This is an allergic inflammatory skin disease with symmetrical multiform skin lesions and itching. After repeated relapses, the disease may develop into chronic eczema. In traditional Chinese medicine it is named according to its location and nature: Infantile eczema is called Tailian Chuang; eczema around the ears is called Xuaner Chuang; and eczema on the scrotum is called Xiuqiu Feng. It can be divided into 3 types: Patients with damp-heat type may suffer from red macules and vesicles, discharge of fishy and sticky exudate, ulceration, crust formation, severe itching, bitter taste in the mouth, constipation and passage of dark urine; patients with blood deficiency and with wind and dryness pathogens may suffer from severe itching and infiltrated and thickened skin lesions with dry scales, pigentation, lichenization and discharge of yellow exudate; and patients with spleen deficiency may suffer from dark red skin lesions with exudate, edema, diarrhea, poor appetite and tastelessness in the mouth.

Recipe 1: Skin of white gourd 30 g, Yiyiren (Job's tears) 30 g and Cheqiancao (common plantain) 15 g.
Administration: The above materials are boiled for oral intake of Yiyiren and a decoction, once a day.
Indication: This recipe can strengthen the spleen and resolve dampness to treat eczema due to spleen deficiency.

Recipe 2: Vine of pumpkin 120 g, Kufan (exsiccated alum) 30 g and an adequate amount of sesame oil.
Administration: The pumpkin vine is baked and ground together with alum to produce a fine powder, and then mixed with sesame oil to prepare a paste for external application over the skin lesions, twice a day.
Indication: This paste is used to treat eczema due to spleen deficiency with excessive dampness.

Recipe 3: Fresh ficus tikaua 60 g and an adequate amount of vinegar.
Administration: The ficus tikaua is washed clean, peeled and pounded to prepare a paste with Vinegar for external application over the skin lesions, 3 times a day.
Indication: This paste is used to treat eczema of damp-heat type.

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