Traditional Chinese Medicine Formula for Hepatic Encephalopathy, January 3, 2001

Traditional Chinese Medicine Formula for Hepatic Encephalopathy, January 3, 2001

In the winter of the Gengchen year, Su suffered from cirrhosis with ascites. After hospitalization and initial improvement, he experienced upper gastrointestinal bleeding due to poor diet, leading to hepatic coma, followed by renal failure. His BUN reached 23 mmol/L, urine output decreased to only 250 mL per day, and he had not had a bowel movement for three days. In addition to standard medications for cirrhosis and hepatic coma, I prescribed a combination of Tao Ren Cheng Qi Tang, Xiao Chai Hu Tang, and San Huang Xie Xin Tang. The formula heavily featured 20 g of Da Huang, 20 g of Mang Xiao, 10 g of Zhi Shi, 6 g of Hou Pu, 10 g of Gui Zhi, 10 g of Tao Ren, 10 g of Dong Gua Zi, and 10 g of Dan Pi. A total of 300 mL of decoction was prepared and divided into two doses.

After taking three doses of this formula, the patient regained consciousness, developed a slight appetite, and his urine output increased to 3,000 mL per day. By the fourth day of observation, he was already able to get out of bed and walk!

Note: This case demonstrates the accuracy of the "Shang Han Lun" principle that "for Yangming diseases with delirium, use Da Cheng Qi Tang; for Taiyang diseases with heat accumulation in the bladder causing madness, blood will flow out, and the patient will recover. If external symptoms remain unresolved, do not attack yet; once external symptoms are resolved, then attack, using Tao He Cheng Qi Tang."