TRADITIONAL INTERNAL MEDICINE – DISEASES & FORMULAS
Ringworm & Tinea
Ringworm is a common contagious itching skin disease, caused by various fungal species and affecting usually the Scalp or Feet. It forms round, scaly lesions, that may be red and itchy lesions. It is contagious.
It is named after the area affected:
- Body: Tinea corporis
- Scalp: Tinea capitis, also called Scald-Head
- Feet: Tinea pedis, Athlete’s foot
- Groin: Tinea cruris, or Jock itch
It was especially common in Children traditionally where it was known as Scald Head. Round, red, itchy patches would form on the scalp with pustules and hair loss.
Two main types were recognized: the Dry and the Moist.
Other Therapies:
- Avoid Phlegm and Melancholic Foods
- Avoid Wine, Cured and Salted Meats
- Purging and Bloodletting are indicated if they are strong
Bleeding the Veins of the Forehead and Behind the Ear were recommended for loss of Hair.
Western Tradition
Simples
Fumitory
Senna
Dodder
Wormwood
Formulas
Syrup of Fumitory
Oxymel fo Squill Compound
Pills of Cochia
Topically:
1. Oil of White Lilies mixed with Oil of Camomile
2. Wash the Head with Wormwood Wine
3. Fry Egg yolks and add as much Turpentine to let them dissolve, then dry gently and apply.
4. Beat Sage, add a little Pig fat, salt and vinegar and heat to form a salve.
5. Decoct Mallow and Dock root, use as a wash.
6. Shave the Head, then apply a mix of equal parts Oil of Walnut, Castor oil and Oil of Camomile. (Wirtzung)
7. After doing the preceding for 3 days, they prick the head all over, then wash with a decoction of Fumitory, Dock root and Camomile. After, add garlic to the same decoction, boil a while, then use as a wash.
8. Burnt Butter, Chimney soot, Salt (equal parts). Stir well together until the butter is stiff. Apply topically. ‘Certain’
9. Turpentine washed well with water (2 oz.), Fresh Butter washed (1 oz.), Salt (half oz.). the Juice of one Orange, 3 Egg Yolks, Oil of Roses (half oz.). Mix together over a gentle Fire. ‘This is a certain Salve, it may be used for all Itches and Scabs’ (Wirtzung)
10. Oil of Roses, Juniper Oil (half ounce each), Sulphur, Verdigris, Pigeon dung (3 drams each), with a little Wax, make an ointment. ‘Very certain… healing all scales’. (Wirtzung)
TCM Classification
Simples
Melia Ku Lian Pi
Elm cake Wu Yi
Formulas
Xiao Feng San
Special Formula
Pills for Dry Scald Head:
Prepared Black Hellebore
Senna
Dodder of Thyme
Mastic 1 dram each
Agaric 1 ½ drams
Aloe ½ oz.
Form pills with Celery juice. Dose up to 1 dram (Wirtzung)
Pills for Moist Scald Head (1)
Pil. Cochia 1 ½ drams
Dodder of Thyme ½ dram
Form pills for 2 doses. (Wirtzung)
Pills for Moist Scald Head (2)
Agaric
Colocynth
Mastic 1 dram each
Aloe ½ oz.
Form pills with Garlic juice. Dose: 1 dram (Wirtzung)
Compound for Ringworm
Chebulic Myrobalan
Dodder
Senna leaf
Mix and form a powder.
To Restore the Hair:
Hair ashes 1 oz.
Burnt Hazel nuts 1 ½ oz.
Dregs of Olive oil 4 oz.
Clarified Honey 3 oz.
Myrrh 1 ½ oz.
Aloe ½ oz.
Saffron 3 drams
Mix to form a Salve. (Wirtzung)
A Powerful Salve for Chronic Ringworm
Galls
Realgar
Birthwort 3 drams each
Hemlock seed 2 drams
Chimney soot
Sulphur
Bitter Almonds
Colocynth
Capers root
Fig leaf
Elm tree leaves
Verdigris
Plume Alum
Myrrh
Aloe
Frankincense
Pitch 1.5 drams each
Beat what is to be beaten, mix them all with vinegar and leave in the sun for a week or more until well mixed.
A Salve for Chronic Ringworm (‘of many years’)
Black & White Hellebore
Sulphur
Vitriol
Litharge
Unslaked Lime
Shoemakers black
Aloe
Gall
Chimney soot
Wood ashes ½ oz. each
Killed Mercury
Verdigris 1/4 oz. each
Boil juices of Borage, Scabious, Fumitory and Dock (2 oz. each), mix with dregs of old Olive oil, Vinegar (3 oz. each); seethe them together on a mild fire for half an hour, add the rest in powder, and with Turpentine and Wax, form a Salve. (Wirtzung)
