| The theory of dryness is an important concept in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). It involves pathogenesis, diagnosis, treatment, herb therapy, five movements and six climates, etc. Main contents of different views of modern physicians on the "dryness", including debate on yin and yang, endogenous dryness and exogenous dryness, dryness-relieving prescription, are also summarized and discussed. Through analyzing different books and doctors’ perspectives, this paper systematically explored the essence of "dryness" and discussed its characteristic, mechanism, symptom, therapy.The theory of "dryness" in Chinese medicine first appeared in "Huangdi Neijing" "Huangdi Neijing" discussed the nature, pathogenic characteristics and clinical symptoms of the "dryness". It established the etiology of "dryness" and laid the foundation for future generations of "exogenous dryness" theory."Treatise on Cold-Induced and Miscellaneous Diseases" discussed the theory of "dryness" in detail. In the view of Zhang Zhongjing, the syndromes of dryness was not caused by the exogenous dryness evil, but a series of symptoms of deficiency in body fluids caused by many etiologic factors. On the basis of Zhang Zhongjing’s view, the "endogenous dryness" theory had been developed.Liu Hejian in Jin-Yuan dynasty is the first person to write special articles on the dryness following "Huangdi Neijing". And he is also the first person to setup treating methods and principles for the treatment of dryness. Astringency, dry and wilt are classified as "dryness", is his representative view. The theory he proposed in his book "Exploration to Pathogenesis in Plain Questions" supplemented the pathogenesis of Huangdi Neijing. His theory of integration of diagnosis and treatment opened up a new path for later generations to do research on the "dryness".In Qing dynasty, Yu Jiayan created the theory of "autumn dryness" in book "Principles and Prohibitions of Medical Profession". He proposed new prescriptions and first discussed the theory of exogenous dryness. Since then, when doctors describe the symptoms of exogenous dryness, they were all based on the theory of "autumn dryness". So, "autumn dryness" was becoming a synonym for the exogenous dryness. "Analysis of warm diseases", as a representative book of epidemic febrile disease, discussed the theory of "autumn dryness" through upper-jiao, middle-jiao and lower-jiao. Wu Jutong cited "Dry Diseases" which Shen Munan writed to explain the diagnosis and treatment of "autumn dryness"Modern physicians prefered to characterize organism attacked by pathogenic dryness in autumn as "autumn dryness", and took it as a superficial syndrome. According to the difference of warm dryness evil and cool dryness evil, "autumn dryness" was divided into warm dryness and cool dryness nowadays.This paper systematically analyzed a large number of literatures based on "dryness" to discuss the origins of "dryness". The meaning of "dryness" was summarized and explained from different perspectives, such as "dryness qi", "syndrome of dryness". Three typical prescriptions about the "dryness", Xingsu Powder, Sangxing Decoction and Qingzao Jiufei Decoction, were discussed. Ingredients, indications and therapeutic methods of the prescriptions were described in detail. The academic analysis of these three prescriptions arguments were organized and analyzed. Whether the three prescriptions are dryness-relieving prescriptions or not were analyzed. And the attribution of these three prescriptions was reintroduced. Modern clinical applications of the three prescriptions were also summed up. Analysis and discussion was made for the doubts that whether dryness evil belongs to yin or yang, the real meaning of endogenous dryness and exogenous dryness, whether dryness evil exists only in autumn, can "Autumn dryness" be divided into warm dryness and cool dryness. On the basis of analysis and discussion, the essence of "autumn dryness" was summarized, and specification of syndrome differentiation and treatment was redefined.
|
PDF Full Text Request