Professor Yin Huihe's Empirical Formula "Qingli Changdao Fang" for Chronic Enteritis

Among Professor Yin Huihe's self-composed empirical formulas is "Qingli Changdao Fang" (Intestine-Clearing Formula), designed specifically for treating patients with diarrhea and unpleasant, sticky stool. It can be widely used in treating inflammatory bowel diseases and may also serve as an adjuvant formula for patients with colorectal cancer.

Composition: Huang Qin (Scutellariae Radix) 15 g, Chi Shao (Paeoniae Radix Rubra) 15 g, Mu Dan Pi (Moutan Cortex) 10 g, Tao Ren (Persicae Semen) 10 g, Xing Ren (Armeniacae Semen) 10 g, Sheng Yi Yi Ren (Coicis Semen, raw) 30 g, Dong Gua Zi (Benincasae Semen) 30 g, Ma Chi Xian (Portulacae Herba) 30 g, Bai Jiang Cao (Patriniae Herba) 30 g.

Old Master Yin used this formula for patients with sticky, unpleasant stool, three to four or more bowel movements daily, mild abdominal pain before defecation, borborygmus, tenesmus, yellow greasy tongue coating, and wiry thin pulse. In my own use, I add Bai Dou Kou (Amomi Rotundus Fructus) 10 g for even better results.

Old Master Yin's formula combines several well-known formulas for intestinal diseases—Huang Qin Tang, Da Huang Mu Dan Pi Tang, Qianjin Weijing Tang, and Yi Yi Fuzi Baijiang San—with slight modifications. After I added Bai Dou Kou, I effectively incorporated San Ren Tang into this formula as well.

This formula has some efficacy in treating loose unformed stool, chronic diarrhea, damp-heat colitis, ulcerative colitis, and colorectal cancer. For damp-heat type colorectal cancer, one may also add Bai Hua She She Cao (Hedyotidis Herba) 60 g, Ban Zhi Lian (Scutellariae Barbatae Herba) 60 g, Xian He Cao (Agrimoniae Herba) 60 g, Teng Li Gen (Actinidiae Valvatae Radix) 30 g, Tu Fu Ling (Smilacis Glabrae Rhizoma) 30 g; after decocting, add 60 g honey, divide into 1-2 days' doses, and combine with some anticancer Chinese patent medicines. If the patient passes fresh blood in the stool, it may be combined with Huai Hua San.

Chronic intestinal diseases are mostly damp-heat patterns. In this formula, Bai Jiang Cao, Ma Chi Xian, Yi Yi Ren, Huang Qin, and Mu Dan Pi are all herbs that clear and drain damp-heat; Chi Shao and Tao Ren activate blood and resolve stasis; Dong Gua Ren, Tao Ren, and Xing Ren moisten the intestines and unblock the stool. Following the TCM principle of "treating a discharge with a draining method," they can be used for sticky, unpleasant stool. If the patient's abdominal pain is severe, one may add Mu Xiang (Aucklandiae Radix) and Bing Lang (Arecae Semen) to move qi, plus Yan Hu Suo (Corydalidis Rhizoma) to stop pain; after Bai Dou Kou is added, patients with mild pain are generally pain-free. For chronic diarrhea of long duration, one may add 1-3 g of Rou Gui (Cinnamomi Cortex) powder, taken infused, to warm the middle and stop diarrhea, or combine with Si Shen Wan.

Chronic enteritis is a precancerous lesion of colorectal cancer; chronic enteritis that fails to heal over time carries the risk of developing into colorectal cancer. From a preventive-medicine perspective, the patient should cure the enteritis before carcinogenesis occurs; if it drags on, treatment becomes very difficult.

This formula generally requires 5-20 doses to achieve a radical cure. The above dosages are for children over ten and adults; children aged 6-10 may take half the dose. Children under six should use it only after consulting a physician.