Blood stasis (BS)

Blood stagnation, also known as blood stasis, is a diagnostic concept in traditional Chinese medicine referring to impaired blood flow, pooling, or accumulation within the body. It is believed to be an underlying cause of many symptoms and diseases, including cardiovascular disorders, gynecological problems, pain syndromes, and even cancer, according to TCM texts. The syndrome is diagnosed by assessing characteristic signs such as purplish skin, local pain, and poor circulation, along with medical history and subjective practitioner judgment. TCM treatments aim to "move blood," such as acupuncture, herbal medicine, cupping, and moxibustion. In Western medicine, blood stagnation is sometimes likened to conditions involving hypercoagulability, thrombosis, or poor perfusion, but it lacks a direct molecular or anatomical equivalent. There are no standardized biomarkers or objective diagnostic tools for blood stasis; efforts to translate it into modern biomedical terms remain largely speculative.

Other names

blood stagnationblood stasis syndromeBSS

"Activating blood circulation and removing blood stasis" (TCM claim for herbs and acupuncture, not a direct molecular mechanism); Platelet inhibition/thrombolysis (aspirin, heparin in Western medicine)