New Uses for Wu Mei Wan

abstracted & translated by
Bob Flaws, L.Ac., FNAAOM (USA), FRCHM (UK)

Keywords: Chinese medicine, Chinese herbal medicine, Wu Mei Wan (Mume Pills), Sjögren’s syndrome (SS), diabetes, ulcerative colitis (UC), reflux esophagitis (GERD)

Wu Mei Wan (Mume Pills) comes from Zhang Zhong-jing’s late Han dynasty Shang Han Lun (Treatise on Damage [Due to] Cold) where it is indicated for jue yin disease. In contemporary Chinese medicine, Wu Mei Wan is mostly thought of as the standard formula for biliary ascariasis. On page108 of issue #2, 2007 of the Zhe Jiang Zhong Yi Za Zhi (Zhejiang Journal of Chinese Medicine), Chen Ya-bing and Chen Yi-feng published an article titled “Lifting the Borders of the Clinical Applications of Wu Mei Wan.” A summary of this article is presented below.

1. Sjögren’s syndrome

The patient was a 47 year-old female who was first examined in May 2004. The patient came to the hospital due to thrombocytopenic purpura. Her thrombocytes were 44 x 10⁹/L. This was accompanied by extreme dry mouth and dry eyes. The patient’s tongue was pale with thin fur, and her pulse was deep. Auto-antibodies were positive as were anti-SSA and SSD antibodies. The patient was prescribed Wu Mei Wan which consisted of:

Wu Mei (Fructus Mume), 38g
Dang Shen (Radix Codonopsis)
Dang Gui (Radix Angelicae Sinensis), 12g
Zhi Fu Zi (Radix Lateralis Praeparata Aconiti)
Chuan Jiao (Pericarpium Zanthoxyli), 6g each
Gui Zhi (Ramulus Cinnamomi)
Huang Lian (Rhizoma Coptidis)
Huang Bai (Cortex Phellodendri). 10g each
Gan Jiang (dry Rhizoma Zingiberis), 4g
Xi Xin (Herba Asari), 3g

After taking five packets of these medicinals, the dry mouth was markedly better. After one month, repeat examination showed her thrombocyte count at 67 x 10⁹/L, at which time the woman was discharged from the hospital.

According to Drs. Chen and Chen, Sjögren’s syndrome is categorized in Chinese medicine as a type of wasting and thirsting, and wasting and thristing is mainly a jue yin disease condition. Therefore, Wu Mei Wan was prescribed mainly on the basis of the patient’s extreme thirst, and, indeed, the formula was effective.

2. Diabetes

The patient was a 57 year-old male who was first seen in October 2004. This man came to the hospital for the treatment of cough. However, he also complained of relatively severe thirst. Further examination showed that sugar in his urine was positive (+), his fasting blood glucose was 6.2mmol/L, and his two-hour postprandial blood glucose was 13.7mmol/L. In addition, the patient’s thirst was worse at night. This was accompanied by lack of strength, easy hunger but not much desire to eat, a pale tongue with thin fur, and a bowstring, fine pulse. Therefore, the man was prescribed modified Wu Mei Wan as follows:

Wu Mei (Fructus Mume)
Xi Xin (Herba Asari), 3g each
Dang Shen (Radix Codonopsis)
Dang Gui (Radix Angelicae Sinensis), 12g each
Zhi Fu Zi (Radix Lateralis Praeparata Aconiti)
Chuan Jiao (Pericarpium Zanthoxyli), 6g each
Gui Zhi (Ramulus Cinnamomi)
Huang Lian (Rhizoma Coptidis)
Xing Ren (Semen Armeniacae)
Huang Bai (Cortex Phellodendri), 10g each
Gan Jiang (dry Rhizoma Zingiberis), 4g

After taking these medicinals for one half month, the man’s thirst had markedly decreased. Repeat examination of two-hour postprandial blood glucose was now 10.5mmol/L. The patient was recommended to continue taking three packets of the above formula per week, one packet every other day. The patient continued to be prescribed these medicinals by the outpatient department.

According to Drs. Chen and Chen, diabetes is also categorized in Chinese medicine as wasting and thirsting which, again is a type of jue yin disease. Therefore, the man was prescribed Wu Mei Wan and the therapeutic effects were fully satisfactory.

3. Ulcerative colitis

The patient was a 57 year-old female who was first examined in December of 2004. The patient came to the hospital due to abdominal pain with diarrhea accompanied by mucus and blood for more than one month. Two years ago, the patient had a colonoscopy and had been diagnosed with ulcerative colitis. Accompanying signs and symptoms included dizziness, a lusterless facial complexion, severe thirst, upper abdominal distention and pain, a pale tongue with thin fur, and a bowstring pulse. This patient’s pattern was categorized as wind wood checking the spleen and causing counterflow and chaos of the qi mechanism. The qi and blood were unregulated and there was a mixture of heat and cold. Therefore, the woman was prescribed:

Wu Mei (Fructus Mume), 38g
Dang Shen (Radix Codonopsis)
Dang Gui (Radix Angelicae Sinensis)
Gou Teng (Ramulus Uncariae Cum Uncis), 12g each
Zhi Fu Zi (Radix Lateralis Praeparata Aconiti)
Chuan Jiao (Pericarpium Zanthoxyli), 6g each
Gui Zhi (Ramulus Cinnamomi)
Huang Lian (Rhizoma Coptidis)
Huang Bai (Cortex Phellodendri), 10g each
Gan Jiang (dry Rhizoma Zingiberis), 4g
Xi Xin (Herba Asari), 3g

After taking seven packets of these medicinals, all the woman’s symptom disappeared. She then continued taking another seven packets in order to secure and consolidate the therapeutic effects.

In this case, the symptoms of dizziness, upper abdominal pain, the mucus and blood in the feces, and the thirst were not all related to the ulcerative colitis. In terms of Western medicine, the woman also suffered from hypertension and cholecystitis. However, based on six channel pattern discrimination, she did display a jue yin disease and, hence, she was treated with Wu Mei Wan with good effect.

4. Reflux esophagitis

The patient was a 37 year-old male who was first examined in March 2004.  Each year in the spiring, this patient experienced retrosternal burning pain. Several times before the man had be examined by gastric endoscopy and he had been diagnosed with esophagitis and hiatal hernia. Accompanying signs and symptoms of this bout included hunger but no desire to eat, dry mouth, polydipsia, a pale tongue with thin fur, and a bowstring pulse. Based on a pattern discrimination of jue yin disease, the man was prescribed modified Wu Mei Wan:

Wu Mei (Fructus Mume), 38g
Zhi Fu Zi (Radix Lateralis Praeparata Aconiti)
Chuan Jiao (Pericarpium Zanthoxyli), 6g each
Gui Zhi (Ramulus Cinnamomi)
Huang Lian (Rhizoma Coptidis)
Huang Bai (Cortex Phellodendri), 10g each
Dang Gui (Radix Angelicae Sinensis), 12g
Gan Jiang (dry Rhizoma Zingiberis), 4g
Xi Xin (Herba Asari), 3g

After taking seven packets of these medicinals, The man’s symptoms had disappeared and he was cured. On recent follow-up, i.e., probably in late 2006, there had been no recurrence.

According to Drs. Chen and Chen, in this case of GERD, there were no clear manifestations of a mixture of cold and heat symptoms. However, there was painful heat in the heart, hunger with no desire to eat, and thirst. Based on six channel pattern discrimination, these symptoms yet again indicate a jue yin disease. Thus modified Wu Mei Wan was prescribed and the patient was cured.

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