Clinical observation in 86 cases of acne vulgaris treated with compound oldenlandis mixture.

All the 120 cases in this study were outpatients from Guang'anmen Hospital. Among them, 51 were male and 69 female, ranging in age from 16 to 39 years. The shortest duration of disease was 2 months, and the longest 10 years. All 120 cases were randomly divided into a treatment group and a control group. Of the 86 cases in the treatment group, 36 were male and 50 female. Their average age was 21.64 [+ or -] 5.53 years, and the average duration of disease was 3.02 [+ or -] 2.82 years. Of the 34 cases in the control group, 15 were male and 19 female. Their average age was 21.41 [+ or -] 4.06 years, and the average duration of the disease was 4.04 [+ or -] 3.46 years. The differences in age, duration of disease, and condition of the were not statistically significant between the two groups (P>0.05). Fu Fang She She Cao He Ji (Compound Oldenlandis Mixture), composed of Bai Hua She She Cao (Herba Oldenlandiae Diffusae) 30g, Huang Qin (Radix Scutellariae) 10g, Lian Qiao (Fructus Forsythiae Suspensae) 30g, Dan Shen (Radix Salviae Miltiorrhizae) 30g, and Xia Ku Cao (Spica Prunellae Vulgaris) 45g, was administered in the treatment group in a dose of 200 ml twice daily, taken respectively after breakfast and dinner. Dang Gui Ku Shen Wan (Pills of Chinese Angelica and Flavescent Sophora) was administered in the control group in a dose of 6g twice daily after meals. For both groups, 8 weeks constituted a course of treatment, and the therapeutic effects were evaluated after one course of treatment. The patients of both groups were asked to eat more vegetables and a low fat diet and to keep an optimistic mood during the treatment. The effectiveness of the therapy was defined as follows. Cured: disappearance of the skin lesions without new rashes. Markedly effective: disappearance of over 70% of the skin lesions with some new rashes. Effective: disappearance of over 30% of the skin lesions with some new rashes. Ineffective: Less than 30% of skin lesions disappeared, or new rashes increased after one therapeutic course. The results in the treatment group were cured: 38 (44.2%), markedly effective: 25 (29.1%), effective: 13 (15.1%), ineffective: 10 (11.6%). The control group results were: cured: 10 (29.4%), markedly effective: 6 (17.7%), effective: 8 (23.5%) and ineffective: 10 (29.4%). Treatment group results for combined cure and markedly effective cases were 73.3% compared with only 47.1% in the control group. The authors consider acne vulgaris to be a stasis syndrome due to accumulation of damp-heat. The therapeutic effect of Fu Fang She She Cao He Ji works by clearing away heat, removing dampness and promoting blood flow and resolving masses.

by Liu Wali