Case 1

Name: Ding.

Sex: Female.

Age: 35 years.

0ccupation: A nurse.

Chief Complaint: Pain of the sinister posterior neck for 2 days.

History of Present Illness: Two days ago, the patient got a pain in the back of the sinister neck without any causes. It was accompanied by many clusters of blisters on the left cheek, whose sizes were all as same as corns. The pain was so severe that the patient couldn't lower her head and turn her neck. After 2 days of intramuscular injecting "VitBl(1) " and "VitB(12) ,"the pain could not be relieved yet. Then she came here for treatment on June 7, 1997. She told me that the attack of this illness came back again and again in every summer of the past. It didn't go away until it took 10 to 15 days to inject "VitB(1) " and "VitB(12)" into her muscle each time. It had been diagnosed as "Herpes Zoster" at that time.

Physical Examination: The patient was conscious with a painful complexion. Many clusters of blisters which were all corn-sized were seen on left cheek. The diameter of affected region was 1.5cm. There was so severe tenderness along the line of nerve occipitalis major that the affected region could not be touched. The movement of head and neck was limited. The pulse was floating and rapid. The tongue was red with a thin layer of white fur. There wasn't other abnormal sign.

Diagnosis: Herpes Zoster.

Differentiate: It's superficial syndrome of TaiYang caused by attack of exogenous wind heat. As a result of long time of incorrect treatment, the exogenous wind-heat turned into virulent fire-evil and lurked in the local meridian deeply. In every summer, the body's interstices of skin become looser than usual and the pore of sweat in the skin become open, the defensive qi become more deficient than usual. Then the lurked evil took advantage of this opportunity to launch an attack. So that the attack of the illness came on again and again.

Therapeutic Principle: Clearing away heat and toxic materials. Cooling blood and expelling wind, removing obstruction in the meridian and expelling virulent evil by insect drugs.

Recipe :

ShengDiHuang,Dried Rehmannia Root 15g

GeGen,Lobed Kudzuvine Root 6g

JinYinHua, Honeysuckle Flower 9g

YeJuHua,Wild Chrysanthemum Flower 8g

LianQiao,Forsythia Fruit 10g

SangYe,Mulberry Leaf 8g

BanZhiLian,Barbed Shullcap Herb 20g

BanBianLian,Chinese Lobelia Herb 20g

DiLong, Earthworm 12g

BaiJiangCan,Batryticated Silkworms 9g

ShengDaHuang,Raw Rhubarb 10g (to be decocted later)

All the above drugs were to be decocted in water for oral taking. 3 doses were prescribed. Hot and greasy food was forbidden.

Effect Observation: After taking 2 doses, the pain disappeared, the blisters became erosive and produced scabs without pain. Movement of head and neck wasn' t limited. I told her to take the 3rd dose of prescription, then it's ending.

Case 2

Name: Wei.

Sex: Female.

Age: 21 years.

Occupation: A college-student.

Chief Complaint: Skin rash and herpes of lower abdomen, waist and both costal regions for 5 days.

History of Present Illness: Five days ago, the patient got some large pieces of red maculae and herpes on the skin of the lower abdomen, waist and both costal regions without any obvious causes, the affected regions were just like a belt surrounding her trunk, there were a lot of little herpes in the affected regions. It was accompanied with severe pain and itching sensation. Then she went to the local clinic for treatment. After physical examination, it was diagnosed as "Herpes Zoster" and she was treated by using a drug named "PiYanPing" and other antiviral drugs. After 5 days' treatment, the strong itching couldn't be relieved yet, furthermore, the colour of the affected skin got from dark red to fresh red, it seemed that the range of the affected regions would become more and more than before. Then she came to our hospital for treatment on September 20,1995. After the illness came on, her urination and defecation were normal all along. But she got a poor appetite. There was not other complaint.

Physical Examination: The patient was conscious with a normal general condition. The pulse was thready and rapid. The tongue was purplish red with a greasy layer of yellow fur. There were many large pieces of red maculae on the affected skin, which ranged from the lower abdomen and both sides of flank to the waist, looked like a belt surrounding her trunk. There were many groups of small herpes in the red maculae. If touched upon, there was severe tenderness. There was some exudation on the surface of the affected regions. There was not other abnormal sign.

Diagnosis: Herpes Zoster.

Differentiation: It's caused by exogenous damp-heat, which attacked the body from the exterior and got into the blood-circulation, and gathered together under the skin. Then it caused stagnation of qi and blood stasis under the skin, so far the red maculae and herpes were formed.

Therapeutic Principle: Clearing away heat to remove toxin, elimnating damp pathogen and removing blood stasis, cooling blood and activating blood.

Recipe:

ShengDiHuang,Dried Rehmannia Root 25g

DanShen,Red Sage Root 30g

ZiCao,Arnebia or Lithosperm Root 15g

ShanZhi,Capejasmine Fruit 15g

HuangQin,Scutellaria Root 10g

HuangBai,Phellodendron Bark 25g

CangZhu,Atractylodes Rhizome 20g

JinYinHua, Honeysuckle Flower 20g

MuDanPi, Tree Peony Bark 25g

BaiXianPi,Oittany Bark 25g

ZhiMu,Anemarrhena Rhizome 10g

GanCao,Liquorice Root 10g

All the above drugs were to be decocted in water for oral taking. 5 doses were prescribed. Hot and greasy food was forbidden during the treatment.

Effect Observation: After taking the decoction, the colour of the affected skin became dark red and the herpes almost disappeared. The sensation of itching and the severe pain disappeared at all. Then she was told to continue taking 5 doses of the original prescription in order to cure the illness completely. After taking the decoction, all the affected skin got normal completely, there was not uncomfortable sensation anymore. After 2 months' follow-up, the illness didn't recur. Then it' s ending.