Aidus & E-Fong Herbal Solution
Herbal Medicine for Resuscitation
                                        
                                 Chapter 16

  Herbal Medicine  for Resuscitation

Drugs used mainly for restoring consciousness are called drugs for resuscitation

The majority of this category of medicines are aromatics with pungent flavour, volatile and warm nature and with strong
stimulating action on the sense organs and thus have the effects of resuscitation and restoring consciousness. They chiefly
serve to treat loss of consciousness in the type of excess resulting from obstruction of the heart orifices by pathogens,
including heat invasion into the pericardium, obstruction of the heart orifices by phlegm-heat or phlegmdampness, etc.
Moreover, they also can be used to treat unconsciousness of blockage like abrupt syncope in epilepsy or stroke.

Loss of consciousness can be divided into deficiency and excess syndromes. The deficiency is also called prostration
syndrome, caused by collapse of the vital Qi characterized as pale, cold sweat in the whole body and a hardly palpable
pulse. The excess is also called blockage syndrome, caused by obstruction of the heart orifices by pathogens, marked
by trismus, full respiration and forceful pulse. Treatment should be dealt with methods for inducing resuscitation and
restoring consciousness. The excess syndrome can be divided into cold and heat types. The cold-blockage is usually
manifested as cyanotic complexion, cold skin, white tongue coating, and slow and forceful pulse. In treatment of this
type, eliminating cold-phlegm to induce resuscitation should be used. The heat blockage is marked by flushed face,
feverish skin, yellow tongue coating, rapid and forceful pulse. In treatment of this type, the method for waking up the
patient from unconsciousness by clearing away heat should be used.

When using medicines for resuscitation, other drugs for promoting Qi flow, eliminating pathogenic dampness and
coldness are supplemented to treat the cold blockage; and those for removing heat from the blood, eliminating heat,
toxins and phlegm are supplemented to treat the heat-blockage.

All herbs for resuscitation are those with pungent flavour and volatile nature. They have side effect of consuming the vital
Qi, thus, they should not be used long and not used in treatment of the prostration syndrome. Besides these herbs are
aromatic and their aroma is highly volatile, for this reason, most of  them are usually in bolus or powder rather than in
decoction. (Aidus & E-fong Herbal Solution)