This formula was devised by Bi Li-zhai and recorded in the Catalogued Essentials for Correcting the Body (zheng ti lei yao), 1529. It may be regarded as a combination of Si Jun Zi Tang (Four Major Herbs Formula) and Si Wu Tang (Dang gui Four Combination), or alternatively as a simplified version of Shi Quan Da Bu Tang (Ginseng and Dang-gui Ten Formula).The formula name means the eight precious (herbs) formula because it contains the eight most effective tonifying herbs for the Qi and the Blood. It has become a very popular tonic in China and, more recently, also in the West, with a strong reputation as a womens formula. However it may also be used efficaciously by men with the appropriate clinical presentation.
Disorders of both the Qi and the Blood are commonly seen in clinic because the Qi and the Blood are complementary, and impairment of the one readily affects the other. Because Blood deficiency primarily affects the Heart and the Liver, some of the main clinical features are associated with these organs; while Qi deficiency is primarily associated with the Spleen and Lung, some of the main clinical features are associated with these organs.
Qi deficiency is characterized by reduction of the driving, warming, defending, containing and transforming actions of the Qi, leading to the following specific clinical manifestations of Qi deficiency: general weakness with low energy, fatigue, poor appetite, swollen tongue, loose stools, cold intolerance, increased susceptibility to upper respiratory infections, emaciation, etc.
The Blood provides nutrients and maintains the normal functional activities of the various tissues and organs. It provides the material basis for the growth and ongoing maintenance of the body structure. It also has a moistening function that keeps the tissues from drying out due to the bodys heat and activity. In addition, the Blood, being the Yin counterpart of the Qi, has a tempering and regulating action on it, facilitating the smooth and even flow of the Qi throughout the body.
Specific features of Blood deficiency include dizziness or light headedness, insomnia, forgetfulness and palpitations, which relate to the close correlation between the Blood and the Heart in the broad sense, which includes not only the physical organ but also the brain, mind and Spirit. Additionally the combined deficiency of Qi and Blood tends to create a vicious cycle as the one exacerbates the other. Thus, such a condition may readily lead to many and varied clinical complications, including gynaecological, digestive, cardiovascular and psychological disorders.