Because it contains alcohol, Huoxiang Zhengqi Water should not be taken at the same time as some Western medicines.

Chen Jun

In summer, Huoxiang Zhengqi Water has become a must-have medicine in many people's homes. Many bloggers also share videos of making their own "Huoxiang Zhengqi Ice Chinese Style", claiming that it can "prevent heat stroke", which has attracted young people's attention. But in fact, traditional Chinese medicine preparations such as Huoxiang Zhengqi Water should not be used indiscriminately, and if used incorrectly, it may lead to serious consequences.

Traditional Chinese medicine divides heatstroke into "yin heatstroke" and "yang heatstroke", and the causes and treatments of the two are different. Yang heatstroke refers to symptoms such as dizziness, fatigue, thirst, fever, blurred vision, sweating, chest tightness, and irritability caused by long-term exposure to the sun outdoors or in a high-temperature closed environment. In severe cases, blood pressure drops, syncope, and even impaired consciousness, drowsiness, and coma may occur. For those with yang heatstroke, they should clear away heat and replenish qi, nourish yin and promote body fluid production. Commonly used prescriptions include Baihu Decoction and Shidi Shui, and they can also be eaten with watermelon, mung bean syrup, etc.

Huoxiang Zhengqi Water can treat the "yin heat" in heatstroke, which is similar to the gastrointestinal cold in modern medicine, and is somewhat similar to what we often call "diarrhea after catching a cold". The main symptoms are low fever, aversion to cold, no sweating, heaviness and pain in the body, and often accompanied by digestive system symptoms such as diarrhea, abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, etc. This pathogenesis is a syndrome of cold and dampness, and Huoxiang Zhengqi Water is the first choice.

It should be noted that Huoxiang Zhengqi Water usually contains 40%-50% alcohol. If the patient takes cephalosporin, metronidazole, tinidazole, ketoconazole, furazolidone and other drugs during medication, a disulfiram-like reaction will occur. This symptom often appears within 5 minutes to 1 hour of the combination of the two drugs. Patients may experience mild symptoms such as facial flushing, headache, nausea, vomiting, palpitations, and decreased blood pressure. In severe cases, they may experience chest tightness, chest pain, shortness of breath, difficulty breathing, shock, and even death. If cephalosporins are used, doctors generally recommend that you drink alcohol or take alcohol-containing drugs 7 days after stopping the medication.

How to take care of patients with heat stroke? First, immediately leave the hot environment, move the patient to a cool and ventilated place, and unbutton his collar and trouser belt to facilitate breathing and heat dissipation. Second, place a towel or ice pack soaked in cold water on the patient's neck, armpits, thighs, groin and other large blood vessels. Third, tilt the head of the unconscious patient to one side to keep his breathing unobstructed, and clear the secretions in the airway when necessary to prevent vomiting and aspiration. Fourth, do not feed water or medicine to patients who are not conscious. You can wipe refreshing oil, wind oil and other refreshing medicines on the forehead and temples. After the patient wakes up, give him light sugar salt water and electrolyte drinks in time to replenish the loss of body fluids. At the same time, he can take anti-heat medicines such as Ren Dan, Shi Di Shui, and Huoxiang Zhengqi Shui.

(The author is the deputy director of the Department of Critical Care Medicine, Affiliated Hospital of Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine)