Study On The Marrow Literature Of Traditional Chinese Medicine

The viewpoint of “Marrow is one of the essential substances to maintain lifeactivities” is recorded early in Huangdi Neijing. Literature about marrow is abundant butnot systemic enough, so it is very significant to sort out and analyze related TCM literaturecomprehensively and systematically, with an aim to enrich TCM theory and direct clinicaltreatment of marrow diseases.This study adopts the method of philology, and after collecting, combing,summarizing and analyzing documents about marrow from ancient literature, discussesprescriptions of marrow disease by modern statistical means.Through careful research work, academic history of TCM marrow theory is combedout systematically and the evolution and content of marrow theory in different historicstages are analyzed and summarized. Research work has also been done covering thefollowing aspects: generation and functions of marrow; relationship between marrow andviscera, meridians, essence, qi, blood and body fluid; causes and pathology of marrowdisease; diagnosis and treatment of marrow disease. Based on statistical analysis ofmarrow disease prescriptions, frequently-used medicines are recognized, whose functions,properties, meridian tropism are further discussed to generalize principles guidingprescriptions, thought arranging prescriptions, and medication characteristics. Newfindings include “marrow diseases bearing not only deficiency syndrome but also excesssyndrome” and “marrow diseases being closely related with kidney and liver, gall as well”,which are discussed in detail. Based on academic history combing and statistical analysisof prescriptions, an elementary framework of TCM marrow theory is preliminarilyestablished composing of four factors: theory, method, formula and medicine. What’s more,an academic perspective of “Wind expelling drugs are effective in marrow diseasetreatment” is generalized out of the study. All these findings will serve as reference and inspiration for perfecting TCM marrow theory system and improving clinical treatment ofmarrow diseases.