Edema is a very prevalent condition in the western world where several millions of people are affected every year with the condition. Though the disease has been in the world since time immemorial, an effective treatment of the disorder has been developed only recently. The bigger problem with edema is that the person does not realize when the condition is beginning to set within his or her body. In most cases there is negligence of the issue, which becomes more complicated as the time passes by. It is extremely necessary to treat edema at the earliest, for that is when the treatment is most effective.

Essentials for TCM Diagnosis 
(1) Edema usually begins from eyelids or lower limbs, and then spreads to four limbs and the entire body. In mild cases, there may be light swelling around the eyelids or in the tibia while in severe cases, generalized swelling, abdominal fullness and enlargement, asthmatic breathing with inability to lie supine may be present. In even more severe cases, retention of urine, nausea, vomiting, foul breath, nasal bleeding, atrophy of the gum or even headache, convulsion, coma and delirium may occur.

(2) The patient may have a history of tonsillitis, palpitation, septicemia or purpura, or invalidism.

(3) Urine routine examination, 24-hour quantitative determination of urinary protein, blood routine examination, determination of blood sedimentation rate, plasma albumin, creatinine, urea nitrogen in blood and humoral immunity, as well as electrocardiography, cardiac functional test and B-type ultrasonic examination for the kidneys are the necessary means in the diagnosis of edema.