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Formula温里剂· 回阳救逆/温经散寒

当归四逆汤

Dāng Guī Sì Nì Tāng

Tangkuei Decoction for Frigid Extremities

The Shang Han Lun jue yin chapter formula for warming the channels, dispersing cold, and nourishing blood to unblock the vessels. It treats blood vacuity with cold congelation in the channels causing frigid extremities, a pale tongue with white coating, and a fine pulse verging on absence. Unlike Si Ni Tang's yang-rescuing function, this formula emphasizes warming the channels and nourishing blood, using dang gui, gui zhi, and xi xin rather than fu zi and gan jiang.

Source《伤寒论》辨厥阴病脉证并治第351条

Treatment Principle

温经散寒，养血通脉

Warm the channels and disperse cold; nourish blood and unblock the vessels

Formula Rhyme

当归四逆桂芍枣，细辛通草甘草草。血虚寒厥手足冷，温经散寒此方好。

—— 方剂学 (中医药出版社)

Composition · 组成

Herb	Role	Dosage	Notes
当归Dāng Guī	君Sovereign	9g	养血和营，活血通脉，为君
桂枝Guì Zhī	臣Minister	9g	温经散寒，温通血脉
白芍Bái Sháo	臣Minister	9g	养血和营，与当归同补营血
细辛Xì Xīn	佐Assistant	3g	辛温散寒，通达阳气，助桂枝温散血分寒邪
大枣Dà Zǎo	佐Assistant	8枚	甘温益气养血，与甘草同补脾气以助生血
甘草Gān Cǎo	使Courier	6g	益气补中，调和诸药；用炙甘草

Modifications · 加减

原方配伍说明
《伤寒论》原方另有通草二两，以通利血脉。临床用时当加通草3–6g，方合原方「通脉」之意。
内有久寒、呕吐腹痛
+ 吴茱萸、生姜
厥阴久寒
腰股腿足疼痛
+ 牛膝、木瓜
寒凝经脉

Treats Patterns · 主治证型

血虚证

Xuè Xū Zhèng

Blood Vacuity Pattern

厥阴病证

Jué Yīn Bìng Zhèng

Jueyin Stage Pattern

Preparation · 煎服法

上七味，以水八升，煮取三升，去滓，温服一升，日三服。

Editor-reviewed· 2026-04-17

PractitionerPatientDate

当归四逆汤Dāng Guī Sì Nì Tāng

Tangkuei Decoction for Frigid Extremities

Herb	Pinyin	Role	Dose
当归	Dāng Guī	Jun (Sovereign)	9g
桂枝	Guì Zhī	Chen (Minister)	9g
白芍	Bái Sháo	Chen (Minister)	9g
细辛	Xì Xīn	Zuo (Assistant)	3g
大枣	Dà Zǎo	Zuo (Assistant)	8枚
甘草	Gān Cǎo	Shi (Courier)	6g

Preparation: 上七味，以水八升，煮取三升，去滓，温服一升，日三服。

This prescription is provided only by the dispensing TCM practitioner. Take as directed; do not modify the dose or share it. If you experience any adverse effect, stop immediately and contact your practitioner. The content of this platform is educational reference, not medical advice.
Bencao Dian · https://bencaodian.org · CC BY-SA 4.0

Permalink · CC BY-SA 4.0

Cite this entry

@misc{bencaodian-dang-gui-si-ni-tang,
  author       = {{Bencaodian Editorial}},
  title        = {Dāng Guī Sì Nì Tāng 当归四逆汤 (Tangkuei Decoction for Frigid Extremities)},
  year         = {2026},
  howpublished = {Bencao Dian: A Bilingual Knowledge Graph of Traditional Chinese Medicine},
  url          = {https://bencaodian.org/en/formulas/dang-gui-si-ni-tang},
  urldate      = {2026-04-17},
  note         = {CC BY-SA 4.0}
}

Permalink is fixed

Composition · 组成

Herb	Role	Dosage	Notes
当归Dāng Guī	君Sovereign	9g	养血和营，活血通脉，为君
桂枝Guì Zhī	臣Minister	9g	温经散寒，温通血脉
白芍Bái Sháo	臣Minister	9g	养血和营，与当归同补营血
细辛Xì Xīn	佐Assistant	3g	辛温散寒，通达阳气，助桂枝温散血分寒邪
大枣Dà Zǎo	佐Assistant	8枚	甘温益气养血，与甘草同补脾气以助生血
甘草Gān Cǎo	使Courier	6g	益气补中，调和诸药；用炙甘草

Herb

Pinyin

Role

Dose

当归

Dāng Guī

Jun (Sovereign)

桂枝

Guì Zhī

Chen (Minister)

白芍

Bái Sháo

Chen (Minister)

细辛

Xì Xīn

Zuo (Assistant)

大枣

Dà Zǎo

Zuo (Assistant)

8枚

甘草

Gān Cǎo

Shi (Courier)

@misc{bencaodian-dang-gui-si-ni-tang, author = {{Bencaodian Editorial}}, title = {Dāng Guī Sì Nì Tāng 当归四逆汤 (Tangkuei Decoction for Frigid Extremities)}, year = {2026}, howpublished = {Bencao Dian: A Bilingual Knowledge Graph of Traditional Chinese Medicine}, url = {https://bencaodian.org/en/formulas/dang-gui-si-ni-tang}, urldate = {2026-04-17}, note = {CC BY-SA 4.0} }