Building blood

Last week, I wrote about blood deficiency and shared parts of Chinese medicine theory that outline a variety of potentially contributing factors, including those that are related to the mind. If you find that you have blood deficiency or a Chinese medicine practitioner shares this assessment with you, there are some straightforward actions you can take to help nourish yourself or build blood, as is often the terminology used in this medicine.

Blood-building foods

In practice, I always encourage clients to notice and learn about food. Herbal formulas can be incredibly helpful, and I will talk about those next, but all herbal support is more effective when the foundational aspects of health, like nutrition and sleep, are established and fortified. In this context, blood deficiency can slow digestion because the liver, which is responsible for storing the blood, tries to hold on to whatever blood it can and the qi tightens or becomes constrained (which can lead to irritability, emotional outbursts, difficulties with emotional regulation, premenstrual woes, and sleep challenges).

In traditional medicine systems, the doctrine of signatures (also called the law of signatures) has longtime use as a heuristic that helps us understand the action and use of plants and other substances by looking carefully at their appearance (shape, form, color, etc.). Chinese medicine teaches us that the color red has an affinity with blood, so it follows that red foods like adzuki beans, beets, berries, cherries, grapes, goji berries, jujube dates, red lentils, and red meat all build blood. Experiment with new recipes and include more of these foods in your diet.

Dark leafy greens rich in chlorophyll also help to build the blood (this nutritional support is also outlined in western biomedicine, which highlights the presence of iron and other nutrients that help the body absorb iron in these vegetables). Increase the amount of kale, chard, dandelion greens, seaweed, and other dark leafy greens in your diet - try to eat them with at least two of every three meals each day.

These foods can help to build the blood over time and can also help the liver store blood.

Herbal medicine

There are Chinese herbal formulas that can be worked with specifically to build blood. Most, if not all, of these formulas contain plants that have an affinity to the spleen, liver, or both. In Chinese medicine theory, the spleen is understood to control the blood alongside the heart. It contributes to the production and transportation of blood, and the spleen qi is essential to keep the blood flowing in the vessels. The liver stores the blood and helps to regulate how much blood is circulated by the heart and distributed throughout the body.

Whenever we build blood, it is critical to also move the blood. If we build blood without moving it, stasis (stagnation) can arise. So these blood-building formulas also contain herbs that move the blood.

(Note: This is one of the key reasons that I almost always work with formulas instead of “simples” or singular herbs, one at a time. Herbal formulation is an ancient medicinal art form that is still very much alive today. Herbs are combined in such a way that they function synergistically together to enhance, temper, and/or harmonize the effects of each other.)

One of the key formulas for building blood is called Si Wu Tang or Four Substances Decoction. This formula is made of four herbs (hence “four substances”) and can be amended with the addition or substitution of various herbs to tailor its actions to the individual. Si Wu Tang was first documented in the Sung dynasty, which ruled from 970 to 1279 CE, and has been widely used by Chinese medicine practitioners since. It is made of the following herbs:

• Prepared Rehmannia Root (Shu Di Huang): a warm and sweet herb that tonifies the liver and kidneys and nourishes the yin of the blood

• White Peony Root (Bai Shao): a neutral, bitter, and sour herb that tonifies the blood (along with the shu di huang) and preserves the yin

• Angelica Root (Dong Quai): a warm, pungent, and sweet herb that tonifies the blood and promotes movement/circulation of the blood

• Szechuan Lovage Root (Chuan Xiong): a warm and pungent herb that promotes movement of the blood and qi

Given that Chinese medicine has such a high degree of personalization possible, Si Wu Tang is not the only formula with a blood-building action and may not be the ideal choice for every person who shows signs of blood deficiency, but it is a good example of a formulation that supports the blood.

Together, foods and herbs can nourish and support the blood, especially alongside good sleep and healthy internal dialogue. If you’re struggling with blood deficiency or are interested in working with Chinese medicine to support your health, you can learn about the clinical sessions I offer here.

Warmest,

Artemisia

innervillagehealth.com

Schedule a session here

Related Resources

• If you’re looking for some new recipes or more Chinese medicine food-specific information, I highly recommend checking out the Welcoming Food books by Andrew Sterman. Andrew has been my primary teacher for classical Chinese medicine dietary therapy. Book 1 provides information on food theory through the lens of classical Chinese medicine (for the everyday reader, not just for practitioners!) and Book 2 contains lots of different recipes with easy-to-follow information about the accompanying Chinese medicine involved in the dish.