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The Chong (Penetrating) and Ren (Conception) vessels are the seas of the twelve meridians. When the qi of these two vessels is deficient and further damaged by overstrain, they fail to control the blood. Consequently, non-menstrual bleeding that drips continuously is called *Lou Xia* (Leaking Down). When blood mixes with turbid discharge and flows down, it is called *Dai Xia* (Band-Down). Sudden massive bleeding is called *Beng Zhong* (Collapse in the Middle). A white color indicates cold, a red color indicates heat, and a mixture of red and white indicates both cold and heat (from Lou Juzhong's *Shi Zhi Tong Shuo*, as above).

Si Wu Tang (Four Substances Decoction) is the treasure for women. Li Minqiu from Luoyang was appointed to an official post in Dongwu. His wife suffered from toothache; each time it flared up, she groaned and rolled about in unbearable pain. She had maids use forked sticks to hold her teeth apart. In a short while, silver utensils turned black, indicating that toxic vapors were attacking, making the pain severe. Along the way, doctors were changed repeatedly without effect. Hui Hai, a monk from Jiahe, prepared a decoction for her. After taking it for half a year, her suffering was cured. Later, after eating hot noodles, the condition recurred. He boiled the decoction while she sat and gave it to her; one dose cured her. Such was its miraculous speed. The prescription title was initially unknown, simply described as "cooling blood and activating blood." Li Minqiu reported this with heavy gratitude and pressed for details, only then discovering it was Si Wu Tang (Four Substances Decoction). Since the blood is activated and cooled, how could stagnation arise to cause disease? Qiangzhong had a female attendant who had been ill for a long time with obstructed menstruation, fever, cough, fatigue, loss of appetite, emaciation, and skeletal appearance. Physicians often treated this as *Zhai Ji* (Consumption Disease), and the condition was critical. Qiangzhong said, "Women take blood and qi as their root; when blood flourishes, natural physiology prevails." Thus, he dismissed other physicians and had her exclusively take this decoction. The method was: crush the herbs, simmer slowly to extract clear juice, drink warm, on an empty stomach, three to four times daily. Within less than a month, menstruation suddenly resumed, and other ailments vanished (from *Bo Zhai Bian*).

In ancient times, Chu Cheng of the Song dynasty formulated separate prescriptions for nuns and widows, which was justified. These two groups live in isolation with yin but no yang; their sexual desires awaken but are often unfulfilled. Therefore, yin and yang contend, alternating between chills and fever, resembling *Wen Nue* (Warm Malaria). Prolonged, this becomes *Lao* (Chronic Deficiency Syndrome). I once read the biography of Cang Gong in the *Records of the Grand Historian*. It records that Han Nu, a servant of the King of Jibei, suffered from lower back pain, chills, and fever. Everyone considered it a chills-and-fever disorder. Cang Gong said, "This illness arises from desiring a man but being unable to obtain one." How did he know it was due to desiring a man but being unable to obtain one? He diagnosed her pulse: the Liver pulse was wiry and protruding. From this, he knew. Generally, men take essence as their primary substance, while women take blood as their primary substance. When men's essence is abundant, they desire cohabitation; when women's blood is abundant, they conceive pregnancy. The Liver governs the storage of blood. If the Jueyin (Liver) pulse is wiry and protrudes into the Cun (inch) position and extends up to the Yuji area, it indicates abundant yin blood. Thus, we know that Chu Cheng's words were indeed well-founded (from *Ben Shi Fang*).