Qingtan Wan for Acid Regurgitation and Gastrical Ectasia
In Yixue Rumen (Introduction to Medicine) there is a formula called "Qingtan Wan" (Phlegm-Clearing Pill). Its composition is: Rhizoma Atractylodis (Cangzhu) 2 liang (60 g), Rhizoma Cyperi (Xiangfu) 1 liang 5 qian (45 g), Semen Trichosanthis (Gualouren) and Rhizoma Pinelliae Fabao (Banxia), each 1 liang (30 g), Rhizoma Coptidis (Huanglian) and Radix Scutellariae (Huangqin), each 5 qian (15 g). Preparation: grind the above medicines together into a powder, make pills with flour paste the size of a parasol seed. Usage: take 50 pills each time, washed down with clear tea after meals, twice daily.
This formula clears heat and resolves phlegm, moves qi and harmonizes the stomach. It is mainly used for stomach heat with phlegm obstruction, acid swallowing and noisy discomfort. This disease is hyperacidity; excess gastric acid can cause gastric bloating, dull stomach pain, burning sensation, acid regurgitation and belching, and can also affect sleep. The causes of hyperacidity are complex; irregular lifestyle, improper diet, chronic gastritis and gastrointestinal dysfunction can all lead to excessive gastric acid secretion.
Because excess gastric acid secretion causes a burning sensation in the stomach, traditional TCM regards it as "stomach heat." Hence the main TCM treatment strategy is to clear heat. Coptis and Scutellaria in this formula belong to TCM heat-clearing agents; modern research shows Coptis and Scutellaria have good anti-inflammatory and antibacterial effects. Because they taste very bitter and do not require large doses to be effective, these two are used in relatively small amounts in this formula.
The Atractylodis in this formula belongs to TCM damp-dispelling agents; it fortifies the spleen and dispels dampness, and can relieve abdominal bloating and diarrhea. Cyperi moves qi and stops pain, and has some therapeutic effect on stomach pain. Trichosanthes seed and prepared Pinellia both resolve phlegm and downbear counterflow; one is cooling and the other warming, working synergistically.
Thus this formula addresses the three main aspects of the "stomach heat pattern": it resolves the patient's "stomach heat," the "gastric bloating from phlegm-dampness," and the "stomach pain from qi stagnation," and so can effectively relieve the clinical symptoms of such patients.
It should be noted that the "Qingtan Wan" introduced here is not the same as the Chinese patent medicine "Qingtan Wan" available on the market; the commercial Qingtan Wan is a patent medicine for cough. The Qingtan Wan introduced here is not manufactured by any pharmaceutical company; patients who wish to use it can ask a TCM hospital or pharmacy to prepare it for them.
This formula can also be modified into a decoction. The adult decoction doses are: Rhizoma Atractylodis (Cangzhu) 12 g, Rhizoma Cyperi (Xiangfu) 9 g, prepared Rhizoma Pinelliae (Fabaniexia) 6 g, Semen Trichosanthis (Gualouren) 6 g, Rhizoma Coptidis (Huanglian) 3 g, Radix Scutellariae (Huangqin) 3 g; children should have the dose reduced proportionally. This formula tastes quite bitter; those who cannot tolerate the taste can add a small amount of honey or sugar for flavor.