Traditional Chinese medicine prescription for detoxification and bowel cleansing

If you usually eat spicy food, eat a lot of oil, have bad breath and farts, dry and hard stools and blockage, which is a type of obstruction due to excessive heat, use the basic recipe of Xiaochengqi Decoction that has been passed down for thousands of years in "Treatise on Febrile Diseases": 6g of wine rhubarb, 10g of Magnolia officinalis, 10g of Citrus aurantium. Boil water and drink it for 1-2 days. Stop immediately if the stool is clear. You must not drink it for a long time.

If you are easily tired at ordinary times, have stools that are not dry but cannot come out even after squatting for half an hour, and are still sweating after having a bowel movement, which is a type of qi deficiency and intestinal dryness, use the basic formula of Zengye Decoction and Astragalus Decoction: Scrophulariaceae 15g, Ophiopogon japonicus 15g, Rehmannia glutinosa 12g, Astragalus 20g, Hemp Seed 15g, Tangerine Peel 6g. This is relatively mild and can be drank continuously for 3-5 days. Stop when the stool is smooth.

If you always feel that your stomach is bloated, your mouth is sticky, and your stools are sticky and cannot be flushed out after flushing the toilet several times, which is a type of gastrointestinal stagnation, use the basic recipe of Pingwei Powder: 10g of Atractylodes, 10g of Magnolia officinalis, 6g of tangerine peel, 3g of licorice, 15g of fried radish seeds, and 10g of burnt hawthorn. Drink it for 2-3 days. You can stop when your stomach is not bloated and your appetite is comfortable.

Don’t think I’m being alarmist. There’s a reason why I asked you to stop drinking it after two days. Last month, I met a 22-year-old girl in the outpatient clinic. She bought 3 boxes of “colon cleansing and detoxifying tea” for 99 yuan online in order to lose weight. After drinking it for half a year, when she had a colonoscopy, the entire intestinal mucosa turned into a dark brown leopard pattern, which is commonly known as colonic melanosis. She also felt that “the more she poops, the cleaner the toxins are expelled.” She didn’t even know if she stepped on a big thunder.

In fact, the industry has different views on the concept of "intestinal cleansing and detoxification". Many colleagues in traditional Chinese medicine think that this is a gimmick created by merchants - the so-called "intestinal toxins" are simply the waste products of the body's metabolism, which can be excreted through normal defecation, sweating and urination. There is no need to specialize. The purpose of using laxatives is to "clear" them, but messing around with them will disrupt the intestinal flora, damage the spleen and stomach, and lead to more serious constipation and indigestion. I agree with this. If you have 1-2 bowel movements a day, are not sticky in the toilet, and your stomach is not bloated, there is no need to use these prescriptions.

As for doctors who advocate proper bowel cleansing, they also have different medication ideas. The teacher from the Typhoid Sect who I followed before was sure that "all kinds of diseases will arise if the internal organs are blocked." As long as it was constipation caused by excess heat and food accumulation, or even food fever, he dared to use Xiaochengqi Decoction to adjust the dosage. Last time, he met a 6-year-old child who had eaten too much braised food and had a fever of 38.5°C. He asked the parents to boil half a bowl of water with 3g of wine rhubarb and gave the child a drink. He had two loose stools, and the fever subsided on the same day. The effect was very fast. However, teachers from the febrile disease school are more inclined to the idea of ​​"rowing with fluids". They believe that many people are constipated not because they are too blocked, but because there is not enough body fluid in the intestines. "The boat cannot row without water." Especially the elderly, postpartum women, or people who stay up late all year round, use fluids to increase The soup replenishes body fluids in the intestines and is basically not irritating. I used to make a prescription for a mother who had constipation 3 months after giving birth. I added 10g of Angelica sinensis to the liquid-enhancing soup. After drinking it for two days, she was relieved. There was no diarrhea and it did not affect breastfeeding. It was very safe.

Speaking of which, I have to mention that many people’s understanding of “intestinal cleansing” is to have diarrhea. The harder the bowel movement, the better the effect. This is really the biggest misunderstanding. The kind of bowel cleansing products that cause bowel movements as soon as you drink them are basically added with stimulant laxatives such as senna, aloe vera, and cassia seeds. It is okay to use them once in a while. If you use them continuously for more than a month, you will most likely become dependent.

I usually go out to eat haisei, and eat several barbecue hot pot meals in a row. I will also experience bloating, bitter taste in the mouth, and constipation. At this time, I will soak 3g of rhubarb in wine and add two pieces of tangerine peel. Drink it once, and I will feel better once or twice. I will never drink it continuously. I never give laxatives to the elderly at home who suffer from constipation. Instead, I boil 10g each of Scrophulariaceae, Ophiopogon japonicus and Rehmannia glutinosa in water, add a spoonful of warm honey, and drink it for two or three days, and the problem is basically resolved, which is very mild.

Of course, not everyone can use these three basic prescriptions. For example, those who have mixed cold and heat, usually have cold hands and feet but are often constipated, have ulcers in their mouths, or have basic intestinal diseases, don’t try blindly on your own. It is more reliable to find a local regular Chinese medicine doctor to feel the pulse and adjust the prescription. Pregnant women must not take medicines containing laxative and blood-activating ingredients such as rhubarb and senna. Women who are breastfeeding should also consult a doctor before drinking. Don't make fun of yourself and your child's health.

To put it bluntly, the so-called "detoxification and bowel cleansing" has never been a necessity for health. Eating well, sleeping well, and defecating regularly are more effective than drinking any amount of medicine.