Prescriptions with astringent effects refer to those mainly composed of astringents with restraining and consolidating functions, which are applied for treating syndrome of consumption or excessive loss of qi, blood, essence and body fluid.
   
This syndrome may have varied causes, different affected parts of the body and manifest respective characteristics. Thus, prescriptions with astringent effects may be accordingly classified as follows. They are prescriptions for consolidating superficies to arrest perspiration, those for consolidating the intestine to stop diarrhea, those for restraining emission or enuresis and those for relieving metrorrhagia and leukorrhagia.

Prescriptions for consolidating superficies to arrest perspiration mainly consist of drugs of astringing and arresting sweating and are suitable for spontaneous perspiration and night sweating due to superficial weakness and discharge of yin-fluid. Prescriptions for consolidating the intestine to stop diarrhea chiefly comprise astringents and antidiarrheals, and are fit for protracted diarrhea and dysentery due to yang deficiency of the spleen and kidney as well as failure of the large intestine to control defecation.

Prescriptions for restraining emission or enuresis are chiefly made up of drugs with the effects of storing essence and controlling urination and indicated in spermatorrhea and enuresis due to deficiency of the kidney and failing to control essence or dysfunction of the urinary bladder. Prescriptions for relieving metrorrhagia and leukorrhagia are composed of drugs for relieving metrorrhagia and leukorrhagia and fit for metrorrhagia and leukorrhagia due to deficiency of the thoroughfare vessel and conception vessel and disorder of belt vessel.

In the clinical application of this group of prescriptions, attention should be paid to preventing accumulation of pathogenic factors. They are contraindicated for perspiration due to febrile diseases, diarrhea or dysentery due to improper diet, nocturnal emission due to pathogenic fire or metrorrhagia due to blood heat. In case of deficiency complicated with excess, pure astringents are strictly forbidden. If necessary, drugs of eliminating pathogenic factor may be used simultaneously.