Originally a formula to prevent miscarriage and stop abdominal cramps during pregnancy, DGSYS builds blood, vitalises blood and clears fluid.

But isn’t it dangerous to move blood in the uterus during pregnancy?

No, not if you have the pattern right. In fact, helping the blood flow in the uterus can be incredibly beneficial to the fetus. It won’t cause haemorrhage.

Dang Gui Shao Yao San

Bai Shao (chief) 48 (classically) 12-24g
Fu Ling (assistant) 12g
Bai Zhu (assistant) 12g
Ze Xie (deputy) 12g
Dang Gui (assistant) 12g
Chuan Xiong (deputy) 9g

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Contains formulas:

1. Xiong Gui Tang (Fou Sho San) – Dang Gui + Chuan Xiong
2. Si Wu Tang – BS, DG, CX – minus Shu Di
3. Wu Ling San – FL, BZ, ZX – minus GZ, ZL
4. Dang Gui San – DG, BS, CX, BZ – minus Huang Qin

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Thermally:

The formula is neutral.

It contains cooling Bai Shao and Ze Xie, with warming Dang Gui and Chuan Xiong. If you wanted to warm the blood, better to go for Wen Jing Tang, if you want to cool the blood, maybe something with Sheng Di and Mu Dan Pi like Liu Wei Di Huang Tang is better.

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How do I use it? Extensively. This is one of my absolute favourite, totally indispensable formulas out of them all. I am constantly running out of stock of this formula.

The standard indications are abdominal cramps and edema, but that is a little loose for me. 

Tongue: Pale and thin (blood deficient)

Pulse: Weak and thin

Signs and Symptoms: Think Si Wu Tang and Wu Ling San signs – Postural hypotension, scanty period, inhibited or frequent urination, thirst, lower body dampness (edema, sweaty testicles or crotch), mental exhaustion, PTSD, waking during the night.

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Who do I use it on? Patients with a thready pulse, blood deficiency signs (floaters, pale thin tongue, postural hypotension, scanty period, dry skin) and some water pathology (damp lower jiao, cold back, sweaty between legs, puffy eyes, swelling, edema) and exhaustion.

A typical patient that comes into my clinic is a guy with chronic fatigue. Yes, it’s meant to be a ladies formula for abdominal cramps right? And it is, but this is my clinic typical patient. So they come in, chronic fatigue, PTSD,
depressed, exhausted, can’t sleep. Commonly, pulse it taut, floating, rapid – yang is just flying up and out and nothing is grounded. So I start with Chai Hu Jia Long Gu Mu Li Tang (often). They start sleeping well and calming down. Then the pulse sinks and trys to root a little more, so now it feels thready and wiry. So now, often I move to Dang gui Shao Yao San. Great for building blood, reducing fluid, calming shen (great for PTSD!) giving blood to the heart and liver to settle and hold the spirit.

Another patient is a young woman with fertility issues. Blood deficiency,
fluid retention, painful periods (clotty, dark, sticky blood), PMS, liver qi stag. Often with these patients DGSY is great after the period, then the week before and 2 days during the period, a combination of Xue Fu Zhu Yu and Shao Fu Zhu Yu Tang to clear clots and emoliate blood.

A third type of patient is Alzheimer’s. I have recently studied with Dr Dale Bredesen (author of the end of Alzheimer’s) and finding many “Type 5” post head-strike, trauma patients that have Alzheimer’s. This formula has some great research behind it for this condition. However, the signs and symptoms of these patients fit the bill anyway.

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Let’s look at the classic indication in the JGYL for DGSYS:

Dang Gui Shao Yao San was described in the Jin Gui Yao Lue· On Pregnancy Disorders line 5:

“If there is urgent abdominal pain during pregnancy, Dang Gui Shao Yao San governs.”金匮要略·妇人妊娠病第5条：妇人怀妊，腹中绞痛，当归芍药散主之.

In the Jin Gui Yao Lue· On Miscellaneous gynecological Disorders line 17:

“For all abdominal disorders and pain, Dang Gui Shao Yao San governs.”

金匮要略·妇人杂病》第17条：妇人腹中诸疾痛，当归芍药散主之。

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Tang Ye Jing

Dang Gui: Sweet, acrid, bitter and warm (Ht, Lr, Sp)

Pulse = Thin, Wiry, Deep

Abdomen = Oketsu or knots around the navel and possibly umbilical pulsations (from blood stasis)

*Think of Dang Gui in chronic cough, often there is blood stasis in the alveoli.

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There are so many applications for this formula. Here is a list (courtesy of Herbal Medicine Press):

• Acne
• Adnexitis (inflammation of the structures adjacent to the uterus)
• Allergic rhinitis
• Anemia, gestational
• Anemia, hypochromic
• Angina
• Anovulation
• Back weakness and numbness
• Back pain (lower)/sciatica
• Breast hyperplasia
• Breech presentation in late pregnancy
• Chilblains
• Cold extremities
• Congestive heart disease
• Coronary artery disease
• Dementia
• Dizziness
• Dysmenorrhea
• Eczema
• Edema
• Fatigue
• Gastritis, chronic
• Gestational hypertension
• Gout
• Headaches, vascular
• Hemorrhoids
• Hives/urticaria
• Hormone regulation and stimulation
• Hydrocele
• Hypotension or hypertension from deficiency
• Infertility
• Learning disorders due to deficiency
• Leiomyoma
• Leg weakness
• Luteal insufficiency
• Melasma
• Memory impairment
• Meniere’s disease
• Menopausal symptoms
• Menorrhagia
• Menstrual pain
• Menstruation, irregular
• Miscarriage, habitual or threatened
• Nausea
• Ovarian cysts
• Ovarian dysfunction
• Palpitations
• Pelvic Inflammatory Disease (PID)
• Polycystic ovaries
• Post stroke impairment and deterioration
• Postpartum weakness
• Postpartum depression
• Preeclampsia
• Pregnancy, weakness during
• Pregnancy, unstable
• Premenstrual syndrome
• Psoriasis
• Rheumatoid arthritis
• Sweating, lower body
• Thrombotic stroke, prevention of
• Toxemia of pregnancy,
• Trigeminal neuralgia
• Ulcers, peptic
• Urinary tract stones
• Urination, difficult or scanty
• Uterine bleeding, dysfunctional
• Uterine tumor
• Varicose veins
• Vertigo