Patient's question:
My aunt went to the hospital for a gynecological examination a few days ago and was found to have acute adnexitis. However, she hasn't given birth yet, so she is very worried and doesn't want to use physical therapy. She wants to be cured through traditional Chinese medicine treatment. I wonder if there are any good traditional Chinese medicine treatments.Doctor's answer:
When treating this condition with Traditional Chinese Medicine, it is important to differentiate between cold, heat, deficiency, and excess, and to treat based on syndrome differentiation.1. Damp-heat lower stagnation type: Treat with clearing heat and draining dampness.
Formula: Modified Zhi Dai Fang (Stop Discharge Decoction).
Ingredients:
- Polyporus (Fu) 12g, Plantain (Fu) 12g, Red Peony Root 12g
- Coptis Rhizome 10g, Achyranthes Root 10g, Peony Root 10g, Atractylodes Rhizome 10g
- Alisma Rhizome 6g, Coptis Fruit 6g
Modifications:
- If abdominal pain is significant, add Coptis Fructus 10g and Fructus Meliae 10g to regulate Qi and relieve pain.
- If poor appetite and loose stools occur, replace Atractylodes Rhizome with Fried Atractylodes Rhizome 10g, add Coix Seed 20g, and Poria 18g to strengthen the spleen and dispel dampness.
2. Stasis-heat mutual binding type: Treat with invigorating blood circulation, resolving stasis, clearing heat, and detoxifying.
Formula: Modified Dang Gui Yuan Hu Decoction (Angelica Sinensis and Coptis Rhizome Decoction).
Ingredients:
- Patrinia 20g, Angelica Sinensis 15g, Coptis Rhizome 15g, Rhus Toxicodendron (Aqueous) 15g, Red Peony Root 15g, Persicae Semen 15g, Cyperus 12g
Decoction: Boil in water.
Modifications:
- If lower abdominal pricking pain is significant, add Frankincense 10g and Myrrh 10g to resolve stasis and stop bleeding.
- If lower abdominal distending pain is significant, add Fructus Meliae 10g and Fructus Aurantii 10g to regulate Qi and relieve pain.
- If menstrual flow is scant, dark, and clotted, add Leonurus 20g to invigorate blood circulation and resolve stasis.
- If leukorrhea is excessive and yellow, add Coptis Fruit 15g and Alisma Rhizome 12g to clear heat and drain dampness.
3. Cold-dampness stagnation type: Treat with warming Yang, dispelling cold, invigorating blood circulation, and dispelling dampness.
Formula: Modified Sha Fu Zhu Yu Decoction (Less Abdomen Removing Blood Stasis Decoction).
Ingredients:
- Poria 15g, Angelica Sinensis 12g, Red Peony Root 12g, Myrrh 10g, Artemisia 10g, Atractylodes Rhizome (Pale) 10g, Lindera Root 10g, Polygonum 10g
- Fennel 9g, Ligusticum Rhizome 9g, Cinnamon Twig 9g, Dry Ginger 6g
Decoction: Boil in water.
Modifications:
- If leukorrhea is excessive and white with a thin consistency, add Cardamom 10g and Ginkgo Biloba 10g to warm the kidney and stop leukorrhea.
- If lower back pain is significant, add Eucommia Bark 20g and Euonymus Bark 10g to nourish the kidney and strengthen the lower back.
After taking the oral decoctions, the remaining herbs can be placed in a cloth bag and applied to the lower abdomen for heat therapy, 20–30 minutes each time.