🌿 Folk Prescriptions

Intestinal infection is caused by bacteria, viruses, and protozoa, leading to infectious diarrhea. In addition to antibiotic treatment, combining Chinese herbal enema therapy can significantly improve symptoms and shorten the course, achieving satisfactory results. Infectious diarrhea falls under categories such as *xie xia* (diarrhea), *li ji* (dysentery), *huo luan* (cholera), and abdominal pain in TCM. TCM syndrome differentiation distinguishes between external and internal causes, and between deficiency and excess, cold and heat. This article discusses only the integrated treatment of damp-heat type intestinal infection.
1. Treatment Methods
1.1 TCM Treatment
Main symptoms: diarrhea, loose or bloody stools, urgent bowel movements or unsatisfactory defecation, burning sensation in the anus, abdominal pain, tenesmus, fever, thirst, short red urine, red tongue with yellow greasy coating, slippery or rapid pulse. Treatment principle: clear heat, resolve dampness, detoxify, regulate qi, and relieve pain. Formula: Bai Tou Weng Tang with modifications: Bai Tou Weng 15g, Huang Lian 10g, Huang Bai 10g, Qin Pi 10g, Ge Gen 10g, Dang Gui 10g, Bai Shao 10g, Mu Xiang 10g, Bin Lang 10g, Cang Zhu 10g, Hou Po 10g, Sheng Gan Cao 10g. Bai Tou Weng clears heat from the qi level and cools blood to detoxify; Ge Gen releases muscle tension, clears heat, elevates yang, and stops diarrhea; Qin Pi clears liver heat and treats heat-induced dysentery; Huang Lian and Huang Bai clear heat and resolve dampness, tighten yin, and stop diarrhea; Dang Gui, Bai Shao, and Gan Cao nourish blood, activate circulation, and relieve urgency and pain; Mu Xiang and Bin Lang regulate qi and guide stagnation; Cang Zhu and Hou Po dry dampness and broaden the middle jiao. For severe heat, add Yin Hua and Huang Qin; for prominent dampness, add Fu Ling, Ze Xie, Mu Tong, Che Qian Zi; for food stagnation, add Shan Zha and Shen Qu; for deficiency, add Huang Qi, Dang Shen, and E Jiao. Administration: decoct one dose twice, each time 100–150ml, taken twice daily. Administer via retention enema using a drip tube (without needle) inserted into the anus at about 30 drops per minute. Longer retention time yields better results. Filter the enema fluid through gauze to prevent residue from clogging the tube.
1.2 Western Medicine Treatment
(1) Infection Control: Select appropriate antibiotics based on causative pathogens. Common options include ampicillin, compound sulfamethoxazole, and norfloxacin. Fluid Replacement: For mild dehydration, oral rehydration salts suffice; for severe dehydration, intravenous fluids are required. Shock Management: Correct microcirculation disorders and acidosis with vasodilators and alkaline agents. Supportive Symptomatic Treatment: For excessive diarrhea, use antidiarrheals. For complications such as heart failure, cerebral edema, shock lung, or disseminated intravascular coagulation, initiate timely symptomatic treatment.
2. Observations
Damp-heat type intestinal infection is the most common form of intestinal infection. It frequently occurs in late summer and early autumn. External damp-heat epidemic toxins invade the intestines and stomach, becoming trapped in the middle jiao. Dampness and heat accumulate, obstructing qi and blood, which combine with toxins to form pus and blood. Impaired transmission and transformation result in diarrhea. Intestinal heat causes urgent defecation; damp-heat binding leads to unsatisfactory bowel movements; damp-heat descending causes anal burning; internal damp-heat leads to fever and thirst, short red urine. Red tongue with yellow greasy coating and slippery or rapid pulse all indicate damp-heat. This type is commonly seen in acute phases.
During active phases or peak disease progression, high fever persists and symptoms worsen. Single antibiotic therapy shows limited effectiveness. If TCM syndrome differentiation identifies damp-heat type intestinal infection, herbal enema therapy can yield excellent results.
Bai Tou Weng, Huang Lian, and Huang Bai have broad antibacterial effects according to modern studies. They inhibit pathogens such as *Shigella*, *E. coli*, *Bacillus subtilis*, *Pseudomonas aeruginosa*, *Salmonella*, *Paratyphoid*, *Vibrio cholerae*, and *Entamoeba histolytica*. Bai Tou Weng has astringent effects on intestinal mucosa, helping to stop diarrhea and bleeding. Combined with other herbs, it significantly improves symptoms. When combined with Western medicine, it enhances antibacterial effects and facilitates clinical symptom relief.
Two purposes of herbal retention enema: First, the drug reaches the lesion site directly, inhibiting bacterial growth in the intestine. Second, enema clears bacteria and their metabolic products and harmful substances from the intestine, reducing damage to the intestinal mucosa, restoring colonic function, and maintaining a normal internal environment. The indications for retention enema are broad, but strict contraindications exist: severe hemorrhoids, extreme debility, serious cardiac disease, or intestinal bleeding patients should avoid it. Patients with colon or rectal cancer causing intestinal obstruction should use it only under close physician supervision.