Library

There was a woman suffering from unilateral migraines, accompanied by unilateral nasal congestion, loss of smell, frequent discharge of clear nasal mucus, and occasionally foul-smelling odor. She had taken various medicines for headaches, such as Chuanxiong Rhizome (Chuanxiong) and Whole Scorpion (Quanxie), but to no avail.

No one could identify this disease. Some said it was a brain abscess (nao yong). Occasionally, a physician skilled in this area suggested that she simply take Xiongxī Pill (Xiongxī Wan) from the *Official Formulary* (*Jufang*). After taking less than ten doses, she suddenly sneezed and expelled a large amount of thick pus, after which her illness was cured.

When washing hair, cold water must not be used, otherwise one will inevitably suffer from Head Wind disease (Toufeng, characterized by headache). After bathing, one should not sleep in wet clothes, lest it cause swelling and pain of the external kidneys (genitals) and stiffness or curvature of the waist and back.

Women should not wash their hair during menstruation. If they contract diseases due to this exposure, it may become an incurable chronic condition throughout their lives. (From *Bozhai Bian*)

A junior member of a clan had been taking Chuanxiong Rhizome (Chuanxiong) for a long time. Physician Zheng Shuxiong saw this and said, "Chuanxiong Rhizome should not be taken for a long time; excessive use can cause sudden death." Later, this young man indeed died suddenly while seemingly healthy. My relative-in-law, Zhang Zitong, a court official, also died suddenly one day after his wife had taken Chuanxiong Rhizome for a long time to treat Brain Wind disease (Naofeng). These are cases I witnessed with my own eyes. (From *Bitan*)

Generally speaking, consuming the Five Pungent Spices (Wuxin: garlic, scallion, chive, leek, and asafoetida), eating hot food and drinking hot beverages, bleeding from scalp acupuncture excessively, staring far into the distance, reading under lamplight, studying by moonlight, exposing oneself to smoke and fire, playing board games for extended periods, drinking alcohol continuously, eating hot meals and wheat-based foods, copying texts for many years, engaging in carving, embroidery, and painting, crying excessively, lacking moderation in sexual activity, observing sparks from afar, staring directly at the sun, and gazing intently at mountains and rivers are all fundamental causes of blindness. How can one not be cautious? (From *Suosui Lu*)

The hardship of reading indeed damages the Liver and harms the eyes. Fan Ning of the Jin Dynasty suffered from eye pain and sought a prescription from Zhang Zhan. Zhang Zhan jokingly replied, "In ancient prescriptions, Yang Zi of Song obtained this technique in his youth and taught it to Dongmen Bo of Lu, who then passed it to Zuo Qiuming. It was transmitted through generations until Du Zixia of the Han Dynasty and Zuo Taichong of the Jin Dynasty. All these sages suffered from eye ailments. Upon receiving this prescription, they said: 'To practice this, one must: 1. Reduce reading, 2. Reduce mental exertion, 3. Focus on internal vision (closing eyes and focusing inward), 4. Simplify external observation, 5. Rise early and sleep late, 6. Sleep early at night and wake up early.' Combining these six elements with Divine Fire (mental focus) sinking down and Qi accumulating in the chest, after seven days, cultivate this in the Fangcun (heart/dantian). In a short time, one can count one's eyelashes; looking far, one can see beyond a chi-ruler. Long-term continuous use allows one to see through walls. This not only brightens the eyes but also extends life. If practiced thus, how can it be called a joke? It is truly a miraculous prescription." (From *Benshi Fang*)

Monk Chu Cheng of Taizhou suffered from eye disease in middle age and often recited the Great Compassion Mantra. He dreamed that Guanyin Bodhisattva transmitted a dharani verse to him, instructing him to chant over water seven or forty-nine times every morning to wash his eyes. Any chronic opacities (zhangyi) or recent red-eye conditions were invariably cured. Chu Cheng knelt to receive the teaching, woke up remembering everything clearly, and practiced as instructed. He recovered shortly thereafter and lived to be eighty-eight years old. The verse said: "Savior Guanshiyin, grant me great peace and bliss, bestow upon me great convenience, extinguish my ignorance and darkness, remove obstacles of the virtuous kalpas, eliminate sins of ignorance, open the chamber of my eyes, let me see objects clearly. I now speak this verse, wash my eyes to recognize sins, emit pure light, wishing to behold subtle forms." (From *Wuzhi*)