Common Chinese Patent Medicines for Expelling Dampness, Dispelling Summer-Heat and Stopping Diarrhea in Summer and Autumn
Diarrhea is common in summer and autumn, mainly because the abundant rainfall of these seasons favors the reproduction and spread of intestinal pathogenic bacteria. Most people like to eat raw and cold fruits and iced drinks, or cold dressed salads, in summer and autumn, and these can easily be contaminated by various microorganisms during preparation and consumption, leading to illness.
Cancer patients and other patients with chronic disease who have weak constitutions should avoid eating raw and cold foods in such seasons. When dining with others, it is best to adopt a divided-dish system, and wash hands frequently before and after meals to avoid infection by various pathogenic microorganisms. During the hot season, cockroaches and flies also easily carry various pathogenic bacteria, so attention should be paid to eliminating cockroaches and flies in the home environment, in order to cut off the transmission of pathogens.
Traditional Chinese medicine had no understanding of pathogenic microorganisms, so it could only explain the diarrhea of summer and autumn according to climatic features. TCM holds that dampness is heavy in the hot season, and that people get diarrhea from contracting summer-heat and dampness; therefore TCM treatment of summer-autumn diarrhea prioritizes expelling dampness. Although the explanation of summer diarrhea in traditional TCM theory is not scientific, ancient people nevertheless invented through practice quite a number of formulas that effectively treat gastrointestinal diseases such as summer diarrhea.
The most commonly used is Huoxiang Zhengqi San (Agastache Qi-Rectifying Powder). Pharmacies now sell finished medicines such as Huoxiang Zhengqi Shui, Huoxiang Zhengqi Wan and Huoxiang Zhengqi Koufuye, all prepared according to the Huoxiang Zhengqi San prescription. Huoxiang Zhengqi San is a commonly used formula both for summer gastrointestinal cold and for summer acute gastroenteritis.
TCM holds that Huoxiang Zhengqi San has the functions of releasing the exterior and resolving dampness, and rectifying qi and harmonizing the middle. It mainly treats exterior contraction of wind-cold with internal injury caused by stagnant dampness. Whenever someone contracts an exterior disease in the hot season and presents with aversion to cold and fever, headache, fullness and oppression in the chest and diaphragm, epigastric and abdominal pain, nausea and vomiting, borborygmic diarrhea, a white greasy tongue coating, as well as miasmic malaria of mountain forests, Huoxiang Zhengqi San may be used. Of course, when similar symptoms appear in other seasons, Huoxiang Zhengqi San can also be used. It is simply that such symptoms occur most often in summer and autumn, so Huoxiang Zhengqi San is a commonly used medicine in those seasons.
Huoxiang Zhengqi San consists of Dafupi (Pericarp Arecae), Baizhi (Angelicae Dahuricae), Zisu (Perillae), Fuling (Poria), Banxiaqu (Pinelliae Massa), Baizhu (Atractylodis Macrocephalae), Chenpi (Citri Reticulatae), Houpo (Magnoliae Officinalis), Kujiegeng (Platycodi), Huoxiang (Agastaches) and Gancao (Glycyrrhizae). Both Zisu and Huoxiang in the formula are aromatic herbs; TCM holds that aromatic herbs have the action of awakening the spleen and resolving dampness, so Huoxiang Zhengqi San uses Huoxiang as the chief herb.
Huoxiang is an aromatic herb that was originally imported; it was not native to China. It was introduced into China from Southeast Asia via the Maritime Silk Road around the Song Dynasty or earlier. Because the ancients found that Huoxiang has remarkable efficacy in treating epigastric and abdominal fullness, belching and acid regurgitation, gastrointestinal spasm and pain, nausea and vomiting—producing effect almost as soon as taken—they used it to treat gastrointestinal diseases. TCM has never been conservative; many commonly used Chinese medicines were introduced from abroad.
Zisu is also a commonly used summer medicine for gastrointestinal disease, and Zisu can also be eaten as food. The ancients believed that Zisu could detoxify fish, shrimp and crab; in fact, because aquatic products often carry intestinal pathogenic bacteria, and Zisu has a therapeutic effect on intestinal disease, the ancients said it detoxifies fish, shrimp and crab. Many restaurants serve diners some perilla leaves when they eat roast meat and seafood, for the same reason.
Thus there is a very classic formula called "Su Lian Yin" for vomiting and diarrhea caused by summer acute gastroenteritis. This formula has only two herbs: Zisu and Huanglian. Use 1–2 g of dried Zisu, or an appropriate amount of fresh perilla leaves and stems, together with 0.5 g of Huanglian, steeped in boiling water. Su Lian Yin does not need to be decocted; simply steep it in boiling water for three to five minutes before drinking. Long decoction actually worsens the effect. The ancients held that diseases of the upper jiao are "like feathers—they cannot be lifted without lightness," so when using Zisu and Huanglian to treat upper-jiao diseases the dosage should be light and the herbs should not be decocted for long; in fact, the active constituents of these two herbs are destroyed by prolonged decoction.
Su Lian Yin uses small amounts but has outstanding effects. Zisu treats gastroenteritis, and the berberine (scientific name berberine) contained in Huanglian has a strong antibacterial action, with good efficacy against many intestinal pathogens. Ancient TCM believed that bitter-cold herbs such as Huanglian and Huangbai had the action of drying dampness and stopping diarrhea because, under the limited scientific conditions of the time, they could not understand the mechanism of these drugs.
Pharmacies sell finished medicines such as Fufang Huangliansu Pian and Huangliansu Pian (also called Berberine Hydrochloride Tablets), which are berberine-class antidiarrheals related to Huanglian and Huangbai.
The author himself often grows a little perilla and mint at home in summer, because these two herbs are summer medicines, and the fresh products work better than the finished ones. Both perilla and mint can treat summer colds: perilla is more suitable for gastrointestinal cold, while mint is suitable for ordinary summer colds caused by exterior contraction of wind-cold. In addition, mint is a very effective Chinese medicine for cholecystitis; the specialized cholecystitis medicine Dan Shu Capsule is made from extracted active constituents of mint. Summer is also a high-incidence season for digestive tract diseases such as cholecystitis. Keeping on hand some medicinal-edible herbs can safeguard the health of one's family.
"Shi Di Shui" (Ten-Drop Water), a commonly used summer patent medicine for heatstroke, also has peppermint oil as its main ingredient. Traditional TCM holds that Shi Di Shui strengthens the spleen and dispels summer-heat. It can be used for dizziness, nausea, abdominal pain and gastrointestinal discomfort caused by summer-heat injury. It should be noted that the heatstroke phenomenon described by TCM is not entirely caused by high temperatures, but also by microorganisms that are active in summer.
In addition, Machixian (Portulaca oleracea) is a medicinal-edible herb with antidiarrheal action. It not only treats diarrhea but also various summer heat-toxin boils and sores. Wash the purslane, cook it, and eat it directly. Purslane is also the ideal food for lowering blood lipids; the author himself eats it almost every week. There are many medicinal-edible plants in nature; if we have the relevant knowledge and take these plants as food or brew them as tea when symptoms are mild, we can often avoid major illness.
Cangzhu (Atractylodis) and Banxia (Pinelliae) are also summer medicines commonly used to treat diarrhea. The main ingredients of the patent medicines Pingwei Wan or Xiangsha Pingwei Wan are Cangzhu and Banxia. TCM holds that Pingwei Wan dries dampness and strengthens the spleen, broadens the chest and disperses distension; it is mainly used for spleen-stomach damp excess, poor appetite, epigastric and abdominal fullness, nausea and vomiting, acid regurgitation and belching.
The above are mainly commonly used TCM formulas for expelling dampness and dispelling summer-heat. All of these formulas have certain antibacterial and antiviral effects. Cancer patients may in summer also have diarrhea unrelated to summer microorganisms, which must be differentiated clearly; the above formulas cannot be applied mechanically.
Some patients with weak constitutions, or those who have undergone chemotherapy, often experience "five-watch diarrhea," which cannot be solved by the above formulas; this requires the patent medicine Sishen Wan. Sishen Wan belongs to the astringenting category in TCM and has the effects of warming the kidney and dispelling cold, and astringing the intestine to stop diarrhea. It is used for diarrhea caused by kidney-yang deficiency, with symptoms such as borborygmus and abdominal distension, loose diarrhea at the fifth watch, poor digestion of food, persistent diarrhea, sallow complexion and cold limbs.
Generally only patients with weak bodies have this symptom; the author often sees this side effect in patients taking targeted drugs or chemotherapy. When conventional antidiarrheals fail, Sishen Wan may be tried. Sishen Wan can be taken orally or crushed and applied externally to the navel. Umbilical therapy is a common TCM treatment method, and its effect is not poor.
Spleen-deficiency diarrhea requires Shenling Baizhu Keli, made according to the classical TCM formula Shenling Baizhu San. Traditional TCM holds that Shenling Baizhu San tonifies the spleen and stomach and boosts lung qi. It is mainly used for spleen-stomach weakness, poor appetite and loose stools, shortness of breath and cough, limb fatigue and lassitude. It is generally suitable for people with low immunity, insufficient gastrointestinal function and indigestion.