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Yinchen Hao Tang (Capillaris Decoction) consists of Yinchen Hao (Artemisiae Scopariae Herba, 茵陈蒿) six liang, Zhizi (Gardeniae Fructus, 栀子) fourteen pieces, and Dahuang (Rhei Radix et Rhizoma, 大黄) two liang.
The above three ingredients are boiled in ten dou of water. First, boil Yinchen Hao until the volume reduces by six dou. Then add the remaining two ingredients and continue boiling until three sheng of liquid remain. Strain the decoction and divide it into three warm doses. After administration, urination should become unobstructed, and the urine will resemble the juice of a soap pod, appearing dark red. Overnight, abdominal distension will subside, and the jaundice will be expelled through urination.

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In Yangming disease (disease of the Yangming channel), if the pulse is slow (Chi, 迟), the patient finds it difficult to eat to fullness. Upon eating to satiety, they experience irritability and dizziness, and urination will inevitably be difficult. This indicates the impending onset of Gu Dan (Grain Jaundice). Even if purgative therapy is applied, abdominal fullness remains unchanged. The reason for this is the presence of a slow pulse, which indicates cold.
[Annotation]
Gu Dan typically belongs to Stomach heat, where the pulse should be rapid (Shu, 数). A slow pulse here indicates Spleen cold. Cold fails to transform food; thus, although the patient feels hungry and desires to eat, they cannot consume large amounts. Satiety leads to stifling sensation because the stomach is filled with undigested food, impairing the healthy transport and transformation functions. Clear qi is obstructed from ascending, causing dizziness; turbid qi is obstructed from descending, causing difficulty in urination. These are all signs of impending Gu Dan. This condition originally arises from the stagnation of Taiyin cold-dampness. If mistakenly treated as Yangming damp-heat jaundice with purgatives, abdominal fullness may temporarily decrease but will quickly return. This occurs because the slow pulse signifies cold. This passage elucidates that impending Gu Dan due to Spleen-Yin cold transformation should not be treated with purgatives.
[Collected Annotations]
Cheng Lin stated: A slow pulse indicates cold. Cold fails to digest grain, so one cannot eat to fullness. Upon satiety, grain qi fails to dissipate, creating turbidity in the stomach. Accumulated turbid qi causes irritability, and its steaming effect causes dizziness. Difficulty in urination occurs because the slow pulse implies a lack of Yang qi to transform turbid qi; the turbid qi remains stagnant in the stomach without dispersing, leading to the formation of Gu Dan. Purgatives would only weaken the Stomach qi while leaving abdominal fullness unchanged, precisely because the slow pulse indicates cold.

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Patients with jaundice who experience fever at dusk (ribang suo, 日晡所) but paradoxically feel aversion to cold have contracted Nü Lao Dan (Female Labor Jaundice). Symptoms include urgency of the bladder, fullness of the lower abdomen, yellowing of the entire body, blackening of the forehead, and heat in the soles of the feet, resulting in Hei Dan (Black Jaundice). The abdomen becomes distended like water retention, stools are invariably black and sometimes loose. This is Nü Lao disease, not water retention disease. If abdominal fullness is severe, it is difficult to treat; Xiaoshi Fanshi San (Niter and Alum Powder) is indicated.
[Annotation]
This section elaborates on Nü Lao Dan. Fever at dusk is characteristic of Yangming heat syndrome, which should not present with aversion to cold. The presence of aversion to cold indicates this is not Yangming heat but rather Nü Lao-induced jaundice. In Nü Lao jaundice, despite bladder urgency and lower abdominal fullness, urination is free. Although the body is yellow, the forehead is black, and although there is fever, it is most intense in the soles of the feet; this represents Shaoyin heat transforming into Black Jaundice. Consequently, the abdomen is distended like water, and stools are black and loose, confirming this is not water retention but Nü Lao-induced jaundice distension. Loose, black stools indicate pathological changes affecting the blood level. Blood pathology manifests in facial color; how can one have a black complexion without blood pathology? Nü Lao jaundice with abdominal fullness is difficult to treat because both the Spleen and Kidney are depleted. Xiaoshi (Niter, 硝石) enters the blood level to resolve hardness, and Fanshi (Alumen, 矾石) enters the qi level to overcome dampness. While this formula treats the branch symptoms effectively, it is not a root cure. Due to textual gaps in ancient books, we merely clarify the underlying principles here.
[Collected Annotations]
You Yi stated: Patients with jaundice should naturally experience fever at dusk. The presence of fever accompanied by aversion to cold indicates Nü Lao-induced jaundice. Heat is shallow in the Stomach but deep in the Kidney; thus, when heat penetrates deeply, aversion to cold appears first. Bladder urgency, black forehead, hot soles, and black stools are all signs of Kidney heat. Although the lower abdomen is full and distended resembling water retention, this is actually due to impaired Kidney qi movement, not Spleen dampness causing water stagnation. However, since this condition involves abdominal fullness, both the Spleen and Kidney are injured, making treatment difficult. Xiaoshi is salty and cold, clearing heat; Fanshi clears stubborn heat in the marrow. Since bone corresponds to the Kidney, these are used to clear Kidney heat. Taking the powder with Barley Porridge (Damai Zhou, 大麦粥) prevents damage to the Stomach qi.