Da Huang Rhizoma Rhei 6 g
Xing Ren Semen Pruni armeniacae 4.5 g
Zhi Shi Fructus Citri aurantii immaturus 6 g
Hou Po Cortex Magnoliae officinalis 4.5 g
Bai Shao Radix Paeoniae albae 4.5 g
Huang Lian Rhizoma Coptidis 3 g
Ku Shen Radix Sophorae flavescentis 4.5 gExplanation The first six herbs constitute the original formula.
Huang Lian was added to clear Stomach-Heat.Ku Shen was added to clear Intestine-Heat.After a few weeks, Da Huang was removed and replaced with Dang
Gui. This patient improved slowly and gradually over the course of one
year.Case History 19.2
Constipation: Liver-Fire Blazing-Female, Age 62
A 62-year-old woman sought treatment for what had been diagnosed 4 years previously as
Parkinson's disease. She had a very slight tremor of her arm, dragged her foot slightly and her
handwriting had been getting progressively smaller (a typical symptom of this disease). Apart
from this, she had also been suffering from constipation more or less "for her whole life". She
resorted to taking up to 10 Senokot (an anthraquinone-based laxative) a day. Because she took
laxatives every day it was difficult to find out how her stools would have been without them. She
also suffered from backache, dizziness, tinnitus, night-sweating, poor sleep (waking up during
the night) and a dry throat at night with a desire to sip water. She often felt hot. Her tongue was
Red, redder on the sides, with a very dry, yellow-black coating (Plate 19.1(411)). Her pulse was
Full, Wiry, Slippery and slightly Rapid.
Diagnosis This is a rather complex condition. There is obviously Liver-Wind,
manifested by the tremor of the arm. This most probably arose from
Liver-Fire as evidenced by the Rapid and Full pulse, the Red tongue
with yellow coating, the constipation and the feeling of heat. There was
also some Phlegm as shown by the Slippery pulse. Thus, in this case
Wind, Fire and Phlegm are all contributing to her condition. Her other
symptoms of backache, dizziness, tinnitus, poor sleep and dry throat at
night, point to a deficiency of Kidney-Yin. Rather than being the cause
of the rising of Liver-Wind, the Kidney-Yin deficiency is probably the
result of Liver-Fire injuring the Yin. We can come to this conclusion
from observation of the tongue and pulse: the tongue shows the
presence of Fire rather than Empty-Heat as it is Red with a yellow
coating (rather than without coating), and her pulse is Full, Slippery and