Dang Gui Jian Zhong Tang当归建中汤
Angelica Decoction to Construct the Middle
Ingredients6 herbs
Indications
Postpartum or post-haemorrhage deficiency of qi and blood with cold in the middle burner. Emptiness of the vessels leaves the abdomen tight and painful; warming and nourishing together relieve it, where either alone would not.
Clinical Manifestations
- Persistent lower abdominal pain after childbirth
- Postpartum weakness with wasting and shortness of breath
- Cramping pain drawing to the lower back and sacrum
- Cold, painful menstruation in a blood-deficient patient
- Poor appetite and cold intolerance during convalescence
Health Categories
Modern Applications
Common adjustments
- Very depleted — add Yi Tang 饴糖, as the original text directs
- Excessive blood loss — add Sheng Di Huang 生地黄 and E Jiao 阿胶, as the original text directs
- Marked qi deficiency — add Huang Qi 黄芪 and Dang Shen 党参
- Retained lochia with stabbing pain — add Chuan Xiong 川芎 and Yi Mu Cao 益母草 under practitioner supervision
Contraindications
Not for postpartum fever, heat in the blood, or abdominal pain from retained tissue or infection — these need urgent medical assessment, not a warming tonic. Not for damp-heat or food stagnation patterns.
For licensed practitioners’ reference only — not a self-treatment guide.
Pregnancy
This is a postpartum formula, not a pregnancy formula. Dang Gui and Gui Xin move the blood and Gui Xin is hot; use in pregnancy only on a practitioner's specific decision. It is well suited to the postpartum period, including while breastfeeding, under supervision.
Related Formulas
References
Source Qian Jin Yi Fang 《千金翼方》 · Tang
「治产后虚羸不足，腹中刺痛不止，吸吸少气，或苦少腹中急，摩痛引腰背，不能饮食。」
- Classical source (public domain), cited in the source-quote section.
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）— pattern 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.