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Sinusitis The term sinusitis stands for the acute or chronic inflammation of the sinuses. The sinuses comprise of the maxillary sinuses, the frontal sinuses, the ethmoid and the sphenoid sinuses. The symptoms of acute purulent sinusitis are usually a pulsating pain on the forehead and/or sinus cavity, typically reinforced when stooping. Side effects are dull, radiating pain in the back of the head, nasal obstruction and purulent secretions drain. Sinusitis in children quickly leads to an inflammation of the middle ear (otitis). In contrast, the symptoms of chronic sinus infections are far less characteristic - they include the feeling of a dull headache, fatigue, an often persistent nasal obstruction, infections and a sore throat. The causes of sinus infections in Western medicine are mostly anatomically related bottlenecks (such as a crooked nasal septum or large turbinate), infections, allergies and mucous membrane disposition. The inflammation is usually treated with decongestant nose drops, local heat, microwave irradiation, mucus solvers and possibly an antibiotic. From the perspective of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), sinusitis usually is a penetration of wind-heat. In the paranasal sinuses, mucus is accumulated and thus a hot-qi stagnation and hence pain are caused. This so called squeezed heat looks for its way out and hence recurrent sinusitis occurs. With Chinese healing methods such as acupuncture and herbal medicine, sinusitis can be well treated. Acupuncture makes the Qi flow again, so that the body can eliminate the phlegm and heat. In case of a longer course of disease, the energy in the body is additionally weakened and hence is the immune system. The body has no strength to defend itself against pathogenic influences from the outside; it is too weak to transport the squeezed heat and the phlegm out. The treatment with Chinese herbs can generate energy specifically in the affected organs, most commonly in the lung, the spleen and the kidney. Cooling herbs can remove the squeezed heat, and herbs can dissipate the heat to the outside. In the following, we will present three specific herbs that are often prescribed in the case of sinusitis. Please only use herbs according to the instructions of your doctor. Grassleave sweetflag (Shi Chang Pu 石菖蒲)  This herb which belongs to the family of Acoraceae is also known as the “rhizoma”.
Within TCM, its temperature is described as warm, its taste as spicy/aromatic and its direction of action as uplifting. Its area of action includes the head, eyes and lungs. Its functional area includes the heart, liver, stomach, and spleen. The dried rhizome of Shi Chang Pu is the part that is being used for medical purposes. It usually is digged out in the fall or winter, then cleaned and dried in the sun. The roots must be kept dry, since they are susceptible to mold. The rhizome opens the caves that lead to the outflow of mucous, calms the mind and fosters concentration. Additionally, it has a positive effect, if the mucous covers the orifices so that the clear Yang can not rise anymore. Furthermore, it relieves the accompanying symptoms, such as the occurrence of vertigo, tinnitus, insomnia, mental depression and melancholia. It also harmonizes the middle and transforms turbid dampness, which relieves symptoms in the flank, chest, as well as abdominal pain and appetite loss in moisture in the middle. Trusted research has shown that Chang Pu is soothing spasm and promotes digestive juices. Magnolia bossom (Xin Yi 辛夷)  The Chinese name of the Xin Yi is a hardly translatable proper name. Xin means, among others, „spicy“ and refers to the spicy taste of this flower bud, which is a decisive characteristics of this plant. The Yi in the name of the plant refers to the flower bud resembling another plant called „Yi“.
Following the opening of the flower bud, the petals are purple colored on the outside and white on the inside. The buds are white with some green-grayish touch. The white color and the spicy taste make this flower bud to a metal drug within the 5-elements-theory. Xin Yi contains a strong aroma and hence also has a strong reference to the element earth. Xin Yi is spicy and warm; it enters the meridians of the lung and the stomach and has an ascending tendency. Through its warm-spicy nature and its ascending tendency, it leads to the head (especially to the face area) where it frees the nose. Xin Yi is one of the most important nose herbs. Xin Yi can be used in case of all diseases of the nose such as a blocked nose, a running nose or the loss of the olfactory sense. Cocklebur fruit (Cang Er Zi 苍耳子)  The plant Cang Er Zi is also called „deep green ear seed“. The English-called „cocklebur fruit“ is a warm, bitter-sweet drug that diverts wind and moisture from the meridians. Its direction of action is raising, its area of action the surface, the nose and its functional circuit the lungs, as well as the liver.
The fruit of this plant is dark green when fresh and white-reddish when dried. This plant needs to be cooked and prepared (e.g. roasted), so that toxic effects can be eliminated. According to TCM, Cang Er Zi frees the nose, relieves headache in case of cold and wind diseases. Moreover, it heals rubella and eases cramps and movement limitations in case of stagnation of moisture. If you have questions about these herbs and the treatment with herbal remedies in general, please feel free to contact us. We are very happy to assist! |
