Acute mastitis is an acute inflammation caused by pyogenic germs invading mammary glands, which is often evoked to rhagas of the nipple, deformed nipple, crater nipple and galactostasis. Breat-feeding women are most susceptible to the disease within one or two months after childbirth. Some unmarried women and ante-partum women may also get the disease, but the number is much smaller, where as the incidence is relatively higher in primiparae. It is termed "ruyong" (acute mastitis) in traditional Chinese medicine.
1. Common Type of Syndromes
This disease is characterized by local red swelling in the breast accompanied with fever. Generally, it is treated as a disease with abundant heat-toxin accumulated in the affected region in TCM.
The common type is caused by accumulation of abundant noxious heat, marked by local red swelling. If the swollen part is hard and has a pain when pressed and yet no apparent undulation, it shows no suppuration in this part; if there is apparent undulation with distending and throbbing pain, it means local abscess has formed. It is usually accompanied with symptoms such as fever, dry mouth and thirst, constipation, yellowish fur on the tongue and rapid pulse.
2. Dietetic Chinese Drugs
Rape (Herba Brassicae Campestris) Decoct a drink with an appropriate amount of rape. Or, wash some rape clean and mash it, then put it in a piece of clean gauze and twist it so as to get a small cup of rape juice (about 30 to 40 ml). Take it warm, three times a day, for three to five days. At the same time, have some rape leaves mashed and applied on the affect-ed part. Change it twice a day for three to five days.
3. Composite Recipes of Medicated Diet
1) Decoction of Dandelion Herb and Honeysuckle Stem
(Gongying Rendong Tang)
INGREDIENTS
dandelion herb, Herba Taraxaci 30g
honeysuckle stem, Caulis Lonicerae 30g
PROCESS Add the right amount of water and yellow rice (or millet) wine into 30g of dandelion herb and 30g of honeysuckle stem and decoet them together so as to get a thick extract. Drink it in two separate doses a day.
2) Decoction of Hornet Nest and Viola Herb (Fengfang Diding Tang)
INGREDIENTS
hornet nest, Nidus Vespae 10g
dandelion herb, Herba Taraxaci 50g
viola herb, Herba Violae 20g
PROCESS Decoct 10g of hornet nest, 50g of dandelion herb, 20g of viola herb and the right amount of white sugar in water and take it as a drink. Take it once a day, for three to five days.