Dan Shen Yin丹参饮
Salvia Drink
Ingredients3 herbs
Indications
Blood stasis with qi stagnation in the chest and epigastrium. Stasis fixes the pain in one place; the stagnant qi adds distension and a sense of blockage that shifts with mood and meals.
Clinical Manifestations
- Fixed stabbing pain in the chest
- Chronic epigastric pain that does not move
- Gastric pain with distension and belching
- Menstrual pain with clots and chest oppression
Health Categories
Modern Applications
Common adjustments
- Chest pain radiating to the back — add Gua Lou 瓜蒌 and Xie Bai 薤白
- Cold in the middle burner — add Gan Jiang 干姜 or Gui Zhi 桂枝
- Burning epigastric pain with acid reflux — add Huang Lian 黄连 and Wu Zhu Yu 吴茱萸
- Marked stasis with a hard, tender epigastrium — combine with Shi Xiao San
Contraindications
Not for epigastric pain of deficiency-cold that eases with pressure and warm food, nor where there is active gastric bleeding. Persistent epigastric pain in an adult should be investigated before being treated as stasis.
For licensed practitioners’ reference only — not a self-treatment guide.
Pregnancy
Used with caution in pregnancy and generally avoided. Dan Shen in a large dose moves blood strongly, and although Tan Xiang and Sha Ren are mild, the formula as a whole is not appropriate for a pregnant patient outside specialist supervision. Dan Shen is also the single herb in this chapter with the best-documented interaction with warfarin, whose anticoagulant effect it increases; the same caution applies to direct oral anticoagulants and antiplatelet drugs.
Related Formulas
References
Source Shi Fang Ge Kuo 《时方歌括》 · Qing
「治心痛、胃脘诸痛多效。」
- Classical source (public domain) — 《时方歌括》, Qing dynasty, Chen Xiu-yuan.
2. Scheid, Bensky, Ellis & Barolet. Chinese Herbal Medicine: Formulas & Strategies, 2nd ed. — composition & dosage cross-checked.
3. 《方剂学》（全国中医药行业高等教育规划教材）— 理血剂 · 活血祛瘀, pattern and 配伍 analysis cross-checked.
Professional reference notice. Entries are scholarly references for licensed TCM practitioners and students — not medical advice, and not a recommendation to self-prescribe. Chinese herbal formulas should be used under the guidance of a qualified practitioner. Content is an original editorial compilation by Cura x Cura, cross-checked against the cited references.