Herpes zoster is an acute herpetic dermal disease caused by varicella -zoster virus, clinically characterized by a cluster of blisters distributed like a belt along one side of the body, and is very painful. Clinically, those with primary infection are manifested by chickenpox of insidious infection. When virus enters the cutaneous sensory neural endings, it moves toward center along neural fibers and is persistently latent in the neurons of ganglions on the posterior spinal neural roots. When immune function of host cell subsides, for instance, in malignant tumors, traumatic injury, radiotherapy, side effect of certain medications, and overstrain, virus is activated to cause the attacked ganglion inflamed and necrotic, leading to neuralgia. Virus migrates along peripheral nerve fiber to the skin to present segmental herpes.

In Chinese Medicine,  Herpes Zoster belongs to “Fire Blister along the Lumbus.” The onset is often caused by internal pathogenic dampness due to internal accumulation of dampness and heat in the liver meridian or failure of the spleen in transportation and invasion of exogenous toxins and transmission of pathogenic dampness and heat to the skin along the meridians, and also by obstruction in the meridians. If anti-pathogenic ability becomes deficient and qi and blood are stagnant, pain can last continuously.

Treatment Based on Syndrome Differentiation:

-Syndrome of Dampness and Heat in Liver Meridian -> tx: clear away fire from liver, dissolve toxins and remove dampness; Formula: Longdan Xie Gan Decoction

-Syndrome of Accumulation of Dampness due to Spleen Deficiency -> tx: strengthen the spleen, regulate qi, dissolve toxins and remove dampness; Formula: Chu Shi Wei Ling Decoction

-Qi Stagnation and Blood-Stasis Syndrome -> tx: invigorate blood, dissolve stasis, regulate qi and stop pain; Formula: Xue Fu Zhu Yu Decoction

Eczema is a dermal inflammation with effusing lesions caused by internal and external factors. It is characterized by polymorpous and easy chronic skin rashes with easy recurrence and pruritus. The parthenogenesis of this disease is caused by allergic reaction, which can include: food, medications, intestinal parasites, bacteria, pollen, animal furs, or heat and cold. The occurrence of this disease may also be related to indigestion, endocrine disturbance, and mental factors. In Chinese Medicine, this disease belong to categories of “Damp Boil” and “Damp Toxic Boil.” This disease is mostly caused by pathogenic wind, dampness and heat, and chronic condition is often related to wind and dryness due to blood deficiency. The parthenogenesis of this disease is related to constitutional intolerance, leading to accumulation of pathogenic wind, dampness and heat in the muscle and skin. If the spleen and stomach are damaged by improper food intake leading to failure of the spleen in transportation, mixture of the internal dampness and external pathogenic factors, or blood heat in the body, and severe dampness and heat can all result in acute attack of the skin rashes in the whole body due to infiltration of dampness and heat tin the muscle and skin. When pathogenic dampness subsides gradually after a long duration and pathogenic heat consumes and damages yin and blood, wind and dryness can be caused by blood deficiency.

Treatment based on Syndrome Differentiation:

-Syndrome of Infiltration of Dampness and Heat -> tx: clear away heat and remove dampness; Formula: Longdan Xie Gan Decoction

-Syndrome of Accumulation of Dampness due to Spleen Deficiency -> tx: strengthen the spleen and dissolve dampness; Formula: Chu Shi Wei Ling Decoction

-Syndrome of Blood Deficiency and Wind-Dryness -> tx: nourish blood and moisten dryness; Formula: Yang Xue Ding Feng Decoction