When we run into nettles in the woods or in the garden, we do not get too excited about the idea of being burnt. Ultimately, however, it certainly has no harmful effect on our health. On the contrary. But if itchy pimples rush on our body and aren't going to just go away, it goes stiff – moreover, with a constant need for scratching. What procedure does Traditional Chinese Medicine recommend in case of hives?
In our Western terminology, hives are also called “urticaria” (from Latin urtica - nettle). Despite the “natural name” of the disease, you do not feel twice happy after it arises.
While the walk in the garden is a usual thing for everybody, urticaria affects at least one third of the population once in a lifetime. The causes of its origin are usually allergic or viral. It refers to an acute condition that fades in a matter of days, at most several weeks. However, if the disease recurs chronically, its origin is referred to as undetectable (so-called idiopathic). At most, 30 to 40 percent of cases are reported to be an autoimmune reaction. The designations may be different, but it does not solve the scratched skin (and soul) of patients anyway.
From the perspective of Traditional Chinese Medicine, the main “saboteur” is the FENG wind, which sows germs into the body. As with many other diseases, it is primarily necessary to find out exactly where the wind is coming from because Chinese medicine speaks of the FENG wind as the cause of thousands of diseases. In the case of “urticaria”, we know five main causes of its development, each of which requires a different approach:
1. Hot wind
If red circles sprout on our bodies and continue to enlarge, change their location differently and itch heavily, we've got hot wind. If we stick out our tongue (at the disease), it will probably be deep red. Typically, we cannot endure even the “normal” wind and heat and the symptoms of the disease get worse in excessive heat.
2. Cold wind
In this case, itchy pale red or white circles sprout on our body. Here, on the contrary, symptoms worsen with cold and improve with heat, and we are more sensitive to cold and thermophilic. The tongue will then be rather pale with thin coating.
3. Hot toxin
If the hot toxin penetrates into the nutrient layer, the onset of urticaria is truly acute with severe course and further progression of the state. The circles spreading all over the body gradually merge into extremely itchy “burning areas”. Then the fever comes, we are always thirsty, our tongue turns red and coated with yellow coating, the eyes are red. Needless to say, we fell peevish.
4. Insufficiency of CHI energy and blood
This is usually a chronic condition – the circles are pale red and worsen further fatigue or after menses. In addition, we are pale and poorly sleep, which further exacerbates the rate of exhaustion and the course of the disease. Even the tongue is pale or slightly red.
5. Blood blockade
If there is a chronic blood blockade, the urticaria circles become dark purple and our tongue has the same colour. If we do not get blood going, any attempt to treat the disease will be very difficult.
