Library

Chang Zhongming suffered from Bi syndrome due to dampness (Bi syndrome caused by dampness pathogen), a condition persisting for five to seven years. Dai Ren instructed him to undergo emesis (emetic therapy) first, followed by purgation (purgative therapy) five or seven times. The medications used included Zhouche Wan (Zhouche Pill), Xunchuan San (Xunchuan Powder), Tongjing San (Tongjing Powder), Shenxiong Wan (Shenxiong Pill), and Yishen San (Yishen Powder). From spring to autumn, more than ten treatments were necessary for recovery. His condition did not require acupuncture and moxibustion; both he and his son were suitable candidates for emesis, though the twelfth lunar month was an inappropriate time. Fearing that I would travel eastward by the time spring arrived, we temporarily set aside the assessment of the disease's major trend. When the weather became mild in spring, when human Qi rises, we could perform emesis again to eliminate the root cause. This prediction ultimately came true.

Another case involved a monk who, after sleeping on a damp floor during rainy weather, lost movement in half of his limbs. His condition worsened with rainy weather. Various physicians treated him as hemiplegia due to wind-stroke (Wind-Stroke causing Hemiplegia), using herbs such as Danggui (Angelicae Sinensis Radix), Shaoyao (Paeoniae Radix), Ruxiang (Olibanum), Moyao (Myrrha), and Ziran Tong (Pyritum). Prolonged use resulted in constipation and dryness, generating internal Wind-Dryness, with no improvement over a year. Dai Ren administered Zhouche Wan for purgation more than thirty times, expelling five sheng of yellow-green frothy fluid. Subsequently, he used bland diuretic herbs to promote fluid metabolism (diuresis). Within a few days, the patient regained movement in his limbs. Dai Ren stated: Wind, cold, and dampness combine to form Bi syndrome. Water-dampness, encountering cold, floats and accumulates between the skin and interstices. If it persists, it invades the Six Fu Organs internally. As stated in the classics: "Medicines that remove water should be used." Water-dampness is a cold substance within the body. Once cold is removed, blood circulation improves; once blood circulates freely, Qi harmonizes, and healing occurs.

Another case involved Xi Shuai, who suffered from heavy, painful sensations in the waist and thighs, making walking and horseback riding difficult. Some physicians treated him as Hong Kong Jiao (Hong Kong Foot, characterized by heaviness and swelling of the lower legs) due to cold-dampness, while others treated him as deficiency damage. Medications such as Wutou (Aconiti Lateralis Radix Praeparata), Fuzi (Aconiti Radix Praeparata), Ruxiang, and Moyao—herbs that invigorate blood and strengthen bones and tendons—were all utilized. After sixty-plus days, he developed red eyes and upper-body heat, along with difficulty in urination and defecation, while the waist and thigh pain remained unchanged. Dai Ren palpated his pulses at both wrists, finding them deep and slow. A deep pulse indicates an interior condition. For interior conditions, purgation is indicated. He administered one dose each of Zhouche Wan and Xunchuan San, resulting in more than twenty evacuations of accumulated fluid. By morning, after consuming one or two meals of vinegar-mixed white porridge and riding a horse, he appeared vigorous and agile.

Another case involved Li Shibalang from Tangxi, who had suffered for several years from severe inability to extend his waist and legs, walking stooped and limping. Medication proved ineffective, but stopping medication led to recovery. However, wading through water in late autumn triggered a relapse. Physicians prescribed Sijin Wan (Sijin Pill). His father, Li Zhongan, sought treatment from Dai Ren. Dai Ren asked, "What medicine have you taken recently?" Li Zhongan replied, "Sijin Wan." Dai Ren asked, "Are your eyes dim and red?" Li Zhongan exclaimed in surprise, "My eyes have suddenly become severely swollen!" Dai Ren said, "Come immediately; otherwise, you will lose your sight." Upon arrival, Li walked with a cane, his eyes so swollen he could see nothing. Dai Ren first induced emesis. The medicinal action moved downward, resulting in twenty evacuations, and his vision cleared instantly; he discarded his cane. After subsequent emesis and purgation, he could read official calendars. After one month of regulation, he took Danggui Wan (Danggui Pill) and returned home walking briskly.

Another case involved Officer Bai from Xicheng, who drank alcohol during intense summer heat, feeling extremely hot, and soaked his feet in a cold pool to cool down. He was affected by dampness, suffering from heavy pain in his thighs and knees. Sleeping drunk on a damp floor exacerbated the pain. Attempting to relieve the pain with alcohol, he drank continuously for several days, which transformed the condition into red, painful swelling, occurring intermittently for sixty years. It was often diagnosed as cold-damp Hong Kong Jiao and treated with acrid-hot herbs without effect. Taking Shenxiong Wan a few times slightly reduced the pain, but drinking again caused the disease to recur as before. His scrotum was itchy, damp, swollen, and hard; there was a sensation of a mass below the navel, making walking difficult. To avoid military service, he hired a substitute and visited Dai Ren. Dai Ren also diagnosed cold-dampness. He explained: Cold obstructs Yang fire, causing pain; dampness causes stagnation in the meridians, causing swelling. First, he induced emesis with bitter agents. Then, he administered over one hundred pills of Zhouche Wan and three to four qian of Xunchuan San, resulting in slight purgation of one or two movements. Dai Ren remarked: "If strong purgatives cannot attack the pathogen, how much less can hot tonics?" He then administered 120 pills of Shenxiong Wan and three to four qian of Tongjing San, yielding only four bowel movements. The next day, 80 pills of Shenxiong Wan were given, resulting in one or two additional movements. On the third day, he took four qian of Yishen San and over one hundred pills of Zhouche Wan, resulting in approximately seven or eight evacuations.

Officer Bai felt his cold knees and scrotum warming up, hardness softening, and heaviness lightening. The swelling subsided, and his appetite improved. Another round of emesis cured him completely. Before parting, Dai Ren gifted him Shufeng Wan (Shufeng Pill) and provided the prescription. This gentleman was treatable because he refused to recklessly take acrid-hot tonifying herbs.