Chronic Hepatitis and "Blood Activating and Stasis Expelling" (BASE) Therapy

.
According to traditional Chinese medical (TCM) theory, the main pathogenesis of acute hepatitis is "dampness and heat", and for chronic hepatitis, it is "Qi stagnancy and blood stasis." 

In modern terms, it means that the blood circulation of body has been hindered and the poor circulation adversely affects the body.  So, the TCM treatment principle for acute hepatitis is to "expel the damp and cool the heat."  For chronic hepatitis, the principle is to use a  "Blood Activating and Stasis Expelling" method of treatment (BASE)

The indications for using BASE in chronic hepatitis include the following symptom patterns:

1. Right upper quadrant pain. According to TCM, localized pain and ache is a symptom of blood stagnancy and treatment should focus on improving blood circulation.

2. Grayish dark facial complexion, enlarged veins on the face, darkness of the tongue, liver palm, and spider moles. These are typical symptoms of poor blood circulation and stagnancy.

3. Enlarged liver and spleen, which is considered a type of harmful “accumulation” in TCM. These are also typical symptoms of poor blood circulation and stagnancy.

4. As a general rule, most chronic disease will cause poor blood circulation and stagnancy. Thus, BASE therapy should be major part of treatment.
 
Recently, modern radioisotopes blood flow studies found that in chronic hepatitis patients, the amount of blood flow going through the liver is noticeably decreased. In addition, high frequency electric resistance measurement of the speed of blood flow in the liver area found that the blood flow going through the liver in hepatitis patients is much slower compared to healthy people. These studies were conducted at Shanghai First Medical University and confirmed that blood stagnancy exists in chronic hepatitis.

Follow-up studies found that when a patient’s ALT and AST levels normalized as the result of treatment, circulation and speed of blood flow in the liver area also increased. These positive changes were much more visible when BASE herbal therapy was included in the treatment course. Additional studies in microcirculation found that the alignment of micro-capillaries in the tasting buds of the tongue, nail folders, and conjunctiva were also improved after BASE treatment.

BASE treatment is also a major therapy for liver fibrosis. In TCM, fibrosis is considered a sign of blood stagnancy in the liver. Especially in the advanced stages of fibrosis, such as stage 3 or 4, the Disse space (the sinusoid between liver cell and the blood flow) becomes capillarized. This will cause blockage in the nutritional and gas exchange in the liver and is the pathogenesis of blood stagnancy in liver fibrosis. BASE treatment can help contain the progression of the fibrosis and restore the functions of the liver.

These are the main reasons why BASE is essential in treating chronic hepatitis.