What Yang Xue Ding Feng Tang is for
The skin this formula addresses is dry, thin and itchy in a way that has outlasted creams and simple Wind herbs. The surface looks underfed rather than inflamed, and in places it has thickened and grown its own lines from scratching. The tradition reads that itch as internal Wind raised by Blood deficiency, and settles it by rebuilding the Blood that should moisten the surface.
The surface is dry and dull rather than red, thin over the bones of the hand and forearm, and it holds fine flakes rather than scaling in sheets. Where the scratching has gone on for months, the skin has thickened into a leathery patch with its own cross-hatched lines, and the itch is at its worst at night and in dry weather. Nothing weeps and nothing is hot: the lesion looks quiet, tired and underfed, which is the visible difference between this pattern and an active damp eruption.
Dang Gui, He Shou Wu, Sheng Di Huang, Tian Men Dong and Mai Dong are the rebuilding group, restoring the Blood and Yin that give the skin its substance and its moisture. Chuan Xiong, Chi Shao and Mu Dan Pi move and cool that new Blood so it reaches the surface instead of sitting still, and Jiang Can and Sang Zhi settle the Wind that drives the itch. The proportion is the point: five herbs build, three move and two settle, because Wind raised by deficiency cannot be dispersed away and has to be quieted from below.
It is the formula for the depleted chronic case, where lighter Wind-dispelling formulas have already failed, and it needs weeks rather than days before the surface changes. It is not for acute weeping eruptions, which need clearing rather than building, and it is not for Dampness with a greasy coat, where the richness would sit heavily. Persistent itch with no rash at all is a different problem and needs medical assessment, because its cause may sit far from the skin.
Actions
- Nourishes Blood and Yin
- Settles internal Wind
- Relieves chronic itch
- Cools and moves the Blood
Properties
- Taste and temperature: Predominantly sweet and bitter with a slightly cool quality. Sweet nourishes Blood, bitter and cool settle the Wind and clear mild Heat.
- Organs: Liver, Heart, Lungs
- Channels: Liver, Heart, Lung
The pattern behind it
The pattern is Blood deficiency generating internal Wind. The Blood fails to nourish the skin, so it dries and itches, and the tradition calls this itch from deficiency internal Wind, which cannot be dispersed from the surface. The formula nourishes the Blood so the Wind settles.
Composition
The herbs in Yang Xue Ding Feng Tang, with their role and dose.
| Role | Herb | Dose | Properties | Why it is there |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dang Gui | 9 to 12 g | Warm, Sweet, pungent | Nourishes and moves Blood, the base of the nourishing group. | |
| He Shou Wu | 15 to 21 g | Slightly warm, Bitter, sweet | Nourishes Blood and Essence and is used in the tradition for chronic skin and hair problems. | |
| Tian Men Dong | 6 to 10 g | Cold, Sweet, bitter | Nourishes Yin and moistens dryness, easing the dry quality of the skin. | |
| Mai Dong | 6 to 10 g | Slightly cold, Sweet, bitter | Moistens and generates fluids, supporting the Blood and Yin. | |
| King | Chuan Xiong | 2 to 8 g | Warm, Pungent | Moves Qi and Blood so the nourishment reaches the skin. |
| Sheng Di Huang | 12 to 15 g | Cold, Sweet, bitter | Cools the Blood and nourishes Yin, addressing the dryness and mild heat. | |
| Chi Shao | 6 to 12 g | Slightly cold, Bitter | Cools and moves Blood, supporting the circulation of the nourishing herbs. | |
| Assistant | Mu Dan Pi | 5 to 8 g | Slightly cold, Bitter, pungent | Cools the Blood and clears mild Heat from the deficiency. |
| Envoy | Jiang Can | 6 to 15 g | Neutral, Pungent, salty | Settles Wind and reaches the channels, easing the itch. |
| Sang Zhi | 15 to 30 g | Neutral, Bitter | Dispels Wind-Dampness and reaches the limbs and skin, supporting the settling action. |
Patterns it treats
Blood Deficiency with External Wind
Dry thin skin that itches at night and has thickened into leathery patches from scratching, with a surface that looks underfed rather than inflamed. The Blood that should moisten the skin is low, so internal Wind stirs and the itch outlasts formulas that only disperse it.
How the formula is built
Five herbs nourish Blood and Yin, three move and cool the Blood, and two settle Wind. That proportion reflects the theory: the Wind is generated by deficiency, so the nourishment is the main treatment and the Wind-settling herbs are the finishing touch.
Skin conditions it is used for
Where this formula appears in the skin conditions of the library.
Preparation and use
Decocted in water and taken warm, in two divided doses.
Modifications
- If the dryness dominates, the moistening herbs are increased.
- If the itch is severe, the Wind-settling herbs are increased.
- If Heat is present, more cooling is added.
- If Dampness is present, the formula is not used.
Timing
Taken warm in two divided doses.
Duration
Two to six weeks, reassessed as the itch changes.
Diet while taking it
Moistening nourishing food; avoid drying food and alcohol.
Safety
Contraindications
Avoid in acute weeping eruptions and in Dampness with a greasy coat. Avoid in pregnancy without guidance.
Interactions
He Shou Wu has been associated with liver injury in some cases, so liver function should be monitored with prolonged use. Blood-moving herbs may add to anticoagulants.
Pregnancy
Use with caution in pregnancy because Chuan Xiong and Chi Shao move Blood.
Breastfeeding
Use only under professional guidance.
Children
Used only with professional supervision.
Before you use it
Recorded from the classical record and rewritten in this project's own words. Educational only: not a prescription, and persistent itch with no rash needs medical assessment.
General safety references
General references for herbal hepatotoxicity and herb-drug interactions; they are not specific to this formula.
- Review article: Herbal hepatotoxicity - an update on traditional Chinese medicine preparations. Alimentary Pharmacology & Therapeutics, 2014. PMID: 24844799.
- Interactions between herbal medicines and prescribed drugs: an updated systematic review. Drugs, 2009. PMID: 19719333.
- Warfarin and food, herbal or dietary supplement interactions: a systematic review. British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology, 2021. PMID: 32478963.
Origin and history
Recorded in the later dermatological tradition as a development of the Blood-nourishing approach to chronic itch.
The formula belongs to the later dermatological tradition's answer to a difficult problem: itch that comes from within rather than from the surface. Its name states the method, nourish the Blood and settle the Wind, and it remains a reference formula for chronic dry itch.
Classical record
The formula is recorded in the later dermatological tradition as the treatment for chronic itch from Blood deficiency, nourishing the Blood so that internal Wind settles.
As recorded in the classical record for this formula.
Evidence note
No controlled trial of this treatment in skin conditions was identified for this entry. What is described here rests on the classical and later materia medica record and on traditional clinical use, not on controlled trial evidence, and it is not a prediction of benefit. Where skin-specific research does exist it is linked above.
Common questions
What does settling Wind mean?
It means treating internal Wind, which is generated by Blood deficiency and cannot be dispersed from the surface. Nourishing the Blood settles it.
How is it different from Xiao Feng San?
Xiao Feng San disperses Wind-Heat with Dampness for the red damp itch. This formula nourishes and settles, for the dry depleted itch.
Is He Shou Wu safe?
It is generally used safely but has been associated with liver injury in some cases, so prolonged use should be monitored.
How long is it used?
Two to six weeks, reassessed as the itch changes.