Guiding Role of Qi-blood Theory in Treatment of Liver Fibrosis Due to Chronic Liver Diseases

Hepatic fibrosis is the common pathological feature of chronic liver diseases, which belongs to mass in the abdomen, hypochondriac pain in TCM. The pathogenesis of liver fibrosis is connected with dysfunction of qi and blood. In the early stage of hepatic fibrosis, the basic pathological factor is qi stagnancy and blood stasis combinde with or without heat in blood; while in the advanced stage, it is qi deficiency and blood stasis. The effective prescriptions in treating hepatic fibrosis are usually composed of herbs with the functions of tonifying qi, regulating qi, activating blood to resolve stagnation and nourishing blood or yin. The main principle for treating hepatic fibrosis due to chronic liver diseases is regulating qi and blood or, including regulating qi, tonifying qi, activating blood to resolve stagnation and nourishing blood or yin, especially tonifying qi and activating blood to resolve stagnation.