TRADITIONAL INTERNAL MEDICINE – DISEASES & FORMULAS
Fibroids
Fibroid Tumors are a classic Melancholy-type Tumor in the Western Tradition. It is analogous to Phlegm-Damp and Blood-stagnation Masses of TCM. It requires a combination of Blood-moving Medicines and medicines to clear Damp and Melancholy.
Diet include foods which are easily digestible, avoiding foods hard to digest including meat of old animals.
Many medicines that clear Damp are effective to clear Fibroids including Poria Fu Ling and Agaric of the West. Spleen tonics are often good against Fibroids as they help resolve Damp. In addition, great emphasis was placed on purging the Melancholy Humor in the Western Tradition.
Standard Treatment in the West:
1. Syrup of Fumitory
2. Syrup of Dodder
3. Decoction of Dodder
4. Arabian Confect Purging Melancholy
Pills of Bdellium (Mesue) may be useful for Fibroids with excess Bleeding.
Western Tradition
Decoction for Boils and Abscess
Decoction of Dodder of Thyme (Rhasis)
Decoction of Dodder of Thyme (Mesue)
Decoction for Cancer (Fuller)
Decoction of Woods
Compound Syrup of Vinegar
Greater Syrup of Fumitory (Mesue)
The Syrup to Purge all Humors of Frankfurt
Syrup of Roses with Senna
Tincture Against Schirrus of the Spleen
Tincture of Cantharides
Tincture of Pill Millipedes
Troches Praised for Liver Hardness (Nicholas)
Powder for Scrofula (Wirtzung)
Troches of Myrrh (Rhasis)
Troches of Gums
Powder of Gum Lacca Lesser (Dialacca Minor) (Rhasis)
Powder of Gum Lacca Lesser (Dialacca Minor) (Mesue)
Powder of Gum Lacca Greater (Dialacca Majores) (Mes)
Pills for Melancholy (Unani)
Arabian Confect Purging Melancholy (Confectio Hamech)
Kanchanara Guggulu (Ayurveda)
Topically
Diachilon Plaster with Gums
Compound Meliot Plaster
Apostles Plaster
To Purge
The Blessed Laxative (Nicholas)
Arabian Confect Purging Melancholy (Confectio Hamech)
Electuary of Senna
Indian Pills
Pills of Azurite (Mesue)
Pills of Lapis Lazuli
TCM Classification
Blood Stasis with Phlegm/Damp Obstruction
Fixed mass, dull heavy feeling (more pain or feeling if Blood stasis, less feeling and more heaviness if Damp), dark or purplish tongue with whitish, poor appetite, smooth coating, choppy pulse
Gui Zhi Fu Ling Wan
Tao Hong Si Wu Tang
More Severe Blood Stasis
Fixed mass maybe with dull pricking pain, more pronounced in the cold, dark or clotted menstruation, dull complexion, purplish tongue, lips and nail beds, choppy pulse
Huo Luo Xiao Ling Dan
Xue Fu Zhu Yu Tang (Upper body)
Ge Xia Zhu Yu Tang (abdomen)
Shao Fu Zhu Yu Tang (lower abdomen)
Da Huang Zhe Chong Wan
Di Dang Tang
Comment: the three ‘Zhu Yu’ formulas above are primary formulas to move the Blood and resolve masses in TCM. However to resolve Fibroids requires the addition of medicines to clear Phlegm such as Poria Fu Ling, Pinella Ban Xia, or Arisaema Tian Nan Xing, for example.
