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Treats chronic diarrhea with intestinal slipping and failure of retention.
Use the previously mentioned Shan Yao Porridge, adding three cooked egg yolks.
A patient, nearly fifty years old, had suffered from diarrhea for half a year without recovery, becoming extremely emaciated and weak. He sent someone to inquire about a prescription, stating that multiple consultations with doctors and administrations of medicine had yielded no effect whatsoever. I prescribed the Shan Yao Porridge formula.
A few days later, he reported again that although there was some efficacy, the diarrhea persisted. I then instructed him to boil several eggs, take out the yolks, crush them, and mix them into the porridge for consumption. After two doses, he recovered. This is because the egg yolk has the function of astringing the large intestine, and compared to the egg white, it is easier to digest. This formula has been used several times since, always yielding immediate results.
Appendix:
Letter from Zhang XX of Qing County, Zhili Province:
Liu XX of Hejian, over fifty years old, suffered severely from a fistula (a chronic suppurative disease), which failed to heal after repeated treatments. Later, he developed persistent diarrhea due to intestinal slipping and failure of retention, rendering medical treatment ineffective. His pulse was very fine and weak, indicating a gradual progression into consumptive disease (Xu Lao). I advised him to use the Shan Yao and Egg Yolk Porridge. One dose stopped the diarrhea. After three doses, his spirit revived. More than ten days later, his emaciation resolved. Since then, whenever encountering chronic diarrhea due to deficiency that fails to heal, this formula has repeatedly proven highly effective.

Treats Yin deficiency with kidney dryness, difficult urination, and loose stools; also treats consumptive disease with phlegm-induced cough.
Raw Dioscoreae Rhizoma (Shan Yao) (1 liang, finely ground) Raw Plantaginis Semen (Che Qian Zi) (4 qian)
Boil these two ingredients together to make a thick porridge and consume it. Take three times a day. Urination will naturally become free, and stools will naturally become firm. This is because Shan Yao can consolidate the stool, while for those with Yin deficiency causing difficult urination, it can promote urination. Che Qian Zi promotes urination and possesses properties that nourish Yin, serving as an adjuvant (used in Wu Zi Yan Zong Wan), and assists Shan Yao in stopping diarrhea. Moreover, both herbs have viscous juices; when boiled together as porridge, they adhere well to the gastrointestinal tract, thereby enhancing efficacy. For treating consumptive disease with phlegm cough, reduce the dosage of Che Qian Zi by half. The reason for using Che Qian Zi is its ability to promote water metabolism, thereby resolving phlegm, and its Yin-nourishing property makes it particularly suitable for patients with Yin deficiency and phlegm. However, one dares not use it in large amounts, fearing that excessive promotion of water metabolism might damage the Yin aspect.
Note: Che Qian Zi promotes urination, but sudden heavy use yields no obvious effect. Only when Che Qian Zi is stir-fried until slightly cooked (one must buy raw seeds and fry them personally oneself, stopping at slight cooking; overcooking reduces potency), chewed in small amounts, and taken repeatedly over approximately six hours until one liang is consumed, will urination suddenly become profuse and continuous. This is a method derived from my own experimental practice.
Furthermore: Using only half a liang of Che Qian Zi, boiled into a thick porridge and taken in one sitting, is also highly effective for treating loose stools. An elderly woman surnamed Huang suffered from loose stools unresponsive to various medicines. Upon being told of this formula, she recovered after one dose. However, raw seeds must be used to form the porridge; if fried beforehand, the porridge cannot be formed.