Experience heritage study on treating acne of the pattern of damp-heat constitution with the theory of ‘Yangming channel governs facial area’

In traditional Chinese medicine(TCM), the course of acne was divided into 5 phases including papule, bleb, cyst, nodule and scar so as to better carry out therapies. This method had helped to establish disease patterns for acne, yet it contributed not as much to a radical treatment. Based on the theories of ‘interactive body constituent and diseases’ and ‘controllable body constituents’, professor NI Cheng made a point from the perspective of ‘Yangming channel governs facial area’, and proposed the opinion that the body constituent of damp heat was the cradle of acne, and the pathomechanism was that the Yangming channel obstructed by damp heat. So clearing heat and promoting dieresis and cooling blood for promoting eruption were the principal therapies for facial acne. With the guidance of diagnosis-treatment model of ‘constitution differentiation, disease differentiation and syndrome differentiation in combination’ proposed by professor WANG Qi, Professor NI formulated Shuangqing Xiaocuo Decoction for the disease, which had shown favorable efficacy.