TCM External Therapy ⁽³⁰⁾

Some of the "malignant superficial sores" of ancient TCM texts correspond to superficial tumors in modern medicine, while others are related to infectious diseases. Ancient TCM treated such sores mostly by external methods. One of the Four Great Masters of the Jin-Yuan period, Li Dongyuan,…

The Old Book of Tang, Biographies of Artists and Technicians records: "Xu Yinzong was a native of Yixing, Changzhou. He first served the Chen dynasty as a military aide to the Prince of Xincai. At that time the Empress Dowager Liu suffered from wind and…

Formula 1 (source: Jilin Journal of Traditional Chinese Medicine): Chaihu (Bupleuri Radix), Xiangfu (Cyperi Rhizoma), Qingpi (Citri Reticulatae Pericarpium Viride), Chishao (Paeoniae Rubra Radix), Baishao (Paeoniae Alba Radix), Paoshanjia (processed Manis Squama; see note below), Ruxiang (Olibanum), Moyao (Myrrha), Zaojiaoci (Gleditsiae Spina), Tianhuafen (Trichosanthis Radix),…

The hot-compress (yu) preparation is a little-known TCM dosage form that is both effective and very low in side effects. This article uses the TCM hot-compress method for chronic prostatitis as an example to introduce this simple, economical, and convenient TCM treatment. Hot-compress formula 1:…

While browsing articles on bipolar disorder and borderline personality disorder on Zhihu, I came across a post by a man describing how he helped his wife, who had bipolar disorder, recover. This husband was a thoughtful person; he used a very comprehensive set of methods…

Dongtian Aozhi (Secret Lore of a Grotto Heaven), by the Qing-dynasty physician Chen Shiduo, is one of the great classics of TCM external medicine. In his early years Chen Shiduo traveled widely and exchanged ideas with physicians everywhere; he was especially close to Fu Qingzhu,…

A tincture is an external preparation made with alcohol or wine; its processing is similar to medicinal wine but different from it, because tinctures are for external use only and must not be taken orally. Many Chinese medicines are soluble in ethanol (the main component…

Intravesical instillation is a treatment method that can deliver drugs directly to the entire mucosal surface of the bladder. Its advantage is that the warmed medicinal solution can reach the lesion directly without missing any cancerous lesions. Its anti-cancer mechanism is the combined direct killing…

TCM treatment of colorectal cancer may use oral decoctions, pills, powders, plasters or pellets, as well as external methods such as enema. Using Chinese herbal enema allows the medicine to reach the lesion directly without hepatic metabolism; the effect may be better and side effects…

The location of thyroid cancer is generally relatively superficial, making it suitable for transdermal drug delivery with external medications. Hence, TCM has long had a tradition of using external plasters to treat thyroid cancer. This article introduces three external formulas for thyroid cancer for readers'…