With the holistic viewpoints and treatment offered upon differentiation of syndromes as the guidelines, internal therapies can be divided into ten therapeutic principles to relieve the exterior, dredge the interior, clear away heat, eliminate obstruction by warmth, expel phlegm, remove dampness, circulate qi, activate blood, promote healing with internal therapies, and promote tonification.For infectious diseases, based upon the pathological features in the different stages of tumefaction, suppuration, ulceration and healing, three general therapeutic principles of the dispersing, promoting and tonifying methods are also established.

Three General Therapeutic Principles  

The dispersing method is a general therapeutic principle to use different therapeutic principles and herbal formulas to obtain the goal for dispersing and eliminating the initial tumefaction and ulcer. This method is suitable for the initial stage of the tumefaction and ulcer and can be divided into the therapeutic principles to relieve the exterior, dredge the interior, clear away heat, eliminate obstruction by warmth, expel phlegm, remove dampness, circulate qi and activate blood, which can be used flexibly in accordance with different situations.

The promoting method is a general therapeutic principle to use the herbal drugs that can replenish qi and blood and promote suppuration, in order to support the anti-pathogenic ability and promote discharge of toxins for shrinking the base of tumefaction and ulcer to avoid side ulceration and collapse of the tumefaction. This method is suitable for the middle stage of the tumefaction and ulcer and can also be used to decide different therapeutic methods to support the anti-pathogenic ability in predominance or to expel the pathogenic factors in predominance in accordance with the actual conditions of the anti-pathogenic ability and pathogenic factors.

The tonifying method is a general therapeutic principle to use the tonifying methods and herbal drugs in order to support the anti-pathogenic ability, promote the growth of new flesh and promote healing. This method is suitable for the late stage of ulceration after the toxification is gone in those with insufficiency of the anti-pathogenic ability and difficulty in healing the wound.