Understanding Epilepsy — Causes and Herbal Treatments in Traditional Chinese Medicine

Epilepsy is a group of clinical syndromes characterized by temporary abnormal brain function. It is generally classified into primary epilepsy and secondary epilepsy.

Typical episodes share three main features: intermittent, brief, and stereotyped in nature — often presenting as sudden fainting, foaming at the mouth, limb convulsions, brief loss of consciousness, and spontaneous recovery, with recurrent attacks. Clinically, epilepsy manifests in four forms: grand mal (generalized tonic-clonic seizures), petit mal (absence seizures), focal seizures, and psychomotor seizures.

In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), epilepsy is known as “Xian Bing” (癫痫病). Its pathogenesis is believed to stem from various causes — hereditary weakness, sudden fright or emotional trauma, emotional imbalance, irregular diet, or secondary effects from brain or systemic diseases. These factors lead to the accumulation of phlegm, cold-phlegm, heat-phlegm, or blood stasis, which obstruct the brain’s “clear orifices” and disturb the spirit (Shen). Among these, phlegm blockage is considered the most critical pathogenic factor.

Clinical Case Study

A 16-year-old girl experienced a sudden epileptic seizure while sitting at lunch one afternoon. The episode lasted about three minutes. Her parents reported she had also been experiencing frequent dizziness, mild depression, introversion, and reluctance to speak. She had no family history of neurological or genetic disorders.

When the patient first visited in May 2025, her complexion appeared extremely pale — a sign of cold-damp accumulation manifesting on the surface. Further inquiry revealed that her parents were divorced, and she had been living in a boarding environment, receiving little emotional support from her family.

From a TCM perspective, dampness originates from the heart’s “coldness” — emotional suppression and imbalance. Over time, this coldness transforms into phlegm, which, when stagnant in the body, can eventually turn into cold-phlegm or heat-phlegm, blocking circulation and leading to various illnesses. Another contributing factor was irregular eating habits and poor digestion, resulting in spleen deficiency and an inability to metabolize fluids properly, further compounding dampness and phlegm accumulation.

The doctor emphasized the importance of caring for the child’s mental and emotional health and providing proper psychological support. Once diagnosed, parents should seek timely medical treatment and avoid increasing the child’s psychological burden.

Herbal Prescription

Ingredients:

• Uncaria (Gou Teng) – 50g

• Abalone Shell (Shi Jue Ming) – 50g

• Mother of Pearl (Zhen Zhu Mu) – 15g

• Acorus (Shi Chang Pu) – 10g

• Bitter Orange (Zhi Shi) – 50g

• Poria (Fu Ling) – 80g

• Arisaema (Dan Nan Xing) – 25g

• Bamboo Yellow (Tian Zhu Huang) – 25g

• Gardenia (Zhi Zi) – 25g

• Plus additional complementary herbs

Preparation & Dosage:Grind all ingredients into a fine powder. Take 2 grams per dose, three times daily, one hour before meals, with warm water.

After a course of treatment, the girl’s seizures completely stopped. Previously, she had difficulty taking other herbal formulas due to their bitterness, but this customized prescription was well-tolerated and effective.

Western medical evaluation suggested possible neurological issues, yet both brain scans and EEG results came back normal.

Final Advice

Herbal medicine should always be taken under the guidance of a qualified TCM practitioner. Each herb possesses unique properties — warm or cool, sweet or bitter, toxic or non-toxic — and must be carefully selected and balanced according to individual conditions.

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