🌿 Folk Prescriptions

Cervical spondylosis is a common and frequently occurring condition, potentially leading to paralysis in severe cases. Through years of clinical massage practice, I have observed that combining manual therapy with syndrome differentiation and treatment in TCM significantly improves efficacy, shortens treatment duration, and alleviates patient discomfort. The commonly encountered TCM syndromes and their respective prescriptions are presented below.
Cold-Damp Obstruction Type (common in neck-type and nerve root-type cervical spondylosis): headache or occipital pain, stiff neck, limited mobility, aching, numbness, or tingling in one or both shoulders, arms, and fingers; or headache radiating to upper back, cold and damp skin, aversion to cold, preference for warmth, soft tissue swelling nodules palpable beside the cervical spine. Tongue: pale red, thin white coating; pulse: fine and wiry. Treatment aims to warm meridians, activate blood circulation, dispel cold and dampness, and relieve pain.
Formula: cinnamon twig, corydalis, deva’s herb, gentiana, ligusticum, tail of angelica, kudzu root, ginkgo, blister beetle, fermented wheat, red peony.
Among these, corydalis, deva’s herb, ginkgo, and gentiana dispel cold and dampness, relieve pain; ligusticum and ginkgo treat headaches. Cinnamon twig, ligusticum, tail of angelica, red peony, and blister beetle warm meridians, activate blood circulation, and unblock channels; kudzu root relaxes spasms; fermented wheat strengthens the spleen and harmonizes the stomach; licorice harmonizes all herbs.
Qi and Blood Deficiency with Stasis Type (common in vertebral artery type cervical spondylosis): dizziness, vertigo, blurred vision or eye pain, physical weakness, poor appetite, neck soreness, or bilateral shoulder pain. Tongue: pale red or pale swollen, with tooth marks on edges; coating: thin white and moist. Pulse: deep, fine, and weak. Treatment aims to tonify qi and nourish blood, invigorate brain function, calm spirit, and activate blood circulation.
Formula: ginkgo, honey-fried astragalus, honey-fried licorice, red ginseng, stir-fried white atractylodes, rehmannia, sand ginger, angelica, white peony, chicken blood vine.
Among these, honey-fried astragalus, honey-fried licorice, red ginseng, and stir-fried white atractylodes tonify qi; rehmannia, ligusticum, white peony, and angelica nourish blood; ginkgo, ligusticum, and chicken blood vine calm mind, enhance brain function, and activate blood circulation; sand ginger regulates qi and aids digestion.
Qi and Yin Deficiency with Stasis Type (common in vertebral artery and sympathetic nerve types cervical spondylosis): recurrent vertigo, sometimes up to dozens of times per day even while lying down, with spinning sensation, accompanied by nausea, vomiting, physical weakness, unsteady walking, palpitations, shortness of breath, irritability, dry mouth and bitter taste, poor sleep with frequent dreams, etc. Tongue: red, thin white or slightly yellow dry coating, or smooth tongue with no coating, prominent sublingual veins. Pulse: deep, fine, rapid, or wiry and rapid. Treatment aims to tonify qi and nourish yin, calm mind, awaken brain, and regulate qi and blood.
Formula: ginkgo, ligusticum, chrysanthemum, wolfberry, adenosma, honey-fried licorice, stir-fried sour jujube seed, stir-fried arborvitae seed, honey-fried polygala, white peony, salvia, earthworm, night-blooming cereus.
Among these, honey-fried licorice, adenosma, white peony, and wolfberry tonify qi and nourish yin; ginkgo, chrysanthemum, stir-fried sour jujube seed, stir-fried arborvitae seed, honey-fried polygala, and night-blooming cereus awaken brain, enhance intelligence, nourish heart, and calm spirit; ligusticum, salvia, and earthworm activate blood circulation, unblock channels, and relieve pain.
Spleen and Kidney Yang Deficiency with Stasis Type (common in postoperative sequelae of spinal cord type cervical spondylosis or long-standing refractory cases): incomplete paralysis in limbs (spastic or flaccid), urinary and fecal incontinence, aversion to cold, preference for warmth, normal diet or poor appetite. Tongue: pale red, thin white or slightly greasy coating; pulse: deep, fine, wiry, or deep and weak. Treatment aims to tonify kidney and spleen, warm meridians, harmonize yang, and strengthen tendons and bones.
Formula: rehmannia, cornus, prepared dry ginger, tortoise shell glue, deer antler glue, blister beetle, white mustard seed, stir-fried eucommia, achyranthes, yam, stir-fried fermented wheat, white peony, cinnamon twig, cassia bark, honey-fried licorice.
Among these, rehmannia, stir-fried eucommia, and achyranthes tonify kidney and nourish blood; deer antler glue and tortoise shell glue enrich essence and marrow, strengthen tendons and bones; cornus tonifies liver and kidney, consolidates and stops leakage; cinnamon twig and cassia bark warm meridians and harmonize yang; prepared dry ginger, yam, honey-fried licorice, and stir-fried fermented wheat strengthen spleen, harmonize stomach, warm yang, and tonify qi; white mustard seed resolves phlegm and disperses nodules; blister beetle softens hardness, disperses nodules, and activates channels.