acupuncture and phytotherapy

Translating by symptoms and drugs… (continuation)

So far we have talked mainly of variants of the external wind-cold pattern: such as “excess type” and “deficiency type”, mild and severe. However the complexity of symptoms associated with external patterns of wind and its variants means that the analysis has to direct to other variants. Importantly, before presenting texts with different prescriptions, we still have to analyze the differences between the symptomatic sub-category of cold nature and pungent flavor prescriptions to to release the exterior and prescriptions to release the exterior and strengthen body immunity.

The spicy/pungent flavor is to disperse and expel the wind as already mentioned. For its part cold property serves to cool. Therefore treats heat symptoms. Therefore we speak of wind-heat patterns.

Treatment of these patterns is complicated since there are several therapeutic strategies that can be followed. All these strategies are dependent on the patient’s symptoms.

Wind-Heat can attack directly or may arise as a result of an invasion of wind cold that turns into heat within the body. It can also be due to an invasion of external wind-heat with toxins.

Where the Wind-Heat attack directly will be characterized by the following symptoms: feeling of distension in the head, sore throat, fever with no aversion to cold, sweating with slight aversion to wind, congestion of conjunctiva, photophobia, conjunctival congestion, productive cough with yellow sputum, red face, turbid nasal discharge, tonsillitis (tonsillitis). May still exist the following symptoms: hemoptysis (blood from the lungs), dark urine, rapid pulse, and full.

The use of drugs varies with the prevalence of certain symptoms. If the pattern is wind-heat in the wei qi we should use pungent and cold drugs as Flos Lonicerae and Fructus Forsythia. These are the main drugs found in Chinese patented formula Yin Qiao San (powder lonicera and forsythia). These drugs remove wind-heat and toxins.

If the wind heat affect the lungs and affect your ability to lower (bring to kidneys) and disperse the Qi should use drugs to eliminate heat and disperse the Qi of the lung as Folium Mori and Flos chrysanthemi. These drugs are found in the Sang Ju Yin (decoction of mulberry leaf and chrysanthemum) prescription. This formula has the following actions: expel wind and heat and disperse lung qi to relieve cough.

If body fluids (jin ye) are consumed as well as yin may resort to other drugs such as Radix Ophiopogon which nourish yin.