Coix Tablets

Coix Tablets combines three treatment principles for alleviating acne and other skin eruptions. First, to nourish the skin and keep it smooth, coix is used as the main ingredient. Second, there are blood vitalizing herbs (salvia, calamus gum, red peony) that help restore disrupted circulation at the site of skin inflammation and infection. Third, there are herbs to help fight the infection (sophora, oldenlandia). An ingredient of this formula that is not commonly included in traditional prescriptions, chimonanthus, combines all the treatment principles: it "cools blood, cleanses heat, removes toxin, regulates qi, invigorates blood circulation, and promotes tissue regeneration." The formula is not based on any of the traditional prescriptions but reflects some trends in modern treatment strategies for skin eruptions as reported in Chinese medical literature. This formula can also be useful for intestinal infection or inflammation, such as colitis, diverticulosis, and infection-caused diarrhea. The dual use of the formula reflects similarities in problems of inflammation at a body surface (skin or the intestinal lining) and may also reflect the traditional Chinese correlation between skin and large intestine (mediated by the lungs, as aspects of the metal element). Coix is often used to treat diarrhea, and oldenlandia is often used to treat intestinal infections. The formula can be used for the other skin disorders, such as herpes zoster eruptions, where blood stasis contributes to pain, redness, and swelling (see: Red Peony Tablets).