Swelling of legs and feet in the elderly can belong to the category of edema in traditional Chinese medicine, which can be caused by spleen yang deficiency, kidney yang weakening, and stagnant water interconnections, etc. It can be treated by the physician by using prescriptions such as Real Spleen Drink, Zhenwu Tang, and Taohong Siwu Tang combined with Wu Ling San.
This formula can treat oedema caused by deficiency of spleen yang, with oedema below the waist, depression not easy to recover, stuffy epigastric and abdominal distension, loss of appetite, loose stools, yellowish color, fatigue, and tiredness of limbs.
Zhen Wu Tang: This formula is composed of Radix Polygoni Multiflori, Rhizoma Atractylodis Macrocephalae, Radix et Rhizoma Atractylodis Macrocephalae, Radix et Rhizoma Zanthoxylon, Radix et Rhizoma Ginger, Poriae, Radix Paeoniae Alba, which has the effect of warming yang and benefiting the water (supplementing the body’s yang qi and promoting the circulation of water and fluids). If the deficiency is very cold, add cinnamon and Ba Ji Tian.
Tao Hong Si Wu Tang combined with Wu Ling San: Tao Hong Si Wu Tang is composed of Paeoniae Alba, Rhizoma Ligustici Chuanxiong, Peach Kernel and Safflower, which can nourish and activate Blood; Wu Ling San is composed of Poria, Polyporus, Atractylodes Macrocephalae, Zedoaria and Cinnamon Branches, which can promote Yang and promote the flow of water.
The combination of the two drugs can activate blood circulation, eliminate blood stasis, transform qi to move water (to promote the operation of gas, thereby promoting the operation of water), and treat edema caused by stasis and water conjugation, which is prolonged and unresolved, and swelling of the limbs or the whole body, with the lower limbs as the main cause.
Elderly people with swollen legs and feet are advised to consult a doctor in a timely manner, who will guide the use of medication after diagnosis, and should not use medication on their own.