Skin burns (烧伤) | TCM Skin Compendium

Understanding Skin burns

The tradition describes a burn as a direct invasion of external fire toxin that scorches the skin and penetrates deeper into the body.

In the acute phase the injury is a fierce excess of Heat: redness, swelling, heat, pain and blistering, with fever, thirst and scanty dark urine in severe cases. Toxic-Heat is the acute pattern.

Once the acute heat subsides the picture changes. Empty-Heat from Yin deficiency gives lingering low-grade heat, five-palm heat, night sweats and a dry mouth. Qi not controlling Blood gives burn wounds that ooze and bleed easily with pallor, fatigue and breathlessness.

Qi and Yin deficiency gives persistent fatigue, poor appetite, dry mouth and warmth in the palms and soles. Spleen Yang deficiency gives dull abdominal pain better with warmth, cold hands and feet and loose watery stools. The classical literature treats this transition as the reason burn recovery needs a different approach from the initial injury.

Because the damage moves in stages, the same wound can show a different picture on day one and on day twenty. Three organs are drawn into the disturbance: the Heart, which rules the Blood and holds the Shen; the Liver, which stores Blood; and the Kidneys, where the body's cooling fluids originate. A deep or extensive burn can drain so much fluid that the Spleen loses its grip on the Blood inside the vessels, giving pale oozing surfaces and heavy tiredness. In the longest cases both Qi and Yin run down, and in the rarest the warming Yang of the Spleen is spent as well, leaving internal Cold and a collapsed digestion.

This is also why a burn is never read as a still photograph. Fire toxin is greedy for fluid, and the drying it leaves behind is what turns an acute excess into a lingering deficiency, so the practitioner keeps asking whether the wound is still hot and angry or has become quiet, weepy and slow. The answer decides whether the next formula should cool and drain or build and moisten, and it can change within a week of the injury.

Conventional view

Conventional care begins with the wound itself: how deep it goes, how much surface it covers, and where it sits. Superficial redness that is painful is treated differently from blistering, and both differ from a white, charred or painless area, which signals a deep injury. Fluid replacement, cooling, dressings and pain relief follow from that assessment, and burns to the face, hands, feet, genitals or across a joint are referred on because scarring and function are at stake.

Standard management also watches for the complications that make burns dangerous. Infection is the main threat once the skin barrier is gone, so dressings are kept clean and antibiotics are used when infection appears; large burns can lose enough fluid to cause shock, and smoke inhalation can damage the airway even when the skin looks minor. Chemical and electrical burns are assessed more cautiously than their surface appearance suggests, and very young children, older adults and people with weakened immunity are reviewed early.

Where conventional treatment stops short is the longer aftermath. Dressings close the wound, but the dryness, fatigue and slow healing that follow are not addressed by them, and painkillers and antibiotics carry their own limits. The conventional model also treats every burn by depth and area alone, without distinguishing the blazing heat of the first days from the cold depletion of a late recovery, which is exactly the distinction TCM uses to decide whether to cool or to build.

Selected PubMed records

Real PubMed records for the conventional discussion above, selected by condition name and title relevance. They are references, not a claim that any treatment is proven for this condition.

The terminology of skin disorders. Primary Care, 2000. PMID: 10815043.

How it connects

Burns and abscesses often appear together because the fire toxin that scorches the skin can also create local stagnation of Qi and Blood, which turns into pus and forms an abscess; in TCM this is a progression of the Toxic-Heat pattern, where Heat accumulates and causes tissue to rot. When burns are deep or extensive, the fire toxin can penetrate inward, disturbing the Heart spirit and causing high fever with delirium, a serious complication needing urgent cooling of the Blood. Persistent oozing or bleeding from burn wounds often signals the Qi not controlling Blood pattern, where the body's holding power is too weak to contain fluids, and anxiety frequently co-occurs because the trauma and pain unsettle the Heart Shen while Qi and Yin depletion leaves the spirit restless. These conditions cluster because they share one root. Where fire toxin has burnt into the tissue, the same stagnation of Qi and Blood can turn into pus, so an abscess may form beside a burn; when the toxin travels further in it can disturb the Heart spirit and produce high fever with delirium, which is an emergency rather than a pattern to treat at home. Oozing that will not stop belongs with the failure of Qi to hold Blood, and the fear and pain of the injury unsettle the Shen, which is why anxiety so often runs alongside.

How it is assessed

Depth and area come first; the pattern describes the constitutional response.

What a practitioner looks for

Depth: superficial redness with pain is first degree; blistering is deeper; white or charred and painless is deep and urgent.
Area: large burns risk fluid loss and shock.
Site: face, hands, feet, genitals and joints need specialist review.
Constitutional signs: fever and thirst indicate active heat; fatigue and oozing indicate depletion.

Timing is the first dividing line in the consultation, because a burn that is hours old behaves quite differently from one that is three weeks old. In the first day or two the practitioner expects heat at its height, so a bright red, swollen and exquisitely tender area, a feverish feeling, a red tongue with a yellow coat and a rapid, forceful pulse all belong to one acute picture and call for cooling rather than tonifying.

Once the first days pass the questions turn to fluid. A wound that stays warm while the person reports a low fever, a dry mouth, a red tongue with almost no coat, and a pulse that is thin and quick shows that Yin has been burnt away and empty heat remains; strong clearing at this point would only dry the body further. Where fluid loss has been large, the practitioner looks instead for pallor, breathlessness, bruising and oozing that will not stop, with a pale tongue and a weak thready pulse.

The recovery phase brings its own signs. Poor appetite, a bloated feeling, listlessness, a tongue that is red with very little coat and a pulse that is both thready and fast point to a double depletion of Qi and Yin that has to be rebuilt slowly. In the severest or most drawn-out cases the warming fire itself gives out, and the person feels cold in the limbs and abdomen, with a puffy pale tongue showing teeth marks and a deep, slow pulse. Because burns can also hide infection, spreading redness, pus, confusion or cold extremities always go to medical care before any pattern is discussed.

TCM patterns in Skin burns

Pattern differentiation in burns follows the injury's own timeline rather than a fixed list. The practitioner asks how old the burn is, what the wound looks like, and what the rest of the body is doing. In the first 48 hours almost everyone fits the Toxic-Heat picture. After that the useful question is whether heat remains or whether dryness has taken over, since depleted Yin gives a quiet wound, a dry mouth and a thin rapid pulse. Fluid loss is a third thread: when the Spleen can no longer hold Blood inside the vessels the wound oozes and will not dry, the face looks pale and the pulse loses force, which is deficiency of Qi and not leftover heat. Long recovery deepens into Qi and Yin together, and in the rare severe case the Spleen's Yang fails, leaving cold limbs and a puffy pale tongue. Mixed pictures are common, so the dominant feature sets the first prescription.

Comparing the TCM patterns in Skin burns
Pattern	Key signs	The itch	Tongue	Main formula
Toxic-Heat	High fever or burning sensation; Red swollen hot extremely painful burn site	Not specified	Body: Red, often with raised red pointsCoat: Yellow, dry, sometimes thick	Not specified
Empty-Heat caused by Yin Deficiency	Dry mouth and throat	Not specified	Body: Red, thin and dry, often crackedCoat: Little or none; the tongue may look peeled	Not specified
Qi not controlling Blood	Burn wounds that ooze and bleed easily	Not specified	Body: Pale and puffy with teeth marksCoat: Thin white	Not specified
Qi and Yin Deficiency	Dry mouth and throat	Not specified	Body: Red or pale-red, thin and dry, possibly crackedCoat: Thin or absent	Not specified
Spleen Yang Deficiency	Dull abdominal pain better with warmth and pressure	Not specified	Body: Pale, puffy and tender with teeth marksCoat: White and slippery	Not specified

Toxic-Heat

The acute burn with fever, redness, swelling and thirst.

A burn is fire toxin arriving from outside, so the first pattern is simply that toxin at full strength. It scorches the tissue where it lands, producing redness, swelling, heat and sharp pain, and then sinks inward to the Qi and Blood levels. Once it is there the whole body reacts: fever, a raging thirst, restlessness and dark scanty urine are the signs of the body's Qi trying to fight something far stronger than itself.

The tongue is red with raised red thorns and a dry yellow coat, and the pulse is rapid and forceful, full or overflowing. Heat, sun, spicy and fried food, alcohol, coffee and anger all make it worse, while a cool compress on the burn, cool drinks, a quiet cool room and mung bean soup or chrysanthemum tea ease it. Huang Lian Jie Du Tang is the core formula for draining fire and resolving toxin, supported by Huang Lian, Huang Qin, Jin Yin Hua and Zhi Zi, and by LI-4 Hegu, LI-11 Quchi, LR-3 Taichong and SP-10 Xuehai, the last of which may be reduced or bled.

Signs

High fever or burning sensation
Red swollen hot extremely painful burn site
Intense thirst for cold drinks
Dark scanty urine with restlessness

HerbsJin Yin Hua Lian Qiao Huang Lian Huang Qin Pu Gong Ying Zi Hua Di Ding

Diet and lifestyle for this pattern: Keep the burn clean and cool, and avoid greasy, spicy or fried food that adds internal Heat. Drink plenty of room-temperature water or mild cooling teas such as chrysanthemum or mung bean soup, rest in a calm cool environment, and avoid alcohol completely until the acute Heat subsides.

Empty-Heat caused by Yin Deficiency

The aftermath: lingering heat with night sweats.

Fire devours fluid, so a burn of several days leaves the body short of the cooling, moistening part of itself. With less Yin to balance it, the remaining heat needs no fresh source; it drifts, producing a warmth that lingers after the wound has been dressed, a dry mouth and throat that is worst in the evening, night sweats, warmth in the palms and soles and across the chest, flushed cheekbones and restless irritability.

The tongue is red, thin and cracked with little or no coating, and the pulse is fine and rapid. Spicy and fried food, overwork, late nights and anger consume more Yin, while rest, sleep, cool humid air and moistening food rebuild it. Yu Nu Jian is chosen to nourish the Yin of the Stomach and clear the empty heat, and Zhi Bai Di Huang Wan to nourish Kidney Yin more deeply; Shu Di Huang and Zhi Mu carry the work, and the points are KI-3 Taixi, SP-6 Sanyinjiao, KI-6 Zhaohai and BL-23 Shenshu.

Signs

Lingering low-grade fever or heat sensation
Heat in palms, soles and chest
Night sweats
Dry mouth and throat

HerbsShu Di Huang Zhi Mu Huang Qi Tian Men Dong Gui Ban Qing Hao

Diet and lifestyle for this pattern: Prioritise rest, especially at night, since sleep is when the body recovers Yin. Eat cooling, moistening food such as pear, watermelon, cucumber and mung bean soup, and avoid spicy, fried and overly hot food that consumes fluids and stirs empty heat.

Qi not controlling Blood

Burn wounds that ooze and bleed easily with pallor.

A large burn loses fluid and Qi at once. The Spleen is the organ that keeps Blood inside its vessels, and once it is too weak for that job the wound keeps oozing and bleeding, bruises appear without a knock, and the person is left pale, breathless and profoundly tired. This is a failure of holding power rather than an excess of heat, so the surface looks quiet and weepy instead of angry.

The tongue is pale and puffy with teeth marks and a thin white coat, and the pulse is fine and weak, especially at the right middle position. Overwork, cold and raw food, iced drinks and heavy worry all weaken the Spleen further, while rest, warm digestible food and gentle walking support it. Gui Pi Tang tonifies Spleen Qi and Blood so that Blood stays in the vessels, helped by Huang Qi and Dang Gui, and by REN-6 Qihai, ST-36 Zusanli and BL-20 Pishu.

Signs

Burn wounds that ooze and bleed easily
Pale sallow complexion and lips
Extreme fatigue and shortness of breath
Poor appetite with loose stools
Easy bruising

HerbsHuang Qi Ren Shen Bai Zhu Dang Gui Gan Cao Sheng Ma

Diet and lifestyle for this pattern: Eat warm, easy food such as congee, soups and stewed meat to support Spleen Qi, and avoid raw, cold and greasy food that further weakens digestion. Rest is crucial, so avoid heavy exertion until strength returns.

Qi and Yin Deficiency

Persistent fatigue with dryness after the acute phase.

After a severe burn two things are gone at once: the heat has used up the fluids, and the long recovery has used up the energy. The result is a wound that heals slowly while the person feels persistently weak, has little appetite and feels bloated after eating, keeps a dry mouth and throat without much wish to drink, and notices warmth in the palms and soles.

The tongue is red or pale-red, thin or bare, dry and possibly cracked, and the pulse is fine, weak and often quick. Overwork, stress, spicy and drying food and hot dry rooms set recovery back; rest, gentle warmth, warm digestible food and moderate walking move it forward. Yi Wei Tang nourishes Stomach Yin and boosts Qi while Sheng Mai San restores Qi and fluid together, with Ren Shen, Mai Dong and Wu Wei Zi, and ST-36 Zusanli, BL-20 Pishu, BL-23 Shenshu and REN-12 Zhongwan carry the treatment.

Signs

Persistent fatigue and weakness
Poor appetite with abdominal bloating
Dry mouth and throat
Warm palms and soles

HerbsRen Shen Tian Men Dong Wu Wei Zi Huang Qi Xi Yang Shen Shu Di Huang

Diet and lifestyle for this pattern: Eat warm, easy food such as congee with Chinese yam and goji berries, and keep meals small and frequent so energy rebuilds without straining digestion. Gentle rest and short walks help, while overexertion and spicy, drying food work against recovery.

Spleen Yang Deficiency

Dull abdominal pain and cold limbs during recovery.

When a burn has been severe or the recovery very long, the warming side of the Spleen can be spent as well. The digestive fire dims, internal Cold settles in, fluids are no longer transformed properly and the wound heals very slowly. This is a late complication: the fire toxin has gone, and what remains is a cold, bloated, depleted system with a dull abdominal pain that eases when heat is applied.

The tongue looks pale, swollen and tender, edged with the marks of the teeth, and the pulse is deep, slow and weak, especially at the right Guan position. Cold food, iced drinks, drafts and cold weather worsen it, while warmth, rest and warm cooked food revive it. Fu Zi Li Zhong Tang warms the middle burner and disperses Cold, with Zhi Fu Zi, Gan Jiang and Ren Shen, and ST-36 Zusanli, BL-20 Pishu, DU-4 Mingmen and BL-23 Shenshu are used, commonly with moxibustion.

Signs

Dull abdominal pain better with warmth and pressure
Cold hands and feet
Loose watery stools with undigested food
Fatigue with pale complexion

HerbsGan Jiang Lai Fu Zi Bai Zhu Dang Shen Fu Ling Rou Gui

Diet and lifestyle for this pattern: Eat only warm, cooked, easy food such as congee, soups and stews, and avoid all raw, cold or iced items. Keep the abdomen and feet warm, and rest as much as possible to conserve Qi and Yang.

Treatment approach

How the tradition treats skin burns, with the herbs, formulas and points used for it.

Principles

Get medical assessment for depth, area and site; burns are injuries before they are patterns.
Clear heat and cool the Blood in the acute phase and replace fluids.
Protect the raw surface and prevent infection.
After the acute phase, support Qi and Yin and warm the Spleen where recovery is slow.
In practice the sequence matters more than the individual herbs: clear and drain while fire toxin is still active, then protect Yin and warm the Spleen once the wound has gone quiet, because a formula that suits day one can be too cold by day ten. Points are chosen away from the wound, and the tongue, pulse and wound surface are rechecked at each visit to decide when the change of direction is due.

Herbs used

Formulas

Acupoints

What to expect

Superficial burns heal within one to two weeks with cooling and dressing.
Deeper burns take weeks and may scar.
Fatigue and dryness can persist for weeks after healing, which is the recovery pattern.
Pain and redness usually settle over the first days while energy returns over weeks, and the rate depends on depth, area and where the burn sits. Expect the pattern to shift at least once, from a hot angry wound to a dry quiet one, and expect a long recovery to need months of gentle building rather than a short course. Fluctuation with overwork, cold weather or a missed night of sleep is normal, so treatment is adjusted rather than abandoned.

Safety and when to get help

Seek medical help urgently for

Burns that are deep, larger than about 8 cm, or involve the face, hands, feet, genitals or major joints.
Burns that are white, charred or painless - these may be deep.
Electrical or chemical burns, or burns with inhalation injury and any breathing difficulty.

For anything severe, sudden or spreading quickly, read when a skin problem needs urgent care.

Cautions

Do not apply ice directly or butter or toothpaste to a burn.
Do not burst blisters.
Severe burns need fluids and specialist care, not home treatment.

Using this alongside conventional care

This page is complementary: medical burn care continues, and herbs are used only with medical agreement, since raw surfaces and infection risk make unsupervised topical herbs unsafe.
Herbs sit alongside dressings, antibiotics, fluids and pain relief, never in place of them, and the treating team should know about every herb before it is started. Herbs that invigorate Blood, among them Dang Gui, Chuan Xiong and Tao Ren, can raise bleeding risk and are usually paused before surgery or used cautiously with anticoagulants, and strongly cooling herbs may interact with diuretics or affect blood pressure. Sedating herbs deserve care alongside painkillers that cause drowsiness. Nothing prescribed is stopped abruptly; any reduction is planned with the treating doctors.

Diet and lifestyle

In the acute phase favour cooling hydrating foods and plenty of fluids, and avoid alcohol and spicy food.
The general rule is to keep the digestion light and the fluids up, then tilt the diet with the pattern. In the acute heat stage the emphasis is cooling and hydrating: mung bean soup, watermelon, cucumber, pear and chrysanthemum tea, with spicy, fried and greasy food, alcohol and coffee left out because they add heat. As the wound closes, shift to rice congee, soups, steamed greens and modest portions of lean protein to rebuild Qi and Blood. Where coldness and depletion dominate, add ginger, cinnamon and well cooked grains and avoid all raw, cold and iced food; where dryness dominates, return to pear, watermelon and mung bean soup. Eating slowly and not overfilling the stomach matters throughout, since a strained digestion cannot build the tissue the burn needs.

If you're pregnant

Pregnancy directs Blood and Yin towards the growing baby, so a burn is more likely to tip a woman into a dry Yin-deficient picture than it would otherwise. Herbs that strongly clear heat and move Blood, such as Da Huang and Tao Ren, are avoided, since they can put the pregnancy at risk, and milder choices such as Jin Yin Hua and Sheng Di Huang are preferred. Acupuncture is often the first option, particularly in the first trimester, and points on the lower abdomen, together with LI-4 Hegu and SP-6 Sanyinjiao, are used cautiously or left out. Any treatment is agreed with the obstetric team.

If you're breastfeeding

Bitter-cold herbs, Huang Lian and Huang Qin among them, can pass into breast milk and may cause loose stools or digestive upset in a baby, so they are used sparingly or replaced. Milder heat-clearing herbs such as Jin Yin Hua or Zhi Zi are favoured, and external washes and ointments are used where they help, with sterile technique. Acupuncture does not affect milk supply and is a good choice during lactation. Fluid intake matters twice over here, for milk production and for replacing what the burn has lost, which fits the aim of restoring Yin and Body Fluids.

If treating a child

Children have thin skin and a small fluid reserve, so a burn can move quickly from Toxic-Heat to a Qi and Yin Deficiency picture, and a weak Spleen means Spleen Qi not controlling Blood or Spleen Yang Deficiency may appear earlier than in adults. Doses are reduced to roughly a quarter to a half of the adult amount by age and weight, and cold or pungent herbs are kept light so the developing digestion is not damaged. Cooling compresses and mild ointments do most of the work, and needling is reserved for older children and kept very shallow.

If treating an elderly patient

In older people a burn tends to start from deficiency, because ageing already draws down Kidney Yin, Kidney Yang and the Qi of the Spleen. Spleen Yang Deficiency, with cold limbs and poor digestion, is common and slows healing. Gentle tonics such as a modified Sheng Mai San, or a mild warming formula such as Li Zhong Tang, suit better than harsh heat-clearing agents that would weaken the body further. Doses are lower, interactions with a long medication list are checked carefully, and acupuncture supports Qi and circulation without adding drug burden; recovery usually takes longer.

Urgent-sign guidance is based on standard sources: NHS anaphylaxis, NHS cellulitis, NHS Stevens-Johnson syndrome, NHS melanoma.

Related conditions

Conditions that often coexist with skin burns or share its patterns.

Evidence

Limited studies

Evidence status

Compiled for this page from the classical and modern literature; not a systematic review, so treat it as a pointer to sources rather than clinical guidance.

The evidence is consensus-based and supportive rather than curative. A national expert consensus sets out pattern differentiation for burn shock and recommends formulas such as Sheng Mai San to be used alongside standard emergency care, and a review of herbal treatment for burns describes anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial and wound-healing properties for herbs including Huang Lian and Jin Yin Hua while noting that large trials are lacking. Burns of any depth need proper medical care; herbs are adjunctive at most.

Two documents carry most of the weight here. The 2025 expert consensus on herbal adjuvant treatment of burn shock sets out pattern differentiation for shock and names formulas such as Sheng Mai San and also Fu Zi Li Zhong Tang, to be added to standard emergency care rather than substituted for it. A 2014 review by Chen Z and colleagues covers ointments, decoctions and acupuncture, and describes anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial and wound-healing activity for Huang Lian and Jin Yin Hua while noting the shortage of large trials. Studies of needling for burn pain and anxiety report modest benefit in small samples, and much of the work appears only in Chinese-language journals, so the overall picture is supportive and adjunctive.

Studies often cited

Expert consensus on herbal adjuvant treatment of burn shock

A national consensus outlines pattern differentiation for burn shock, including Toxic-Heat, Qi and Yin Deficiency and Spleen Yang Deficiency, with formulas such as Sheng Mai San and Fu Zi Li Zhong Tang plus acupuncture, to be used alongside standard emergency care. The consensus sets out pattern differentiation for burn shock, including Toxic-Heat, Qi and Yin deficiency and Spleen Yang deficiency, and recommends formulas such as Sheng Mai San and Fu Zi Li Zhong Tang with acupuncture alongside standard emergency care. Chinese Burn Shock TCM Adjuvant Treatment Expert Consensus Group. Expert consensus on traditional Chinese medicine adjuvant treatment of burn shock. Guidelines Registry. 2025.

Review of herbal treatment for burns

The review covers external ointments, internal decoctions and acupuncture, highlights anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial and wound-healing properties for herbs such as Huang Lian and Jin Yin Hua, and notes that large-scale clinical trials are still lacking. Chen Z, et al. Chinese Journal of Integrated Traditional and Western Medicine in Intensive and Critical Care. 2014.

Classical record

Burn sores are caused by fire toxin entering the skin. In the early stage one should cool and resolve toxin; after a prolonged period one must tonify Qi and nourish Blood.
- Ming dynasty surgical text, as recorded in the classical literature source.

火烧疮，乃火毒入于皮肤，初起宜清凉解毒，久则当补气养血。

Burn sores are caused by fire toxin entering the skin. In the early stage one should cool and resolve the toxin; after a prolonged period one must tonify Qi and nourish Blood.
Wai Ke Zheng Zong (Orthodox Manual of External Medicine), Chapter on Burns - Classical citation; the translation is our own. The line sets out the staged treatment of burns, from clearing Heat at the outset to supporting recovery later.

Common questions

Can herbs treat a burn?

Not as a substitute for medical care. A burn needs assessment of depth and area; herbs may support recovery once the wound is being properly managed.

Should I put ice on a burn?

No. Cool running water for about 20 minutes is standard first aid; ice can worsen tissue damage.

Why am I so tired weeks after the burn?

The tradition describes this as Qi and Yin deficiency in the recovery phase, which needs building up rather than clearing.

Which burns need a hospital?

Deep, large or charred burns, and any burn to the face, hands, feet, genitals or joints, or from electricity or chemicals.

Can TCM ease the pain of a fresh burn?

It can help alongside first aid, not instead of it, so cooling the burn under running water comes first. After that a practitioner may use cooling herbs and points away from the wound, such as LI-4 Hegu and LI-11 Quchi, to reduce the throbbing and burning. Many people notice less pain within the first day of treatment, but a deep or large burn needs medical assessment before anything else.

Is acupuncture safe over burnt skin?

Needles are never placed in burnt tissue. Points are chosen on the limbs, back and abdomen so the channels feeding the area are treated without touching the wound, which lets the practitioner cool heat and calm pain safely. Where topical herbs are used at all, they are applied with sterile technique and only to wounds the treating team has cleared.

Can herbs prevent scarring?

No treatment can promise an unscarred result. TCM aims to clear any lingering heat and to nourish Qi and Blood so new skin and flesh form well, which may reduce redness and thickness, and blood-moving formulas used under supervision may soften a scar that has already formed. Beginning early and staying consistent matters more than any single remedy.

When should a practitioner be seen after a burn?

As soon as the burn has been assessed medically, and ideally within the first two days, when cooling herbs can still limit how far the fire toxin settles. Later the same practitioner can treat heat that lingers, fluid that has been lost and tiredness that will not lift, and even weeks after the injury can help a wound that is healing slowly.

Can TCM be combined with antibiotics or painkillers?

Usually yes, provided everyone knows what is being taken. Tell both the doctor and the practitioner about every medicine and herb, because blood-moving herbs such as Dang Gui can interact with anticoagulants and sedating herbs may add to the drowsiness of strong painkillers. The two teams can then coordinate timing and choice rather than working blind.

Will TCM help the fatigue that follows a burn?

This is one of the areas where it helps most. The tiredness that lasts for weeks is read as a depletion of Qi and Yin, or of Spleen Yang, and it is treated with formulas such as Sheng Mai San or Fu Zi Li Zhong Tang that rebuild energy, restore fluids and warm the digestion, supported by acupuncture and dietary change. Recovery is usually quicker than with rest alone.