Fu Fang Qian Zheng Gao: Plaster for Facial Paralysis and Stroke Sequelae
Fu Fang Qian Zheng Gao (Composite Correct-Sinew Plaster) originally comes from the Song dynasty work Yang's Family Prescriptions (Yangshi Jiacang Fang). After modern TCM refinement, it was included in Volume I of the 2005 edition of the Pharmacopoeia of the People's Republic of China. It is a rare external plaster for trigeminal neuralgia and stroke sequelae; such diseases seldom have external treatment methods, making this plaster something of an exception.
The composition of Fu Fang Qian Zheng Gao includes Typhonii Rhizoma (baifuzi), Pheretima (dilong), Scorpio (quanxie), Bombyx Batryticatus (jiangcan), Chuanxiong Rhizoma (chuanxiong), Angelicae Dahuricae Radix (baizhi), Angelicae Sinensis Radix (danggui), Paeoniae Rubra Radix (chishao), Saposhnikoviae Radix (fangfeng), Zingiberis Recens Rhizoma (shengjiang), Camphor (zhangnao), Borneolum (bingpian), Menthol (bohenao), and Thymol (shexiangcaofen). When making the plaster base, rubber, rosin, zinc oxide, Vaseline and lanolin are also added. The processing procedure is rather cumbersome and difficult for ordinary patients to master correctly, so self-preparation is not recommended; instead, buy the ready-made patent medicine from a pharmacy or online pharmacy.
Fu Fang Qian Zheng Gao soothes the sinews and unblocks the collaterals and harmonizes qi and blood. It is indicated for wind evil attacking the collaterals, facial deviation, muscle numbness, and sinew-bone pain — these are common symptoms of modern facial palsy, trigeminal neuralgia and stroke sequelae, all of which may be treated by applying this plaster. It has a certain effect in improving patients' quality of life, shortening the treatment course, and promoting recovery.
Fu Fang Qian Zheng Gao should be applied to the corresponding acupoints; the package insert will explain where, but most people may not be able to identify acupoints, so it is best to seek help from a professional TCM orthopedics and traumatology doctor for application. Before application, the relevant acupoint areas should be washed with warm water or disinfected with alcohol. Typhonium (baifuzi), Scorpio, Bombyx, Camphor and Borneolum in this formula are all somewhat toxic or irritating; some patients may develop skin allergy after use. If the allergy is marked, use should be discontinued; if it is mild and transient, use may continue.
Recovery from nervous system diseases takes a long time. Patients are advised to combine multiple methods — massage, acupuncture, plaster and oral medication — together with professional rehabilitation training, in order to raise the success rate and shorten the course. For stroke sequelae, treatment is best begun within half a year after the stroke; the longer such conditions are delayed, the worse the subsequent treatment outcome.