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.
In Chinese Medicine, hepatic abscess is sometimes associated with Blood Stagnation with Heat, a so-called "patterns of disharmony". Chinese Medicine sees the body as a system, not a sum of isolated parts. A "pattern" is when the system's harmony is disrupted. It is not equivalent to the Western concept of "disease" because both concepts arise from totally different ways of seeing the human body.
To understand whether someone's hepatic abscess might be caused by the pattern Blood Stagnation with Heat, one needs to look for signs and symptoms associated with the pattern beyond what one might typically experience from hepatic abscess alone. Indeed if hepatic abscess is caused by Blood Stagnation with Heat, patients also experience symptoms such as lower abdominal distension and pain that increases with pressure, guarding of the abdominal musculature, pain in the groin and alternating fever and chills. Similarly, patients with Blood Stagnation with Heat typically exhibit rapid (Shu) or slippery (Hua) pulses as well as a pale tongue with yellow coating.
We've listed below a more detailed description of Blood Stagnation with Heat so that you can have a better understanding of where hepatic abscess might find its root according to Chinese Medicine.
Once identified, patterns are often treated using herbal formulas. Drinking herbal infusions is the most common remedy in Chinese Medicine, together with acupuncture. Here we detail below Da Huang Mu Dan Pi Tang, a formula that can help treat Blood Stagnation with Heat.
Rhubarb (Da Huang) is the key herb for Da Huang Mu Dan Pi Tang, a formula used for Blood Stagnation with Heat
Pulse type(s): Rapid (Shu), Slippery (Hua)
Tongue coating: Yellow coating
Tongue color: Pale
Recommended herbal formula: Da Huang Mu Dan Pi Tang
Symptoms: Pain in the groin Alternating fever and chills Guarding of the abdominal musculature Lower abdominal distension and pain that increases with pressure
Hepatic abscess might be due to Blood Stagnation with Heat if the condition is paired with typical pattern symptoms such as lower abdominal distension and pain that increases with pressure, guarding of the abdominal musculature, pain in the groin and alternating fever and chills. Similarly, patients with Blood Stagnation with Heat typically exhibit rapid (Shu) or slippery (Hua) pulses as well as a pale tongue with yellow coating.
The top herbs in Da Huang Mu Dan Pi Tang are Rhubarb (Da Huang), Mirabilites (Mang Xiao) and Mudan Peony Bark (Mu Dan Pi)
Source date: 220 AD
Number of ingredients: 5 herbs
Key actions: Clears Stagnant Heat in the intestines. Reduces swelling and disperses lumps.
Because it is a formula often recommended to help treat Blood Stagnation with Heat, a pattern sometimes associated with hepatic abscess. If it looks like you might suffer from Blood Stagnation with Heat, this formula might help (although please seek confirmation with a professional practitioner beforehand).
Lower abdominal distension and pain that increases with pressure Guarding of the abdominal musculature Pain in the groin Alternating fever and chills