"Blood" is not just about quantity: How to distinguish between Blood Deficiency and Blood Stasis

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Hello everyone. This is Yuyu Kampo.

Yesterday, we talked about "Qi." Today is the second one, "Blood."

When people hear the word "blood," many think of the anemia section of a health checkup. In fact, there is some overlap. However, in Oriental medicine, blood refers to a slightly broader scope. For those who say, "I was told I don't have anemia, but I still have dizziness," there is a perspective that comes from Kampo. Today, I will talk about that.

Blood carries nutrients and calms the mind

In Oriental medicine, blood is a flow that delivers nourishment and moisture to every corner of the body. Up to this point, it is not much different from blood in Western medicine.

What is different is another role. Blood is considered to be something that "calms the mind."

Light sleep, frequent dreaming, and feeling anxious for no reason. In Kampo, these complaints are sometimes viewed as a deficiency of blood. The idea is that if there is enough blood, the mind can remain in a calm place, but if it is lacking, the mind loses its place of rest.

Viewing the state of the mind as a state of the body. I think this perspective is one of the reasons why Oriental medicine has treated the mind and body as inseparable.

The places blood reaches are the skin, hair, nails, eyes, and muscles. Since these are the extremities of the body, changes appear here first when blood is insufficient. Brittle nails, dry hair, dry eyes, and leg cramps. All of these are read as signals that moisture is not reaching the extremities.

Deficient Blood Deficiency and stagnant Blood Stasis

Blood also causes health problems in two ways.

Blood Deficiency dries out from the extremities

Blood Deficiency (Ketsukyo) is a state where the amount of blood itself is insufficient.

Feeling lightheaded. Poor complexion, pale lips and nails. Hair becoming thin and prone to falling out. Nails that break easily. Dry or blurry eyes. Leg cramps. Light sleep and frequent dreams.

Women are considered prone to Blood Deficiency because they lose blood every month during menstruation. Also, since blood is made from what we eat, if the function of the stomach and intestines is low, the raw materials are insufficient to begin with. This is why Qi Deficiency (Kikyo), which I talked about yesterday, and Blood Deficiency often overlap.

Blood Stasis appears in the same place in a fixed form

Blood Stasis (Oketsu) is a state where blood is stagnant.

Stiff shoulders or headaches that always occur in the same spot. A stabbing pain, or a heavy, solidified sensation. Dark circles under the eyes, dull skin, dark-colored lips. Bruises that form easily and are slow to fade. Cold hands and feet, yet a flushed face. Veins under the tongue that appear thick and prominent.

A characteristic of Blood Stasis is that the location of the pain or discomfort does not move. This is the exact opposite of yesterday's Qi Stagnation, where the location changes from day to day.

One question to help you distinguish

The clue to distinguishing between Blood Deficiency and Blood Stasis is color.

Blood Deficiency manifests in a 'fading' direction. The complexion, lips, nails, and the area under the eyelids. The color drains away overall.

Blood Stasis manifests in a 'darkening' direction. Dark circles, dullness, dark lips, bruises. The color deepens and sinks.

Is it pale, or is it dark? Please take a moment to check in front of a mirror.

Kampo wisdom: To nourish or to move?

The way of thinking about blood, like Qi, has two directions.

The foundation for the side where blood is lacking is Shimotsuto (Four-Substance Decoction). As the name suggests, it is composed of four crude drugs: Toki (Angelica root), Senkyu (Cnidium rhizome), Shakuyaku (Peony root), and Jio (Rehmannia root).

This combination of four herbs became the basic formula for nourishing blood and was incorporated into many formulas in later eras. When studying Kampo, you will encounter these four appearing together many times. If you want to memorize names, this might be a good place to start.

Tokishakuyakusan (Angelica and Peony Powder) is based on the idea of nourishing blood while simultaneously draining excess water. It is a formula often mentioned in situations where Blood Deficiency overlaps with Water Retention, which I will talk about tomorrow.

On the side where blood is stagnant, Keishibukuryogan (Cinnamon and Poria Pill) often appears. It is a formula designed to move stagnant blood.

Even here, mistakes in direction can occur. If you force movement where there is a deficiency, it will become even more depleted. If you keep adding to where there is stagnation, the blockage will deepen. That is why it is important to see whether it is pale or dark.

*Kampo medicines vary in suitability for each individual depending on their constitution (Sho) and symptoms. To choose the right Kampo medicine for yourself, please do not rely on self-judgment and be sure to consult a pharmacist or doctor knowledgeable about Kampo. Also, if symptoms are severe or persist for a long time, please consult a medical institution first.

Today's small health practice: Ingredients for Blood Deficiency, temperature for Blood Stasis

For those closer to Blood Deficiency: Blood is made from what you eat. Therefore, diets that focus on reducing quantity can cause blood to thin out.

Dark-colored foods have long been considered to nourish the blood. Black sesame, black beans, hijiki seaweed, jujubes, liver, and red-fleshed fish. Try adding just one of these to your meals today. Also, avoid overusing your eyes. In Eastern medicine, it is believed that overusing the eyes consumes blood. On days when you have been staring at screens, just resting a little earlier makes a difference.

For those closer to Blood Stasis: The shortcut to moving stagnant blood is to warm it and move it.

Soak in a bathtub. Walk. Rotate your shoulders. You don't need anything special. Just not staying in the same posture is enough. Since cold causes blood to stagnate, try to keep your ankles and abdomen warm even in summer.

Tomorrow is the third topic, "Water." Swelling, heaviness in the body, and headaches on rainy days. This may be the theme that most people can relate to the most during this season.

May your daily life be even a little more energetic and comfortable.

Yuyu Kampo

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