Dang Gui Bu Xue Tang chief herb is which herb?

• A. Bai Zhu
• B. Dang Gui
• C. Huang Qi
• D. Shu Di Huang

Answer: (C)

In formula design, the chief herb is the one that directly drives the main therapeutic action. For Dang Gui Bu Xue Tang, the primary purpose is to nourish the blood while supporting the body's ability to retain it, especially when qi is weak and bleeding risk is present.

Dang Gui (Angelica sinensis) is the herb that chiefly nourishes and tonifies the blood, which is the core action of this formula. Huang Qi (Astragalus) plays the supporting role by tonifying qi to reinforce the blood’s production and stabilization, helping to prevent further loss. Because of this main-to-support relationship, Dang Gui is the chief herb, with Huang Qi as the minister. The other herbs contribute to reinforcing splenic qi or stabilizing the blood, but they do not drive the primary action of nourishing blood in this formula.