Jian Pi Li Qi San Treatment of Forestomach Atony in 54 Cattle and Rumen Contractions, pH, Fermentation and Ciliate Numbers Before and After Treatment in 5 Affected Cattle.

Forestomach atony from simple indigestion was treated in 54 cattle with 2-4 daily doses of a Spleen-invigorating and Qi regulating Chinese herbal medicine, Jian Pi Li Qi San. The ingredients of Jian Pi Li Qi San included: 50-100 g each of Bai Zhu (Atractylodes), Fu Ling (Poria) and Mu Xiang (Aucklandia), 50 g Bing Lang (Areca), 40 g Gan Cao (Glycyrrhiza) and 100-200 g each of Shan Zha (Crataegus), Shen Qu (Massa) and Mai Ya (Hordeum). The first 6 herbal ingredients were ground, decocted in boiling water and the last 2 herbs were ground and added after the solution had cooled, so as not to deactivate important enzymes. The solution was administered via a tube into the rumen. Rumination began 1-2 days after dosing in 50/54 (92.5%) cattle. From the 54 affected cattle, 5 were randomly selected to study rumen contractions and ruminal pH, fermentation and ciliated protozoa before and after Jian Pi Li Qi San treatment. Before treatment, rumen contractions were reduced, pH was elevated and fermentation and ciliate numbers were reduced, compared to normal reference levels. After treatment, the number of rumen contractions increased above normal, the contraction amplitude quadrupled and the contraction duration more than doubled. Further, there was a slight reduction in rumen pH and fermentation and ciliates tripled. Although there were insufficient numbers of animals to make meaningful statistical comparisons, the trends were consistent. Jian Pi Li Qi San appears to be an effective treatment for bovine forestomach atony from simple indigestion and further clinical studies are warranted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]