Joint pain according to Chinese Medicine
The information provided here is not a replacement for a doctor. You shouldn't use it for the purpose of self-diagnosing or self-medicating but rather so you can have a more informed discussion with a professional TCM practitioner.
aching bones and joints, arthralgia, heat and pain in the joints redirect here
Joint pain can be the consequence of several so-called “patterns of disharmony” in Chinese Medicine.
Chinese Medicine sees the body as a system, not a sum of isolated parts. A "pattern" is when the system's harmony is disrupted, leading to symptoms or signs that something is wrong (like joint pain here). It is similar to the concept of disease in Western Medicine but not quite: a Western disease can often be explained by several Chinese patterns and vice-versa.
A pattern often manifests itself in a combination of symptoms that, at first glance, do not seem necessarily related to each others. For instance here joint pain is often associated with swollen joints, stiff neck and numbness of the muscles in the pattern “Cold invading the Channels joints and muscles”. As you will see below, we have in record four patterns that can cause joint pain.
Once identified, patterns are treated using medicinal herbs, acupuncture, and other therapies. In the case of joint pain we’ve identified five herbal formulas that may help treat patterns behind the symptom.
We’ve also selected below the five medicinal herbs that we think are most likely to help treat joint pain.
The four "patterns of disharmony" that can cause joint pain
In Chinese Medicine joint pain is a symptom for 4 patterns that we have on record. Below is a small explanation for each of them with links for more details.
Prepared Sichuan Aconite (Zhi Chuan Wu) is the king ingredient for Wu Tou Tang, a formula used for Cold invading the Channels joints and muscles
Cold invading the Channels joints and muscles
Pulse type(s): Tight (Jin), Floating (Fu)
In addition to joint pain, other symptoms associated with Cold invading the Channels joints and muscles include swollen joints, stiff neck and numbness of the muscles.
Cold invading the Channels joints and muscles is often treated with Wu Tou Tang, a herbal formula made of 6 herbs (including Prepared Sichuan Aconite - Zhi Chuan Wu - as a key herb). Wu Tou Tang belongs to the category of "formulas that warm the meridians and disperse cold", which might be why it is often recommended for this pattern. Its main action as a formula is: "Warms the channels and remove obstruaction".
Read more about Cold invading the Channels joints and muscles here
Prepared Sichuan Aconite (Zhi Chuan Wu) is the king ingredient for Wu Tou Tang, a formula used for Painful Obstruction
Painful Obstruction
Pulse type(s): Tight (Jin), Wiry (Xian)
In addition to joint pain, other symptoms associated with Painful Obstruction include knee pain, swollen joints and stiff neck.
Painful Obstruction is often treated with Wu Tou Tang, a herbal formula made of 6 herbs (including Prepared Sichuan Aconite - Zhi Chuan Wu - as a key herb). Wu Tou Tang belongs to the category of "formulas that warm the meridians and disperse cold", which might be why it is often recommended for this pattern. Its main action as a formula is: "Warms the channels and remove obstruaction".
Dong Quai (Dang Gui) is the king ingredient for Shu Jing Huo Xue Tang, a formula used for Dampness invading the Channels joints and muscles
Dampness invading the Channels joints and muscles
Pulse type(s): Slow (Chi), Soggy (Ru)
In addition to joint pain, other symptoms associated with Dampness invading the Channels joints and muscles include swollen joints.
Dampness invading the Channels joints and muscles is often treated with Shu Jing Huo Xue Tang, a herbal formula made of 16 herbs (including Dong Quai - Dang Gui - as a key herb). Shu Jing Huo Xue Tang belongs to the category of "formulas that invigorate blood and dispel blood stagnation", which might be why it is often recommended for this pattern. Its main action as a formula is: "Expels Wind Damp from the Channels".
Read more about Dampness invading the Channels joints and muscles here
Water Plantain (Ze Xie) is the king ingredient for Wei Ling Tang, a formula used for Damp-Cold
Damp-Cold
Pulse type(s): Deep (Chen), Slippery (Hua), Slow (Chi), Soggy (Ru)
In addition to joint pain, other symptoms associated with Damp-Cold include fever, back pain and abdominal pain.
Damp-Cold is often treated with Wei Ling Tang, a herbal formula made of 9 herbs (including Water Plantain - Ze Xie - as a key herb). Wei Ling Tang belongs to the category of "formulas that expel dampness", which might be why it is often recommended for this pattern. Its main action as a formula is: "Promotes urination".
Five herbal formulas that might help with joint pain
Xiao Huo Luo Dan
Source date: 1107 AD
Number of ingredients: 6 herbs
Key actions: Dispels Wind. Eliminates Dampness and transforms Phlegm . Invigorates the Blood. Removes Stagnation and relieves pain.
Why might Xiao Huo Luo Dan help with joint pain?
Because it is a formula often recommended to treat the pattern 'Cold invading the Channels joints and muscles' of which joint pain is a symptom.
Wu Tou Tang
Source date: 220 AD
Number of ingredients: 6 herbs
Key actions: Warms the channels and remove obstruaction. Disperse Cold and Dampness. Warms the joints. Relieve joints pain.
Why might Wu Tou Tang help with joint pain?
Because it is a formula often recommended to treat the pattern 'Cold invading the Channels joints and muscles' of which joint pain is a symptom.
Da Fang Feng Tang
Source date: 1107 AD
Number of ingredients: 14 herbs
Key actions: Expel Wind Damp. Relieve pain. Tonify the Liver and the Kidneys. Tonify the Blood and Qi.
Why might Da Fang Feng Tang help with joint pain?
Because it is a formula often recommended to treat the pattern 'Painful Obstruction' of which joint pain is a symptom.
Shu Jing Huo Xue Tang
Source date: 1587 AD
Number of ingredients: 16 herbs
Key actions: Expels Wind Damp from the Channels. Invigorates Blood. Unblocks the channels.
Why might Shu Jing Huo Xue Tang help with joint pain?
Because it is a formula often recommended to treat the pattern 'Dampness invading the Channels joints and muscles' of which joint pain is a symptom.
Wei Ling Tang
Source date: 1481 AD
Number of ingredients: 9 herbs
Key actions: Promotes urination. Warms the Yang. Strengthens the Spleen. Drains Dampness. Promotes the movement of Qi. Harmonizes the Stomach.
Why might Wei Ling Tang help with joint pain?
Because it is a formula often recommended to treat the pattern 'Damp-Cold' of which joints pain is a symptom.
Acupuncture points used for joint pain
The five Chinese Medicinal herbs most likely to help treat joint pain
Why might Liquorice (Gan Cao) help with joint pain?
Because Liquorice is an ingredient in several formulas indicated to treat joint pain as a symptom, like Wei Ling Tang or Da Fang Feng Tang for instance.
Liquorice is a Neutral herb that tastes Sweet. It targets the Heart, the Lung, the Spleen and the Stomach.
Its main actions are: Tonifies the Basal Qi and nourishes the Spleen Qi. Clears Heat and dispels toxicity. Moistens the Lungsexpel phlegm and stop coughing. Relieves spasms and alleviates pain. Harmonizes and moderates the effects of other herbs.
Why might Dong Quai (Dang Gui) help with joint pain?
Because Dong Quai is an ingredient in several formulas indicated to treat joint pain as a symptom, like Shen Tong Zhu Yu Tang or Da Fang Feng Tang for instance.
Dong Quai is a Warm herb that tastes Pungent and Sweet. It targets the Heart, the Liver and the Spleen.
Its main actions are: Tonifies the Blood. Lubricates the Intestines. Relieve constipation. Promotes circulation and dispels Bi Pain. Reduce Dysmenorrhea and help with irregular menstruation.
Why might Myrrh (Mo Yao) help with joint pain?
Because Myrrh is an ingredient in several formulas indicated to treat joint pain as a symptom, like Xiao Huo Luo Dan or Shen Tong Zhu Yu Tang for instance.
Myrrh is a Neutral herb that tastes Bitter. It targets the Spleen, the Heart and the Liver.
Its main actions are: Moves Blood and relieves Stagnation and pain caused by Blood Stagnation. Assists in wound healing.
Why might Atractylodes Rhizome (Bai Zhu) help with joint pain?
Because Atractylodes Rhizome is an ingredient in several formulas indicated to treat joint pain as a symptom, like Wei Ling Tang or Da Fang Feng Tang for instance.
Atractylodes Rhizomes is a Warm herb that tastes Bitter and Sweet. It targets the Spleen and the Stomach.
Its main actions are: Tonifies the Spleen Qi. Fortifies the Spleen Yang and dispels Damp through urination. Tonifies Qi and stops sweating. Calms restless fetus when due to Deficiency of Spleen Qi.
Why might Notopterygium Root (Qiang Huo) help with joint pain?
Because Notopterygium Root is an ingredient in several formulas indicated to treat joint pain as a symptom, like Da Fang Feng Tang or Shen Tong Zhu Yu Tang for instance.
Notopterygium Roots is a Warm herb that tastes Bitter and Pungent. It targets the Bladder and the Kidney.
Its main actions are: Relieves the Exterior and disperses Cold and Dampness. Relieves Wind-Damp-Cold painful obstruction. Directs Qi to the Greater Yang (Tai Yang) channel and the Governing Vessel.
Other symptoms often associated with joint pain
Dizziness Rheumatoid arthritis Fever Amenorrhea Back pain Tinnitus Night sweats Abdominal pain Irritability Hot flushes