Column December 12, 2025
Chronic Urticaria — Wheals and Itching Recurring for More Than 6 Weeks
Hyo-seop Kim
Chief Director
Table of Contents
Hives without an identifiable cause
About 70% of urticaria that recurs for more than 6 weeks is chronic spontaneous urticaria, in which no clear external trigger can be identified. Antihistamines temporarily calm the symptoms, but the hives return as soon as the medication is stopped.
Korean medicine diagnosis: Yeong-wi-bul-hwa (營衛不和)
- Yeong-wi-bul-hwa: Disharmony between defensive qi (wi-gi, 衛氣) protecting the skin and nutritive qi (yeong-gi, 營氣) supplying nourishment, leading to hypersensitivity to external stimuli
- Hyeol-yeol (血熱, blood heat): Stress and overwork cause heat to accumulate in the blood and radiate through the skin
- Bi-wi-heo-yak (脾胃虛弱, spleen-stomach weakness): Reduced digestive function → incomplete food processing → generation of damp-heat (seup-yeol) within the body
Constitution-based formulas
- When heat is the main cause: Sopung-san (消風散), Bangpungtongseong-san (防風通聖散) — disperse wind-heat
- When qi deficiency is the cause: Okbyeongpung-san (玉屛風散) — strengthens defensive qi to restore the skin's barrier function
- Acupuncture: Hyeolhae (SP10), Gokji (LI11), Hapgok (LI4) — relieve itching and regulate immunity
Managing aggravating factors
- Alcohol, spicy food, and raw food worsen blood heat → moderate intake
- Take short showers in lukewarm water instead of hot baths
- Stress and fatigue are immediate triggers → ensure sleep and rest