A trauma-oriented "huo-xue xiao-zhong" (invigorate blood and reduce swelling) formula associated with Lin Daoren's "Secret Treatise on Bone-Knitting", one of the standard Chinese household formulas for bruises and knocks.
Cultural reference - how this formula has been discussed in Chinese medical tradition. Not medical advice.
Background & origin
Rooted in the Tang-dynasty orthopedics text "Secret Treatise on Bone-Knitting" (《仙授理伤续断秘方》) attributed to Lin Daoren (蔺道人), it is one of the most widely sold "die-da" (trauma) formulas in Chinese pharmacies. In Japan, the analogous idea is realized as 治打撲一方 (Chi-daboku-ippo), sold by Kotaro (小太郎) and other specialized manufacturers. In Korea, similar bruise-and-trauma formulas (타박/구타약) are produced by Hanpung (한풍) and a number of hanbang makers. It is a clear example of a Chinese external-injury formula that has been re-engineered into the OTC product lines of Japan and Korea.
From the source text
This page is cultural documentation, not medical advice.
From the source text · 《仙授理伤续断秘方》·接骨方条
Classical text
据《仙授理伤续断秘方》载接骨方：治跌扑伤折，瘀血肿痛，筋伤骨损。当归、红花、三七、乳香、没药、血竭、龙骨、冰片、儿茶等。
Modern Chinese rendering
本方用于"跌扑损伤、瘀血肿痛"系列证候：外力所致筋伤骨折、皮下瘀血、肿胀疼痛、活动受限等"钝挫伤瘀血"证。方以当归、红花、三七、乳香、没药活血祛瘀、消肿止痛为君；血竭化瘀止血、儿茶收涩敛疮、龙骨安神定志为臣；冰片开窍清热、引药达表为使。整体上，是中医"外伤 + 瘀血"思路下最经典的内服跌打方，专治"钝挫伤瘀血"而非开放性伤口；当代中成药"跌打丸"即以本类方为祖方、并经后世多次增补修订。
Editorial translation
This formula is used for "traumatic injury with blood stasis" patterns: external-force injuries to sinews and bones, subcutaneous ecchymosis, swelling and pain, and limited range of motion, the "blunt-trauma blood-stasis" presentation. The formula uses Dāng Guī, Hóng Huā, Sān Qī, Rǔ Xiāng, and Mò Yào to invigorate blood, dispel stasis, reduce swelling, and stop pain as sovereign; Xuè Jié to dispel stasis and stop bleeding, Ér Chá to astringe and help close wounds, and Lóng Gǔ to calm and steady the spirit as minister; Bīng Piàn to open the orifices, clear heat, and guide the formula to the exterior as envoy. It is, in short, the most classical oral "die-da" (trauma) formula of TCM's "external injury + blood stasis" thinking, dedicated to the "blunt-trauma blood-stasis" presentation rather than to open wounds; the modern industrial Diē Dǎ Wán is the direct lineal descendant of this classical family, with multiple later additions and revisions over the centuries.
In tradition
In TCM framing, traditionally discussed in the context of "blood stasis from trauma", bruises, swelling, soreness after a knock, stiffness, and pain in muscles and joints following minor injuries. It is a staple "travel first-aid" formula in Chinese pharmacies, often kept at home in the same way Western households keep a box of adhesive bandages. In Japan, the closely related idea appears as 治打撲一方 (Chi-daboku-ippo) by Kotaro (小太郎), and in Korea similar bruise-and-trauma formulas are sold by Hanpung (한풍) and other hanbang makers.
Formula composition
Monarch2
- Notoginseng root (Sān Qī / 三七) - principal, disperses stasis and stops pain
- Chinese angelica root (Dāng Guī / 当归) - principal, nourishes and moves blood
Minister14
- White peony root (Bái Sháo / 白芍) - nourishes blood, softens the liver
- Red peony root (Chì Sháo / 赤芍) - cools blood, invigorates blood
- Peach kernel (Táo Rén / 桃仁) - invigorates blood, moistens the intestines
- Safflower (Hóng Huā / 红花) - invigorates blood, disperses stasis
- Dragon's blood (Xuè Jié / 血竭) - invigorates blood, stops bleeding
- Parthenocissus (Běi Liú Jì Nú / 北刘寄奴) - invigorates blood, reduces swelling
- Drynaria, scalded (Gǔ Suì Bǔ / 骨碎补) - tonifies liver-kidney, strengthens bones
- Dipsacus (Xù Duàn / 续断) - tonifies liver-kidney, continues sinews and bones
- Sappanwood (Sū Mù / 苏木) - invigorates blood, reduces swelling
- Tree peony bark (Mǔ Dān Pí / 牡丹皮) - cools blood, invigorates blood
- Frankincense, processed (Rǔ Xiāng / 乳香) - invigorates blood, stops pain
- Myrrh, processed (Mò Yào / 没药) - invigorates blood, stops pain
- Turmeric (Jiāng Huáng / 姜黄) - invigorates blood, moves qi
- Sparganium, vinegar-processed (Sān Léng / 三棱) - breaks blood, moves qi
Assistant8
- Saposhnikovia (Fáng Fēng / 防风) - disperses wind
- Muskmelon seed (Tián Guā Zǐ / 甜瓜子) - reduces swelling
- Immature bitter orange, stir-baked (Zhǐ Shí / 枳实) - moves qi, reduces accumulation
- Platycodon root (Jié Gěng / 桔梗) - guides lung qi, expels phlegm
- Licorice root (Gān Cǎo / 甘草) - harmonizes formula
- Akebia stem (Mù Tōng / 木通) - clears heat, promotes urination
- Native copper, calcined (Zì Rán Tóng / 自然铜) - continues bones, invigorates blood
- Ground beetle (Tǔ Biē Chóng / 土鳖虫) - invigorates blood, continues sinews and bones
International availability
Taiwan & Hong Kong
- 順天堂OTC跌打丸Die Da Wan
Cautions & context
- Strongly contraindicated during pregnancy, the formula contains multiple blood-activating herbs.
- People taking blood-thinning medication (warfarin, aspirin, etc.) should consult a clinician before use, the blood-activating ingredients may amplify anticoagulant effects.
- Not appropriate for use on broken skin or open wounds internally, the formula is for "stasis from blunt trauma", not for topical treatment of open injuries.
- Severe injuries, suspected fractures, head trauma, or pain that does not improve within a few days should be assessed by a clinician, TCM trauma pills are not a substitute for evaluation of structural injury.
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Editorial note
Compiled from "Secret Treatise on Bone-Knitting" (1815).
Last reviewed: July 18, 2026
Three layers of evidence
Classical source
≈ 200 years · "Secret Treatise on Bone-Knitting" (1815)
Pharmacopoeia indication
"Invigorate blood and disperse stasis, reduce swelling and stop pain. Used for traumatic injury: blood stasis with swelling and pain, sprained lower back, and disordered qi."
Modern research status
As of 2026-07-18, a PubMed search using the formula name and the Latin / Korean / Japanese transliterations together with "systematic review" and "meta-analysis" did not identify a dedicated systematic review for this formula. Any clinical evidence that does exist is fragmented across small individual trials or covered in broad herbal-medicine umbrella reviews, which do not allow a per-formula evidence assessment; the absence of a dedicated SR is itself the relevant editorial fact here.
References
References reviewed on July 18, 2026 · PubMed search on 2026-07-18
- 01ClassicalLìn Dàorén (蔺道人, attributed), 《仙授理伤续断秘方》 (Xiān Shòu Lǐ Shāng Xù Duàn Mì Fāng / Secret Treatise on Bone-Knitting), Tang dynasty, attributed compilation ca. 846 CE (presenting under the "immortal-bestowed" title), the "bone-knitting" (接骨方) section, the ancestral line of the modern Diē Dǎ Wán; the transmitted lineage is complex and the standard industrial Diē Dǎ Wán was standardized in the Qing / early modern period (earliestYear 1815 in this dataset reflects the standardized modern formulation), editorial adaptation, pending scholarly verification against the Ming Hongwu woodblock edition or modern critical editions.
- 02TextbookDuān Fùjīn (段富津) et al. (eds.), 《方剂学》 (Fāngjìxué / Science of Formulas), 2nd edition, Shanghai Scientific and Technical Publishers, 2011, the standard modern university-level formula textbook in mainland China, with the Diē Dǎ Wán family analysed in the "blood-invigorating and stasis-dispelling" (活血祛瘀剂) chapter as the representative "trauma-with-blood-stasis" oral formula, the canonical entry for the "blunt-trauma blood-stasis" register.
- 03TextbookKotaro (小太郎) and other Japanese specialized manufacturers, 治打撲一方 (Chi-daboku-ippo / チダボクイッポウ) product documentation, the standard Japanese Kampo "blunt-trauma" formula, derived from the Tang "bone-knitting" tradition broadly, sold in Japanese drugstores for bruises and knocks; mirrored in Korean hanbang "타박/구타약" preparations in Hanpung (한풍) and other hanbang makers.
- 04PharmacopoeiaPharmacopoeia Commission of the PRC, 《中华人民共和国药典》 2020 edition, vol. 1 (Zhōnghuá Rénmín Gònghéguó Yàodiǎn, Pharmacopoeia of the People's Republic of China, 2020 ed., vol. 1), China Medical Science Press, 2020, the official national monograph for Diē Dǎ Wán (丸 / 浓缩丸), "functional indication" reads "invigorate blood and disperse stasis, reduce swelling and stop pain, used for traumatic injury: blood stasis with swelling and pain, sprained lower back, and disordered qi".