Xiao Huo Luo Dan小活络丹
Minor Invigorate the Collaterals Pill
Ingredients6 herbs
Indications
Wind-cold-damp painful obstructionof long duration, in which phlegm and stasis have joined the original evils and settled in the channels. Also the residual numbness and heaviness of a chronic post-stroke limb where damp-phlegm and stasis block the collaterals.
Clinical Manifestations
- Chronic wind-cold-damp painful obstruction of the limbs
- Pain that wanders, with numbness and cramping
- Joints that will not bend or straighten easily
- Heavy, aching lower back and legs of long standing
- Long-standing numbness of the hand or foot after a cerebrovascular event
Health Categories
Modern Applications
Common adjustments
- Heat signs — the joints are red, hot and swollen — the formula is wrong for this and is not used; hot painful obstruction needs a cooling strategy
- Marked blood deficiency underneath — blood-nourishing herbs such as Dang Gui 当归 and Ji Xue Teng 鸡血藤 are given alongside, since the aconites disperse without building
- Upper-limb pain predominant — channel-guiding herbs for the arm such as Sang Zhi 桑枝 are added
- Lower-limb pain predominant — Huai Niu Xi 怀牛膝 is added to lead the formula downward
- Phlegm is heavy but aconite is unsuitable — note that Ban Xia and Gua Lou — the usual phlegm herbs — are classically incompatible with aconite, so a different phlegm approach is chosen rather than added on top
Contraindications
Contraindicated in pregnancy and while breastfeeding. Not for hot painful obstruction with red, swollen, hot joints, nor for yin-deficient patients with heat signs, nor for anyone weak and depleted — this formula disperses hard and does not tonify. Not to be used with alcohol, which increases aconite absorption. Not to be combined with Ban Xia, Gua Lou, Tian Hua Fen,, Bai Lian or. Ru Xiang and Mo Yao move blood and irritate the stomach: caution with anticoagulants such as warfarin, with antiplatelet drugs, and in anyone with peptic ulcer disease. Anyone with a heart rhythm problem, or taking cardiac medication, should not take an aconite formula without a physician's involvement. Stop immediately and seek emergency care for numbness or tingling of the mouth or limbs, nausea, dizziness, palpitations or an irregular pulse.
For licensed practitioners’ reference only — not a self-treatment guide.
Pregnancy
Contraindicated in pregnancy. Zhi Chuan Wu and Zhi Cao Wu are toxic and are classical pregnancy prohibitions; Tian Nan Xing is likewise contraindicated; Ru Xiang and Mo Yao strongly move blood and are avoided. It is also not taken while breastfeeding, since the alkaloids pass into milk. There is no dose of this formula that is considered safe in pregnancy.
Related Formulas
References
Source Tai Ping Hui Min He Ji Ju Fang 《太平惠民和剂局方》 · Song
「治丈夫元脏气虚，妇人脾血久冷，诸般风邪湿毒之气，留滞经络，流注脚手，筋脉挛拳，或发赤肿，行步艰辛，腰腿沉重。」
- 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.
4. Pharmacopoeial monographs on 制川乌 Aconiti Radix Praeparata and 制草乌 Aconiti Kusnezoffii Radix Praeparata — processing requirement, dose ceiling and prolonged pre-decoction.
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.