Traditional Chinese medicine has great advantages in the treatment of depression. Today, I have searched for many articles about depression, and after careful consideration, I found Dr. Hu Sirong’s self-prescribed Pingxin Wangyou Decoction. This decoction combines Banxia Houpu Decoction with Cizhu Wan. Dr. Hu Sirong has clinically verified this decoction through numerous cases, proving its reliability. He even produced “Pingxin Wangyou Capsules” for internal use at the hospital.
The Pingxin Wangyou Decoction treated 470 cases of depression.
I used my self-prescribed Pingxin Wangyou Decoction along with psychological therapy to treat 470 cases of depression, resulting in satisfactory outcomes, which I will introduce below.
1
General information
In this group of cases, there were 199 males and 271 females. The youngest patient was 9 years old, and the oldest was 61 years old.
The majority of patients were young and middle-aged, with 339 cases, accounting for 72.1%. Among them, there were 181 students, 148 officials, and 141 others.
All patients met the diagnostic criteria for depression and neurasthenia (refer to the book “Prevention and Treatment of Mental Illness” by He Ji). They underwent head CT, nerve evoked potential, brain function test, and brain topographic map examination to exclude mental disorders caused by organic or physical diseases.
2
Treatment method
I combined psychological therapy (mainly cognitive therapy and supportive counseling) with internal administration of Pingxin Wangyou Decoction for a comprehensive treatment approach, which showed significantly better results than single therapy.
Composition of the decoction:
30g of Cishi and Moschus (pre-decocted for 30 minutes separately), 12g each of Zhishi, Huangbai, Banxia, Houpu, Zhufenling, and Shenqu, 6g each of Rousi, Suye, and Changpu, and 9g of fresh ginger. Boil in water and take it three times a day after breakfast, lunch, and before sleep.
Adjustments:
If there is excessive phlegm-dampness and nausea, add 6g of Huoxiang and 10g of Chuanqiong; for those with insomnia and frequent nightmares, add 15g of Zhiren and 12g of Yuanzhi; for high blood pressure and dry stools, replace Huangbai with 10g of Dahuang.
3
Treatment results
Cured: Clinical symptoms completely disappeared, patients felt good, could work normally, and had no relapse after one year. This accounted for 330 cases, or 70.2%.
Improved: Clinical symptoms mostly disappeared, patients could take care of themselves, and resume work. This group comprised 95 cases, or 20.2%.
Ineffective: No improvement or worsening of clinical symptoms. There were 45 cases, or 9.6%.
The overall effective rate was 90.4%.
The shortest treatment time was 30 days, and the longest was 180 days. In general, symptoms improved or disappeared within 4 to 7 days of medication, leading to improved mood, stable emotions, forgetting past sorrows and troubles gradually, and improvements in diet and sleep.
4
Typical case
Mr. Li, male, 39 years old, self-employed. First consultation on June 19, 1993.
The patient and his wife reported that six months ago, their 14-year-old daughter died of illness, which resulted in the patient falling ill due to excessive grief. He started experiencing insomnia, frequent nightmares, and eventually stayed awake all night, became timid and scared to the extent that he couldn’t pass by the hospital entrance, dared not go out, and even hesitated to enter his own house.
At times, he appeared absent-minded, had blank thoughts, sometimes even forgot who he was, and always carried a note with his name and house number to prevent getting lost.
He often had strange ideas, thinking that a section of his intestines was getting thinner and in danger of breaking at any moment. The next day, anticipating a hospital visit, he applied a 40cm by 2cm adhesive tape from his chest to his lower abdomen to prevent his intestines from bursting due to car vibrations.
After undergoing various ineffective treatments, he was hospitalized and diagnosed with neurasthenia at another hospital. He was prescribed medications such as Diazepam, Vitamin B1, Mulberry Twigs, and Amino Acids.
However, his condition worsened, showing irritability, sensation of throat blockage, difficulty swallowing, muscle spasms, poor appetite, eructation, generalized fatigue, dry stools, inability to care for himself, requiring constant company day and night. He sought treatment at my clinic upon recommendations.
Upon examination, the patient appeared disheveled, in distress, and exceptionally pained. MRI, Doppler scan, brain function test, and abdominal ultrasound hinted at mild cerebral ischemia, without other abnormalities.
Physical examination revealed a haggard appearance, depressed spirits, absent-mindedness, delayed responses, red tongue with greasy yellow coating, wiry slippery pulse, blood pressure: 17/12kPa, diagnosed as neurasthenia.
After taking over the case, I initiated psychological counseling followed by internal administration of Pingxin Wangyou Decoction. After 4 days, the patient noticed significant improvement, and his condition started to ameliorate. After 8 days, symptoms like irritability, insomnia, nightmares, eructation, muscle spasms, etc., had mostly disappeared, his mood stabilized, and his mental state, diet, and sleep improved, allowing him to visit the clinic on his own. 36 days later, he felt exceptionally clear-headed, similar to a normal person. Six months later, he could travel to Shanghai and Guangzhou for business on his own.
5
Reflection
The gallbladder is known as the “official of justice” and is responsible for decision-making. Any loss of control over consciousness and actions, such as losing the ability to make normal decisions or showing symptoms like inaccurate actions, is related to dysfunction of the gallbladder. The etiology of depression lies in phlegm-heat, with the gallbladder as the affected organ, hence treatment focusing on the gallbladder.
I argue that “all cases of this condition are due to phlegm-heat.” Therefore, treating the liver to soothe the gallbladder, resolving depression, transforming phlegm, and clearing the mind to dispel phlegm and open the orifices are the main principles. Additionally, clearing heat and fire, calming the mind, and stabilizing thoughts are important. Based on my experience treating thousands of patients over the past decade, I have formulated the Pingxin Wangyou Decoction consisting of 12 Chinese medicines.
This formula acts to soothe the liver, benefit the gallbladder, resolve depression, transform phlegm, disperse qi, and resolve masses, combined with Cizhu Wan for calming the spirit and stabilizing thoughts.
The inclusion of Moschus and Fructus Aurantii aids in opening the orifices. Given the excessive qi stagnation and phlegm accumulation in this condition, typical phlegm-resolving herbs are ineffective. The aim is to quickly eliminate stubborn phlegm, and these herbs are necessary for that purpose. Moschus, indifferent in taste, excels at downward qi movement and phlegm-clearing, specifically against stubborn and congealed phlegm that other herbs fail to address; Fructus Aurantii, bitter and aromatic, excels at dispelling chest and hypochondriacal phlegm, and when combined, they act on dispersing qi and clearing phlegm, opening the orifices. Additionally, Huangbai clears heat and fire, Chongpu reinforces aromatic phlegm-dispelling effects, and calms the mind while opening the orifices.
These 12 ingredients form a wonderful formula for soothing the liver, benefiting the gallbladder, resolving depression, and transforming phlegm, helping patients forget their sorrows and troubles and relieving the series of symptoms caused by disturbances in organ functions.
Furthermore, I have realized that psychological encouragement from medical practitioners and cooperation from family members are crucial for the treatment of depression, emphasizing holistic treatment that leads to rapid and effective outcomes.
