Library

Treats throat obstruction (Hou Bi).
Babaozi (Arctii Fructus), Xuanshen (Scrophulariae Radix), Shengma (Cimicifugae Rhizoma), Jiegeng (Platycodonis Radix), Xijiao (Rhinocerotis Cornu - *Note: Substitute with Buffalo Horn in modern practice*), Huangqin (Scutellariae Radix), Mutong (Akebiae Caulis), Gancao (Glycyrrhizae Radix et Rhizoma) (equal parts), decocted in water and taken orally.

Resolves wind-heat attacking upward, causing swelling and pain in the throat.
Jiegeng (Platycodonis Radix) (1.5 qian), Bohe (Menthae Haplocalycis Herba), Jingjie (Schizonepetae Spica), Gancao (Glycyrrhizae Radix et Rhizoma), Shandougen (Sophorae Tonkinensis Radix) (each 1.5 qian, all baked dry and ground into powder), Yaxiao (Natrii Sulfas), Pengsha (Borisovi Borax), Puxiao (Natrii Sulfas), Xionghuang (Realgar), Zhusha (Cinnabaris) (each 1 qian, none processed by fire, ground into fine powder), mixed evenly. Apply dry powder on the tongue, or mix a small amount with warm strong tea to apply externally; swallowing is also permissible.

Treats phlegm-heat attacking upward, causing winding-throat-wind (Chan Hou Feng), throat obstruction (Hou Bi), bilateral tonsillar swelling (Shuang E), severe pain preventing the intake of liquid medicine, throat pain with chin swelling. Use this formula to induce vomiting.
Xionghuang (Realgar) (1 liang), Badou (Crotonis Semen, oil removed) (14 seeds), Yujin (Curcumae Radix) (1 qian), ground into powder, formed into pills with vinegar paste. Size like millet grains. Take 7 to 10 pills with clear hot tea. Vomiting out stubborn saliva will lead to recovery. If the jaw is clenched, pry it open and administer. Winding-throat acute obstruction requires urgent treatment; delayed treatment leads to death. Xionghuang breaks up stagnant qi; Yujin disperses evil blood; Badou expels thick saliva. Administration ensures survival.
Another prescription
Treats throat obstruction (Hou Bi).
Use aged frost plums (Chen Nian Shuang Mei), place snails (Yanyou) inside to dissolve them. Whenever suffering from throat obstruction or similar conditions, hold the plum in the mouth. This is miraculous.

The *Classic* states: "One Yin and One Yang, when knotted together, is called Throat Obstruction (Hou Bi)." One Yin refers to Shaoyin Jun Fire. One Yang refers to Shaoyang Xiang Fire. The Hand-Shaoyin Heart meridian flanks the throat; the Foot-Shaoyin Kidney meridian follows the throat. If the patient has had phlegm-saliva in the diaphragm since childhood, or due to excessive drinking, or abnormal anger, or immoderate sexual activity. Excessive drinking stirs Stomach Fire, common among the wealthy. Abnormal anger stirs Liver Fire, common among women. Immoderate sexual activity stirs Kidney Fire, common among men. When Fire moves, Phlegm rises with Qi; Phlegm-Heat cauterizes and obstructs the throat passage. Phlegm is the root of Fire; Fire is the branch of Phlegm. Fire nature is rapid, hence internal and external swelling and pain, inability to ingest liquids or water, which is the most critical external symptom. The treatment principle is: treat the branch in acute cases, treat the root in chronic cases. To treat the branch, use pills and powders to vomit out phlegm and dissipate heat; to treat the root, use decoctions to descend Fire and tonify deficiency. Why do some physicians only speak of treating Spleen and Lung Fire without mentioning descending Liver and Kidney Fire? One must employ the "conforming treatment" (Cong Zhi) method from the *Inner Classic*. Do not abruptly use cold-cooling herbs, as this accelerates danger. Thus, Excess Fire requires direct treatment (Zheng Zhi); Deficiency Fire requires conforming treatment (Cong Zhi). These must be distinguished clearly to avoid error.
The Pharynx (Yan) and Larynx (Hou), Epiglottis (Hui Yan) and Tongue (She), these four share one gate but have different functions. The Larynx receives Qi, thus its Qi connects to Heaven; the Pharynx receives food, thus its Qi is close to Earth. The Epiglottis manages the upper part, governing opening and closing, covering the airway so that food and drink enter the esophagus correctly. These four function mutually; if one fails, diet ceases and death ensues. "Throat Obstruction" (Hou Bi) means breathing through the larynx is blocked, speech is impossible, and Heavenly Qi is obstructed. "Pharyngeal Pain" (Yan Tong) and "Oesophageal Pain" (Ai Tong) mean the throat cannot swallow saliva and food, and Earthly Qi is obstructed. "Throat Obstruction with Pharyngeal/Oesophageal Pain" means various throat diseases where both Heavenly and Earthly Qi are obstructed. Ai refers to the lower part of the Pharynx.
The Pharynx is posterior, governing food; the Larynx is anterior, governing Qi. Among the Twelve Meridians, only the Foot-Taiyang Bladder Meridian governs the exterior; other meridians descend to the neck and internally follow the throat, all capable of disease, unified under Jun and Xiang Fire. The Larynx governs Heavenly Qi, belongs to Lung Metal, changes manifest as Dryness, leading to astringency and obstruction. The Pharynx governs Earthly Qi, belongs to Spleen Earth, changes manifest as Dampness, leading to swelling and distension. All result from Fire stagnating in the Upper Jiao, causing accumulation of Phlegm-Saliva, Qi, and Blood, swelling the throat externally, causing numbness, itching, and pain, termed Winding-Throat-Wind (Chan Hou Feng). Swelling on both sides is Throat Obstruction (Hou Bi). Single Tonsil (Dan E), Bilateral Tonsils (Shuang E), Water Tongue (Shui She), Tongue Swelling (She Zhang), Winding-Throat-Wind, Running-Horse-Throat-Wind (Zou Ma Hou Feng) all share the same Fire etiology and are not differentiated. Only Winding-Throat and Running-Horse-Throat kill fastest. Hezi said: Treating Throat Obstruction with needle bleeding is the best strategy. The *Inner Classic* says "Disperse Fire Stagnation"; dispersion implies sweating, and bleeding is a form of sweating. Throat Obstruction mostly belongs to Phlegm-Heat. Severe cases use Tung Oil to induce vomiting. Lung Exhaustion with Laryngeal Closure presents with floating, scattered, minute pulse, sound like snoring, rattling phlegm in throat. This is a sign of Lung Exhaustion; immediately use Ginseng Decoction mixed with Bamboo Sap and Ginger Juice. Early treatment yields 70-80% cure; moderate yields 30-40%; late yields less than 1%. Winding-Throat-Wind also belongs to Phlegm-Heat, characterized by swelling inside and out of the throat. Also use Tung Oil with goose feather to induce vomiting. For Laryngeal Closure, take Shandougen juice, hold and swallow to open. If medicine cannot enter, vigorously rub the patient's arms dozens of times until blood gathers at the thumb. Tie the thumb tightly with hair, prick the nail seam to bleed like sand release. Do this on both hands; the throat will relax. Pharyngeal sores and throat pain mostly belong to Deficiency Heat and Blood Deficiency, with wandering Deficiency Fire lodging in the throat. For Deficiency, use Ba Wei Wan (Eight-Ingredient Pill) plus Niuxi (Achyranthis Bidentatae Radix) and Wuweizi (Schisandrae Fructus), decocted and taken cold before meals. For Excess, use Huanglian (Coptidis Rhizoma), Jingjie (Schizonepetae Spica), Bohe (Menthae Haplocalycis Herba), Ginger Juice, Xiaoshuo (Saltpeter), and Honey to hold and melt. Throat pain must use Jingjie; Yin Deficiency with Fire flaming upward must use Xuanshen (Scrophulariae Radix). There is a formula using Qiancao (Rubiae Cordifoliae Radix) 1 liang per dose, as it descends Fire in the blood. For throat pain unresponsive to drugs, this is not throat pain but a red line like hair growing in the nose, hanging a black blister the size of a cherry, reaching the throat gate. Difficult to extract deeply; use Tubixie (Achyranthis Radix, i.e., Drumstick Grass), single straight and fat root, crush with 3-5 drops of good vinegar, grind to extract juice, drip 2-3 drops into the nose. The blister breaks, blood is expelled, and relief follows. Phlegm nodules in the throat feeling like a lump is Plum-Pit Qi (Mei He Qi), treat with Qin Hua Wan. Yin Deficiency cough lasting long causes throat pain, indicating Lung Flower Sore (Fei Hua Chuang). Use Kan Li Wan plus Xuanshen and Gan-Jie (Licorice and Platycodon). Do not use Bingpian (Borneolum Syntheticum) insufflation, fearing acrid dispersal will ulcerate the sore.
Larynx and Pharynx differ. Larynx is the portal for respiration, governing exit not entry. Pharynx is the stomach tube, the path for grain, governing entry not exit. Larynx and Pharynx manage respiration and ascending/descending, the crucial bellows of the body. The *Classic* states: Diseases generated by Foot-Shaoyin include thirst, dry tongue, swollen throat, rising Qi, dry and painful throat. *Su Wen* says: Pathogen lodging in Foot-Shaoyin collateral causes throat pain and inability to eat. It also says: Foot-Shaoyin collateral follows the throat to the tongue base. All throat pains are Shaoyin diseases, differing in Cold/Heat and Excess/Deficiency. Shaoyin Fire rushes upward like a galloping horse, reaching the tight lock of the throat, where Qi stagnates and cannot relax, causing swelling or pain. Symptoms must include internal heat, dry red mouth, surging phlegm-saliva, and rapid yet weak Chi pulse. This is due to Kidney Water depletion and unconstrained Xiang Fire. Must use Liu Wei Di Huang Wan (Six-Ingredient Pill with Rehmannia) plus Maidong (Ophiopogonis Radix) and Wuweizi (Schisandrae Fructus) in large doses as decoction. For those with excessive sexual desire damaging Yuan Yang, with rootless Fire wandering unconstrained lodging in the throat, use Ba Wei Shen Qi Wan (Eight-Ingredient Kidney Qi Pill) in large doses, cooled before drinking, to guide Fire back to its source, perhaps saving life. This treatment for Yin Deficiency throat pain aligns with Chu Shi's "treat lower for upper disease." Regarding Ru E (Milky Goose) and Chan Hou (Winding Throat), names differ. Swelling on both sides of pharynx is Bilateral Goose, easy to treat. Swelling on one side is Single Goose, difficult to treat. If accompanied by aversion to cold and exterior symptoms, use Jing Fang Bai Du San to disperse. If no aversion to cold or exterior symptoms, use only Acrid-Cool clearing and draining. Externally, use goose feather dipped in rice vinegar to stir the throat, removing all phlegm, then use feather to induce vomiting. Force a cough; bursting the purple blood in the "goose" resolves it, or applying ground Zi Jin Ding (Purple Gold Tablet) brings relief. Do not lightly use needles/knives. Ancient formulas used paper dyed with Badou oil, lit and blown out, smoking into the nose to cause salivation and jaw opening, then insufflating the lesion for cure.
For severe Yin Deficiency, unconstrained Deficiency Fire, solitary Yang flying away, lodging in the throat causing pain: Pulse is floating and large, deep pressure reveals choppy quality, near death. Use single Ginseng, decoct strongly, sip slowly. If treated as Excess with cooling/descending herbs, disaster follows instantly. (My opinion: Ginseng must be decocted with Tongbian-treated Fuzi, taken warm before meals to control Deficiency Fire descending. Using Ginseng alone may exacerbate floating Fire, which is unsafe.) Yet people only know Hot Throat Pain, not Cold Throat Pain.
The *Classic* states: Taiyin in泉, excess Cold wins, people suffer throat pain and chin swelling. Chen Cangqi uses Fuzi (Aconiti Lateralis Radix Praeparata), peeled and baked, cut leaves, coated with honey, baked again, held in mouth to swallow saliva, changing when sweet taste fades. Zhang Zhongjing says: Diarrhea with undigested food, interior Cold exterior Heat, pulse minute nearly absent, red face and throat pain, use Tong Mai Si Ni Tang (Pulse-Unblocking Four-Reverse Decoction). Also: Winter latent Cold in Kidney Meridian, erupting as throat pain and diarrhea, Fu Zi Tang warms the meridian and cures. In years of specific Climate-Qi influence, village epidemics occur. If aversion to cold exists, it is often sudden Cold suppressing Heat, Cold closed outside, Heat郁 inside. Strictly avoid Danfan (Alumen) acid-cold throat drops, which further constrain Yang. Avoid Xiao (Saltpeter) and Huang (Rhubarb) cold purgatives, which drive Yang inward, causing immediate disaster. Must use exterior-dispersing methods. For Gan Jie Tang (Licorice and Platycodon Decoction), Dong Yuan says Summer Cold latent in Kidney, Shaoyin Meridian, many throat pains named Kidney Cold, should be treated with hot medicine served cold.
Also, throat pain with ulceration persisting long is likely Syphilis toxin (Yang Mei Chuang Du). Main formula is Bi Xie Tang (Dioscoreae Hypoglaucae Rhizoma Decoction), supplemented by other herbs based on symptoms.