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Treats conditions of Shāng Hán (Cold Damage) where cold and excess pathogens are knotted in the chest and diaphragm without heat signs, as well as conditions such as internal knotting of cold, excess, phlegm, and fluid retention in the chest and diaphragm.
Jiegeng (Platycodon Root) 3 fen, Beimu (Fritillaria Bulb) 3 fen, Badou (Croton Seed) [peeled, stir-fried until black, ground into a paste] 1 fen. Pound the first two herbs into powder, place the Badou in a mortar and pound it, then take with rice water. For robust individuals, take 1 qian; for frail individuals, reduce the dose. If the pathogen is above the diaphragm, vomiting will inevitably occur; if below the diaphragm, diarrhea will inevitably occur. If there is no diarrhea, drink one cup of hot porridge to promote bowel movement; if diarrhea persists excessively, drink one cup of cold porridge to stop it.

[Annotation] This formula treats "Cold-Excess Chest Knotting" (Hánshí Jiéxiōng), caused by the knotting of cold, excess, phlegm, and water in the chest. It contains extremely potent drugs. Badou serves as the Sovereign herb; its nature is extremely pungent and fierce, attacking cold and expelling water, breaking through barriers like an army storming gates, destroying all obstacles in its path. Beimu acts as the Minister herb to open knots in the chest. Jiegeng acts as the Guide herb, serving as a vessel to carry Badou to search out and expel pathogens from the chest. Pathogens above the diaphragm are expelled via vomiting; those below are expelled via diarrhea, ensuring all pathogens are completely eliminated. However, if one only relies on toxic herbs to attack pathogens without assessing the patient's strength or frailty, few can manage the aftermath well; hence, the dose is reduced for frail patients. Hot porridge is taken if there is no diarrhea, and cold porridge if diarrhea is excessive. This is because Badou is hot in nature: its action is promoted by heat and stopped by cold. Rice water is used instead of plain water to leverage the grain qi to protect the Stomach qi.

Treats Shāng Hán where the exterior syndrome has resolved, but there is epigastric fullness and obstruction (Pì), which feels hard upon pressure and is not soft, accompanied by a floating pulse at the Guan position.
Dahuang (Rhubarb Root and Rhizome) 2 liang, Huanglian (Coptis Rhizome) 1 liang. Pour 2 sheng of boiling water (Mafei Tang) over these two herbs, steep for a short while, strain off the dregs, and divide into two doses to be taken warm.

[Annotation] Using Dahuang and Huanglian for Pì hardness caused by deficient pathogens might indeed raise doubts among later practitioners? The very places where Zhang Zhongjing creates doubt are precisely where his brilliance lies. This is likely because later generations failed to study carefully and did not grasp the method, often decocting and taking them, which fundamentally contradicts the original intent. By using Mafei Tang (boiling water), which has a light aroma, to soak Dahuang and Huanglian, and straining them after a short time, only the formless Qi (aroma/energy) is extracted, not the heavy material flavor. This aims to utilize their light aroma and flavor to avoid severe purgation. Although it is said to attack Pì, the profound meaning of this method is infinite.