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The only son of Wei Chengwu from Ningguo suddenly fell ill, becoming emaciated as if carved away. Physicians diagnosed it as Zhai disease (consumption/tuberculosis), but treatment was ineffective. Physician Liu Dayou asked about the cause of his illness. He replied: "In June, I got drunk and slept on a table. Upon waking, I was thirsty for water but found none nearby. Seeing clean water in a pot of calamus (Acorus tatarinowii) ahead, I drank it. Since then, the illness manifested."

Liu Dayou was pleased and secretly sent a servant to dig up mud from the fields, wash it with water, and collect two bowls of clear liquid, placing them on a table for the patient to drink at will. The young master of the Wei family, weary of his suffering and indifferent to filth, drank it all at once. Soon, his intestines churned and twisted painfully before settling. Subsequently, he took one hundred pills of a purgative medicine (Xuan Yao), resulting in severe diarrhea, through which more than sixty leeches were expelled. He immediately felt a sense of relief in his chest and mind. Liu said, "This is likely due to accidentally swallowing leeches from the pot. Once leeches enter the human abdomen, they nourish themselves on bodily fluids and blood, reproducing and often adhering firmly to the five zang organs, making them difficult to dislodge. However, having lived long in dirty ditches, they crave their preferred environment; without such bait, they would not gather. Nevertheless, his body is weak, so other medicines should be used for regulation and tonification." (From *Lei Bian*)

Another person, after drinking heavily, quenched his thirst at dusk by drinking field water by the road. Thereafter, he suddenly suffered from chest and abdominal distension. Despite visiting many physicians, there was no effect, and no one could identify the cause. Staying overnight at an inn, he desired water at midnight and ordered a servant to find some. The servant searched in the dark, saw several jars, suspected the innkeeper stored water there, and brought a bowl to his master. Upon drinking, he felt immediate relief in his chest. Seeking more, he suddenly felt urgent pressure in his bowels and defecated profusely one or twice in a vacant area beside the shop. At dawn, he observed that what he had excreted was countless leeches. Inspecting the water from the jar he drank the previous night, he realized it was the water used by the owner to process indigo plants for dye production. His illness was instantly cured. He then recalled that when he had drunk the field water earlier, he must have inadvertently swallowed leeches into his abdomen, causing the distension and pain. This illustrates harm caused by leeches. Nowadays, people working in fields bitten by these insects apply indigo paste, which invariably cures them.

Zhao Zishan, courtesy name Jinggao, resided at Tianwang Temple in Shaowu Jun, suffering from torment by Cunbai chong (tapeworm). A physician advised him to abstain from alcohol, but being addicted, he could not stop. One night, he returned home drunk, past midnight, with a dry mouth and throat. Hastily finding no hot water, he noticed water in a jar under the eaves, glowing clearly under the moonlight. He scooped and drank it; it tasted sweet as syrup. After drinking several spoonfuls, he went to sleep. By morning, worms filled the mat where he had been lying, and he felt immediate relief in his heart and abdomen, curing his chronic ailment. The whole family was astonished. Investigating the cause, they found it was the water in which the temple servants soaked red vine roots (Spatholobus suberectus) daily to weave straw sandals. (From *Geng Zhi*)