bleeding gums and chinese medicine

Bleeding gums

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Bleeding Gums and Chinese Medicine

Herbal prescriptions | Mouth washes | Home care advice

Gums are responsible for holding and protecting the teeth,bleeding gums can be a sign of gum disease, medicallycalled gingivitis. The condition is often due to plaqueformation on the teeth that produces acids and toxins toerode and cause inflammation of the gums. Besides plaqueformation, other factors that can contribute to bleedinggums include:

Poor oral hygiene habits such asimproper blushing, tooth picking orunfitted dentures;

Hormonal changes such as duringpregnancy, menstruation, puberty ormenopause;

Diseases that affect the immune orblood clotting system, such asleukemia, diabetes, mouth sores,liver or kidney dysfunctions;

Medications such as blood thinner,anticonvulsant, or chemotherapydrugs;

Nutritional deficiency such as vitaminC or K deficiency;

Bad habits such as smoking.

Bleeding gums usually occur along with other oralsymptoms such as:

Gums that bleed during and after brushing teeth

Red, swollen or sore gums

Bad breath or bad taste in the mouth

Sensitive teeth

Receding gums

Bleeding Gums and Chinese Medicine http://www.shen-nong.com/eng/exam/bleeding_symptoms_bleeding_...

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Formation of deep pockets between the teeth and gums

Loose or shifting teeth

Regardless of the cause, good oral hygiene is fundamentalfor healthy gums. It is necessary to choose a soft bristletoothbrush, brush the teeth gently, and visit the dentistevery 6 to 12 months for plaque removal. In case if thebleeding is severe, or accompanied with other unexplainedsymptoms, you should consult a doctor.

Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) can work with moderndentistry to promote gum health.

In TCM theory, the mouth is connected to the rest of thebody. Teeth are considered to be remnants of bone and arenourished by kidney essence. The stomach and largeintestine meridians pass through the upper and lower toothbeds respectively and supple the blood and qi (vital energy)to the regions. Tooth and gum conditions can reflect thefunctional states of the kidneys, the stomach or the largeintestine. Physicians focus on the internal disharmonies thatinvolve these three organs rather than applying localtreatment for tooth and gum problems. In case of bleedinggums, the pathology is either due to excessive fire and heator inadequate qi; the former forces blood flowing out of thenormal pathways and the later makes the gums unable toretain the blood within the vessels. Physicians will look forthe gum conditions, accompanying signs, pulse and tonguesigns when deciding appropriate remedies. Commondisharmony patterns that involve bleeding gums are asbelow.

golden threadrhizome

psoralea peony root bark

1. Herbal prescriptions for bleeding gums

Heat in stomach and intestines


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The bleeding is heavy and bright red in color, othersymptoms may include swollen and sore gums, thirst thatprefers cold drinks, bad breath, constipation, and yellowurine. A red tongue covered by yellow and thick coating, thepulse is surge and rapid. The remedy should aim to clearstomach and purging fire.

Sample prescription: Clear Stomach Powder plushoneysuckle flower and dandelion

Virtual fire in stomach

A mild gum bleeding, accompanied with swollen, pocketformation or recession of the gums, and mild toothache.There may also be thirst, mouth dryness, a red tonguewithout coating, and the pulse is thready and rapid. Theremedy should aim to clear and purge stomach fire, andnourish stomach.

Sample prescription: Sweet Dew Drink plus cattail pollen

Virtual fire in kidneys

A mild bleeding that can be seen as a red line of blood inthe gum line, accompanied with loose and shaky teeth,receding gums, sensitive teeth, dizziness, ear ringing,lumbar soreness and knee weakness. The tongue is redand tender and with little coating, and the pulse is threadyand rapid. The remedy should aim to nourish kidneys andsubdue minister-fire.

Sample prescription: Rehmannia Pill Plus Anemarrhena andCorktree Bark, plus achyranthes root and psoralea

Spleen deficiency

The gums bleed easily when brushing or sucking,accompanied with paleness of the gums, pale complexion,breath shortness, feeble voice, no appetite and loosebowels. The tongue is pale and bulky, and the pulse is weakand thready. The remedy should aim to invigorate spleen,replenish qi and restore its ability to astringent blood.

Sample prescription: Restore the Spleen Decoction plushairyvein agrimonia herb and oriental arborvitae leafy-twig

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2. Mouth washes for bleeding gums


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Honeysuckle flower andliquorice root

TCM has a long history of using mouth washes for oral andthroat diseases, some early applications can be found infamous TCM classics. Prescriptions Worth a ThousandGold for Emergencies (wrote by Sun Simiao in 581-682AD)states: mouth washes that made by bamboo shavings andvinegar, or Manchurian wildginger and liquorice root canreduce gum bleeding; salty pine needle solution can relieveswollen and painful gums; while solution that made byrehmannia root, pubescent angelica root and wine can treatloose teeth and sore gums. Compendium of Materia Medica(wrote by Li Shizhen in 1578AD) states: solution that madeby Dahurian angelica root and medicinal evodia fruits canrelieve acute toothache; and Dahurian angelica root andSichuan lovage rhizome solution can reduce bad breath.Since mouth rinsing remedies work on the localized lesions,individuals can sometimes attain a faster and more directresult than drinking decoctions. They can also avoidunnecessary drug stimulations to the gastrointestinal tract.In TCM, mouth washes are usually prescribed for conditionslike pharyngitis, tonsillitis, periodontitis, toothache andmouth sores.

During practice, physicians will prescribe specificallyaccording to individual conditions. The solution is usuallygargled in the mouth for 1 to 2 minutes each time. There isno need to rinse with water afterwards, and remember notto eat immediately. Do this 3 to 5 times a day. Some herbalpreparations that are suitable for making mouth washes forbleeding gums are:

Humifuse euphorbia herb (di jincao, 12g), wolfberry root-bark(15g) and rehmannia root (15g);

Common scouring rush herb (muzei, 30g); and yerbadetajo herb(60g);

Psoralea (30g);

Gypsum (30g), Amur corktreebark (15g), gallnet of Chinesesumac (15g) and black catechu(6g);

Honeysuckle flower (15g) andliquorice root (15g);

Manchurian wildginger (3g),Sichuan pepper (10g) andbugbane rhizome (10g).


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The herbs are boiled with 500ml water for 20 minutes, andthen use the solution to rinse the mouth daily.

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3. Home care advice for bleeding gums

Prevention is better than cure. Your life habits and diet havean enormous effect on the overall condition of your gums. Itis advised to maintain a balanced lifestyle with ample sleep,adequate nutrition and regular exercise. Healthy oralhygiene habits include:

Drink water after eating to wash away the food residueand make it less likely to buildup plaque on the teeth.

Quit smoking and eliminate snacks between meals, sincethese are common risk factors for the development ofgum disease.

Reduce stress, a stressful body results in fluctuatedhormonal levels and thus increase sensitivity of the gums.

Eat plenty of fresh vegetables and fruits.

A simple and bland diet. Over consumption of alcohol andfoods that are heavily spicy, greasy and hard not onlydamage the gums directly, they also bring about heatpathogens which accumulate in the stomach andintestines. The heat pathogens will then irritate the gumsthrough the meridians.

There is an ancient way for promoting teeth and gumshealth, in the morning and night before brushing teeth, useyour brush or fingers to rub the gums for 2-3 minutes,followed by knocking against the upper jaw and lower jawfor 30-50 times. These will help the blood circulation in thetooth bed and to firm the teeth.

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bleeding gums and chinese medicine

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