Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) staging of acne

Acne belongs to the category of “lung wind” and “acne” in Chinese medicine. Acne is characterized by wind-heat in the lungs and damp-heat in the stomach and intestines, which can be treated by removing wind and heat, clearing heat, removing dampness and detoxifying the toxin. 1. Lung meridian wind-heat syndrome: manifested as red papules, itchy or painful, accompanied by thirst and desire to drink, constipation, short and reddish urine (small amount of urine, dark yellow color), red tongue, yellow moss, and slippery pulse, etc. The treatment should relieve wind and clear heat. The treatment is to remove wind and clear away heat, with the addition and subtraction of Pei Pa Koa Lung Cleansing Drink, commonly used loquat leaf, Huang Lian, Sang Bai Pi to clear away lung heat, gypsum, smallpox pollen to generate fluids to quench thirst (to promote fluids to quench thirst). 2. Damp-heat syndrome of the stomach and intestines: manifested as greasy skin, red and swollen rash, accompanied by bad breath, constipation, red tongue, yellow and greasy moss, slippery pulse, etc. The treatment is to clear away heat and detoxify toxins (to remove heat from the lungs). Treatment when clearing heat and removing toxins (clearing body heat and poisonous evil qi) in addition to dampness, can be used for the treatment of Yin Chen Artemisia soup with subtractions, commonly used in Yin Chen, gardenia clearing heat and removing dampness, rhubarb through the bowels of the body and drain the heat (with the way of passing stools to get rid of the body heat and evil). The Chinese medicine type of acne needs to be derived by a professional Chinese medicine doctor after four diagnoses, to avoid self-identification treatment.