acupuncture and phytotherapy |

Translating by symptoms and drugs… (continued)

Furthermore the wind-cold pattern can enter the body and become wind-heat. In this case there is an additional problem since we have two different patterns that manifest at the same time and some of its symptoms are contradictory.

When this happens the channels (Jing Luo) of Yang meridians are the most affected. Symptoms like high fever (yang ming disease), slight aversion to cold (a mixture of symptoms of wind heat and wind-cold), bitter taste in the mouth (disease in the shao yang), dry mouth, headache (disease  of the three yang channels – yang ming, shao yang, tai yang), eye pain, dry nose, tongue with dry and yellow coat.

To treat this pattern should be given attention to the intensity of symptoms in order to choose drugs pungent in flavor and warm or cool properties. It is this difference between drugs that may make treatment more complex.

When heat is manifested in depth and affects 3 yang channels already mentioned, the treatment must consist of two phases: relieve the exterior using pungent and cold drugs as Radix Dahuricae Angelicae, Radix Puerariae and clear internal heat or with drugs such as Radix Bupleuri,Gypsum fibrosum, Radix scutellariae[i]. A practical example of the combined use of these drugs is the prescription Chai Ge Jie Ji Tang (Decoction of Bupleurum and Kudzu to Release the Muscle)[ii].

Pungent and cool drugs with the ability to disperse lung qi are used when symptoms such as cough appear to be associated with symptoms of wind-heat. In this case we select the drug Herba ephedrae, Gypsum Fibrosum and Semen Armeniacae Amarum, for example.

Again attention is paid to yin tonic drugs if Yin consumtion happens. Effective examples would be Radix Rehmanniae and Radix Paeonniae Alba.

Finally we have an attack of wind-heat with external toxins. To a Westerner the easiest would be to call it measles. Initial symptoms of measles indicate an external pattern: fever, aversion to cold, rash, cough, runny nose, rapid pulse and shallow.

The toxins invade the body causing the emergence of new symptoms such as fever, thirst, scanty and yellow urine, restlessness, cough, irritability, dark red rash.

In the latter case should be given much attention to the elimination of external pathogenic factors as to eliminate toxins and promote skin rashes. Several drugs can be used as Radix Cimicifugae, Fructus Arctii, periostracum Cicada, Radix Platicody, etc…

There are two representative herbal prescriptions: Sheng Ma Ge Gen Tang (Decoction of Cimicifuga and Kudzu) and Zhu Ye Liu Bang Tang (Decoction Lopateri-tamarix-Arctium).

FINAL NOTES

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[i] Li Fei, Chen Song Yu; Clinical Guide to Herbs and Formulas in Chinese medicine, pp. 115.

[ii] Ou Xin Lin, Classical and Modern Chinese Herbal Formulae and Research, pp. 37.