What is it- the basic properties

Major symptoms in SARS are fever(over 38．C), cough, muscular pain, difficulty in breathing, lack of energy, throat irritation, and shifting to pneumonia are all similar to the symptoms that appear in an epidemic febrile disease(溫熱病). It is an acute febrile disease with symptoms that can easily be observed such as fever and cough, and those that can only be diagnosed through professional processes such as the pulse and the Constitution.

SARS, in nature, is comparable to the influenza and can be categorized as "溫疫(On-yeok)" or " 疫(Jang-yeok)". In 『東醫寶鑑: Dong Eui Bo Gam』, it states that epidemic febrile diseases start out from changes in environment, extraordinary weather, or evil Ki. It urges attention to sanitation and adequate way of everyday life for prevention of such diseases.

型防敗毒散(Hyung-bang-pae-dok-san) and 香蘇散(Hyang-so-san) , both prescribed in 『東醫寶鑑: Dong Eui Bo Gam』and Sung-san-ja, a chapter which appears in 『牧民心書: Mok-min-shim-seo』 for early stages of epidemic febrile disease, had been widely utilized in the Josun Dynasty when epidemic febrile diseases were prevalent around the village. Veterans of Korean Medicine Dr. Park Yin-Sang and Dr. Bae Won-sik testified that the above prescriptions with addition of some more medicines, were widely used in villages during the Korean War. They said that the war deprived them of medical supplies.

Categories of Epidemic Febrile disease

Epidemic Febrile disease refers to all the externally-recepted diseases, which can be according to symptoms and time of outbreak, categorized into 風溫(Poong-on: Wind and warmness in Spring), 春溫(Chun-on: Spring warmness) , 暑溫(Warmness in summer-heat), 濕溫(Dampness and warmness), 伏暑(Bok-seo: hidden heat), 秋燥(Chu-jo: Fall-dryness), and 溫毒(on-dok: warmness as toxin). The SARS rampant today corresponds to 春溫.

The 春溫 is an acute febrile disease occurring in Spring. It accompanies high fever in early stage and the most characteristic point is that it damages the Eum(陰). Specific symptoms can be discussed by dividing it into symptoms within the Ki portion(氣分證) and those within the Nutrition portion(營分證).

Symptoms within the Ki portion(氣分證) is a set of symptoms where internal Heat damages the Eum(裏熱傷陰症). The treatment should be cooling of the heated Ki. The basis of differentiation between the two is the diagnosis on the tongue. When there's only heat with color of red, it is the symptom within the Ki portion, while deep red or purple means that febrile disease has progressed further, to the Nutrition portion.

Symptoms within the Ki portion(氣分證)

1. Accumulation of Heat in the Gall Bladder

: fever as main symptom(from loss of fluids), bitter taste in the mouth, and nausea

黃 湯(Hwang-ryung-tang) is prescribed with addition of 玄參

2. Accumulation of Heat in the chest

: more fever from progression of the symptoms

梔子 湯(Chi-ja-si-tang) is prescribed.

3. Heat burning the chest

: severe fever, irritability, dried tongue, slippery and fast pulse, severe thirstiness, swelling pain in the throat, apthae, and constipation.

This is the stage where the body has gone through the stage of febrile diseases and has reached dehydration.

凉膈散(Yang-keok-san) is prescribed.

4. Vigorous heat in the Yangmyung(陽明)

白虎湯(Baek-ho-tang) is prescribed.

5. Tangled heat in the Yangmyung(陽明)

承氣湯(Seung-ki-tang) series are prescribed.

It is different from the 承氣湯(Seung-ki-tang) in 『傷寒論: Sang-han-lon』with addition of fluid-enhancing medicine to make up for the loss of fluids after febrile disease.

Symptoms within the Nutrition portion(營分證)

The symptoms within the Nutrition portion(營分證) goes a step further than those in the Ki portion, to evoking Wind and Blood and even to unconsciousness or death. Those symptoms should be given the following treatments to clear Eum and nourish the Nutritional portion.

淸營湯(Chung-young-tang), 犀角地黃湯(Seo-gak-ji-hwang-tang), 桃仁承氣湯(Dou-in-seung-ki-tang), and 羚角鉤藤湯(Young-gak-goo-deung-tang) are prescribed for continuing fever, dehydration, lack of energy, or unconsciousness.

Thus, the treatment of 春溫病(disease from spring warmness)-which the SARS belongs to, is not tilted toward just relieving fever, but also takes nourishing the Eum into consideration. The composition of prescriptions also excludes hot-natured medicines like 桂枝 or 麻黃, and rather takes in cool-natured medicines like 薄荷, 竹茹, 金銀花, 連翹, or 蟬 for perspiration.