What Chinese patent medicine should I take for triple-burner damp-heat?

When there is dampness in the body, there will be many symptoms, such as often feeling weak and having indigestion, and especially eczema on the skin, which is very painful. Damp-heat in the triple burner is also a condition in which the body needs to be dehumidified. Most people choose Chinese patent medicine to improve it, but what Chinese patent medicine is good for damp-heat in the triple burner? Different types of dampness require different Chinese patent medicines.

Damp-heat disease is caused by exogenous damp-heat evil qi, so removing dampness and clearing heat is the basic method of treatment. Because dampness can easily block the spleen and stomach and obstruct the flow of Qi, treatment should also be coordinated with the methods of strengthening the spleen and stomach, regulating Qi and removing stagnation.

What Chinese patent medicine is good for triple-burner damp-heat?

1. Remove dampness and clear heat

(1) Spicy and warm, aromatic and dehumidifying

This method is abbreviated as the pungent and aromatic method, which is suitable for symptoms of damp-heat in the upper burner. It refers to the use of pungent, warm, aromatic, and light products that can dissipate dampness and heat to promote lung qi, dredge the skin, make the pores unobstructed, and cause slight sweating. The dampness can be gradually eliminated through sweating, and when the dampness is eliminated, the heat will not remain alone, but will also dissipate with the sweat. Commonly used Chinese patent medicines include: Patchouli, Angelica dahurica, Perilla leaf, Elsholtzia ciliata, Atractylodes macrocephala, etc. Although Perilla frutescens, Artemisia annua, and Honeysuckle are not pungent and warm medicines, they have the function of aromatic dispersing and dispelling qi, and can also be included in clinical practice. This is the concrete manifestation of what Wu Jutong said, "Treating the upper part of the body is like treating a feather, it will not rise unless it is light" in the clinical treatment of damp-heat diseases.

(2) Spicy and warm to relieve depression, bitter and warm to dry out dampness

This method is referred to as the pungent opening and bitter descending method, which is suitable for the syndrome of dampness being heavier than heat in the middle burner. It refers to the combination of pungent and warm drugs with bitter and warm drugs that enter the middle burner, which can open up pungent and descend bitter drugs, dry up dampness and resolve turbidity, regulate the spleen and stomach, and restore the balance of ascending and descending. Commonly used medicines include Pinellia, Atractylodes, Amomum, White Cardamom, Amomum villosum, Magnolia officinalis, Citrus aurantium, Tangerine peel, Atractylodes macrocephala, etc. This is the specific manifestation of what Wu Jutong said "Treating the middle burner is like balance; it will not be peaceful if it is not balanced" in the clinical treatment of damp-heat diseases.

(3) Bitter and cold, clearing heat and drying dampness

This method is applicable to the syndrome of both dampness and heat in the middle burner or when heat is more severe than dampness. It refers to the selection of bitter and cold products to achieve the purpose of clearing heat and drying dampness. Commonly used medicines include Scutellaria baicalensis, Coptis chinensis, Gardenia jasminoides, etc. It should be noted that bitter and cold medicines should be used with caution in the treatment of damp-heat diseases, and should only be used when the heat is more serious than the dampness. If the dampness and heat are both serious, pungent and warm, bitter and warm, and bitter and cold medicines should be used together, with pungent herbs opening up and bitter herbs descending, to clear away heat and dry dampness at the same time. If the dampness is severe, bitter and cold medicines should be avoided to prevent them from freezing the dampness and making the disease more difficult to cure.

(4) Diuresis and elimination of dampness

This method is applicable to symptoms of damp-heat in the lower part of the body. It refers to using mild diuretic products to remove dampness and expel dampness through urination. Commonly used medicines include talc, tongcao, poria, raw coix seed, oriental water plantain, umbellate, and plantain seed. If the heat in the lower part of the body is more serious than the dampness, you can add bitter and cold herbs that can dissipate heat and clear the water channels to the mild herbs that can penetrate and eliminate dampness, such as gardenia, akebia, bamboo leaves, etc.

(5) Taking into account the three burners

Because damp-heat can easily diffuse into the three burners, in clinical practice, in addition to treating the center of the lesion, the three burners must also be taken into consideration. That is to say, when treating the upper burner, do not forget the middle and lower burners; when treating the middle burner, do not forget the upper and lower burners; when treating the lower burner, do not forget the middle and upper burners. This is also the reason why pungent and aromatic drugs, pungent and bitter drugs, and mild and diuretic drugs are often used together in clinical prescriptions.

2. Strengthen the spleen and replenish qi, wake up the stomach and promote digestion

The spleen is responsible for transportation and transformation and raising the lucid, while the stomach is responsible for receiving and lowering the turbid. In damp-heat diseases, damp-heat evil qi is most likely to block the spleen and stomach and cause dysfunction of ascending and descending, and disorders of digestion and transportation. Therefore, when treating, we should add spleen-strengthening and qi-invigorating herbs such as Poria cocos, raw coix seed, Atractylodes macrocephala, etc. in addition to removing dampness and clearing heat; herbs that wake up the stomach and promote digestion such as Amomum villosum, white cardamom, hawthorn, Shenqu, malt, fried coix seed, etc.

3. Regulate Qi and relieve stagnation, open up lung Qi

Dampness is heavy, turbid and sticky, and can easily block the flow of Qi. If Qi is not flowing smoothly, the water channels will be blocked and the dampness cannot be removed. Therefore, in treatment, it is necessary to add Qi-regulating and relieving-stagnation drugs to promote the flow of Qi, so that the Qi can flow and the dampness will follow. Commonly used medicines include Magnolia officinalis, Citrus aurantium, Citrus reticulata peel, Patchouli stem, and Sophora flavescens stem. The lungs are responsible for regulating the water channels. When the lung qi is unblocked, the water channels are unobstructed and the damp-heat evil qi has a way out. Therefore, the treatment of damp-heat diseases is often treated with products that can unblock the lung qi, such as almonds. In addition, pungent and aromatic drugs can disperse the qi lightly and penetrate deeply, and also have the function of opening up the lung qi.

For patients who have just recovered from triple-burner damp-heat disease, their body functions have not yet recovered, so they should be careful in their daily lives. They should be careful when working, avoid cold and keep warm. They should not overwork, nor be exposed to colds, to prevent recurrence of overwork and colds.