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Proprietary Chinese medicine |
Headaches can be very annoying; many people choose to take pain medications for quick relief. This may work for occasional headaches, but not applicable to chronic and periodic headaches. Headaches have numerous causes including blood vessel or muscle disorders, change of intracranial pressure, injuries, mental stress, general diseases, drug abuse, or ear, nose and nasal disorders. Headache symptoms are manifested in different ways, so it will be a great difference in the treatment strategies and drug applications. Nowadays, over-the-counter (OTC) headache drugs are so easy to find, medication-overuse has become one of the common reasons of aggravating and frequent headaches, leading to the so-called "rebound headaches." If this happens to you, for example, you take OTC drugs more than twice a week to control your headaches, you should consult a doctor to help you reduce the dose or stop taking them.
In traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), appropriate treatment for headaches is not just to stop pain, but also should target on the flow of blood and qi (vital energy), the functions of the organs and the pathogenic factors. Only a comprehensive approach can get to the root of the problem and restore the internal balance of the body. Through the long-term practice, TCM has created many prescriptions to treat headaches, and in combination with modern research and stringent production, they have been made into proprietary Chinese medicine that are quality assurance and effective to different headache conditions. Since these products are herbal mixtures, each of them have distinct curative effects, they should be taken according to the headache patterns. Read the labels carefully and choose a product that most fits your particular headache, so as to get the maximum benefit. Otherwise, inappropriate taking may worsen your condition. For example, TCM often prescribes herbs such as Sichuan lovage, Dahurian angelica root, ledebouriella root, notopterygium root and Manchurian wildginger for the headache remedies, an overdose of these ingredients can deplete the qi and blood inside the body, which cause symptoms like dizziness and general weakness.
For stubborn headaches, medications should be taken during acute attacks as well as the pain-free periods, so as to reduce the frequency and severity of headaches. The treatment should also be highly individualized, acting on the body gradually and for a sufficient period of time. In comparison with modern headache medicine, the effects of the proprietary Chinese medicine are gentle and slow, which are suitable for modulating the body gradually and long-term maintenance. When headaches are treated by herbal decoctions, physicians may suggest taking proprietary Chinese medicine to consolidate the efficacy and promote full recovery. Below are some of the choices for headache suffers.
TCM headache type |
Wind-cold headaches |
Indications |
Headaches triggered or aggravated in cold and windy environments
Or more frequent during the winter months
Or accompanied with chills, fever and a stuffy nose
Or induced by common cold |
Sample products |
Tea-Blended Sichuan Lovage Pills (chuan xiong cha tiao wan)
Capital-Liang Pill (du liang wan) |
Remark |
Not recommended for weakened and chronic conditions |
TCM headache type |
Wind-heat headaches |
Indications |
Headaches aggravated by high temperatures and alleviated by coldness
Or more frequent during the summer months
Or accompanied with fever, aversion to wind blowing, throat soreness and toothache
Or induced by common cold |
Sample products |
Clear the Upper Pill with Sichuan Lovage and Chrysanthemum (xiong ju shang qing wan)
Clear Dizzy Pill (qing xuan wan) |
Remark |
Not recommended for elderly and weakened people, and those with a weak digestive system |
TCM headache type |
Fire-heat headaches |
Indications |
Headaches aggravated by high temperatures, and alleviated by coldness and wind blowing
Or more frequent during the summer months
Or accompanied with dizziness, bloodshot eyes, ear ringing, throat soreness, mouth sores, gum swelling and constipation |
Sample products |
Clear the Upper Pill with Bezoar (niu huang shang qing wan) |
Remark |
Not recommended for elderly and weakened people, and those with a weak digestive system |
TCM headache type |
Liver-yang headaches |
Indications |
Headaches with a distending feeling, aggravated by anger or emotional stress
Or accompanied with irritability, flushed face, bloodshot eyes, mouth dryness or a bitter sense in the mouth, ear ringing and poor sleep
Or fluctuated blood pressure |
Sample products |
Gastrodia and Uncaria Granules (tian ma gou teng ke li)
Granules of Goat Horn Prescription (fu fang yang jiao ke li)
Calm the Spirit Granules (ning shen ling ke li) |
Remark |
Not recommended for elderly and weakened people, and those with a weak digestive system |
TCM headache type |
Kidney-deficient headaches |
Indications |
Headaches with an emptiness feeling, or just a vague aching feeling in the head, aggravated by emotional distress and fatigue, and alleviated after sleeping
Or accompanied with dizziness, blurred vision, ear ringing, fatigue, lumbar soreness, knee weakness, emission in men, vaginal discharges in women
Or accompanied with neck problems |
Sample products |
Rehmannia Pills with Wolfberry and Chrysanthemum (qi ju di huang wan)
Gastrodia Tuber and Fleeceflower Root Tablet (tian ma shou wu pian) |
Remark |
Not recommended for feverish conditions |
TCM headache type |
Qi or blood deficient headaches |
Indications |
Headaches with dizziness, triggered or aggravated by emotional distress and fatigue
Or accompanied with paleness, fatigue, palpitations, sweating and breath shortness |
Sample products |
Tonify the Middle & Augment the Qi Pill (bu zhong yi qi wan)
Restore the Spleen Pill with Ginseng (ren seng gui pi wan)
Nourish Blood Pill with Angelica Root (dang gui yang xue wan) |
Remark |
Not recommended for feverish conditions, abdominal distention and hypertension |
TCM headache type |
Blood stasis headaches |
Indications |
Prolonged headaches, steady stabbing or dull pain, aggravated at night
Or aggravated during rainy days
Or after a head injury
Or usually occur before menstruation |
Sample products |
Gastrodia Tuber Headache Tablets (tian ma tou tong pian)
Tian Zheng Wan |
Remark |
Not recommended for yin deficiency and yang hyperactive |
On the market, there are many proprietary Chinese medicine, the products are sold in different forms such as oral solutions, pills, bolus, soft extracts, capsule, powder, syrup, tablets or granules. Find a reputable brand, read the label carefully and pay attention to details like indications, administration methods as well as contraindications.
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