Invigorate the Blood (huo xue)

Herbs that invigorate the blood are usually acrid, warming herbs that promote the movement of blood and disperse stasis, treating stabbing pain in fixed locations, numbness in the extremities, lumps felt under the skin or in the abdomen, swellings as a result of traumatic injury, and bleeding of dark purple or clotted blood.

Some notable examples include chuang xiong (Szechuan lovage, Ligusticum wallichii), hong hua (safflower, Carthamus tinctorius), dan shen (Salvia miltirorrhiza), yan hu suo (corydalis, Corydalis yanhusuo) and various species of turmeric (Curcuma). All should be avoided or used with extreme caution in pregnancy, and interactions with anticoagulant medication is common due to their haematological effects.