Chiang-huo 13 was developed following an analysis of several Chinese herbal formulas for arthritis (bi syndrome manifesting as joint pain). It combines the three key features of the traditional bi syndrome formulas, which are: 1) a collection of warming antirheumatic herbs (siler, chiang-huo, tu-huo, cinnamon) that dispel wind, resolve dampness accumulation and alleviate pain; 2) tonic herbs to nourish the kidney and liver and prevent wind from invading the channels (tang-kuei, peony, cnidium, rehmannia, achyranthes); and 3) herbs to help prevent accumulation of dampness (hoelen, atractylodes). The traditional formulas most similar to this one are Sanbi Tang (Decoction for the Three Bi Syndromes) and Duhuo Jisheng Tang (Tu-huo and Loranthus Combination), which are used for most cases of chronic rheumatoid arthritis as well as for lumbago and sciatica. Chiang-huo 13 is intended as a generalized formulation for body pain; if a few joints are affected by early stage rheumatoid arthritis, it may stand alone as a therapy. For other conditions, it may be better to combine it with a second formula to direct it towards the specific type of problem. For persons who show deficiency syndrome, especially with aging, additional tonic formulas may be given, such as Acanthopanax 10 or Recovery Pills. This formula may be able to serve as a substitute for all or part of the anti-inflammatory drugs being used by some individuals; for others who have avoided using drug therapies, this may help reduce the damaging impact of arthritis. For leg arthralgia, see also Achyranthes Tablets. To boost the pain-relieving therapy, consider adding Qi Ye Lian (Pine Mountain). For osteoarthritis, see Drynaria 12 and Boswellamine (White Tiger).

Qiang Huo (chiang-huo) 10% Fang Feng (siler) 10% Dang Gui (tang-kuei) 10% Bai Zhu (atractylodes) 8% Gui Zhi (cinnamon twig) 8% Chuan Xiong (cnidium) 7% Bai Shao (peony) 7% Niu Xi (achyranthes) 7% Qin Jiao (chin-chiu) 7% Du Huo (tu-huo) 7% Sheng Di (rehmannia) 7% Fu Ling (hoelen) 7% Gan Cao (licorice) 5%