What are the causes and treatments for vitiligo?

Vitiligo is the name given to vitiligo in Chinese traditional medicine. Western medical scientists believe that the cause of vitiligo is extremely difficult to find, but our great ancestors summed it up well that vitiligo is caused by not paying attention to it in daily life. The disease of vitiligo has a great impact on people, affecting their normal life, normal work, and even their love life. So what does traditional Chinese medicine say about the causes and treatments of vitiligo?

Causes of vitiligo

It is caused by invasion of wind evil, disharmony of Qi and blood, and obstruction of blood vessels.

Pathogenesis of white spot wind

Emotional injury, liver qi stagnation, qi stagnation, wind evil, and skin; weak liver and kidney, or loss of sperm and blood, liver and kidney damage, resulting in liver and kidney deficiency, invasion of external evil, and skin stagnation; trauma, chemical burns, blood stasis in collaterals, pore occlusion, skin pore malnutrition, causing white spots

1. Internal treatment

① Liver depression and qi stagnation syndrome

Main symptoms: White spots are scattered and gradually appear, with an uncertain number; accompanied by irritability, chest and flank pain, restless sleep, and irregular menstruation; the tongue is normal or light red, the tongue coating is thin, and the pulse is stringy.

Treatment method: Soothe the liver and regulate qi, promote blood circulation and dispel wind.

Representative formula: Xiaoyao Powder plus or minus

② Liver and kidney deficiency syndrome

Main symptoms: More common in patients with physical weakness or family history; long medical history, clear boundaries of white spots, obvious depigmentation, hair inside the spots turning white, localized or widespread; accompanied by dizziness, tinnitus, insomnia, forgetfulness, soreness of waist and knees; red tongue with little coating, and weak pulse.

Treatment method: Nourish the liver and kidneys, nourish blood and dispel wind.

Representative prescription: Liuwei Dihuang Pills with modifications.

For those who suffer from fatigue and weakness, add Codonopsis pilosula and Atractylodes macrocephala; for those who suffer from deficiency of true yin, add donkey-hide gelatin.

③Qi and blood stasis syndrome

Main symptoms: Most cases involve trauma and a long medical history; the white spots are localized or diffuse, with clear borders and local tingling; the tongue is dark purple or has ecchymoses and petechiae, the tongue coating is thin white, and the pulse is sluggish.

Treatment method: Promote blood circulation, remove blood stasis, dredge meridians and activate collaterals.

Representative prescription: Tongqiao Huoxue Decoction with modifications.

If the disease occurs after trauma, add frankincense and myrrh; if there is local tingling, add roasted pangolin and angelica dahurica; if the disease occurs in the lower limbs, add Achyranthes bidentata; if the disease has been going on for a long time, add Sappan wood, Tribulus terrestris, and Psoralea corylifolia.

2. External treatment

① Apply 30% Psoralea corylifolia tincture externally, and at the same time combine it with sunlight exposure for 5 to 10 minutes, or ultraviolet light exposure for 2 to 3 minutes, once a day.

② Use rust water or white eggplant dipped in sulfur powder to rub the affected area once a day.