WESTERN CLASSIFICATION of the MATERIA MEDICA
3M. ARTHRITICS
Medicines for Joint Disease
Arthritic medicines treat diseases of the Joints.
Type of Joint Disease:
1. Heat-type: red, swollen, painful joints, sharp or burning pain, worse after exercise, better after cool applications, red tongue. Note that in TCM this is usually classified as Wind-Damp-Heat unless it is acute in which case it may be a Heat-Toxin type.
2. Cold-Damp type: aching joint, joints feel cold or edematous, worse in the cold, feels better after exercise and with application of warmth, low or slow pulse, pale tongue with white or wet coating.
3. Wind-type: moving pain, tearing pain, changes frequently, joints crack a lot, tends to be lean or thin build, often with anxiety or neurosis. Tongue will be dry and pulse wiry.
4. Deficiency type: chronic weakness, especially as seen in marked old age, degeneration of the joints, kidney deficiency with a faint or low or slow, deep pulse.
Treatment Principlas for the 4 types:
1. Heat-type: cool, anti-inflammatory medicines (Cold Arthritic Medicines), yin-nourishing medicines; reducing or cooling diet, bleeding and purging are useful; Barley water
2. Cold-Damp type: warming medicines (Warm Arthritic Medicines), warm medicines to promote urine, application of warming oils or plasters, or actual heat; Cupping; Honey Water
3. Wind-type: Yin nourishing medicines along with medicines that settle Wind (Mistletoe does both), nourishing diet, application of oils externally (either simple or compound herbal oils).
4. Deficiency type: Yin and Kidney nourishing medicines, Bone strengthening medicines like Sesame seed, Eucommin Du Zhong and Comfrey, Bone and Marrow tonics like Velvet Deer Horn; Bone Broth; Fats and Oils
Medicines used for Joint diseases may have one or more of the following functions: anti-inflammatory, promote capillary circulation, clear Damp, regulate Qi and ease Pain. Some also strengthen and repair damaged joints.
Typical Combinations:
i. for acute arthritic pain, with Diaphoretic (Exterior-relieving) herbs
ii. for acute Inflammatory Arthritic disease with redness, heat, pain and swelling, with medicines to clear Heat
iii. for moving arthralgia, with medicines to clear Wind
iv. for cold arthalgia, with warming medicines
v. for Damp arthralgia (including Rheumatism), with Diuretic medicines to clear Damp.
vi. for chronic inflammatory Arthritic disease, with medicines to move the Bloodvii. for chronic Arthritic disease with deficiency, and for the elderly, with Kidney and Joint tonics
In practice, most good Arthritic formula contain a combination of these medicines.
i. Warming Arthritic Medicines
ii. Cooling Arthritic Medicines
Warming Compounds
| Oxymel of Squill | Oxycroceum |
| Confect of Anarcardium | Rosemary Wine |
| Arthritic Pills | Pills of Colchicum (Mesue) |
| Blessed Laxative | Hiera Logadii |
| Oil of Foxes | Diachylon |
Cooling Compounds
| Barley Water | Syrup of Lemon |
| Decoction for Arthritis | Electuary of Seven Things |
| Electuary of Safflower | Oxycratum |
| Oil of Earthworms | Ungentum Populeum |
