Damp-Heat in the Large Intestine
The information provided here is not a replacement for a doctor. You shouldn't use it for the purpose of self-diagnosing or self-medicating but rather so you can have a more informed discussion with a professional TCM practitioner.
At a glance
Preliminary reading: What is a pattern? The Large Intestine in Chinese Medicine The concept of Dampness The concept of Heat
Key attributes
Chinese name: 大肠湿热 Pinyin name: Dà Cháng Shī Rè
Pattern nature: Full
Causes
Precursor patterns: Spleen Qi Deficiency
Common causes: 1. Diet, 2. Emotional stress
Diagnosis
Common symptoms: Fever Thirst Diarrhea Sweating Bloody stools and eight other symptoms
Pulse type(s): Rapid (Shu), Slippery (Hua)
Tongue description: Red tongue with sticky yellow coating
Treatment
Treatment principle: Clear Heat and Dampness, stop diarrhoea.
Common formulas: Ge Geng Huang Qin Huang Lian Tang Shao Yao Tang
Pathology
The Large Intestine's main function is to absorb fluids so as to form and excrete stools. This can be greatly disturbed due to the Dampness in the Organ. As a result, fluids can not be absorbed properly and diarrhoea happens. Dampness can also be reflected by the mucus in the stools. feeling of heaviness, abdominal fullness and pain, a sticky tongue coating and Slippery pulse. Finally, fever, which doesn't disappear by sweating, might also occur due to Dampness. Please be aware that fever usually happens only for severe cases.
If there are Heat in the Large Intestine, blood in the stools can happen as the Blood gets rebellious and leaks out of vessels due to excessive Heat. In additional to that, awfully stool smell, anus burning, thirst, dark urine, fever, red tongue and Rapid pulse are also the signs of Heat pattern.
Depending on if Heat or Dampness predominates for a case, the symptoms of both patterns can vary greatly. Sometimes the patients only have symptoms of one pattern such as the Heat. Then that is the other pattern of Heat in the Large Intestine.
Causes
Precursor patterns: Damp-Heat in the Large Intestine can derive from Spleen Qi Deficiency
Diet: Excessive consumption of hot and greasy foods may cause Damp Heat. If the patient also drink a lot of Alcohol, the situation will worsen.
Emotional stress: Prolonged emotional stress such as anxiety and worry can give rise to Interior Heat. If the patient consumes a large of amount of hot and greasy foods as mentioned above, it can cause Damp Heat in the Large Intestine.
Diagnosing Damp-Heat in the Large Intestine
Diagnosing a pattern in Chinese Medicine is no easy feat and should be left to professional practitioners. In particular one has to know how to differentiate between different types of pulses and tongue coatings, shapes and colors as well as learn to read from a long list of seemingly unrelated symptoms.
Pulse type(s): Rapid (Shu) or slippery (Hua)
Tongue description: Red tongue with sticky yellow coating
Main symptoms: Fever Thirst Diarrhea Sweating Bloody stools Smelly stools Abdominal pain Mucus in stools Feeling of heat Abdominal fullness Feeling of heaviness Scanty and dark urine Burning sensation in the anus
Diagnosis commentary: Key characteristic symptoms of this pattern are abdominal pain, diarrhoea with mucus and blood in the stools.
Treating Damp-Heat in the Large Intestine
Treatment principle
Clear Heat and Dampness, stop diarrhoea.
Herbal formulas used to treat Damp-Heat in the Large Intestine
Ge Geng Huang Qin Huang Lian Tang
Formula summary
Ge Geng Huang Qin Huang Lian Tang is a 4-ingredient Chinese Medicine formula. Invented in 220 AD, it belongs to the category of formulas that Release the Exterior and Clear the Interior.
Shao Yao Tang
Source date: 1186 AD
Number of ingredients: 9 herbs
Key actions: Regulates and harmonizes the Qi and Blood. Clears Heat. Dries dampness. Resolves Toxicity.
Formula summary
Shao Yao Tang is a 9-ingredient Chinese Medicine formula. Invented in 1186 AD, it belongs to the category of formulas that clear Heat from the Organs.
Diet recommendations
Avoiding hot and greasy foods and Alcohol.
Consequence patterns
When Dampness obstructs the Lower Burner, where the Large Intestine is located, it can gives rise to Spleen Qi Deficiency in the Middle Burner.