The "Umbilical Covering Method" for Treating Urinary and Fecal Retention
The Shiyi Dexiao Fang (Effective Prescriptions [Handed Down] by Physicians) records a single-substance formula for treating urinary and fecal retention: take one scallion bulb (with root and soil, unwashed), one piece of ginger, 21 light fermented soybeans (dan douchi), and one liang of salt (30 g). Grind all the herbs together into a mash, knead it into a cake shape, and warm it over heat. Once prepared, cover it over the umbilicus and secure it with cloth or silk. After a long while, when the qi has penetrated, urination and defecation will pass on their own; if they still do not pass, apply another dose. This formula has the action of unblocking yang and facilitating the orifices, and is indicated for urinary and fecal retention.
Urinary and fecal retention belong in traditional Chinese medicine to categories such as "guan-ge" (block-and-repulsion) and "long-bi" (dribbling urinary block). It is commonly seen in patients with kidney disease, ascites, and urinary system disorders (such as urinary calculi and infection). In addition to being unable to urinate or defecate, patients often also have symptoms such as abdominal distension.
The scallion, ginger and light fermented soybeans used in the "umbilical covering method" are all acrid and warm in nature; they promote gastrointestinal peristalsis and encourage bowel movement. The salt used in ancient times was coarse salt (that is, sea salt or lake salt). Applied externally it has an anti-inflammatory and bactericidal effect; TCM holds that salt promotes urination and drains heat. Thus the combination of these several ingredients promotes the excretion of urine and stool. Besides scallion, ginger and fermented soybean, garlic also promotes gastrointestinal peristalsis and defecation, so if scallion, ginger and fermented soybean are unavailable, garlic may be used as a substitute.
The umbilical covering method is one form of umbilical therapy. In treating guan-ge, long-bi and similar disorders, TCM physicians favor umbilical therapy. Besides trying this formula, one may also grind herbs such as gansui (Kansui root), daji (Peking spurge root), yuanhua (genkwa flower) and tinglizi (descurainia seed) into powder and apply it externally over the umbilicus. Transdermal administration through the navel is both effective and safe, so umbilical therapy is a method well worth trying.
This formula has a certain effect on patients at the onset of illness; if the condition has dragged on for a long time and the formula is then used, the effect will be diminished. When using this formula to treat ascites, other disease-differentiating treatments should be applied concurrently, because ascites is a serious ailment, and once the urine and stool are unblocked, comprehensive treatment is still required.