Blood StasisXue YuTCM DiagnosticsPainGynaecologyHerbal MedicineAcupuncture
Blood Stasis Patterns: Recognition and Clinical Strategies
Medically Reviewed by Derek Doran, BHSc (Acupuncture) · AHPRA Registered · AACMA Member · Updated April 27, 2026
April 27, 202611 min readBy MediChi Editorial
Checking your access and loading content
Verifying your Medi-Chi access…
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Blood Stasis in Chinese medicine?
Blood Stasis (Xue Yu, 血瘀) is a TCM pattern in which the Blood is no longer flowing freely. The Blood is still there, but it's pooled, sticky, or genuinely clotted somewhere it shouldn't be. The classic picture is fixed, stabbing pain that's worse at night, a dusky purple tongue with possibly distended sublingual veins, and a wiry or choppy pulse — often with a history of trauma, surgery, chronic inflammation, or long-standing Qi stagnation.
How do I tell Blood Stasis apart from Qi stagnation?
Qi stagnation pain moves around, comes and goes, and is usually distending or aching. Blood Stasis pain stays put, feels sharp or stabbing, and tends to be worse at night and worse with pressure. Qi stagnation often improves with a sigh, a walk, or venting a feeling. Blood Stasis doesn't budge that easily. The tongue tells you a lot: a normal-coloured tongue with a tight pulse leans Qi stagnation; a purple or spotted tongue with visible sublingual vessels leans Blood Stasis.
Which acupuncture points move Blood?
The clinical workhorses are SP10 (Xuehai, the 'Sea of Blood'), SP6 (Sanyinjiao), LI4 (Hegu) paired with LV3 (Taichong) for the Four Gates, BL17 (Geshu, the influential point of Blood) and BL18 (Ganshu) on the back, and CV6 (Qihai) for moving Blood in the lower abdomen. For local stasis, ashi points and bleeding small surface veins are still some of the fastest-acting tools we have.
Which herbs and formulas treat Blood Stasis?
The classical headliners are Xuefu Zhuyu Tang (chest and head stasis, the most-studied modern formula), Tao Hong Si Wu Tang (gynaecological stasis built on the Four Substance base), Shao Fu Zhu Yu Tang (lower-abdomen and menstrual stasis with cold), and Ge Xia Zhu Yu Tang (abdominal masses and fixed pain below the diaphragm). Core single herbs include Dang Gui, Chuan Xiong, Tao Ren, Hong Hua, Dan Shen, Yan Hu Suo and San Qi (Notoginseng) — the latter being the standout for stopping bleeding without creating more stasis.
All Citations Verified7/7
Every PubMed citation in this article has been manually verified against its source.
💡 💡 Tip: Press and hold on citation links to open them in your browser.
Derek Doran, BHSc (Acupuncture)
AHPRA Registered (CMR0002211465) · AACMA Member
Derek is the founder of MediChi and a registered acupuncturist with clinical expertise in integrating Western diagnoses with Traditional Chinese Medicine treatment protocols.
Clinically reviewed: April 27, 2026
