🌿 Folk Prescriptions

Stomatitis is a common clinical condition. Due to differences in disease duration, syndrome types (deficiency vs. excess), etiology, and accompanying symptoms, treatment methods vary. The main six therapeutic approaches are summarized as follows:
1. Clearing and Draining Spleen and Stomach Heat: This method is used for stomatitis caused by accumulated heat in the spleen and stomach. Accumulated heat often results from irregular diet, excessive consumption of spicy, aromatic, dry foods, or fatty, sweet, alcoholic, or dairy products. Symptoms include multiple oral ulcers with red, swollen margins, accompanied by thirst with desire for cold drinks, dark yellow urine, constipation, red tongue with yellow coating, and deep, solid or large, slippery pulse. Treatment should clear and drain heat from the spleen and stomach. Use Xiao Huang San (9g each of Huo Xiang and Fang Feng, 30g of Sheng Shi Gao, 15g of Zhi Zi, and 6g of Gan Cao) plus 9g of Huang Lian. If bowel movements remain absent after medication, add 9g of Da Huang; discontinue once bowel movement occurs. After recovery, take Zhu Ye Shi Gao Tang (9g each of Zhu Ye and Zhi Ban Xia, 24g of Sheng Shi Gao, 15g each of Dang Shen and Jing Mi, 18g of Mai Dong, and 6g of Gan Cao) to regulate the body, preventing recurrence!
2. Clearing Heart Fire and Guiding Redness Downward: This method targets stomatitis due to heart fire spreading to the small intestine. Traditional Chinese medicine holds that the heart and small intestine are interior-exterior partners; when heart meridian fire arises, it spreads to the small intestine. In addition to mouth sores, symptoms commonly include mental restlessness, irritability, insomnia, thirst, burning sensation or pain during urination, hematuria, red tongue, and rapid pulse. Treatment should clear heart fire and guide redness downward. For this condition, I commonly use Dao Chi San (15g of Sheng Di, 9g each of Zhu Ye and Mu Tong, 3g of Gan Cao) plus 9g of Huang Lian, 15g of Lian Qiao, and 30g of Bai Mao Gen.
3. Tonifying Qi and Strengthening the Spleen: This method treats stomatitis caused by spleen and stomach qi deficiency. Spleen and stomach qi deficiency often stems from overwork, fatigue, excessive vomiting, or post-illness damage to spleen and stomach qi. Symptoms include non-red, non-swollen ulcers with mild pain, long-standing without healing, along with mental fatigue, limb weakness, poor appetite, loose stools, pale tongue with thin coating, and weak pulse. Treatment should tonify qi and strengthen the spleen using Fang of Shen Ling Bai Zhu Wan or Xiang Sha Yang Wei Wan, which proves highly effective.
4. Tonifying Qi and Generating Body Fluids: This method addresses stomatitis caused by deficiency of spleen and stomach fluids and qi. Deficiency often results from invasion of warm-heat pathogens damaging spleen and stomach fluids and qi. Symptoms include mouth sores accompanied by restlessness, dry mouth, fatigue, lack of appetite, low thirst, shortness of breath, sweating, red tongue with little coating, and fine, weak, rapid pulse. Treatment should tonify spleen and stomach fluids and qi. Use Zhang Jing’s Mai Men Dong Tang (18g of Mai Men Dong, 9g each of Ren Shen and Ban Xia, 12g of Da Zao, 30g of Jing Mi, 6g of Gan Cao) plus 15g each of Shi Hu and Wu Mei.
5. Nourishing Yin and Clearing Fire: This method treats stomatitis due to yin deficiency with hyperactive fire. Yin deficiency with fire often results from excessive mental exertion exhausting heart yin, or injury to yin after febrile diseases. In addition to recurrent, intermittent mouth sores, symptoms include restlessness, insomnia with vivid dreams, red tip of the tongue, scant or no coating, and fine, rapid pulse. Treatment should nourish yin and clear fire. Use Huang Lian E Jiao Ji Zi Huang Tang (6g of Huang Lian, 9g each of Huang Qin and E Jiao, 15g of Bai Shao, 1 egg yolk) adjusted according to symptoms—highly effective. If additional symptoms such as dry throat worsening at night, sore waist and legs, or premature ejaculation appear, it indicates kidney deficiency with fire. Treatment should nourish yin and lower fire; use Zhi Bai Di Huang Wan.
6. Warming and Supplementing Yang Qi: This method treats stomatitis caused by yang deficiency. Yang-deficient stomatitis is clinically rare. Causes often include constitutional yang deficiency, excessive sweating or purging, or prolonged illness damaging body yang. Over my 40 years of clinical practice, I have treated 12 cases, curing 6, achieving significant improvement in 4, and ineffective in 2. Experience shows: for spleen yang deficiency presenting with cold abdominal distension, intermittent pain, loose stools, poor appetite, white coating, and deep, weak pulse, use Li Zhong Tang (9g of Ren Shen, 12g each of Gan Jiang and Bai Zhu, 6g of Zhi Gan Cao) plus 9g each of Mu Xiang and Sha Ren, 30g of Gu Ya, and 15g of Shan Zha. For kidney yang deficiency with cold aversion, lumbar-sacral pain, impotence, and spermatorrhea, use Jin Kui Shen Qi Wan. For combined spleen and kidney yang deficiency, use Si Shen Wan (15g of Bu Gu Zhi, 9g each of Wu Zhu Yu and Rou Dou Kou, 6g of Wu Wei Zi) plus Fu Pian.