Chronic pharyngitis, a chronic inflammation of the
pharyngeal mucous membrane and submucous lymphoid tissues, is often caused by
unsatisfactory treatment of acute pharyngitis or repeated occurrences of upper
respiratory tract infection and it is related to high-dust environment. Clinically
it manifests itself as itching, dryness, soreness of the throat, cough, a feeling
of foreign body or obstruction in the throat. In TCM it belongs to the category
of "hou bi," or inflammation of throat.
Main Points of Diagnosis
1. The patient has discomfort, dryness and itching, swelling and soreness,
a feeling of foreign body in the throat or being stuck with sputum. He or she
often wants to "hang ka" (make a cough sound like "hang ka"
) or has irritated coughs.
2. The patient has a sensation of obstruction and
fullness in the throat and a feeling of being blocked when swallowing without
any food but no difficulty in eating.
3. The patient is apt to feel nausea
and vomiting when he or she gets up in the morning.
4. Examination shows that
the mucous membrane of the retropharyngeal wall becomes dark red and congestive,
or there are dilatation of micrangium, attachment of exudates, hyperplasia of
lymphoid follicles, red swelling and thickening of the lateral pharyngeal bands
and pachynsis of uvula.
Differentiation and Treatment of Common Syndromes
1. Internal Treatment
1) The Type of Dryness of the Lung due to Yin-Deficiency
Main symptoms and Signs: There are such symptoms as dryness, slight pain or
a sensation of burning heat or foreign body in the throat. Congestion, diffuse
dark redness and dilatation of micrangium of the pharyngeal mucous membranes and
thickening of the lateral pharyngeal bands may be present, accompanied with itching
of the throat, cough with little sputum, fidgets due to deficiency and dreaminess.
The tongue is red and the pulse thready and rapid.
Therapeutic Principle:
Nourishing yin, moistening dryness and purging pathogenic fire to relieve sore
throat.
Recipe: Clear Dew Decoction
lucid asparagus
ophiopogon tuber
fresh
rehmannia root
dendrobium
loquat leaf
prepared rehmannia root
bitter
orange
platycodon root
All the above herbs are to be decocted in water for
oral administration.
2) The Type of Stasis of Qi and Stagnation of Phlegm
Main Symptoms and Signs: The patient has a sensation of obstruction or foreign
body in the throat, often wants to "hang ka" (make a "hang ka"
sound of cough) and feels nausea when getting up in the morning. He may have hyperplasis
of lymphoid follicles in the retropharyngeal wall and thickening of the lateral
pharyngeal bands, accompanied with chest distress. The tongue is dark red with
yellow fur and the pulse thready and slippery.
Therapeutic Principle: Promoting
circulation of qi, alleviating mental distress and reducing phlegm to resolve
masses.
Recipe: Decoction for Clearing the Throat
old radish leaf
loquat
leaf
scrophularia root
belamcanda rhizome
curcuma root
oroxylum seed
Sichuan
fritillary bulb
bitter orange
Chinese globeflower
olive
trichosanthes
root
All the above herbs are to be decocted in water for oral administration.
For those with poor appetite and loose stool, add Chinese yam and parched
atractylodes rhizome. For those who have soreness and weakness of the loins and
feverish sensation in the palms and soles, add dodder seed, dogwood fruit and
cibot rhizome. For those with symptoms of intense fire due to yin-deficiency,
add moutan bark, bark of Chinese corktree and achyranthes root.
2. External
Treatment
1) Perlingual: Have slices of lily bulb immersed in honey for 7
days, then take them out for perlingual; or use frosted persimmon for perlingual
instead.
2) Oral insufflations of powder drugs: Powder of Borneol and borax
(see the treatment of acute pharyngitis) and Indigotic Powder Drug for Oral Insufflations
are to be blown onto the pharynx wall.
3) Compress on the acu-point Yongquan.
Mix Powder of Evodia Fruit with vinegar for compress on the acu-point Yongquan
(K 1). This is practiced once a day.
Dr. Ming's TCM Medical Center,
Hua
Xi Xiao Yuan, Hutian Developing Area,
Huaihua city, Hunan province
China