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The silence of a pregnant woman is not a disease. Upon hearing of such cases, medication is unnecessary. On the day of labor, simply administering formulas such as Baosheng Wan (Life-Preserving Pill) or Siwu Tang (Four Substances Decoction) will result in natural speech after delivery. This is a natural principle, not the merit of medicine; how could it truly be the功 (merit/effect) of drugs? (From *Yiyu*)

Spontaneous abortion (half-birth) and full-term delivery are common occurrences for women. However, many suffer severe illnesses postpartum due to improper care. Some experience sudden cessation of menstruation, some suffer from uterine and organ deficiency unable to sustain health, and others accumulate masses (*jia*, abdominal lumps), damaging their lives over years. This stems not from other causes, but from underestimating spontaneous abortion and failing to provide adequate recuperation. One must understand that recuperation after spontaneous abortion should be ten times more rigorous than after full-term delivery. In full-term delivery, after bleeding stops, the organs are empty; whereas in spontaneous abortion, muscle tissue rots. Consider this analogy: full-term delivery is like a chestnut within its fruit. When the chestnut ripens naturally and Yin-Yang Qi is sufficient, the shell opens and the nut falls. At this time, both the kernel and the shell remain undamaged. Similarly, when a woman’s pregnancy reaches ten months and Yin-Yang Qi is sufficient, the uterus opens naturally, and the child is born. If the term is not complete, and due to erroneous medication, injury by cold pathogens or heat toxins, lifting heavy objects, falling, or physical trauma damages the fetal organs and ruptures the fetal membranes causing rot, then the fetus falls. This is akin to someone picking a fresh chestnut, crushing its shell, breaking its stem while still in the shell, and then retrieving the nut. This illustrates spontaneous abortion. Because the fetal organs are damaged and the membranes severed before the fetus falls, those who undergo spontaneous abortion cannot recover unless they follow recuperation protocols ten times stricter than those for full-term delivery. After full-term delivery, tonifying deficiency, generating good blood, resolving bad blood, protecting organ Qi, and expelling wind pathogens ensures everyone remains stable. After spontaneous abortion, one must tonify deficiency, regenerate muscle tissue, nourish blood, investigate the root cause, resolve pathology, expel wind pathogens, nurture organ Qi, and apply recuperation ten times stricter than for full-term delivery; thus, no damage to the body will fail to heal. Alas! People often underestimate spontaneous abortion, leading to countless cases of critical danger. How can one not cherish [proper care]? (From *Suosuilu*)

Generally, there are four methods for treating difficult labor:
1. The Kidney is a storage organ, characterized by closure and retention. For inducing labor, formulas often use slippery and rapid-acting herbs, such as Rabbit Brain, Pen-tip Ash, Crossbow Tooth, and Snake Skin.
2. Cases where amniotic fluid or blood descends first, leaving the birth canal dry and slippery, preventing the fetus from descending, can be treated with Pig Fat, Honey, Wine, Scallion White, Malva Seed, Cow’s Milk, Elm Bark, and Talcum.
3. Cases where labor is delayed due to prolonged exertion, allowing Wind-Cold to invade the womb through deficiency, causing Qi and Blood to stagnate and preventing descent, can be treated with Cinnamon Twig, Achyranthes Root, Wine, and Scallion. Decocting Wuji San (Five Accumulations Powder) with Shunyuan San is particularly effective.
4. Cases involving violation of taboos may be treated with talismanic methods, Rabbit Brain collected in the twelfth lunar month, Cinnabar, and Frankincense.