Library

Shengshengzi said: A thirty-five-year-old woman, childless, feared that her husband taking another wife would cause emotional depression. Her menstruation had ceased for three months. She suffered from abdominal pain and nausea. All physicians claimed she was pregnant. Her husband, who had rudimentary medical knowledge, was delighted with the whole family. They treated her with herbs for calming the fetus, promoting qi circulation, and relieving pain. After taking thirty to fifty doses without effect, her suffering intensified. Every day between 3 PM and 5 PM (Wei-Shen hours), she experienced chills and fever. There were lumps in her abdomen, about twenty or thirty in number, each the size of a marble, churning and causing pain. When she moved, there was a gurgling sound of water in her abdomen. When the pain was extreme, she vomited five or six bowls of sour fluid. After vomiting, the lumps subsided, the chills and fever disappeared, and the pain ceased. The next day was the same. She was then treated as having malaria, but her condition worsened. I was summoned to examine her. Her left pulse was wiry at the cun position and choppy at the chi position; her right pulse was soggy and weak, but slippery upon heavy pressure, with the chi position similar to the left. Her menstruation had now been absent for five months. I said: This is a depression syndrome. How can pregnancy occur with a choppy pulse? If it were pregnancy, the previous medicines should have been effective. Her husband also realized this. He then prescribed a formula based on Er Chen Tang (Two-Cured Decoction) added with Xiangfu (Cyperus Rhizome), Shanzhi (Gardeniae Fructus), Fuxiong (Ligusticum Chuanxiong Rhizoma var. huoxiong), Yuanhu (Corydalis Rhizome), Danggui (Angelicae Sinensis Radix), Honghua (Carthami Flos), and similar herbs. After taking the medicine, the pain stopped. Four consecutive doses were effective, but the pain returned upon stopping the medication. After one month of regulation, the root cause could not be eliminated. I took the pulse record to consult my former teacher, Mr. Huang Gutan. He instructed me saying: This is a depression-fire syndrome. The disease originates in the Liver and Gallbladder. The Liver governs planning, and the Gallbladder governs decision-making. When plans are not decided, depression arises. Depression leads to exuberance of Wood. Exuberant Wood overacts on Spleen Earth. When the Spleen is injured, it cannot transform and transport essence and nutrients to generate Qi and Blood, hence menstruation does not arrive. Lung Metal, lacking nourishment from its mother (Spleen Earth), fails to perform its descending function. With Wood lacking restraint, it insults what it cannot overcome (i.e., Lung Metal), thus directly attacking the clear pathways, causing vomiting. The reduction of symptoms after vomiting occurs because the rising of Wood and the extinguishing of Fire. I formulated a prescription using Huanglian (Coptidis Rhizoma) 5 qian, Chaihu (Bupleuri Radix) 3 qian, Baishao (Paeoniae Radix Alba) 2 qian, Gancao (Glycyrrhizae Radix et Rhizoma) 1 qian, Chenpi (Citri Reticulatae Pericarpium), Beimu (Fritillariae Thunbergii Bulbus), and Zhishi (Aurantii Fructus Immaturus) each 5 fen, and three slices of Jiang (Zingiberis Rhizoma). After one dose, chills and fever ceased. After two doses, pain decreased, vomiting stopped, and the water sound disappeared. It did not recur for seven days. Her husband rejoiced, saying: "How miraculous and rapid!" He urged me to seek further instruction from Mr. Huang. Mr. Huang said: The chills and fever belong to the Shaoyang Gallbladder channel. Vomiting sour fluid belongs to the Jueyin Liver channel. Pain accompanied by churning lumps is due to excessive Fire agitating Water within the body, akin to soup boiling in a pot with surging bubbles. Excessive vomiting further injures Lung Metal. Therefore, Huanglian is used as the Sovereign herb to tonify Lung Metal, enabling it to control Liver Wood. Chaihu is used as the Minister herb to drain Liver Qi and ascend Gallbladder Fire. The Classic states: 'When Wood is depressed, it must be made free.' 'Free' means unobstructed. Since Wood's nature is to rise, when depressed, it fails to rise. Thus, Chaihu is used to ascend the clear Qi of the Gallbladder and Liver, breaking through the depression and restoring normalcy. It also states: 'For excess, reduce it, according to what it fears; this is called draining.' Tonifying Lung to control Liver precisely refers to this. It also states: 'To drain the Liver, soothe its center.' Gancao is used as an Assistant herb to soothe the center. Furthermore: 'In diseases primarily of the Wood position, drainage is achieved with sour flavors.' Baishao is used as a Minister herb to drain Wood within the Spleen. Prolonged illness generates depression; prolonged depression generates phlegm-fluids. Beimu, Chenpi, and Zhishi are used as Envoy herbs to open depression and expel phlegm-fluids. In this way, Metal regains its proper function, Wood achieves balance, and Earth finds peace, leading to rapid recovery. The previous formula used herbs like Shanzhi and Huanglian, which are descending agents. When Fire is blazing, how can mere cold-natured herbs suppress it? Hence the Classic says: 'For mild cases, treat directly; for severe cases, follow its nature and ascend it.' In treating any disease, one must understand this principle.

Mr. Huang was from Yi County, Huizhou. He was a disciple of Mr. Wang Shishan. In his youth, he studied Confucianism and mastered the Five Classics. Due to illness, he turned to medicine. His treatments often showed extraordinary insight. Here, only two cases are briefly recorded. Moreover, this is a common ailment today, yet few practitioners possess such clarity and thoroughness in treatment. Therefore, I publish this account to share with like-minded colleagues, hoping Mr. Huang's reputation will not fade.