Tips on TCM treatment of constipation and common home prescriptions

Constipation troubles many people, whether they are middle-aged, elderly or young. Due to changes in diet structure and lifestyle and work style, the number of people suffering from constipation is increasing year by year. In addition, long-term constipation can induce hemorrhoids, anal fissures, perianal abscesses and intestinal tumors, and can also cause psychological distress. Therefore, understanding the causes of constipation and commonly used Chinese medicines can also be used to treat it at home, saving the trouble of visiting the hospital.

Constipation is characterized by constipation, decreased bowel movements, small amount of stool, dry, hard stool, and difficulty in passing. It is often accompanied by symptoms such as irritability, headache, insomnia, abdominal distension, and loss of appetite. In Western medicine, habitual constipation, intestinal neurosis, inflammation of the colon, rectum, and anus, and causes such as old age, physical weakness, and medication can be selected according to the above symptoms. According to clinical manifestations, this disease can be divided into five types of syndromes:

Internal heat constipation, dry stool, difficulty in defecation, long intervals between defecation, or once every three to five days, or once every seven to eight days, unbearable abdominal distension, or intermittent mild abdominal pain, irritability and headache, red face and dry mouth, insomnia and bad breath, dark urine, yellow and dry tongue coating, and strong pulse. Treatment should be heat-clearing and laxative.

·Single prescription·

The prescription is 24-40 grams of white peony root and 10-15 grams of raw licorice. Decoction twice, mix and take in the morning and afternoon, 1 dose per day, 2-4 doses in a row. It is reported that 60 cases of habitual constipation were treated with this prescription, and all were effective quickly. This prescription is also effective for qi constipation and blood deficiency constipation. Generally, 2-4 doses can produce soft stools, and there is no risk of constipation after defecation.

Recipe 2: 50g each of Scrophularia ningpoensis and Ophiopogon japonicus, 50-100g of Radix Rehmanniae. Boil in water for 25-30 minutes, boil twice, mix and take in the morning and afternoon, 1 dose per day, 3 consecutive days as a course of treatment.

Recipe 3: 60-90g of dandelion. Decoction. Decoction for 20 minutes for fresh products and 30 minutes for dried products. Take 50-100ml of juice and take it all at once. One dose per day. For those who are young and have difficulty taking medicine, take it in several doses. Add appropriate amount of sugar or honey for flavoring. Generally, 3-9 doses are required.

Recipe 4: 3-6 grams of senna leaves. Put them in a cup and soak them in 200 ml of 80-degree boiling water for 5-10 minutes. Take them warm all at once. (Senna leaves are bitter and cold, so the dosage should not be too large).

·Diet therapy·

Prescription: 150g of Cassia Seed. Fry until yellow, grind into fine powder, take 15g each time, brew with boiling water, drink as tea, twice a day.

Recipe 2: 500g of potatoes, peel and mash them into a paste, filter the juice, and add 250g of honey. Take 15 ml each time, once in the morning and before going to bed at night, 7 days as a course of treatment.

·External treatment·

Recipe 1: 9g of Glauber's salt and 1.5g of saponin. Grind the two medicines into fine powder, mix them, mix them evenly, wrap them with gauze, apply them to the navel, and fix them with adhesive tape. Drip a little water on the powder from time to time to make it moist.

Recipe 2: Take an appropriate amount of rhubarb powder. Use a little vinegar to make a paste, apply it to the navel, cover with gauze, and fix with adhesive tape.

Qi stagnation and constipation cause dry stools, or stagnant and difficult stools that are difficult to pass all at once. Constipation worsens when you are in a bad mood. There is abdominal distension or mild abdominal pain, which is slightly relieved after warm air or flatulence (i.e. farting). The tongue coating is thick and the pulse is stringy. The treatment should be to smooth the qi and relieve the stagnation.

·Single prescription·

The prescription is 24-40 grams of white peony root, 10-15 grams of raw licorice, and 10 grams of malt. Boil them in water twice, mix them and take them in the morning and afternoon, 1 dose per day, for 2-4 doses in a row.

Recipe 2: 20g each of Chinese Angelica and Radish Seed. Add 6 times the amount of water and decoct for 2 hours. Decoct twice. Add 200g of honey after mixing and boil. Take 200ml daily, divided into 2 doses, 1 dose per day, and take 3-5 doses in a row. After the bowel movement is smooth, take 30-50ml daily. 10 days is a course of treatment.

·Diet therapy·

Recipe 1: 30g of radish seeds, stir-fry until fragrant, grind into powder, take 3-6g each time, with warm water. Or take 10g each time, brew with boiling water, take the juice as tea, twice a day.

·External treatment·

Recipe 1: 10g of Radish Seed and 3g of Momordica Seed. Grind them into fine powder and apply to the navel, cover with gauze and fix with adhesive tape.

Blood deficiency constipation, dry stool like a ball, normal bowel movements but difficult defecation, sallow complexion, dizziness, palpitations, numbness of limbs, or a history of childbirth, bleeding, surgery, pale tongue, and weak pulse. Treatment should be to nourish blood and moisten the intestines.

·Single prescription·

Prescription: 24-40g of white peony root, 10-15g of raw licorice root, 9-15g of donkey-hide gelatin. Decoction twice, mix and take in the morning and afternoon, take 2-4 doses in a row.

Recipe 2: Raw white peony root 24-40g, raw licorice root 10-15g, angelica root 9-15g. Decoction twice, mix and take in the morning and afternoon, 1 dose per day, for 2-4 doses.

Recipe 3: 15g each of Rehmannia glutinosa and Angelica sinensis, 12g each of Hemp Seed and Xuanming Powder (added later), 30g of white honey (for mixing). Decoction twice, mix and take in the morning and afternoon, 1 dose per day. 7 days is a course of treatment. After the bowel movement is smooth, use 20g of stir-fried Cassia Seed per day, brew with boiling water instead of tea.

·Diet therapy·

Recipe 1: Grind 60g black sesame into powder and add 30g honey. Mix well, steam and eat once a day for 10-15 days.

Recipe 2: Boil 30-60 grams of processed Polygonum multiflorum in water, remove the residue, take the concentrated juice, use the juice with 50 grams of rice and 5 red dates, cook porridge, and add a little rock sugar for flavoring when taking.

Recipe 3: 10-15 grams of cypress seeds, mash them, cook them into porridge with 50 grams of rice, and add appropriate amount of honey before drinking.

·External treatment·

Fang Yigongfang Intestinal Lubricating Suppository (prepared medicine): This product is a suppository (each weighs 1.4 grams), and one is inserted into the anus at the same time.

For Prescription 2, please see Prescription 2 for external treatment of the syndrome of Qi obstruction in this disease.

Qi deficiency constipation is characterized by pale complexion, fatigue and shortness of breath. Although there is an urge to defecate, the patient is too tired to defecate when trying to go to the toilet. When trying, the patient sweats. The stool is generally not dry and hard. The patient feels tired after defecation, and has a pale tongue and weak pulse. Treatment should be aimed at strengthening the spleen and replenishing qi.

·Single prescription·

Recipe 1: 60g of Atractylodes macrocephala, 20g of Radix Rehmanniae, and 5g of Cimicifuga heracleifolia. Decoction twice, mix and take in the morning and afternoon, 1 dose per day, for 2-4 doses.

Recipe 2: Raw white peony root 24-40g, raw licorice root 10-15g, white atractylodes 24-32g. Decoction twice, mix and take in the morning and afternoon, 1 dose per day, for 2-4 doses.

Recipe 3: 24-45g of white peony root, 12-15g of licorice, 15-30g each of astragalus, codonopsis and yam. Decoction twice, mix and take in the morning and afternoon, 1 dose per day, or 1 dose per week.

·Diet therapy·

Recipe 1: 500g sweet potato leaves. Stir-fry with oil and salt and eat as a dish. Take once a day for general constipation and twice a day for habitual constipation for 7 consecutive days. Avoid spicy foods such as peppers, alcohol, and drinks such as tea and coffee during medication.

·External treatment·

Recipe: 50g scallion root, 30g ginger, 15g salt, 5g fermented black beans. Mix and mash, make into round cakes, heat on fire, apply on navel, fix with bandage or adhesive tape, change after cooling, and apply for 12-24 hours.

Yang deficiency constipation is characterized by dry and hard stools, difficult defecation, or slight abdominal distension that likes to be pressed, or abdominal pain that refuses to be pressed, preference for heat and fear of cold, lack of warmth in hands and feet, or cold pain in waist and knees, clear and long urine, pale tongue with white and moist coating, and slow and weak pulse. Treatment should be warming and relieving constipation.

·Single prescription·

Prescription: 24-40g of white peony root, 10-15g of raw licorice root, 10-15g of aconite root. Decoction twice, mix and take in the morning and afternoon, 1 dose per day, for 2-4 doses.

Recipe 2: 30g each of Atractylodes macrocephala and Atractylodes lancea, 10g of Citrus aurantium, and 20g of Cistanche deserticola. Soak in appropriate amount of water for 30 minutes, decoct twice, simmer for about 1 hour each time, mix the two liquids, take warm once, 1 dose per day.

·Diet therapy·

Recipe 1: 5 walnut kernels, 50 grams of sugar. Mash them into a paste, add 50 ml of rice wine, simmer for 10 minutes on low heat, and eat twice a day.

Recipe 2: 15 grams of Cistanche deserticola, 50 grams of mutton, and 100 grams of polished rice. First fry the Cistanche deserticola and chopped mutton, remove the residue and take the juice, add rice and cook into porridge, and eat on an empty stomach.

Recipe 3: 5 walnuts. Take it every night before going to bed with warm water. After the bowel movement is normal, continue to take 3-5 pieces for 1-2 months.

·External treatment·

Recipe: 500g of scallion. Wash, chop and mash with roots, add appropriate amount of vinegar, stir-fry until hot, wrap with gauze, and apply hot compress to navel. If it is cold, apply with a hot water bag. Apply for 30-60 minutes each time, 3 times a day.

Fang Erlao ginger, peeled into thumb-sized pieces, more than 3.3 cm (1 inch) long, wrapped in paper, heated, coated with sesame oil, and inserted into the anus.

Recipe 3: 12g of Sophora flavescens and 5g of Asarum. Grind into fine powder, mix with honey (heated), make suppositories, and insert into the anus when using.