Library

Pi disease (abdominal masses that are fixed, immovable upon pushing, and associated with localized pain) is generally similar but differs in details: some are located to the left or right of the navel, appearing as strips; those larger are as thick as an arm, while smaller ones are as thin as a string. Others are located between the hypochondriac regions and cause intermittent pain. These conditions all arise from disharmony of Yin and Yang, obstruction of meridians, stagnation of food and fluids preventing their free circulation, and the binding and coagulation of cold pathogenic factors. (From *Jifeng Fang*)

In the past, a person suffering from Jia disease (abdominal masses that gather and scatter irregularly with no fixed location of pain) left instructions after death to have his abdomen opened to remove the lesion. The removed mass was found to be dry, hard like stone, with five-colored textures. People called it a foreign object and secretly carved it into a knife handle. Later, when this knife was used to cut *Sanleng* (Sparganii Rhizoma), the handle dissolved into water. From this, it was known that this herb could treat Jia disease. (From *Bencao*)

Mao Jing, a military officer in the office of the Vice Prefect of Yongzhou, suffered from a strange illness where a sound would always emanate from his throat corresponding to his speech. A Daoist priest instructed him to memorize the names of herbs from the *Compendium of Materia Medica*. When he reached the name "Lan" (Isatidis Folium), he fell silent. Consequently, juice was extracted from Lan grass and given to him to drink. After a short while, he vomited out a piece of meat over two cun long, completely shaped like a human form. Liu Xiang Zisi, who served as the prefect of Yong and Jing, personally witnessed Mao Jing's recovery over the course of more than a year. (From *Bozhai Bian*)

Chen Zhengmin recorded in *Dunzhai Xianlan* that Mr. Yang developed a peculiar illness in middle age. Whenever he spoke or responded, a small voice mimicking echoes came from his abdomen. Over several years, the sound grew louder. A Daoist priest saw this and exclaimed, "This is an Echoing Worm. If not treated for a long time, it will spread to your wife and children. You should recite the *Compendium of Materia Medica*; when the worm does not respond, take that medicine." Following his advice, when reading about "Leiwang" (Pillulae Asaris), the worm suddenly fell silent. He immediately took several pills and was cured. Later, Chen Zhengmin met a beggar in Changsha who had the same ailment. Many people gathered around, so he taught the beggar to take Leiwang. The beggar declined, saying, "I am poor and have no other skills; I rely on begging for food and clothing, and I depend entirely on this condition to gain sympathy." These accounts were recorded by Chen Zhengmin. I read in Zhang Zhuo's *Chaoye Qianzai* from the Tang Dynasty that a scholar in Luozhou suffered from Echoing Speech, responding in his throat. He consulted the renowned physician Zhang Wenzhong. Zhang pondered overnight and devised a method: he had the patient recite the *Compendium of Materia Medica*. All names elicited a response until he reached a herb the worm feared, at which point silence ensued. Zhang then collected these specific herbs, compounded them into pills, and administered them. The echoing stopped instantly. Thus, we know such events occurred in ancient times. (From *Baina Jushi Tiewei Shan Conghua*)

Roundworms (Ascaris lumbricoides) are one of the Nine Worms, present in everyone's abdomen. In infants, early weaning or excessive consumption of sweet foods can lead to Spleen/Stomach deficiency and worm agitation, causing abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting of clear fluid, and visible blue veins on the abdomen. Roasted *Shijunzi* (Quisqualis Fructus) eaten with food, or decoction made from its shells, is very effective. However, people often take it before bed without a specific schedule, leading to poor efficacy. It is most effective when taken during the third watch (Wugeng) on the 4th or 5th day of the lunar month. By mid-morning, the worms will be expelled. Subsequently, mild harmonizing and warming formulas can be taken for one or two days to regulate the Stomach; do not overdose. Generally, worms in the abdomen position themselves differently depending on the lunar date: heads up in the first ten days, horizontal in the second ten days, and heads down in the last ten days. Therefore, medication taken in the middle or late periods fails to enter the worm's mouth, rendering it ineffective. For cattle and horses, those born in the first ten days walk ahead of the mother, those in the second ten days walk side-by-side, and those in the last ten days follow behind. Cats eating mice behave similarly: eating the upper part in the first ten days, the middle in the second, and the lower in the last. This is natural law, followed by all things, yet unknown to most. (From *Yiyu*)