Library

The monk Ying Gong of Xingqing Temple had suffered from internal accumulation for several years. Although he did not need to stay in bed, every night after the fourth watch (around 1-3 AM), he felt stuffiness and hardness in his chest, making it impossible to sleep peacefully. He had to get up and walk around the temple, a habit that became routine. People did not know what disease this was, so they sought medicine from Dairen (Zhang Congzheng). Dairen instructed him to undergo emesis (induced vomiting), which expelled one or two sheng (ancient unit of volume) of gelatinous phlegm, resembling black alum water, followed by yellow-green fluid, and then several sheng of pus and blood. From then on, he felt as if a huge mountain had been removed from his chest; he could eat and drink without limit and slept soundly until dawn.

Another monk had developed an addiction to tea, with the accumulation lodged in his left hypochondrium. Dairen said, "This is quite similar to Feiqi (a type of abdominal mass/accumulation). However, since malaria-like symptoms do not occur, it is not Feiqi. Although he has been ill for ten years, he does not feel fatigued for even a day. Moreover, his pulses in both hands are deep and fine, which is due to the presence of accumulation. My treatment involves no pain from acupuncture or moxibustion; it only causes slight discomfort for a moment, allowing him to live out his natural lifespan." First, Cha Tiao San (Tea Regulating Powder) was used to induce vomiting, expelling several sheng of old tea residue; then, using a wooden emetic tool (Mu Ruyi), further emesis was induced, expelling several more sheng of liquid that appeared tea-colored; next, over ninety pills of Sanhua Shen Wan (Three-Flower Divine Pill) were administered. That night, he experienced diarrhea more than twenty times, with pus and water mixed together, along with dry feces and stagnant blood being discharged chaotically. The following day, dampness-resolving formulas were taken for over ten days, eliminating all suffering, leaving him with clear spirit and lustrous complexion.

Zhang Chengying, aged nearly fifty, had an abdomen distended like that of a pregnant woman, with sallow complexion and reduced appetite. It was suspected to be Shuiqi (water qi/edema). Some advised taking Huangqi Jianzhong Tang (Astragalus Middle-Jian Decoction) and other warming and tonifying agents, which resulted in scanty and obstructed urination. He then sought treatment from Dairen. Dairen said, "Jianzhong Tang is a formula for releasing the exterior. Using it internally to attack interior pathogens in ancient prescriptions was already a mistake; using it now to eliminate accumulation is a double error." First, an emetic agent was used to induce vomiting, with fire placed beside him to induce profuse sweating; then, Zhu Shen San (Pig Kidney Powder) four qian was given, guided by Zhouche Wan (Boat Cart Pill), resulting in the discharge of six fan (ancient vessel/unit) of stool, without any feeling of fatigue; subsequently, two more episodes of purgation occurred, totaling about thirty times, leading to a flat and soft abdomen and a return to normal hearty appetite. Chang Zhongming said, "I had heard people say that purging five or six fan of stool would be unbearable for a person. Upon hearing Zhang Chengying's case, he confirmed it was true. Thus, I realized that nourishing life (tonification) and attacking pathogenic factors (purging) are fundamentally different. Nowadays, people use tonifying agents to treat diseases, which explains why they are often ineffective."