang and moyao are especially strong at activating blood, resolving stasis, dispersing swelling and breaking up masses—these are also commonly used in oncology—so this formula is also suitable for benign or malignant pelvic or abdominal tumors. Only, in those who are physically weak, it should be used together with Guipi Wan or Bazhen Tang, so as to support the righteous qi while dispelling pathogen and avoid damaging it excessively.