Rhinitis Study Finds Yu Ping Feng Wan with Western Treatment Far Superior to Western Treatment Alone

The entire range of allergy and immune related conditions are generally well treated within Chinese Medicine and rhinitis would certainly be among those issues that are commonly treated.

Treatment for rhinitis is often a combination of acupuncture with various Chinese herbal formulas - most notably bi yan wan (literally "nose relief" pills) and yu ping feng wan (literally "jade defender" pills).  There are multiple other options depending on the underlying TCM diagnosis, so proper consultation is always important for the best clinical results.

In a recent study Chinese researchers evaluated the effect of combining the Chinese Herbal Formula Yu Ping Feng Wan with the commonly used western medicine cetirizine (an antihistamine).  They recruited 76 patients over the course of a year that were in the hospital for allergic rhinitis.  They treated one group with a combination approach (herbs and western medications) and a control group with just western medications.

Post treatment looking the obvious effective rate and total effective rate responses showed extremely significant positive changes in the herb/drug combination group compared to the drug alone.  

Yu Ping Feng Wan w/Cetirizine - 84.09%, 95.45%

Cetirizine alone - 46.87%, 56.25%

From the data adding in the herbal formula nearly doubled the response rate.

There are other formulas, such as te xiao bi min gan wan which studies have shown have some antihistamine affects so other studies should be done to see if a full herbal approach may be superior as the herbal formulas tend to have a broader systemic reach than western drugs (in general terms).