🌿 Folk Prescriptions

1. Acute Phase
(1) In early stage with only redness, papules, or few small vesicles without exudation, treatment should be mild anti-inflammatory and avoid irritation. Use wet compresses or itch-relieving washes. Commonly used: 2%–3% boracic acid solution for wet compress, calamine lotion, or calamine lotion with 2% borneol and 5% alum. If only redness is present, sprinkle boracic acid talcum powder multiple times daily as appropriate.
(2) For obvious vesicular erosion and exudation, use astringent and anti-inflammatory agents to promote epidermal recovery. Apply antiseptic astringent solutions as wet compresses or poultices. Commonly used: compound copper sulfate solution, 2%–3% boracic acid solution, 0.5% lead acetate or aluminum acetate solution. For mild exudation, apply zinc oxide ointment externally or use zinc oxide paste bandage.
2. Subacute Phase: Treatment principle is anti-inflammatory, anti-itching, drying, and astringent. Prefer zinc chloride oil, paste, or emulsion. Adjust based on severity of exudation and erosion, degree of skin infiltration and thickening, and intensity of itching by adding appropriate astringents, keratoplastics, and anti-itch agents, such as 3% black bean distillate oil, 2% borneol, 5% black bean distillate paste.
3. Chronic Phase: Treatment principle is anti-itching, inhibit epidermal cell proliferation, and promote absorption of dermal inflammatory infiltration. Choose different concentrations of tar preparations (coal tar, pine tar, wheat bran tar, black bean distillate) based on skin thickness and dryness: use tar paste for thin lesions or mild erosion/exudation; use tar ointment or tincture for dry, thickened lesions. Typical concentration: 5%–10%. Also, add certain keratolytic agents like salicylic acid or sulfur to tar preparations. For chronic hypertrophic eczema, add appropriate corticosteroids to tar preparations for better results.
<eczema>