Blood vacuity manifesting in signs of dryness. Blood dryness may occur when essence-blood is depleted in old age or when nutritional disturbances or static blood binding internally reduce the nutritive power of the blood. Blood dryness is characterized by emaciation, rough dry skin (encrusted skin), brittle nails, dry lusterless hair, hard stool, and dry tongue. Itchy and scaling skin, occurring either alone or with the above signs, is known as blood dryness engendering wind or blood vacuity engendering wind.
Medicinal therapy: Nourish the blood and moisten dryness with dried/fresh rehmannia (Rehmanniae Radix, 生地黄shēng dì huáng), cooked rehmannia (Rehmanniae Radix Praeparata, 熟地黄shú dì huáng), flowery knotweed (Polygoni Multiflori Radix, 何首乌hé shǒu wū), Chinese angelica (Angelicae Sinensis Radix, 当归dāng guī), salvia (Salviae Miltiorrhizae Radix, 丹参dān shēn), white peony (Paeoniae Radix Alba, 白芍药bái sháo yào), lycium berry (Lycii Fructus, 枸杞子gǒu qǐ zǐ), arborvitae seed (Platycladi Semen, 柏子仁bǎi zǐ rén), black sesame (Sesami Semen Nigrum, 黑脂麻hēi zhī má), etc. Blood-nourishing dryness-moistening formulas include Dryness-Enriching Provisioning-Nourishing Decoction (滋燥养营汤zī zào yǎng yíng tāng).
Acumoxatherapy: Base treatment mainly on ST, SP, LR and KI. Select ST-36 (Leg Three Lǐ, 足三里 zú sān lǐ), LR-3 (Supreme Surge, 太冲 tài chōng), SP-6 (Three Yīn Intersection, 三阴交 sān yīn jiāo), KI-3 (Great Ravine, 太溪 tài xī), KI-6 (Shining Sea, 照海 zhào hǎi), BL-20 (Spleen Transport, 脾俞 pí shù), and BL-17 (Diaphragm Transport, 膈俞 gé shù); needle with supplementation. For blood dryness engendering wind, add SP-10 (Sea of Blood, 血海 xuè hǎi), GB-31 (Wind Market, 风巿 fēng shì), and LR-8 (Spring at the Bend, 曲泉 qū quán), needling these points with drainage.