Clinical case : Pharyngitis cured in a snap with Herbal Formula of Chinese Medicine

A severe pharyngitis cured in 2 days without antibiotics and with just 3 herbs! It is possible with Chinese herbal prescriptions. 

• Some terms may be technical as they describe this clinical case using the terminology of Chinese medicine.
• Introduction by Philippe Sionneau, one of the most respected teachers in the field. He was the first French graduate to obtain a bachelor’s degree from Hubei University of Chinese Medicine. Author of 37 books on the subject, published in 6 languages and across 6 countries. He has been practicing and teaching for 25 years.

“This exemple showcases the speed and effectiveness of chinese medicine classical lineage of herbal prescriptions (jīng fāng 经方). This approach is not only useful for serious and difficult-to-treat ailments but is also highly relevant for common conditions that disrupt our daily lives. My colleague Alice brilliantly demonstrates this in the following clinical case. She confirms that when our therapeutic approach is based on a rigorous and coherent methodology, it allows us to achieve very rapid and effective results through Chinese herbal medicine.”

The Clinical Situation and Diagnostic Approach: 

January 2, 2020. Female, 29 years old -

After a pleasant day of skiing in the sun and cold wind, I woke up around 4 a.m. with significant throat pain, especially on the left side and when swallowing. The year was off to a strong start! The pulse was wiry (xián 弦), thin (xì 细), and slightly rapid (shuō 数). The tongue was a normal color with a white, somewhat thick coating and excessive salivation.

I had nasal congestion, which might suggest an exterior syndrome, but I did not experience fever, chills, muscle pain, cold aversion, or a floating pulse (fú 浮), ruling out any tài yáng or shào yīn syndrome. I did not feel particularly weakened or fatigued, but the throat pain was severe.

The redness of the throat and the slightly rapid pulse (shuō 数) are signs of yáng heat that could suggest a yáng míng syndrome. However, I ruled out this diagnosis due to the absence of characteristic signs of internal full heat, such as fever, thirst, dry mouth or tongue, profuse sweating, heat aversion, or constipation.

Since neither tài yáng nor shào yīn was involved, and the symptomatology did not match yáng míng or tài yīn, it had to be a mixed internal-external syndrome. The choice was between a jué yīn or shào yáng disorder. Jué yīn corresponds to a situation with cold symptoms predominantly affecting the lower body, which was not the case here. I concluded that it was a direct attack on the shào yáng system, for which throat pain is a key symptom.

Prescription choice: 

I immediately thought of the famous prescription Gān Cao Tāng 甘草汤 (Decoction of Radix Glycyrrhizae Praeparata), often prescribed for its action on throat pain and inflammation in shào yáng disorders. It consists solely of Shēng Gān Cao 生甘草 (Radix Glycyrrhizae). However, the throat pain was accompanied by slight chest oppression and, most notably, mucus production described as "resembling rice porridge," as detailed in the Jīn Guì Yào Luè (Essentials from the Golden Cabinet), which states:

"Cough with chest fullness, chills, rapid pulse (shuō 数), dry throat without desire to drink, occasional turbid and fishy-smelling sputum, with persistent pus-like expectoration resembling rice porridge, indicates lung abscess. Jié Gěng Tāng 桔梗汤 is the principal remedy."

I decided to add the medicinal substance Jié Gěng 桔梗 (Radix Platycodi Grandiflori).

Jié Gěng 桔梗 is a slightly warm remedy that clears pus, dissolves mucus, relieves chest tightness, and is also known for treating throat pain. The treatment thus became Jié Gěng Tāng 桔梗汤 (Decoction of Radix Platycodi Grandiflori), composed of Gān Cao 甘草 (Radix Glycyrrhizae) + Jié Gěng 桔梗 (Radix Platycodi Grandiflori).

My final diagnosis is therefore : a combined shào yáng/tài yīn disorder. In Hú Xī Shù's (胡希恕) lineage, mucus production relates to tài yīn.

Composition of the treatment:

• Jié Gěng 桔梗 (Radix Platycodi Grandiflori) 10g
• Gān Cao 甘草 (Radix Glycyrrhizae) 10g

Results: I prepared this herbal formula (coarsely ground), soaked it from 4 to 8 a.m., and then made the decoction. After the first dose, I did not notice significant improvement and even felt some irritability. Additionally, the mucus expectoration turned dark yellow, both symptoms indicating stronger heat in the upper burner.

I decided to modify the initial prescription to prevent the disease from clearly transmitting to the yáng míng, by adding Shēng Shí Gāo 生石膏 (Gypsum Fibrosum), a medicinal substance known for clearing internal full heat when it is not in the organs, or in this specific case, to more distinctly drain strong heat, pain, and redness in the airways.

Moreover, Shēng Shí Gāo 生石膏, despite being cold in nature, does not hinder mucus transformation, unlike other remedies such as Huáng Lián 黄连 (Rhizoma Coptidis Chinensis), Huáng Qín 黄芩 (Radix Scutellariae Baicalensis), or Huáng Bai 黄柏 (Cortex Phellodendri). Its sweet taste clarifies heat without excessively damaging the center.

That evening, for the second decoction, I added 35g of Shēng Shí Gāo 生石膏, boiled for 20 minutes before adding the two other herbs from the initial formula.

During the night, I woke up delighted: the throat pain had already significantly decreased. Throughout the day, I repeated the same formula twice (once in the morning and once in the evening). After the second day, four doses in total, the pain and other symptoms had completely disappeared. Thinking back to the many childhood sore throats that could have been treated so effectively (and without notable side effects) using simple prescriptions from this spectacular medical tradition...