How to use rhubarb to treat constipation

Many people may not have heard of rhubarb often in life, so they have no idea what it is. In fact, it is a traditional Chinese medicine that can play a very good role in treating constipation. However, you should try to take this medicine under the guidance of a doctor, because there are strict dosage and usage. If it is taken incorrectly, it will cause side effects.

1. Constipation due to stagnation

This product has a strong laxative effect, can cleanse the stomach and intestines, and is an important medicine for treating constipation caused by stagnation. Because it is bitter, cold and sinking, it is good at relieving heat, so it is particularly suitable for constipation caused by excess heat. It is often used in combination with Glauber's salt, Magnolia bark, and Citrus aurantium to enhance the purgative effect. It is an urgent laxative used to treat Yangming bowel obstruction syndrome, such as Dachengqi Decoction (Treatise on Febrile Diseases). If the dosage of rhubarb is lighter and used with laxatives such as hemp seed, apricot kernel, and honey, the purgative effect will be alleviated, such as Ma Zi Ren Wan (Treatise on Febrile Diseases).

If there is internal heat accumulation and vital energy deficiency, it should be used in combination with tonic drugs, so as to attack and replenish at the same time, and take care of both the symptoms and the root cause. If the patient has heat accumulation and insufficient qi and blood, use ginseng, angelica and other drugs, such as Huanglong Decoction (Six Books on Febrile Diseases); if the patient has heat accumulation and fluid damage, use Ophiopogon japonicus, Rehmannia glutinosa, Scrophularia ningpoensis and other drugs, such as Zengye Chengqi Decoction (Treatise on Warm Diseases); if the spleen yang is insufficient and there is cold accumulation and constipation, use aconite, dried ginger and other drugs, such as Wenpi Decoction (Thousand Gold Prescriptions for Emergencies).

2. Blood heat, vomiting and bleeding, red eyes and swollen throat

This product is bitter and can drain the fire from the upper part of the body. It also has the functions of clearing away heat, purging fire, cooling blood and stopping bleeding. It is often used together with Coptis chinensis and Scutellaria baicalensis to treat vomiting blood, epistaxis, and hemoptysis caused by blood heat, such as Xiexin Decoction (Jinkui Yaolue). In modern clinical practice, rhubarb powder is used alone to treat upper gastrointestinal bleeding with good results. If used together with drugs such as Scutellaria baicalensis and Gardenia jasminoides, it can also treat symptoms such as red eyes, sore throat, and swollen and painful gums caused by fire evil, such as Liangge San (Hejijufang).

3. Heat toxicity, sores, burns and scalds

This product can be taken orally or used externally. Oral administration can clear away heat and detoxify, and through its laxative effect, it can discharge heat and toxins. For the treatment of carbuncle caused by heat toxin, it is often used together with honeysuckle, dandelion, forsythia, etc.; for the treatment of intestinal carbuncle and abdominal pain, it can be used together with peony bark, peach kernel, Glauber's salt, etc., such as Rhubarb Peony Decoction (Golden Chamber Synopsis). This product can be used externally to clear heat and detoxify, cool blood and reduce swelling, and treat heat-toxic carbuncles, furuncles and boils. For example, if it is used to treat breast abscesses, it can be ground into powder together with powder grass and boiled with wine to make a paste called golden powder (Good Prescriptions for Women); if it is used to treat oral ulcers and erosions, it can be ground into powder with equal parts of alum and rubbed on the affected area (Taiping Shenghui Fang). For treating burns and scalds, the powder can be used alone or combined with Sanguisorba officinalis powder and mixed with sesame oil and applied to the affected area.

4. Symptoms of blood stasis

This product has a good effect of promoting blood circulation, removing blood stasis and dredging menstruation. It can both remove blood stasis and clear away blood stasis heat. It is a commonly used medicine for the treatment of blood stasis syndrome. For the treatment of abdominal pain and lochia retention due to blood stasis in women after childbirth, it is often used together with peach kernel, earthworm, etc., as in the Blood Stasis Decoction (Golden Chamber Synopsis); for the treatment of amenorrhea due to blood stasis in women, it can be used with peach kernel, cinnamon twig, etc., as in the Taohe Chengqi Decoction (Treatise on Febrile Diseases); for the treatment of bruises, swelling and pain due to blood stasis, it is often used together with angelica, safflower, pangolin, etc., as in the Fuyuan Huoxue Decoction (Medical Inventions).