Application of the Therapeutical Principle of Clearing Away Heat and Removing Dampness in the Treatment of Impotence

 Impotence is a commonly seen disorder of male sexual function. Chinese doctors in ancient times held that impotence was mostly due to decline of the fire from gate of life, so they paid mire attention to warmly reinforcing kidney –yang and clearing away damp-heat. In fact, it is not less seen in clinic that downward flow of damp-heat causes impotence.

The disease is characterized with dampness, dragging sensation and pain in scrotum, tiredness in extremities, vexation and bitter taste, ropy stool, dark urine, red tongue with yellow and greasy fur, taut, slippery and rapid pulse. The causes inducing impotence damp-heat type include:
1. excess of damp-heat in the body; 2. Affection by external damp-heat pathogens, which attack muscles and skin for long time and accumulate in the lower Jiao; 3. Eating more alcohol, meat, and hot and purple food; 5. Accumulation of liver-qi, hyperactivity of the liver attack the spleen, with failing in transportation, producing dampness, accompanied by stagnation of Qi producing fire, resulting in damp-heat. Therefore, the principle of clearing away heat and removing dampness is an important method for treatment of impotence due to damp-heat. The prescription used consists of Radix Gentianae 30g, Cortex Phellodendri 30g, Rhizoma Coptidis 9g, Fructus Fgardeniae 15g, Radix Angelixae Sinensis 20g, Radix Rehmanniae 20g, Radix Bupleuri 15g, Pericarpium Citri reticulatae 15g, Rhizoma Alismatis 30g, Semen Plantaginis 30g, Radix Glycyrrhizae 15g. Impotence has more xauses, so it should be treated based on differentiation of symptoms and signs.

(By Jiao Jian from Tianjin College of TCM, Tianjin City, 300140, China)