What is a boil and how can we prevent it? Traditional Chinese medicine recommends using the herb "Dawei Yao" to treat boils. Dawei Yao is the whole plant or root of a plant from the Polygonaceae family. It is harvested in autumn and can be used fresh or dried. It has the effect of clearing heat and detoxifying the body. Let's learn more about the clinical application of Dawei Yao in treating boils!
What is a boil?
A boil is caused by bacteria in the hair follicles and often leaves scars after healing. Boils usually have a pus head, while acne presents as pimples and pustules. Boils around the upper lip should not be scratched to avoid triggering intracranial infections.
Symptoms:
Boils often occur on the face, neck, back, buttocks, and other areas of the body.
Can boils worsen? Can boils be life-threatening?
During a boil, bacteria can multiply and enter the bloodstream. If it worsens, it can cause sepsis, which can be life-threatening. Therefore, if a boil worsens or does not improve for a long time, it should be taken seriously and treated promptly.
Treatment mainly involves anti-inflammatory therapy, including oral antibiotics and topical application of Baiduobang ointment. To prevent boils, it is important to avoid spicy and irritating foods that can block hair follicles and cause inflammatory infections. Avoid consuming spicy food, alcohol, and other stimulating foods, avoid excessive mental stress and local scratching, maintain a regular lifestyle, and get enough sleep.
Clinical application of Dawei Yao in treating boils
Take 60 grams of dried Dawei Yao, chop it, and add 1000 milliliters of water. Simmer until it reduces to 500 milliliters. Take 20 milliliters each time, three times a day after meals. Adjust the dosage for children.
In the treatment of 213 cases, 37 cases were cured within 1-3 days of medication, 96 cases within 4-5 days, 52 cases within 6-10 days, and 28 cases took more than 10 days. Preliminary observations show that it is effective in the early stage, suppurative stage, and tissue necrosis stage of boils. Early use of Dawei Yao has better results.
Traditional Chinese medicine believes that Dawei Yao has the effect of clearing heat, detoxifying the body, and diuresis. It is commonly used for pneumonia, empyema, sore throat, oral ulcers, bladder stones, and boils.
1. "Fujian Folk Herbal Medicine": "Diuretic, clears heat, eliminates abscesses. Used for fever with rash, pneumonia, empyema."
2. "Nanning Drug Chronicle": "Reduces swelling, detoxifies, disperses accumulations. Used internally to treat bladder stones; used as a decoction with lime to fumigate and treat snakehead sores."
3. "Folk Herbal Medicine in Southern Fujian": "Used to treat sore throat, cough, early-stage ulcers, oral ulcers."
4. "Folk Herbal Medicine in Southern Fujian": "Used to treat dysmenorrhea, irregular menstruation, and whole-body pain during menstruation."
5. "National Compilation of Chinese Herbal Medicine": "Clears heat and detoxifies. Mainly used for pneumonia, lung abscess, empyema, diarrhea, dysentery, orchitis, diphtheria, oral ulcers, and boils."
Pharmacological effects of Dawei Yao
1. Anti-cancer effects
The active anti-cancer components isolated from Dawei Yao are Dawei Yao alkaloids and Dawei Yao alkaloid N-oxides. Dawei Yao alkaloids have a 16-fold effect on leukemia P388 in mice.
2. Effects on smooth muscles
The water extract of the roots can increase the tension of the isolated rabbit duodenum, but has no significant effect on the isolated guinea pig ileum; the alcohol extract inhibits both. Both water and alcohol extracts have a significant excitatory effect on the isolated rat uterus. The water and alcohol extracts also have oxytocin-like effects.
3. Other effects
The water extract of the roots, when injected intravenously into anesthetized cats, can lower blood pressure and cause respiratory stimulation. It has an inhibitory effect on the isolated toad heart. However, the alcohol extract has no effect. Intravenous injection of Dawei Yao alkaloid N-oxide at 1500mg/kg in dogs can increase heart rate, decrease left ventricular end-diastolic pressure and cardiac output, slightly lower pulmonary vascular resistance, and slightly increase systemic vascular resistance.
The mustard alkaloid isolated from Dawei Yao seeds has a nerve block effect, but it has been found to have a pharmacological effect or a neuromuscular junction block effect on the central nervous system. It does not shorten the sleep time induced by pentobarbital sodium in mice.
