🌿 Folk Prescriptions

Cholecystitis and cholelithiasis are two independent diseases, yet they often influence each other and coexist clinically. Both present primarily with upper abdominal pain. They share many preventive and therapeutic measures, so they are discussed together. Cholecystitis is divided into acute and chronic types. If acute cholecystitis is not treated promptly, it may progress to chronic form; chronic cholecystitis often manifests as acute episodes. Either acute or chronic cholecystitis may be complicated by cholelithiasis, and cholelithiasis may lead to biliary obstruction, causing cholecystic infection on the basis of bile retention. This condition falls within the scope of traditional Chinese medicine categories such as "Jie Xiong," "Xie Tong," "Huang Dan," and "Pi Huang."
Prevention Before Illness
Maintain emotional well-being and avoid emotional distress, which is crucial for prevention. Clinical observations show that most patients have a history of emotional unrest prior to illness.
Adhere to regular diet, avoiding excessive intake of greasy, fatty, sweet foods, and raw/cold items. Consume more fresh vegetables, fruits, and nutritious, easily digestible foods.
When intestinal parasitic infections occur, especially ascariasis, treat them actively to prevent retrograde infection.
Completely treat inflammation in adjacent organs to prevent spread to the biliary tract.
Middle-aged women and obese individuals should increase physical exercise, manage weight reasonably, and enhance physical fitness to prevent disease.
Post-Illness Prevention of Progression
After contracting this disease, besides right upper quadrant pain, the main issue is impaired digestion, manifesting as poor appetite. If prolonged, physical strength declines, and severe complications such as biliary colic due to stone impaction may arise. Therefore, early and thorough treatment is essential. Patients who have already developed the disease should follow the above preventive measures and actively undergo medication treatment. When acute cholecystitis occurs, complete treatment is necessary. Even after clinical symptoms disappear, medication should continue for one week to prevent recurrence.
(I) Traditional Chinese Medicine Treatment
1. Intermittent dull pain in the right upper abdomen, epigastric distension, frequent belching, poor appetite, pale red tongue, thin white coating, wiry pulse—indicating liver qi stagnation. Treat by soothing the liver, relieving stagnation, and promoting bile flow to relieve pain. Use Qingdan Decoction modified: Bupleuri radix 10g, Coptidis rhizoma 10g, Pinelliae tuber 10g, Aurantii pericarpium 10g, Curcumae longae 10g, Corydalis yanhusuo 10g, Fructus Toosendan 10g, Aquilariae lignum 10g, Paeoniae alba 15g, Rheum palmatum 10g (added later).
2. Severe pain in the right upper abdomen, obvious tenderness, fever with chills, bitter taste and dry throat, nausea and vomiting, loss of appetite, jaundice, constipation, dark yellow urine, red tongue, yellow greasy coating, wiry slippery rapid pulse—indicating damp-heat accumulation and excessive heat in liver and gallbladder. Treat primarily by clearing and draining damp-heat. Use Qingdan Li Shi Decoction: Bupleuri radix 10g, Coptidis rhizoma 10g, Pinelliae tuber 10g, Aquilariae lignum 10g, Curcumae longae 10g, Plantaginis semen 10g, Akebiae caulis 10g, Gardeniae fructus 10g, Gentianae radix 10g, Artemisiae capillaris 15g, Rheum palmatum 12g (added later).
3. Persistent severe pain in the right upper abdomen, marked tenderness and rebound tenderness, high fever unrelenting or alternating chills and fever, generalized jaundice, constipation, short, deep yellow urine resembling tea, red-purple tongue with yellow, rough coating or prickles, slippery rapid or deep fine pulse. Severe cases may present with confusion, delirium, and cold extremities—indicating damp-heat transforming into fire, internal invasion of toxic heat. Treat by regulating liver qi, promoting diuresis to clear damp-heat, and clearing heat and detoxifying. Use Qingdan Xiehuo Decoction modified: Bupleuri radix 15g, Scutellariae radix 15g, Aralia elata 15g, Pinelliae tuber 10g, Gardeniae fructus 10g, Aquilariae lignum 10g, Curcumae longae 10g, Artemisiae capillaris 30g, Gentianae radix 15g, Rheum palmatum 10g (added later), Mirabilite 10g (dissolved before use).
(II) "Total Attack" Therapy
This is an integrative approach combining traditional Chinese and Western medicine. Example follows:
Dan Tong Pai Shi Decoction: Golden thread 30g, Artemisiae capillaris 30g, Kochia scoparia 30g, Curcumae longae 15g, Aurantii pericarpium 12g, Aquilariae lignum 12g, Rheum palmatum 10–15g (added later), Gardeniae fructus 10g, Mirabilite 10g (dissolved before use).
Total attack schedule: Perform 2–3 times per week, 6–7 sessions constitute one course.
Example of drug and timing:
This method is an integrative therapy and the best approach for treating biliary stones. Stones with transverse diameter ≤1 cm and longitudinal diameter ≤3 cm can mostly be expelled. Example follows:
Time