Treating Tinnitus with Chinese Herbal Medicine

 Long referred to simply as “ringing in the ears”, Tinnitus is the hearing of sounds and noises when none are actually present. Noises that persist – ringing, whooshing, hissing, rumbling, roaring, clicking, buzzing – may be Tinnitus. Western medicine has struggled to find ways to treat and manage tinnitus in the many Westerners suffering from it. There are currently no effective medications. Actually, pharmaceutical and prescription medications can induce the onset of tinnitus. If there is an underlying cause, prevention or treatment of the cause can improve and hopefully eliminate the noise. Wear ear plugs and take precautionary safety measures for your ears during prolonged exposure to loud sounds. We can also find treatment options and ongoing wisdom regarding tinnitus from the Traditional Chinese Medicine approach to health and wellness. In TCM, hearing and the ears are understood to be governed by the kidney-bladder network. There are four primary types of tinnitus known to Chinese medicine – two resulting from Excess and two resulting from Deficiency. Excess 1A is caused by a sudden onset of continual noise resulting from exposure to a loud sound, which can be accompanied by headache, flushed skin, constipation, irritability and insomnia. Excess 1B often manifests as intermittent ringing or noise in the ears and can be accompanied by the feeling of blockage or hearing impairment. Other symptoms that may present themselves include stuffiness & congestion, dizziness, nausea and difficulty passing fluids. The Deficiency types of tinnitus result from a gradual onset of symptoms. Deficiency 2A is gradually worsening tinnitus accompanied by symptoms of lack such as dizziness, worsened memory, weakness of the knees & joints and backache. Chinese herbalists explain this lack as being due to insufficient kidney Yin (essence) from the aging process, stress, the absence of proper nourishment & exercise. Deficiency 2B is defined by the Chinese doctors as a failure of clear qi to ascend, manifesting as intermittent tinnitus that gets better with rest and worse with stress. The holistic approach to treating tinnitus first recommends acupuncture that targets the kidney meridians and to a lesser degree the meridians of the liver and gallbladder. In the case of tinnitus resulting from Excess, there may be a bitter taste in the mouth and the tongue is red with even redder sides. In the case of tinnitus from Deficiency, the tongue is pale due to  Kidney-Yang deficiency or red due to Kidney-Yin deficiency. Treatment for Excess type 1A is Long Dan Xie Gan Wan / Snake and the Dragon, which can be modulated to treat tinnitus by adding Moutan, Ligustrum, and/or Eclipta. 1) Plum Flower – Snake and The Dragon Teapills – Long Dan Xie Gan Wan. 2) Long Dan Xie Gan Wan – Gentanae Teapill. Combine these (Type 1A) with: 3) An Shen Bu Xin Wan (Soothwell) 4) Plum Flower – An Shen Bu Xin Teapills (An Shen Bu Xin Wan) Excess type 1B may be remedied with Pinellia and Gastrodia combination (Banxia Baizhu Tianma Tang). Another remedy is with Bamboo and Hoelen (Wen Dan Wan) modulated to treat tinnitus by adding Pearl, Haliotis, and Uncaria. 1) Tian Ma Gou Teng Wan – Gastrodia and Uncaria Extract. 2) Wen Dan Wan, or Rising Courage Teapills  (Excess Type 1B) combined with: 3) Plum Flower – Tian Ma Gou Teng Teapills. The standard remedy for Kidney-Yin Deficiency type 2A is Rehmannia Six Formula (Liu Wei Di Huang Wan or Six Flavor Teapills) modulated to treat tinnitus by adding Magnetite and Schizandra. Liu Wei Di Huang Wan – Six Flavor Rehmanni. Plum Flower – Six Flavor Rehmannia (Liu Wei Di Huang Wan). Deficiency type 2B – failure of clear qi to ascend – is remedied with a Ginseng, Astragalus, and Pueraria combination (Yiqi Chongming Tang). 1) Plum Flower – Er Long Zuo Ci Wan. 2) Er Ming Zuo Ci Wan – Sensor Tea Extract. Let time-tested Chinese botanical mastery and our unparalleled sourcing process make your tinnitus treatment choices easy and just right for you. While there is no known Western cure for tinnitus, it’s important to remember that there are treatment options available from a larger vantage point of health & wellness. The Eastern practice of Traditional Chinese Medicine encompasses a deep understanding of health & vitality that can offer relief to the many sufferers of tinnitus in the West.