Ancient Prescription Statistical Analysis Of The Cold Dismount Prescription Law

Prescriptive Formulation (PF) of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) is the study of the underlying principles in the process of clinical prescriptions. It mainly engages in clinical diagnosis, decisions of herbs to be used and their appropriate presence in the formation of compact but effective prescriptions. PF emphasises high levels of accurate recognition of the primary, secondary, tertiary and other related agony-causing symptoms. After concluding the root cause/s of the illness, the doctor has to decide which and how muchof each particular herb to use in order to establish their unique functions in organising prescriptions. This decision is made after confirming the best therapy or solution to be applied to combat the illness. This not only forms a strong and reliable connection between the prescriptions issued and thus the therapies involved, it also puts theoretical strategies into practical applications.Constipation is the difficulty in passing bowels due to hard stools (straining), or as a sense of incomplete emptying after a bowel movement. One particular type of constipation, which is a very common symptom in gastrointestinal disorders, is known as the Obstructive Constipation (OC). This is the result of actual physical obstruction in the bowels. According to the theories of TCM, this can be related to the fusion of "invisible" excess internal heat and "visible" faeces between the middle and lower gastrointestinal tract. This inevitably paralyses normal peristaltic movements in the bowels, and causes the faeces to be trapped within the large intestines. These trapped metabolic wastes tend to draw water out from the intestinal walls, which may also result in excreting excess foul greenish fluids together with sparse faeces. In addition, there is an inter-dependable relationship between the lungs and large intestines, via meridian connections, and thus any discomforts in the bowels would also trigger lungs disorders, such as phlegm-infested coughs or breathing difficulties. Prolonged periods of obstructive constipation may eventually weaken the physiological functions of the kidneys.Purgative therapies in TCM are usually applied to these conditions with excess internal heat accumulation in the body, which in turn trigger constipation. In this project, we aim to investigate the purgative principles that involve the use of "cold-natured" herbs. 210 TCM prescriptions, of both ancient and current origins, were analysed. Simplified statistical work was performed to account for these underlying rules. The results found that the herbal couplets ofDa Huang ( ) and Mang Xiao ( ) were almost usually used in these purgative prescriptions, suggesting that they might serve as effective "natural laxatives" for relieving constipation. Heat-dispelling and Qi-regulatory herbs were also present within the prescriptive combination, which inevitably aid the removal of accumulated heat and thus ease the exit of faeces. The presence of tonic herbs also hinted the importance in re-establishing the physiological status of the body after constipated disruption. The amount of Da Huang used and its related method in decoctions were also investigated.