Important Formula for Painful Diarrhea
Chinese Prescription: Tong Xie Yao Fang
English Translation: Important Formula for Painful Diarrhea
Formula Type: Regulate and Harmonize the Liver and Spleen
Actions: Tonfies the Spleen, softens the Liver, expels dampness, & stops diarrhea.
Indications: Recurrent problems of borborygmus, abdominal pain, diarrhea with pain (which starts with the urge to defecate & subsides after completion), a thin, white tongue coating, & a wiry, moderate or wiry, thin pulse.
Contraindications: This formula is not indicated in cases of diarrhea due to food damage. While this can be acccompanied by abdominal pain, the pain will usually disappear after the bowels have been evacuated & the food stagnation dispersed. Other differentiating symptoms are the presence of undigested food in the stools & particularly smelly stools. Borborygmus, if present, is frequently followed by the discharge of gas, which also is foul-smelling.
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Bai Zhu / Atractylodes (White) Rhizome |
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Taste: Bitter, Sweet • Temperature: Warm • Category: Tonic • Sub Category: Tonify Qi |
Dosage4.5-9g |
Actions1. Tonifies the Spleen & augments the qi: for Spleen or Stomach deficiency with such symptoms as diarrhea, fatigue, lack of appetite, & vomiting.
2. Strengthens the Spleen & dries dampness: for digestive disorders due to Spleen yang failing to rise, with loss of its ability to transform & subsequent accumulation of dampness. Also for edema & reduced urination associated with Spleen deficiency. Used as an auxiliary herb for damp painful obstruction.
3. Stabilizes the exterior & stops sweating: for spontaneous sweating due to qi deficiency.
4. Strengthens the Spleen & calms the fetus: for restless fetus disorder, especially when due to Spleen deficiency. Also for other types of this disorder when combined with appropriate herbs. |
MeridiansSpleen, Stomach |
CautionsContraindicated in cases of yin deficiency with heat signs, or injured fluids. |
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Bai Shao Yao / Peony (White) |
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Taste: Bitter, Sour • Temperature: Cool • Category: Tonic • Sub Category: Tonify Blood |
Dosage6-15g, very large doses up to 30 g |
Actions1. Nourishes the blood & regulates the menses: for blood deficiency with such symptoms as menstrual dysfunction, vaginal discharge, & uterine bleeding. This is a very commonly used herb for treating women's disorders.
2. Calms & curbs the Liver yang & alleviates pain: for such symptoms as flank, chest, or abdominal pain from either constrained Liver qi or disharmony between the Liver & Spleen. In general, this herb is used to "soften & comfort" the Liver, stop painful spasms in the abdomen, stop cramping pain or spasms in the hands & feet, & alleviate abdominal pain associated with dysentric disorders. It is also used for headache & dizziness due to ascendant Liver yang.
3. Preserves the yin & adjusts the nutritive & protective levels: for vaginal discharge & spermatorrhea, as well as exterior wind-cold from deficiency patterns with continuous sweating that does not resolve the problem. It is also used for yin deficiency where the yang floats to the surface causing spontaneous sweating or night sweats. |
MeridiansLiver, Spleen |
CautionsUse with caution in cases of diarrhea due to cold from deficiency, & in patients with weak yang & cold from deficiency. May antagonize shi hu & mang xiao, may counteract with bie jia & xiao ji, & may be incompatible with li lu. |
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Chen Pi / Citrus (Tangerine) Peel - Aged, Matured |
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Taste: Acrid, Bitter • Temperature: Warm • Category: Regulate Qi • Sub Category: |
Dosage3-9g |
Actions1. Regulates the qi, improves the transportive funaction of the Spleen, adjusts the middle, & relieves the diaphragm: for Spleen or Stomach, stagnant qi patterns with such symptoms as epigastic or abdominal distention, fullness, bloating, belching, & nausea & vomiting. This herb promotes the movement of qi in general while specifically directing it downward. Its is therefore commonly used in treating many different types of nausea & vomiting.
2. Dries dampness & transforms phlegm: an important herb for phlegm-damp coughs with a stifling sensation in the chest & /or diaphragm, & copious, viscous sputum. Also used for damp turbidity obstructing the middle with a stifling sensation in the chest, abdominal distention, loss of appetite, fatigue, loose stool, & a thick, greasy tongue coating. An important qi-level herb of both the Spleen & Lung channels, it is especially appropriate for disorders involving both channels.
3. Helps prevent stagnation: used with tonifying herbs to prevent their cloying nature from causing stagnation. |
MeridiansLung, Spleen, Stomach |
CautionsContraindicated in cases of dry cough due to yin or qi deficiency. Use with caution when the tongue is red, & in cases with hot phlegm or dry heat coughs, or spittting of blood. |
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Fang Feng / Siler Root, (Ledebouriella Root) |
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Taste: Acrid, Sweet • Temperature: Slightly Warm • Category: Exterior Releasing - Warm • Sub Category: |
Dosage3-9g |
Actions1. Releases the exterior & expels wind: for headache, chills, & body aches due to externally contracted wind-cold.
2. Expels wind-dampness & alleviates pain: for exterior wind-damp painful obstruction, especially when wind is predominant.
3. Expels wind: as an auxiliary herb to alleviate trembling of the hands & feet & tetany. Also for intestinal wind due to imbalance between the Spleen & Liver manifested in recurrent, painful diarrhea with bright blood in the stool. Also for migraine headaches. |
MeridiansBladder, Liver, Spleen |
CautionsContraindicated in cases of blood deficiency with spasms, & for yin deficiency with heat signs. According to some traditional texts, this herb antagonizes gan jiang & li lu, & counteracts bei xie. |