Abstract
This study was performed to investigate concept, systoms, causes of disease, pathogenic mechanisms, therapies and precriptions about senile constipation through the successive medical literature, recent chinese medical literature and chinese medical joumals. Senile constipation seems to be applicable to dryness syndrom and constipation of insufficiency type, have something to do with kidney(the most), lung, spleen and large intestine. The most principal cause of disease is yin-fluid, the rest deficiency of qi, insufficiency of yang, stagnation of qi and retention of fever etc. There are enriching the blood and moistening dryness in principal therapy, the rest are invigorating qi and loosing the bowel, warming and invigorating the spleen and kidney, regulating the flow of qi and promoting the stagnancy of qi and expelling the pathogenic heat etc. In prescriptions there are Yunjangtang, Jengaektang, Hwanggitang, Jechunjeon, Yukmatang and Majainhwan as the causes of disease, meanwhile are Yungjang-tang, Jechunjeon and Majainhwan in the vulgaris prescriptions. And in medical herbs there are nourishing yin medicines as Rhizoma rehmanniac, Radix ophiopogonis and Radix scrophulariae etc., invigorating qi medicines as Radix astragali, Radix codonopsitis and Radix polygoni multiflori etc, invigorating yang medicines as Caulis cistanchis and Semen psoraleae etc., promoting qi circulating medicines as Radix saussurea, Lignum aquilariae and Radix linderae etc., and reducing fever and therapeutic method to keep the adverse qi flowing downward medicines as Semen cannabis, Rhizoma rhei, Fructus immaturus ponciri, and Cortex magnoliae etc.. Meantime Rhizoma rehmanniae, Radix ophiopogonis, Caulis cistanchis, Radix angelicae gigantis, Semen cannabis, Semen biotae, Semen pruni japonicae and Semen persicae in principal herb-medicines. In clinical reports the process of disease was between 10 to 20 years, the evacuation cycle between 4 to 7 days, generally possessed chronic diseases as hypertension, diabetes, arteriosclerosis and cerebro- vascular disorders etc. and the efficiency rate was more than 90%. The senile constipation is occured in succession or promoted by chronic diseases as obesity, hypertension, diabetes, arteriosclerosis. hrperlipemia, cerebro- vascular disorders etc., so diet-regulating, adequate exercise, proper evacuation-habit and psychologic rest etc. are important more than medicine-treatments.