大黄片 / Da Huang Pian
Treats the following symptoms:
Rhubarb is used to treat gastrointestinal heat, lack of fluid and dry stool. The Dryness of the Intestine is caused by overeating spicy, greasy and fatty food, which leads to excessive Yang and burning of Yin; or after a fever, the remaining Heat stays in the Stomach and Intestine and consumes the fluid. Rhubarb is most suitable for constipation with dry and hard stool caused by Dryness and Stagnation. Discontinue therapy when it becomes effective.
However, it contains strong laxative herbs that break down the Stagnation, so it is not suitable for regular usage for those who are old, weak and have Blood Deficiency. If it is pure constipation caused by Blood Deficiency, it should not be used. Pregnant women should not use it.
CONSTIPATION
Typical symptoms:
constipation, constipation in dry or hard stool, constipation or loose stool, difficult stool, loose stoolDisease description:
Constipation can severely impair the quality of life of those affected: Defecation is difficult and painful – the faeces are usually hard and can only be excreted in small portions through strong pressing. How often we have bowel movements is highly subjective and depends on many factors such as stress, diet or exercise. According to experts, anything between three times a day and three times a week is considered normal for the frequency of bowel emptying.
Acute constipation is usually caused by changes in lifestyle, lack of exercise due to sitting in the car or plane on long-haul flights or a change in diet.
Chronic constipation has many causes, for example, medications, poor bowel habits, low fibre diets, possibly abuse of laxatives, hormonal disorders, diseases primarily of other parts of the body that also affect the colon, prolonged sitting.
Explanation according to the Traditional Chinese Medicine:
The main causes of constipation in Chinese medicine include dietary disorder, stress, invasion of External Evils and overwork. The pathogenesis is mainly intestinal conduction loss caused by Heat junction, Qi Stagnation, or Cold Condensation and Deficiency of Qi and Blood.