Introduction: It is rumored that singer Chen Kun once rolled Bai Zhi (Angelica dahurica), Bing Pian (Borneol), and Xi Xin (Asarum) in paper, ignited it, and used the smoke to cure Huang Xiaoming’s migraine. The method of nasal medication has existed since ancient times, known for its rapid effects, convenience, ease of learning, and safety. The Compendium of Materia Medica serves as an encyclopedia of traditional Chinese medicine, compiling various internal and external treatment methods. This article briefly discusses the methods of nasal medication found within.
Nasal Medications in the Compendium of Materia Medica
In the Compendium of Materia Medica, the methods of nasal medication include over ten techniques such as blowing, instilling, dripping, injecting, inserting, inhaling, sniffing, fumigating, and blocking.
01
Blowing
Finely grinding the medicine into powder and blowing it into the nasal cavity is used to treat nasal conditions or systemic diseases, especially to open the orifices and awaken the spirit through sneezing, making it particularly useful in emergencies. In the Compendium of Materia Medica, the applications of the blowing method include:
Various Winds: For all types of wind syndromes, whether internal organs, channels, or conditions like gout and tetanus, use powdered soap pod, Xi Xin, or Ban Xia (Pinellia ternata) blown into the nose.
Sudden Collapse: Including corpse collapse, qi collapse, fire collapse, phlegm collapse, blood collapse, and fright death, commonly using powdered Ban Xia, Chao Mu (Acorus tatarinowii), soap pod, or Xiong Huang (Realgar) blown into the nose.
Five Absolute Deaths, but the Heart is Still Warm: Use powdered Ban Xia or soap pod blown into the nose.
Nosebleed: As nosebleed is characterized by local bleeding in the nasal cavity, the blowing method for treating it is more varied, including both single and compound formulas.
For example, using blood-activating and stasis-resolving agents like Xue Jie (Dragon’s Blood), Hu Po (Leech), and Meng Chong (Fly) to stop bleeding with Bai Cao Shuang (Herba Hedyotis), Fa Hui (Corydalis), and other agents, either singly or in combination.
For compound blowing, such as grinding snail and using it with squid bone; or using Meng Chong and Hu Po with Wu Bei Zi (Galla Rhois) blown into the nose and combined with internal administration, thus integrating both internal and external treatments.
Rhinorrhea: Single herb blowing with Bi Ba (Piper cubeba) or Shi Lu (Stibnite) blown into the nose; compound formulas like Bai Zhi with sulfur and Huang Dan (Realgar) for treating profuse nasal discharge with foul odor.
Nasal Obstruction: The most commonly used herb is Xi Xin, for treating nasal obstruction and loss of smell, it can be combined with musk, dog head ash, or separately with Gua Ti (Cucurbita) and soap pod for compound blowing.
Sore Throat: First blow soap pod powder into the nose, then apply water from Li Gen Pi (Root of Prunus) on top.
Toothache: Use Shan Nai (Zingiber) with musk, both for brushing teeth and blowing into the nose.
Newborn Eye Closure: Use Chuan Xiong (Ligusticum chuanxiong) with Pu Xiao (Sodium bicarbonate) and mint powder, blown into the nose.
02
Instilling, Injecting, Dripping
Preparing a medicinal liquid or extracting its juice, then instilling or injecting it into the nasal cavity to treat local or systemic diseases.
This method was first noted in the Han Dynasty by Zhang Zhongjing in the “Jin Kui Yao Lue” stating, “To save a person from death, use the juice of leeks to instill into the nose.” This method allows the medicinal liquid to act directly on the affected area, rapidly and effectively clearing heat, detoxifying, dispelling pathogens, stopping bleeding, and activating blood circulation. Besides treating local lesions, it can also be absorbed through the nasal mucosa, producing systemic pharmacological effects to treat certain systemic diseases.
In the Compendium of Materia Medica, the use of instilling, injecting, and dripping methods includes using fresh herb juices, medicinal extracts, oils, vinegar, wine, and animal blood or bile. The main diseases treated and commonly used medicines are as follows.
Epilepsy: Soak soap pod in water, extract the juice, boil it down with a small amount of musk, dry it, and keep it for use. Each piece is dissolved in water and instilled into the nose to induce salivation.
Sudden Collapse: Use juice from garlic, leek, or vinegar, or wine instilled in small amounts into the nose.
Vomiting Blood: Depending on the pathogenesis of the vomiting blood, different medicines are selected, either cooling blood to stop bleeding or resolving stasis to open the orifices. For example, using sesame oil to instill into the nose to disperse stasis and stop bleeding; radish juice instilled into the nose to “stop vomiting blood and major bleeding”; lotus root juice to “disperse stasis and stop all nasal and oral bleeding, also instilled into the nose to stop bleeding”; eel blood and ginger juice dripped into the nose, etc.
Nasal Obstruction: Use juice from Zhi Li (Tribulus terrestris) and Huang Lian (Coptis chinensis) boiled together, instilled into the nose; bitter gourd juice, earth gall juice, or dog gall dripped into the nose; also can use Qing Hao (Artemisia annua) ash, Long Nao (Camphor), and other medicines dripped into the nose.
03
Sniffing, Inhaling
Sniffing is when the patient inhales the medicinal vapor or smoke through the nose to treat diseases; inhaling refers to the method of drawing in powdered medicines with aromatic properties that open the orifices, dispel wind, and clear heat and toxins, placing them in front of the nostrils and inhaling while exhaling through the mouth, repeating the process to achieve therapeutic effects.
Sniffing and inhaling allow for rapid absorption of the medicine through the nasal mucosa and lungs, exerting pharmacological effects, making it commonly used for infants and patients who have difficulty taking medicine.
This method is not only popular among the public but has also been applied and developed by many renowned physicians. After the Compendium of Materia Medica, Ye Tianshi frequently used sniffing to treat malaria, while Wu Shangxian used nasal sniffing for headaches, hiccups, malaria, and postpartum blood collapse, thus broadening its application. In the Compendium of Materia Medica, the applications of sniffing and inhaling include:
Hiccups: For those with deficiency-cold syndrome, “burn Ma Huang (Ephedra) and sniff it to stop immediately”; for yin-type hiccups, one can also use frankincense with sulfur to “burn smoke and inhale”.
Cough: Mu Bie Zi (Momordica) is a commonly used medicine for those with lung deficiency and chronic cough, this herb can be burned and inhaled; stalactite powder is effective for “all labor coughs”, often combined with Xiong Huang, Kuan Dong Hua (Tussilago farfara), and Fo Er Cao (Fritillaria) for inhalation.
Malaria: Mix wild fox feces with Ye Ming Sha (Night Bright Sand) and form into pills to sniff.
Headache: Ai Ye (Mugwort) can be rolled into pills to sniff, which helps to expel yellow water.
04
Fumigation
Fumigation involves burning medicinal substances to produce smoke, or using heated iron tools to extract smoke for fumigating the nasal passages to treat certain diseases. It can also involve using volatile medicines soaked in alcohol for fumigation.
This method is similar to inhaling and sniffing but differs in that inhaling requires drawing the smoke into the lungs, while fumigation does not necessarily require this.
The fumigation methods recorded in the “Lingnan Herbal Collection” involve either sprinkling powdered medicine on paper to form a roll or mixing powdered medicine with moxa, igniting it, and blowing it out to use the smoke; oily medicines can be pressed onto paper and then ignited for fumigation. In the Compendium of Materia Medica, the fumigation methods include:
Hiccups: For those with yin syndromes, use frankincense with sulfur to burn and fumigate; vinegar can also be used for fumigation.
Cough: Fumigate with Huang (Yellow) combined with Mu Tong (Akebia) and Gan Tang Zi (Corydalis) to treat “thirty years of cough”.
Malaria: Use swallow feces soaked in wine for nasal fumigation.
Headache: Smoke from Ban Xia, Mu Jin Zi (Hibiscus), and Long Nao can be used for nasal fumigation.
Postpartum Blood Collapse: Use rice vinegar and calcined charcoal for fumigation; chives can also be used for fumigation.
Sore Throat: Use Xiong Huang in a bottle to burn and fumigate the nose, inducing salivation.
05
Snuffing
Also known as the snuffing method, it involves preparing certain medicines into powder and snuffing them into the nose to treat diseases. The method was first recorded in the Yuan Dynasty by Ni Weide in “Yuan Ji Qi Wei”, using snuffing with Bi Yun San to treat red, swollen eyes and dim vision; using Ba Cui Fang to treat migraine and eye diseases.
Li Shizhen also extensively applied this method in the Compendium of Materia Medica. However, the most detailed theoretical description of this method comes from the Qing Dynasty scholar Wu Shiji in “Li Yan Pian Wen”: “Generally, for diseases of the upper jiao, finely grinding the medicine and snuffing it into the nose to induce sneezing is the quickest method. It not only opens the orifices and provides emergency relief but also allows for the inhalation of the medicine.
Repeated sneezing can loosen the pores, relieving muscle tension; nasal discharge, tears, and phlegm can be expelled, alleviating chest discomfort, which is akin to both sweating and vomiting. In the Compendium of Materia Medica, the applications of the snuffing method include:
Malaria: Use Gui Jian Yu (Ghost Arrow Feather) with powdered fish shell, snuff into the nose during an attack.
Cramps: Snuff powdered soap pod into the nose.
Headache: Use Gu Jing Cao (Euphorbia) to snuff into the nose while simultaneously applying a paste to the head, or burn and sniff; use Huan Lian juice, radish juice, or garlic juice, or bitter gourd juice for snuffing.
Dizziness and ringing in the ears: Snuff powdered tea seeds into the nose.
Nasal Obstruction: Use soap pod juice boiled into a paste for snuffing.
Toothache: Snuff Bi Ba with Mu Bie Zi, its effect is “like magic”; red cardamom, sour grass, or goosefoot can also be used for snuffing; for wind-heat toothache, use radish seeds or dill for snuffing or use Xiong Huang with dried ginger for snuffing; for toothache caused by worms, use Bi Ba with Mu Bie Zi for snuffing.
Umbilical Wind: Place garlic on the umbilicus, moxibustion until the garlic scent emerges, and snuff the juice into the nose.
Fright Seizures: For yang syndromes, use lizard with centipede and mantis for snuffing to stabilize convulsions; for yin syndromes, use single garlic, moxibustion on the umbilicus, and snuff the juice into the nose.
06
Blocking (Inserting, Stuffing)
The blocking method involves finely grinding the medicine and using a binding agent to form a plug to insert into the nasal cavity, or dipping medicinal juice onto paper or sandpaper to insert into the nasal cavity for therapeutic purposes.
Especially for bleeding diseases in the nasal cavity, this method can both apply pressure to stop bleeding and promote the rapid and direct action of the medicine, making it a commonly used external treatment method. In the Compendium of Materia Medica, the blocking method is mainly used for the following types of conditions:
Nosebleed: Commonly used medicines include pomegranate flowers, onion juice, mulberry ears, wall money, and horse gall juice. Pomegranate flowers have the effect of dispersing blood; when taken as powder, it can stop vomiting and nosebleeds, and can be combined with yellow hibiscus flowers for decoction or powder, along with medicinal juice or decoction inserted into the nose for better effect.
Nasal Obstruction: Commonly used medicines include Gui Xin (Cinnamon), Clove, Rui He (Corydalis), Li Lu (Veratrum), Shi Hu (Coriander), Xun Cao (Artemisia), and Xiong Huang; using Chao Mu with soap pod powder is also effective; castor seeds with dates can be inserted, “to smell the fragrance in one day”; roasted hedgehog skin, ground, can also be inserted into the nose.
Sore Throat: Use Ba Dou (Croton) to burn and fumigate, then stuff into the nose.
Headache: Use castor seeds with date flesh rolled in paper and inserted into the nose.
From the above content, it can be seen that the nasal medication methods in the Compendium of Materia Medica have a wide range of applications, not only for local nasal conditions but also for upper respiratory diseases and emergency resuscitation. The diseases involved span internal, external, gynecological, pediatric, and otolaryngological conditions, all of which can be treated through nasal medication, with some conditions responding very quickly and effectively.
The forms of nasal medication are also diverse, including commonly used forms such as pills, powders, pastes, and decoctions, as well as special forms like cakes, juices, wines, vinegar, animal blood, bile, and smoke, fully reflecting the richness of traditional Chinese external treatment methods.
The Compendium of Materia Medica also emphasizes that nasal medication must adhere to the fundamental principle of syndrome differentiation and treatment, such as the snuffing method for toothache, blocking for nosebleeds, and blowing for coughs, all of which fully embody this principle.
The methods of nasal medication in the Compendium of Materia Medica lay a foundation for the development and further refinement of external treatment methods in traditional Chinese medicine, especially for nasal medication.
The renowned external treatment expert of the Qing Dynasty, Wu Shiji, comprehensively summarized the external treatment methods of traditional Chinese medicine, creating a classic work on external treatment—”Li Yan Pian Wen”, which includes many new developments in the theory, content, and methods of nasal medication, elevating traditional Chinese external treatment methods to a new height, inheriting the achievements of external treatment methods from Li Shizhen’s Compendium of Materia Medica in the Ming Dynasty.