Old Physician Zhang Zhanchen's External Formula "Bijun San" for Nasal Polyps
Old physician Zhang Zhanchen (1904-1993) was a renowned contemporary master of TCM external medicine and throat disorders. He had unique experience in treating ENT diseases with traditional Chinese medicine, and the "Bijun San" he created is an effective and proven formula of TCM for treating nasal polyps.
The composition of Bijun San is: Euphorbiae Kansui Radix powder (Gansui Mo) 3 g, Melo Semen (Tianguadi) 3 g, Sal Ammoniac (Naosha) 1.5 g, water-flied Cinnabaris (Fei Chensha, i.e., Cinnabaris processed by levigation to remove impurities) 1.5 g, Borneolum syntheticum (Bingpian) 0.6 g.
Grind all the above herbs into powder together and sieve. For use, take an appropriate amount and pack it into the nasal cavity. Bijun San has the effects of eroding sores and dissipating nodules, and can treat bijun ("nasol polyp," a TCM disease name, i.e., nasal polyp in modern medicine).
The Euphorbiae Kansui Radix powder (Gansui Mo), Sal Ammoniac (Naosha) and Cinnabaris (Zhusha) in this formula all have the effects of resolving toxin and reducing swelling, and eroding sores to dissipate nodules; Melo Semen (Guadi) can disperse phlegm and dissipate nodules; Borneolum (Bingpian) cools blood, reduces swelling and relieves pain. The combination of these herbs can make nasal polyps dissipate, and it can serve as a conservative treatment option for nasal polyp patients who do not wish to undergo surgery.
However, all the above herbs also have a certain degree of toxicity, among which Cinnabaris (Zhusha) is the most toxic. Therefore, Bijun San is for external use only and is strictly prohibited for oral ingestion.
Old physician Zhang noted that when using this formula, if pinkish nasal discharge flows out, it is a mild reaction caused by the dissolution of the medicine; it can be wiped away with a handkerchief and there is no need to panic. If using this formula causes nasal pain, it should be used at intervals and not continuously.
Small nasal polyps that do not affect the patient's normal life may be left untreated. But larger nasal polyps can cause a series of symptoms, leading to nasal obstruction, loss of smell and nasal discharge, and affecting normal life; the standard treatment in Western medicine is surgery. However, a small number of patients may develop empty-nose syndrome after nasal polyp surgery, so some patients do not want surgery and hope for conservative treatment.
TCM treatment of nasal polyps includes internal treatment, external treatment, and combined internal-external treatment. Old physician Zhang's external formula belongs to the external treatment method. During external treatment, although the medicines used are somewhat toxic, because they are not taken internally, the harm to the body is small; it is only necessary to closely observe the patient's reaction to the medicine during use.