Article 122: Traditional Chinese Medicine Diagnosis and Single-herb Prescriptions for Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia

◇A Guide to Caring for Your Husband's Health as a Good Wife◇

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Treatment and recuperation of common diseases

How does Traditional Chinese Medicine differentiate syndromes and treat diseases?

1. Bladder damp-heat type: Symptoms include difficulty urinating, or very little urine that is short, red, and burning, lower abdominal distension, bitter and sticky taste in the mouth, red tongue with yellow and greasy coating, and rapid pulse.

Treatment principle: Clear heat and promote diuresis.

Prescription: 10g Akebia stem, 10g Plantago seed (wrapped), 10g Polygonum aviculare, 10g Dianthus superbus, 10g Gardenia jasminoides, 10g Talcum, 8g Rhubarb, 15g Prunella vulgaris, 10g Pangolin scales, 6g Glycyrrhiza uralensis.

2. Liver Qi stagnation type: Symptoms include depression, irritability, difficulty or incomplete urination, abdominal distension, red tongue, thin coating, and wiry pulse.

Treatment principle: regulate Qi and promote urination.

Prescription: Bupleurum 10g, Achyranthes bidentata 15g, Salvia miltiorrhiza 15g, Angelica sinensis 15g, Paeonia lactiflora 15g, Ostrea gigas 30g, Scrophularia ningpoensis 15g, Laminaria japonica 15g, Sargassum fusiforme 15g, Pumice 15g, Fritillaria thunbergii 10g, Vaccaria segetalis 15g.

3. Urinary tract obstruction type: Symptoms include dribbling urine, or urine in a thin stream, or intermittent urine, dark red blood in urine, lower abdominal distension and pain, painful and difficult ejaculation, dark purple tongue or petechiae, and choppy pulse.

Treatment principle: Promote blood circulation, dissipate stagnation, and facilitate urination.

Prescription: Angelica sinensis tail 10g, Rehmannia glutinosa 15g, Prunus persica kernel 10g, Rheum palmatum 5g, Tetrapanax papyriferus 5g, Corydalis yanhusuo 10g, Carthamus tinctorius 10g, Achyranthes bidentata 15g, processed turtle shell 15g, Polygonum aviculare 15g, Dianthus superbus 15g, Plantago asiatica seed (wrapped) 15g, Amber powder (divided into 2 doses and taken with water) 2g, and Scirpus scabra 15g.

4. Kidney Yang Deficiency Type: Symptoms include frequent urination, difficulty urinating or dribbling, thin urine stream, short range, weak expulsion, pale complexion, aversion to cold, soreness and weakness in the lower back and knees, pale tongue, white and slippery coating, and deep and thready pulse.

Treatment principle: warm the yang and replenish qi, tonify the kidneys and promote diuresis.

Prescription: Prepared aconite root (decocted first) 10g, cinnamon 9g, cornus officinalis 12g, yam 12g, poria cocos 15g, alisma plantago-aquatica 15g, achyranthes bidentata 12g, plantain seed (wrapped) 20g, peony bark 12g, astragalus membranaceus 30g, agarwood 12g, vaccaria segetalis 15g, leech 12g.

5. Yin deficiency with fire excess type: Symptoms include scanty and dark urine, dribbling and difficulty in urination, intermittent symptoms, aggravated by exertion, persistent symptoms, emaciation, dizziness, hot flashes in the palms, soles, and chest, dry mouth and throat, night sweats, red tongue with little coating, and thready and rapid pulse.

Treatment principle: Nourish Yin and reduce internal heat.

Prescription: 15g Rehmannia glutinosa (raw), 15g Rehmannia glutinosa (prepared), 10g Poria cocos, 10g Alisma plantago-aquatica, 10g Cornus officinalis, 15g Achyranthes bidentata, 10g Dipsacus asper, 10g Laminaria japonica, 10g Sargassum fusiforme, 15g Salvia miltiorrhiza, 10g Paeonia suffruticosa, 15g Litchi chinensis, 15g Plantago asiatica (wrapped), 20g Jade Powder (wrapped).

Traditional Chinese medicine prescriptions for treating benign prostatic hyperplasia

1. Rhubarb, Ilex pubescens, and Lonicera japonica, 30g each; safflower, 12g; Evodia rutaecarpa, 15g; and Lycopus lucidus, 15g. Add an appropriate amount of water to the above herbs, decoct, and use as a warm sitz bath for 20 minutes each time, twice a day, morning and evening.

2. 50g of Leonurus japonicus, 30g of Salvia miltiorrhiza, 20g each of Phellodendron chinense, Anemarrhena asphodeloides, and Achyranthes bidentata, and 10g of Rheum palmatum. Decocted in water and taken orally, one dose per day.

3. 30 grams each of Houttuynia cordata, Senecio scandens, Lonicera japonica, and Viola yedoensis; 20 grams of Anemarrhena asphodeloides; 15 grams of processed pangolin scales; 12 grams of Coptis chinensis; and 10 grams of cinnamon. One dose per day, decocted in water and taken in two divided doses.

4. Equal parts of Astragalus membranaceus, Cinnamomum cassia, Pangolin scales, Sargassum, Sparganium stoloniferum, Vaccaria segetalis, Angelica sinensis, Prunus persica, Achyranthes bidentata, Paeonia lactiflora, and Rheum palmatum. Grind the above herbs into a coarse powder. Mix with 200 grams of Chinese herbal powder and an appropriate amount of white vinegar. Heat the mixture in an iron pot over a low flame (to a temperature that will not burn the skin). Place the mixture into a herbal bag and apply it tightly to the lower abdomen as a hot compress. After cooling, reheat the herbal bag and apply it again. Repeat 6-8 times a day. One week is one course of treatment.

5. Cinnamon 30g, Rehmannia glutinosa 20g, stir-fried pangolin scales 45g, peach kernel 30g, Vaccaria segetalis 20g, Lindera strychnifolia 20g, Plantago asiatica 30g, centipede 20 pieces. Prepare the above herbs into a powder. Take 10g each time, 1-2 times a day, with warm water. One course of treatment is 10 days.

6. 30g each of Artemisia argyi, Lycopus lucidus, Paeonia lactiflora, Sophora flavescens, and Taraxacum mongolicum; 20g each of Cinnamomum cassia and Carthamus tinctorius. Place the above herbs in a basin, add an appropriate amount of cold water, and decoct for 30 minutes. While still hot, use the decoction to fumigate and wash the vulva. Once the temperature is tolerable, take a sitz bath, occasionally inserting a finger into the anus to allow the liquid to penetrate the rectum. Use one dose each night. The next day, add water to the dregs, boil again, and continue using the same method. One dose can be used for three consecutive days.

7. Grind 10 grams each of rhubarb, Glauber's salt, camphor, and alum into a fine powder, then seal in a bottle. When needed, mix with sesame oil to form a paste. Take a small amount of the paste (about the size of an apricot kernel), place it in the center of an adhesive plaster, and apply it to the cleansed perineum. Change twice daily. One course of treatment is 10 days. This is used for acute urinary retention caused by benign prostatic hyperplasia in the elderly.

Dietary therapy for treating benign prostatic hyperplasia

1. 5 grams of cinnamon, 30 grams of plantain, and 50 grams of japonica rice. First, decoct the cinnamon and plantain, remove the dregs and keep the juice. Then add the japonica rice to cook porridge. After it is cooked, add brown sugar and eat it on an empty stomach. This formula can warm the yang and promote diuresis.

2. Codonopsis pilosula 15g, Astragalus membranaceus 20g, winter melon 50g, MSG, sesame oil, and salt to taste. Place the Codonopsis pilosula and Astragalus membranaceus in a clay pot, add water and simmer for 15 minutes. Remove the dregs and strain. While still hot, add slices of winter melon and continue cooking until the winter melon is edible. Add seasonings and serve. This recipe can invigorate the spleen and replenish qi, promote yang and diuresis.

3. 10g bitter almonds, 12g Pyrrosia lingua, 15g Plantago asiatica, 1 large pear, a little rock sugar. Remove the skin and tips from the bitter almonds and crush them. Cut the pear into chunks and remove the core. Boil the bitter almonds, Pyrrosia lingua, and Plantago asiatica together with an appropriate amount of water until cooked. Add rock sugar. Drink as a tea substitute. This formula can clear lung heat and promote urination.

4. 500 ml milk, 15 red dates, 1 tablespoon honey, 20 g cornstarch. Wash the dates, cook until tender, and drain. Mix the cornstarch into a paste. Bring the milk to a boil, add the dates and cornstarch paste, simmer briefly while stirring to form a porridge. Before removing from heat, add honey and stir well. This recipe nourishes the spleen and stomach, benefits deficiencies, promotes saliva production, moistens the intestines, relieves pain, and detoxifies.

5. 250g pork hind leg meat, 15g goji berries, 50g tomato sauce. Cut the meat into small cubes, marinate with wine, salt, and wet starch for 15 minutes, coat with dry starch, and deep-fry in hot oil until crispy. Grind the goji berries into a paste, mix with tomato sauce, sugar, and white vinegar to make a sweet and sour sauce, pour into the remaining oil, stir-fry until thickened, then add the meat cubes and mix well before serving. One dose per day, divided into several servings, 10 days as one course of treatment. Suitable for benign prostatic hyperplasia due to kidney yang deficiency.

6. 12 grams of white fungus, 1500 ml of chicken broth. Soak the white fungus until it expands. Pour the chicken broth into a clean, oil-free pot, add salt, cooking wine, and pepper to taste, and bring to a boil. Then add the soaked white fungus and steam over high heat. Once the white fungus is soft and flavorful, remove it and add MSG to taste. Drink the soup twice daily for 7 days as one course of treatment. This can be used as an adjunct treatment for benign prostatic hyperplasia.

7. 10 sparrows, 5 scallions (white part only), 50 ml Shaoxing wine. Marinate the cleaned sparrows with ginger juice and soy sauce for 10 minutes, then stir-fry them in oil heated to 60% (medium heat). Add Shaoxing wine, salt, water, and scallion segments. Simmer over low heat for 40-60 minutes. Before serving, add a little sugar and MSG, and reduce the sauce until thickened. This can be used as an adjunct treatment for benign prostatic hyperplasia and frequent urination.