Jī Xuè Téng (鸡血藤) — Spatholobus
By Dr (TCM) Attilio D’Alberto — registered Traditional Chinese Medicine practitioner (BAcC, RCHM) with over 25 years’ clinical experience.
On this page
1. Overview
Jī Xuè Téng (鸡血藤, literally "chicken-blood vine") — the stem of Spatholobus suberectus, named for the red sap that resembles blood — is a bitter, slightly sweet, warm Chinese herb that simultaneously tonifies and invigorates the Blood, relaxes the sinews and unblocks the channels. Its dual tonify-and-move action makes it uniquely useful in gynaecology and in chronic bi syndromes with Blood deficiency. It is also used as adjunctive support in low blood count, including post-chemotherapy anaemia.
2. Properties
| Pinyin name | Jī Xuè Téng |
|---|---|
| Chinese characters | 鸡血藤 |
| Latin name | Caulis Spatholobi / Spatholobus suberectus |
| English name | Spatholobus stem, chicken-blood vine |
| Nature | Warm |
| Flavour | Bitter, slightly sweet |
| Channels entered | Liver, Heart, Spleen |
| Category | Invigorate Blood |
| Dosage | 9–15 g, decocted |
3. Actions and indications
Principal actions
- Tonifies and invigorates Blood — for irregular menstruation, dysmenorrhoea, amenorrhoea and Blood-deficient anaemia. Particularly useful where the pattern is mixed Blood deficiency with Blood stagnation — very common in long-standing gynaecological complaints.
- Relaxes the sinews and unblocks the channels — for numbness in the extremities, muscular weakness, and bi-syndrome (rheumatic) joint pain with Blood deficiency.
- Supports low blood counts — commonly prescribed during and after chemotherapy as a supportive Blood-building herb (consult oncologist).
4. Key formulas
- Modern gynaecology formulas pair Ji Xue Teng with Dang Gui and Chuan Xiong for irregular menstruation.
- Combined with Du Huo and Sang Ji Sheng for bi-syndrome with Blood deficiency.
5. Cautions
Generally well tolerated. Caution in pregnancy (Blood-invigorating action). Caution with anticoagulant medication.
6. Treatment at my clinic
I prescribe Ji Xue Teng frequently in granule formulas for gynaecological complaints with combined Blood deficiency and Blood stagnation, and as adjunctive support for chronic numbness and Blood-deficient joint pain. Online Chinese herbal consultations are available. See prices for costs.
