Heart Problems, a Dark Bluish-Black Tongue, Slow Fracture Healing? San Qi (Notoginseng) with American Ginseng, and San Qi with Chicken Leg Bones — Two Practical Everyday Formulas
Patient search terms: heart pain / weak heart / dark bluish-black tongue / blood stasis / faster fracture recovery / what to eat for a fracture Corresponding master’s experience: Doctor Zhang Xichun’s masterful use of San Qi · San Qi invigorates blood and dissolves stasis · San Qi with American ginseng · San Qi with chicken leg bones
Opening: the last lecture in the San Qi series — no grand theory, just two formulas you can use every day
For many days now we have talked about how Doctor Zhang Xichun used San Qi (notoginseng), and a thought may have crossed many readers’ minds: my goodness, this San Qi is practically a miracle herb!
💬 Note from Doctor Luo: Friends, there is no such thing as a miracle herb in this world — only herbs that match the pattern. What does San Qi match? Blood stasis — San Qi invigorates blood and dissolves stasis, but when there is bleeding, San Qi can also stop it. This two-way regulation is why San Qi plays such an important role in regulating the body.
Today we skip the grand theory. Doctor Luo Dalun says: how do I actually use San Qi? In many ways, I was inspired by Doctor Zhang Xichun. The two small methods today are both ways to apply San Qi — one protects the heart, one mends bones.
Formula one: San Qi with American ginseng — an old friend for heart disease from blood stasis
Let’s start with the first one. In the process of managing heart disease, a portion of heart problems are caused by blood stasis. For such patients, Doctor Luo often uses a formula: San Qi powder with American ginseng powder.
💬 Note from Doctor Luo: The method is very simple: 0.5 g of San Qi powder and 0.5 g of American ginseng powder — that’s one dose. Take once in the morning and once in the evening. In other words, 1 g of San Qi and 1 g of American ginseng a day is enough. For heart patients with blood stasis, taking this formula long-term works extremely well.
There are two details about how to take it — remember them:
- Preferably after meals — some people feel slightly uncomfortable taking it before food; with food in the stomach, the herbs go down more gently;
- Preferably during the day, not before bed — herbs that invigorate blood and dissolve stasis should not be taken right before sleep. After taking them, your blood circulation opens up — but then it’s time to rest, and some people report their sleep is affected.
💬 Note from Doctor Luo: As long as the heart discomfort comes from blood stasis, the results are excellent.
One phone call: “Why is my tongue turning bluish-black?”
How good is it? Doctor Luo told a personal story.
He has an old friend, a senior figure in the business world. One day the man suddenly called — Doctor Luo was driving in Beijing at the time and missed an exit on an overpass, going miles out of his way to turn back, because the voice on the phone was frantic.
💬 Note from Doctor Luo: His wife’s heart pain was extremely severe. He handed the phone to his wife, and she said just one thing: “Why has my tongue turned bluish-black?” The moment I heard that, I knew it was serious — a bluish tongue can mean blood stasis has become very severe.
The emergency that night: chew Compound Salvia Tablets and hold them under the tongue, then follow with San Qi and American ginseng powder
Doctor Luo told him to go downstairs right away and buy medicine. What?
💬 Note from Doctor Luo: Fu Fang Dan Shen Pian (Compound Salvia Tablets) — buy them, chew them up, and hold them under the tongue — chew some and hold some, a few tablets chewed. Sublingual absorption is fast; this is the move for emergencies. Then I said: also buy San Qi powder and American ginseng powder and start taking the powders right away — you don’t need to start with 1 g; you can use a larger amount, even 2 g.
And the result? It eased quickly. Two days later he came to see Doctor Luo — and the tongue color had returned to normal.
From then on, the heart never troubled her again
The best part was what followed. The lady kept taking the San Qi and American ginseng powders steadily, and her heart never had a problem again.
💬 Note from Doctor Luo: Later he told me that at the time his heart hurt so badly he couldn’t straighten his back. He also told me his wife had already been rescued several times before — every time very dangerous; she often couldn’t catch her breath just walking, a very frail person. After taking the San Qi and American ginseng powders, not only did her heart become normal, her body’s qi filled out too. Later he invited me to dinner and his son came along, saying: “This whole way I’ve been running after my mom — she strides ahead so fast. Before, she had no strength at all. Now she has energy.”
Why did it work so well? Because San Qi powder invigorates blood and dissolves stasis — for heart problems caused by blood stasis, the therapeutic effect is excellent.
Why must it be paired with American ginseng? San Qi alone can stir up heat
So why pair it with American ginseng at all? Here’s the key explanation:
💬 Note from Doctor Luo: Taken alone, San Qi powder is slightly warming. San Qi is very close to ginseng — some of its constituents are even identical to ginseng’s — so it carries a certain warming nature. Whether raw or cooked San Qi — some people ask me, should we use raw or cooked? What we use is always raw San Qi; these days we basically don’t use cooked San Qi — raw San Qi is also warming. People with a yin-deficient constitution may feel dry, sore eyes and discomfort after taking it, so it needs to be paired with something that nourishes yin. American ginseng tonifies qi and nourishes yin — paired together, it balances out.
So remember: when taking San Qi, try not to take it alone. If you take San Qi alone for a long time and you have internal heat or yin deficiency, you’ll feel uncomfortable — always pair it with a yin-nourishing herb like American ginseng. Conversely, if you are yang-deficient, then San Qi suits you just right.
💬 Note from Doctor Luo: This is one point I want to pass on — in the application of San Qi for invigorating blood and dissolving stasis, remember the pairing “with American ginseng.”
Formula two: San Qi with chicken leg bones — the family formula for fracture recovery
Now for the second formula. This is the Luo family’s heirloom formula: what to do about a fracture? Use San Qi with chicken leg bones.
💬 Note from Doctor Luo: Generally 1–3 g of San Qi powder — 3 g for a serious injury, 1 g for a light one. Note: it must be San Qi powder, not San Qi chunks — chunks won’t cook out. Use three, five, or six chicken leg bones, whichever you have.
Many friends ask: Doctor Luo, are chicken leg bones “phoenix claws” — the chicken feet they eat in Guangdong?
💬 Note from Doctor Luo: Not phoenix claws! Phoenix claws are chicken feet. Chicken leg bones are the big drumstick bones of the chicken thigh, above the claw. How do you use them? Crack the leg bones with the back of a knife — crack them open, then simmer them into a soup with the San Qi powder, about half an hour, until the bones are cooked through and the soup is ready.
One detail when drinking: don’t drink the bone splinters — best to strain through several layers of gauze, filtering out any fragments. Drink this soup from the day of the fracture until it heals.
Relieves pain, mends bone, dissolves stasis inside the bone — the same thinking as Doctor Zhang Xichun
What does this formula do?
💬 Note from Doctor Luo: First, it has the strongest pain-relieving effect — some patients report the pain begins to ease immediately, which reduces the patient’s suffering; second, it promotes bone healing — after a fracture the bone heals bit by bit, and San Qi can dissolve the stasis within the bone and improve blood circulation, so this formula is an excellent aid to recovery after a fracture.
This is the Luo family’s heirloom formula, used for a long time now; many people have used it, and everyone reports good results.
💬 Note from Doctor Luo: This formula follows the same logic as Doctor Zhang Xichun’s teaching earlier — “San Qi can dissolve stasis inside the bone.” Now that you understand it, if you encounter a similar situation, you can recommend it.
Closing: a health formula Doctor Luo’s elderly mother takes every day
These two small formulas are both ways to apply San Qi. At the end, Doctor Luo added one more point: formulas like the San Qi with American ginseng powder are good for the body when taken by elderly friends in general.
💬 Note from Doctor Luo: My own elderly mother takes it every day. Our family always keeps these little bottles stocked; every morning my mother brings out the San Qi powder and American ginseng powder and takes them. This formula has an excellent effect on maintaining the cardiovascular system of older people. You can visit my blog — I’ve written many articles on this topic.
Starting tomorrow, we leave San Qi behind — what herb does Doctor Zhang Xichun bring us next? We’ll continue next time.
Compiled from Doctor Luo Dalun’s explanations of Doctor Zhang Xichun’s medicinal experience.