Accidentally Curing a Patient's Hemorrhoids While Treating Cancer
A male patient with gastric cancer and liver metastases came for consultation; it was unclear whether the stomach or the liver was the primary site. He had undergone multiple courses of chemotherapy and relapsed repeatedly, and before seeking my help he was suffering from ascites. At consultation his complexion was dark and murky, his tongue had a white greasy coat, and the sublingual veins were bulging and extremely prominent. There were no nodules on his ears. He favoured hot food and drinks and feared cold. He wore heavy clothing, yet when asked he said he was not cold; on observation, he was still wearing heavy clothing as he left. I judged him to have a tumour constitution of cold-stasis and exuberant-dampness type.
Hong Shen (Red Ginseng) 10 g, Fuzi (Aconite) 15 g (decoct first for half an hour), Ganjiang (Dried Ginger) 15 g, Rougui (Cinnamon Bark) 15 g, Guizhi (Cinnamon Twig) 15 g, Chenpi (Tangerine Peel) 10 g, Qingpi (Green Tangerine Peel) 10 g, Binglang (Areca Nut) 30 g, Sheng Baizhu (Unprepared Atractylodes) 15 g, Cangzhu (Atractylodes Rhizome) 15 g, Ezhu (Zedoaria) 12 g, Sanleng (Burreed Tuber) 12 g, Fuling (Poria) 30 g, Zhuling (Polyporus) 30 g, Zexie (Alisma Rhizome) 30 g, Fa Banxia (Prepared Pinellia) 20 g, Shudi (Rehmannia) 20 g, Huangjing (Solomon's Seal Rhizome) 20 g, Haifushi (Pumice) 15 g (decoct first for half an hour), Walengzi (Cockle Shell) 15 g (decoct first for half an hour), Jianghuang (Turmeric) 12 g, Jiangcan (Stiff Silkworm) 12 g, Chanyi (Cicada Slough) 6 g, Sheng Dahuang (Unprepared Rhubarb) 15 g (added later), Baishao (White Peony) 10 g, Chishao (Red Peony) 10 g, Xianhecao (Hairy Agrimony) 30 g, Danshen (Salvia) 20 g, Jiao Maiya (scorched Sprouted Barley) 30 g, Jineijin (Chicken Gizzard Lining) 30 g.
At the same time, take Xihuang Wan orally, 6-9 g daily, taken once at bedtime.
After taking the initial prescription, the patient had severe diarrhoea. I therefore advised the family to remove the raw rhubarb and to strengthen the phlegm-dispersing and mass-scattering force, adding Haizao (Sargassum) 30 g, Kunbu (Ecklonia) 30 g, and Jiangcan 10 g. Because the second addition was done in a rush, I forgot that Jiangcan had already been used the first time, so I later told the family to take it out; but they had already bought it, and after taking one extra dose there was no adverse reaction. They therefore continued with Jiangcan at a total of 22 g.
After taking this formula, the patient's constitution improved markedly; bowel and bladder movements became unobstructed. Occasionally, after eating hard-to-digest food or mistakenly taking cold food, he would still become bloated, but it generally resolved on its own.
After 12 doses, the long-standing cluster of hemorrhoids that had plagued him for years vanished without a trace. After 14 doses, his complexion was rosy and his spirit had improved markedly. With moderate adjustments to the prescription, treatment is still ongoing.
The disappearance of this patient's hemorrhoids was entirely unexpected, yet also reasonable: the whole herbal formula was built on the idea of dispersing stasis and reducing swelling, and hemorrhoids are themselves a kind of stasis-swelling, so their removal is only to be expected.
Perhaps this treatment experience can offer some reference for treating hemorrhoids with orally taken Chinese medicine.