治三阴疟,震泽沈诒亭庆修传一方,用山楂、槟榔、枳壳、甜茶各三钱,于疟发之日前
二时,水煎,服一剂立愈,云试多人皆验。余谓此方药峻,藜藿之体及疟初起者宜之。吴晓钲言
其六世祖山年公手稿录存治久患三阴疟方,云传自外舅朱竹 先生者,用生何首乌八钱,生
黄、佩兰各四钱,水煎,临发前服三次立愈。此方尤宜于膏粱之体。二方皆试验,而方书
孔以立《痢疾论》谓五色痢法当温补脾肾,余治一五色痢,用温而愈。然《冯氏锦囊》
中有“五色痢实证一条,想或有此证,余特未之见也”云云。余曾治一小孩患五色痢,口渴发热
,用万密斋《保命歌括》凤尾草方,一服即愈。此方主治赤白痢,而五色痢亦可治,可知其
功效之神。(大抵五色痢有温寒之别,宜温者难治,宜寒者易治。)录方于此∶凤尾草连根一
大握,(竹林中与井边者极佳,如无,即产别地俱可用,一名鸡脚草。)老仓米一勺,老姜带
皮三片,葱白连须三根,用水三大碗,煎至一碗去渣,入烧酒小半盏,真蜜三茶匙,调极匀
,乘热服一小盏,移时再服,以一日服尽为度,忌酸味及生冷煎炒米面点心难化等物。余按
∶《本草》凤尾草性至冷,治热毒下痢,治痢者确审非虚寒证,乃可用之。
痢以口渴腹痛为实热。丹溪曰∶口不渴,身不热,喜热手熨荡,是名挟寒。李士材曰∶
口渴
更当以喜热喜冷分虚实,腹痛更当以痛之缓急、按之可否、腹之胀与不胀、脉之有力无力分
虚实。盖恐人概以口渴腹痛为实热也,然则不口渴腹痛者,果皆属虚寒乎?又昔人谓先痢后
泻者,肾传脾,为微邪,易治;先泻后痢者,脾传肾,为贼邪,难医。余尝持此说以临症,
遇有先泻后痢,口不渴,腹不痛者,几难辨其为实热、为虚寒,后见秦皇士《症因脉治》有
云∶湿热痢之症初起,先水泻,后两三日便下脓血,湿气胜,腹不痛,热气胜,腹大痛,肛
门重滞,里急后重。又云∶下痢红积而腹不痛,湿伤血分也,宜服河间黄连汤。(黄连、当
归、甘草。)始悟腹不痛者。亦有实热,而口不渴可类推矣。自后凡遇夏秋痢疾,口不渴,
腹不痛,而里急后重,(痢无不里急后重),小便少,脉数者,一以河间法治之皆效。
白槿花治赤痢甚效,余于杭郡学署植数株,秋间花开繁茂,凡患赤痢者,以花五六朵,
置瓦
上炙研,调白糖汤,服之皆愈。荷花池头陈某秋间下痢月余,诸药不效,已就危笃,亦以此
方获愈。采花晒干,藏之次年,治痢亦效。
治噤口痢方∶用人参(倍用),黄连(姜汁制)、石莲肉(炒,二味等分),水煎缓服。此方
胃气
虚者宜之,若热毒盛者,尚宜酌用。华治老少下痢,食入即吐,用白蜡方寸匕,鸡子黄一个
,石密、苦酒(即醋也)、发灰、黄连末各半鸡子壳,先煎蜜、蜡、苦酒、鸡子黄四味令匀,
乃纳连、发,熬至可丸乃止,二日服尽,神效无比。李濒湖谓此方用之,屡经效验,乃诸家
方书罕见采录,知良方之见遗者多矣。陈氏藏器治小儿痢,用鸡子和蜡煎,盖本此方之意,
然不若此方用药灵妙也。咸丰八年八月,罗镜泉患赤痢月余,诸医用温补药日就沉重,延余
治之,询知体倦头眩,不思饮食,腹不甚痛,诊其脉右关沉数有力,余脉皆虚,余谓尚有积
滞在内,因用补太早,郁而不泄,然迁延逾月,体倦头眩,神已惫矣,未可峻攻也。乃用生
地炭二钱,白芍二钱,归身炭七分,地榆炭钱半,荆芥穗五分,炒槐米一钱,丹皮炭一钱,
酒炒黄芩一钱,制浓朴六分,麸炒枳壳一钱,山楂钱半,神曲二钱,蛀黑枣二枚。服三剂,
痢止能食,改方调理而痊。按∶此症初起,腹不痛,口不渴,是以皆主温补,特未曾读秦皇
士之书故耳。
To treat *San Yin* malaria (malaria affecting the three yin meridians), Shen Yiting (courtesy name Qingxiu) from Zhenze transmitted a prescription: use 3 qian of Hawthorn Fruit (*Crataegi Fructus*), Areca Seed (*Arecae Semen*), Bitter Orange Peel (*Aurantii Fructus*), and Sweet Tea (*Camellia sinensis*) each. Decoct in water and take one dose two hours before the onset of malaria, which cures immediately. It is said that trials on many people were effective. I consider this prescription potent; it is suitable for those with weak constitutions (often referring to commoners or those with deficient qi) and for malaria in its early stages. Wu Xiaozheng stated that his sixth-generation ancestor, Mr. Shan Nian, recorded in his manuscript a prescription for chronic *San Yin* malaria, transmitted from his maternal grandfather, Mr. Zhu Zhu. The prescription uses 8 qian of raw Polygonum multiflorum Root (*Polygoni Multiflori Radix*), 4 qian of raw Scutellaria Root (*Scutellariae Radix*), and 4 qian of Agastache Herb (*Agastachis Herba*). Decoct in water and take three doses before the onset, curing immediately. This prescription is particularly suitable for those with rich diets (often referring to elites or those with damp-heat accumulation). Both prescriptions have been tested by me as effective, yet they are rarely recorded in medical texts.
Kong Yili's *Treatise on Dysentery* states that five-color dysentery should be treated by warming and tonifying the Spleen and Kidney. I treated a case of five-color dysentery using warming methods and achieved a cure. However, *Feng Shi Jin Nang* mentions "a section on excess syndrome of five-color dysentery," suggesting such a syndrome might exist, though he had never seen it. I once treated a child with five-color dysentery presenting with thirst and fever, using the *Pteris semipinnata* prescription from Wan Mizhai's *Prescriptions for Preserving Life*. One dose cured him. This prescription primarily treats red-and-white dysentery, but can also treat five-color dysentery, demonstrating its miraculous efficacy. (Generally, five-color dysentery has distinctions between cold and heat patterns; cold-pattern cases are difficult to treat, while heat-pattern cases are easier.) The prescription is recorded below: A large handful of *Pteris semipinnata* Herb with roots (those from bamboo groves or near wells are best; if unavailable, those from other regions are usable, also known as Chicken Foot Grass), one spoonful of aged Cangmi (processed Coix Seed), three slices of aged Ginger with skin, three stalks of Scallion White with roots. Use three large bowls of water, decoct until one bowl remains, strain, add half a small cup of distilled liquor, and three teaspoons of pure honey. Mix well, drink one small cup while hot, repeat after a while, finishing within one day. Avoid sour foods, raw/cold items, fried foods, and hard-to-digest pastries. My commentary: The *Bencao* records that *Pteris semipinnata* is extremely cold in nature and treats heat-toxin dysentery. Practitioners must confirm the absence of deficiency-cold patterns before use.
Dysentery characterized by thirst and abdominal pain indicates excess-heat. Danxi stated: If there is no thirst, no body heat, and a preference for warm compresses, it is called cold-complicated dysentery. Li Shicai stated: Thirst should be differentiated by preference for hot or cold drinks; abdominal pain should be differentiated by urgency, response to pressure, abdominal distension, and pulse strength to distinguish excess from deficiency. This caution arises from the tendency to universally classify thirst and abdominal pain as excess-heat. Then, do cases without thirst and abdominal pain necessarily belong to deficiency-cold? Ancients also stated: Dysentery followed by diarrhea indicates transmission from Kidney to Spleen, a minor pathogen, easy to treat; diarrhea followed by dysentery indicates transmission from Spleen to Kidney, a destructive pathogen, difficult to treat. I applied this theory clinically but encountered cases of diarrhea preceding dysentery, without thirst or abdominal pain, making it hard to distinguish excess-heat from deficiency-cold. Later, reading Qin Huangshi's *Syndrome, Etiology, and Pulse Diagnosis*, I found: In early damp-heat dysentery, watery diarrhea occurs first, followed by pus and blood after two to three days. When dampness prevails, there is no abdominal pain; when heat prevails, there is severe abdominal pain, anal heaviness, and tenesmus. It also states: Dysentery with red residue but no abdominal pain indicates dampness injuring the Blood level, suitable for He Jian's Coptis Decoction (Coptis Rhizome, Angelica Sinensis Root, Licorice Root). I then realized that absence of abdominal pain can also indicate excess-heat, and absence of thirst can be inferred similarly. Since then, for summer-autumn dysentery presenting with no thirst, no abdominal pain, but with tenesmus (tenesmus is universal in dysentery), scanty urination, and rapid pulse, I consistently used He Jian's methods with good results.
White Hibiscus Flower (*Hibiscus mutabilis*) is very effective for red dysentery. I planted several bushes at the Hangzhou Prefecture Academy. In autumn, when flowers bloomed profusely, patients with red dysentery took five or six flowers, roasted on tiles, ground into powder, and mixed with sugar water, resulting in cures. Mr. Chen from Lotus Pond Head suffered from dysentery for a month in autumn; all medicines failed, and his condition became critical, yet he was cured by this prescription. Dried flowers stored for the next year remained effective.
Prescription for Anorexic Dysentery (*Jin Kou Li*): Use Ginseng Root (double dose), Coptis Rhizome processed with Ginger Juice, and Stone Lotus Seed (stir-fried), equal parts of the latter two. Decoct in water and take slowly. This is suitable for Spleen-Stomach Qi deficiency; if heat-toxin is prevalent, adjust accordingly. Hua treated elderly and young patients with dysentery who vomited immediately after eating, using a prescription of white beeswax (one square inch), one egg yolk, honey, vinegar, burnt hair, and Coptis powder (each half an eggshell volume). First decoct honey, wax, vinegar, and egg yolk until uniform, then add Coptis and burnt hair, boil until pill-consistency is reached. Take over two days; miraculously effective. Li Shizhen noted this prescription is highly effective but rarely recorded in medical books, indicating many good prescriptions are lost. Chen's *Zangqi Fu Wei* treats pediatric dysentery with egg and wax decoction, likely derived from this principle, but less ingenious than this prescription. In the eighth month of the Xianfeng 8th year, Luo Jingquan suffered from red dysentery for a month. Other physicians used warming-tonifying herbs, worsening his condition. Upon consultation, he presented fatigue, dizziness, anorexia, mild abdominal pain. Pulse: Right Guan position deep, rapid, and forceful; other pulses deficient. I diagnosed internal stagnation due to premature tonification causing qi constraint. After more than a month, fatigue and dizziness indicated depleted spirit; harsh purgation was contraindicated. I prescribed Charred Rehmannia Root, White Peony Root, Charred Angelica Sinensis Root, Charred Sanguisorba Root, Schizonepeta Spike, Stir-fried Sophora Flower, Charred Moutan Bark, Alcohol-fried Scutellaria Root, Processed Magnolia Bark, Bran-fried Bitter Orange Peel, Hawthorn Fruit, Medicated Leaven, and Two Black Dates. Three doses stopped dysentery and restored appetite; subsequent regulation led to recovery. Commentary: Initially, the absence of abdominal pain and thirst led others to prescribe warming-tonics, simply because they had not read Qin Huangshi's works.