My very interesting experience with Isatis Cooling (Qing Dai)

Good News:
- Dramatic decrease in rectal bleeding within 2 days

Bad News:
- Dramatic increase in morning tenesmus and cramping

What could explain this? What to do?

I would be drinking slippery elm a few times a day to relieve inflammation and allow stool to pass more smoothly. That should allow time for the Isatis Cooling to do its thing (if it does work for you).

boris_badenof said...
I would be drinking slippery elm a few times a day to relieve inflammation and allow stool to pass more smoothly. That should allow time for the Isatis Cooling to do its thing (if it does work for you).

Good point! Maybe Isatis cooling is still doing its thing but I just need to get through the tenesmus for now but that will eventually go to? It's just odd to me that the bleeding has just about stopped but the tenesmus has increased....I can't understand how to interpret what this means and what is actually going on in the rectum and colon, you know? Because clearly there is some type of positive signs.

pmitra0123 said...
Really, you would? I feel like blood is like a "red flag" - I think not having bleeding is more important but obviously you want neither symptoms

To me, blood is a sign of mild inflammation. Tenemus is a sign of more severe inflammation. I'd worry that you are getting worse and the flare is spreading in extent or severity, as you under-treat it.

My flare is almost asymptomatic now apart from a tiny bit of B & M on the TP, so I thought I'd give this a try to finish it off, and took a 500mg capsule of Qing Dai powder yesterday. And I've had some cramping that felt like constipation - not really bad, but uncomfortable - and from reading the other thread, constipation seems to be a fairly common problem with Qing Dai. I'm going to drink a lot more water and halve my dosage today. Maybe you could try taking less of the Isatis?

pmitra0123 said...

boris_badenof said...
I don't know your diet or whether you are taking fiber? When I have flared in the past, I stop fiber, blend my low fiber food I have cooked to make porridge and use slippery elm powder which I drink to soothe my GI lining. This in itself doesn't get me out of a flare but halts its progression and stabilizes me. The trick then is to find what you need to get over the hump and in your case, it seems like the Chinese herbs might do it.

Slippery Elm is soluble fiber so if you are taking slippery elm, you are not stopping the fiber.

True, but to quote from the following article https://www.organicfacts.net/slippery-elm.html: The mucilage found in its bark is ideal for soothing the digestive tract and eliminating inflammation, primarily the type that causes Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS). There is also a significant amount of fibrous tissue found in the bark, which can help to bulk up the stool and eliminate issues like diarrhea. All in all, it is a full-service gastrointestinal cleaner and has been used as such for thousands of years.