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The *Huangdi Neijing* (Yellow Emperor's Inner Canon) records: "When a woman becomes aphonic in the ninth month of pregnancy, it is due to the obstruction of the collateral vessels of the uterus. No treatment is needed; speech will recover after the tenth month." This refers to the belief that after conception, the Liver Meridian nourishes the fetus in the first month, the Gallbladder Meridian in the second, the Heart Meridian in the third, the Small Intestine Meridian in the fourth, the Spleen Meridian in the fifth, the Stomach Meridian in the sixth, the Lung Meridian in the seventh, the Large Intestine Meridian in the eighth, the Kidney Meridian in the ninth, and the Bladder Meridian in the tenth. This sequence follows Yin meridians before Yang meridians, starting with Wood and ending with Water, explained through the theory of mutual generation among the Five Elements.

However, reasoning from principles, the Qi and Blood of the Twelve Meridians circulate day and night without interruption, nourishing the fetal Qi jointly at every hour and day; thus, there is no logical basis for each meridian exclusively nourishing the fetus at specific times. The statement that aphonia occurs in the ninth month arises because by this time, the fetus has grown large, causing the collateral vessels connecting the uterus to the Kidney Meridian to become obstructed, leading to occasional cases. Since the Kidney Meridian ascends to connect with the root of the tongue, obstruction of these vessels results in an inability to speak. Therefore, speech recovers after delivery in the tenth month, requiring no special treatment; if treatment were necessary, it should focus on tonifying the Heart and Kidney. "Aphonia" (Yin) here refers to having intent to speak but producing no sound or hoarse voice. Thus, the classic states "unable to speak," where "unable" does not mean complete muteness.

Sound originates from the throat and is articulated at the root of the tongue. Due to the enlarged fetus blocking the ascending pathways of the Kidney, and since the Kidney Meridian enters the Lungs, runs along the throat, and connects to the root of the tongue, while the throat is the domain of the Lungs which governs voice, the patient may whisper privately. Although the mind intends to speak, others cannot hear clearly, hence termed "aphonia." As the Lungs and Kidneys are mother-son organs, it is stated that no treatment is needed. If "aphonia" were interpreted as complete silence, it would indicate Heart pathology, as the Heart governs vocalization, which is unrelated to "fetal aphonia." Approaches such as Zhang Hehe’s suggestion to descend Heart Fire, or Ma Xuantai’s proposal to tonify Heart and Kidney, are flawed. If the renal collaterals were truly severed, the condition would be incurable, contradicting the notion of spontaneous recovery postpartum. Therefore, when the classic says "obstruction of the uterine collaterals," the character "severed/absolute" (Jue) should be interpreted as "blocked" (Zu).

If a pregnant woman experiences excessive phlegm-saliva accumulation, sudden collapse or stiffening, intermittent convulsions, and loss of consciousness, accompanied by a slightly rapid left pulse and a slippery-large right pulse, this is named "Eclampsia of Pregnancy" (Zi Xian). It is caused by Blood deficiency leading to deflection of Yin Fire upward, stirring phlegm. Treatment should involve Si Wu Tang (Four Substances Decoction) to nourish Blood, Wine-processed Huang Qin (Scutellariae Radix) to clear Heat, and Er Chen Tang (Two Aged Herbs Decoction) to resolve Phlegm and regulate Qi. As stated in *Lan Shi Mi Cang*: "Wind-Wood generates Heat; extreme Heat generates Wind. One should use stillness (nourishing Blood) to overcome dryness." The therapeutic principle remains primarily to calm the fetus, avoiding excessive use of medicines for treating Stroke. This condition usually arises from Blood deficiency generating internal Heat, and extreme Heat generating internal Wind-Fire; nourishing Blood extinguishes Wind-Fire naturally. For Heart-Lung Wind-Heat, use Gou Teng Tang (Uncaria Decoction); for Liver-Spleen Blood deficiency, use Jia Wei Xiao Yao San (Modified Free and Easy Wanderer Powder); for Liver-Spleen Stagnation and Anger, use Jia Wei Gui Pi Tang (Modified Restore the Spleen Decoction); for rebellious Qi and Phlegm stagnation, use Zi Su Yin (Perilla Infusion); for Spleen stagnation and Phlegm retention, use Er Chen Tang with Zhu Li (Bamboo Sap) and Jiang Zhi (Ginger Juice).