Modified Shaoyao Gancao Decoction for treating joint synovitis in livestock
Formula and treatment method,
Modified Shaoyao Gancao Decoction: Baishao (white peony root) 35 g-50 g, Zhigancao (honey-fried licorice root) 15 g-30 g, Danshen (red sage root) 40 g-60 g, Chuanxiong (Szechuan lovage rhizome) 30 g-40 g, Gegen (kudzu root) 40 g-60 g, Guizhi (cassia twig) 30 g-40 g, Duzhong (eucommia bark) 40 g-50 g, Niuxi (achyranthes root) 20 g-35 g, Mugua (Chinese quince fruit) 25 g-40 g (this dosage is the common dosage for large livestock). Decoct in water and administer orally, 1 dose per day, for 3-5 consecutive doses. Add water and an appropriate amount of edible vinegar to the medicinal residue, decoct, and use the liquid to fumigate and wash the affected area; when there is excessive joint effusion that is difficult to absorb, perform puncture and fluid aspiration, and at the same time inject hydrocortisone or procaine penicillin solution into the joint cavity, then bandage and apply compression.
Case
A 9-year-old mule raised by someone surnamed Guo in Xiagucheng Village, Saishisi Town, Tianzhu County, Gansu Province, accidentally suffered a contusion of the hind limb. After several days of treatment by a local veterinarian, the symptoms were somewhat relieved, but the therapeutic effect was not obvious. Examination: lameness, obvious swelling at the left knee joint, palpable fluctuation, and a response of heat and pain. Treatment: Modified Shaoyao Gancao Decoction, decocted in water and administered orally, 1 dose per day, for 3 consecutive doses. After the medicinal residue was boiled with water, an appropriate amount of edible vinegar, 20 g of salt, and dry yellow soil were added and mixed into a mud paste (mixed until it would not flow downward when applied to the affected area), applied to the affected area at a thickness of 1 cm-2 cm, bandaged externally, changed once per day, and applied continuously for 3 days. Intramuscular injection of Botongxiao 50 mL, twice per day, for 3 consecutive days.
Experience
In Shaoyao Gancao Decoction, Baishao nourishes the blood and astringes yin, and is mainly used to soften the liver and relieve pain; Gancao replenishes qi and tonifies the middle, and is used as an assistant to relieve acute pain. Used together, the two drugs jointly produce the effects of relaxing the meridians and relieving pain, and unblocking the meridians and resolving blood stasis; Gegen can relieve spasms, clear the body surface, and guide the drugs directly to the affected site; Guizhi warms the meridians and unblocks the collaterals; Danshen and Chuanxiong invigorate the blood and unblock the meridians, remove blood stasis and relieve pain; Niuxi, Mugua, and Duzhong soften the tendons and nourish the liver, and dispel wind and unblock the collaterals. Modern pharmacological research holds that the main component of Baishao is paeoniflorin, which has adrenocortical hormone-like effects and papaverine-like analgesic effects; glycyrrhizin in Gancao has obvious adsorption and anti-inflammatory and anti-allergic effects; Gegen, Danshen, Chuanxiong, and others can improve microcirculation and promote tissue repair; Niuxi decoction has a strong analgesic effect; Mugua decoction has an obvious swelling-reducing effect on arthritis.