Library

Zhao Mingzhi suffered from undigested food and grain, with his abdomen rumbling like thunder. This condition persisted from May to June without healing. Various physicians attributed it to severe cold affecting the Spleen (Zang organ of digestion), thus prescribing Shengsan Zi (Holy Dispersion Powder) and Doukou Wan (Cardamom Pill). Although symptoms ceased for one or two days, they recurred once the medicinal effect waned. The physicians failed to recognize the error in their prescription and instead blamed Zhao Mingzhi for not observing dietary restrictions. Dairen (Zhang Congzheng) arrived and laughed, saying: "Wind injury in Spring inevitably leads to Sundry Diarrhea (diarrhea with undigested food) in Summer. Sundry Diarrhea refers to food and grain passing through undigested and exiting directly. Furthermore, undigested food indicates Heat Qi below and Wind invading the interior over time. 'Interior' here refers to the Spleen and Stomach. Wind corresponds to Jia-Yi (Wood element), while Spleen and Stomach correspond to Wu-Ji (Earth element). Wood conquers Earth; thus, wind in the intestines causes rumbling. The Classic states: 'When the year's Wood energy is excessive, Wind Qi prevails, Spleen Earth is pathogenized, and the people suffer from Sundry Diarrhea.' Upon examining his pulses at both hands, they were both Floating-Rapid (indicating exterior Wind), suggesting treatment via sweating. He decisively concluded: "The Wind will exit with the sweat." He placed two basins of fire secretly under the bed, ensuring the patient could not see the fire, fearing it might exacerbate the heat. He had Zhao Mingzhi enter the room, administered a Vomiting Agent (Yong Ji), and used Ephedrae Herba (Mahuang, 麻黄). He then closed the doors and locked them from the outside. The patient sweated profusely as if washed. After about one shichen (two hours), he opened the door, reduced the fire by half, and shortly...

Chang Zhongming often exposed his skin to cool breezes during hot summer days to seek refreshment, thereby being attacked by Wind pathogens. Three days later, he suffered from nasal obstruction (Bi Zhi). Although sitting in a warm place provided slight relief, complete clearance was never achieved. Dairen prescribed Fangfeng Tongsheng San (Saposhnikovia-Containing Universal Benefit Powder), adding fresh ginger root, scallion root, and fermented soybean (Douchi), decocting them together. After taking three or two doses, inducing heavy sweating, his nose became immediately clear.

Chang Zhongming’s son contracted Wind-Phlegm disease at age four, which worsened by age fifteen, occurring one or twice monthly. Attacks invariably involved headache, accompanied by beating hundreds of punches against himself, until one or two cups of yellow-green saliva were expectorated, after which the attack subsided. In recent years, attacks became more frequent, preceded by visual disturbances (seeing black spots), followed by unconsciousness lasting three to four days before recovery. Various physicians treated him with Arisaemae Rhizoma Preparatum (Nanxing, 天南星) and Pinelliae Rhizoma (Banxia, 半夏), herbs for resolving phlegm, but with no efficacy. By chance, he met Dairen in the southern countryside near water. Dairen first induced sweating using Shuangjie San (Double-Resolution Powder), then employed bitter emetics to expel phlegm, eliminating eight or nine-tenths of the illness. Subsequently, he used balancing methods to harmonize the body. From spring to autumn, repeating this process several times, the patient finally achieved complete recovery.