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A patient suffered from widespread wind-heat fine rashes, with unbearable itching and pain. The rash extended to the chest, shins, umbilical region, abdomen, and areas near the genitals. There was also excessive phlegm-saliva, and inability to sleep at night. One tael of *Sophora flavescens* root powder (Kushen) and two taels of *Gleditsia sinensis* fruit powder (Zaojiao) were mixed with one sheng of water, rubbed and filtered to extract the juice. The juice was boiled into a paste in silver or ceramic vessels, then mixed with the *Sophora* powder to form pills the size of tung tree seeds. Thirty to twenty pills were taken each time with warm water after meals, resulting in recovery the next day.

A woman suffered from wet sores covering the area below the umbilicus, extending upwards and downwards to include both yin organs. The sores resembled those of "horse melon sores," with no such symptoms elsewhere, only accompanied by itching, heat, and pain. Urination and defecation were obstructed, yellow fluid was discharged, appetite decreased, and there was slight swelling of the body and face. Physicians treated it as a malignant sore, applying medicines such as eel, pine resin, and lead oxide. Although the sores healed, the heat and pain worsened due to incorrect treatment. Upon inquiry, it was found that she enjoyed drinking alcohol and eating fish and other foods that trigger wind. She was immediately instructed to wash off the ointment with warm water. Then, four taels of fresh *Portulaca oleracea* (Pusongcai) were mashed finely, mixed with one tael of Indigo naturalis (Qingdai), ground evenly, and applied to the sores. Heat, pain, and itching subsided instantly. Internally, *Bazheng San* (Eight-Herb Powder for Unblocking) was administered three times daily to dissipate external pathogenic heat. Each application required waiting for about one double-hour (shi) until the medicine dried, followed by a new wet application. After two days, the condition improved by one-third; after five days, by two-thirds. Full recovery took twenty days. When asked why this sore occurred, the answer was: accumulation of wind-heat toxic qi in the middle and lower jiao. If not expelled, it would lead to intestinal abscess or internal hemorrhoids. Alcohol and wind-triggering foods must be strictly avoided. However, since she could not abstain from alcohol, she indeed developed internal hemorrhoids. (From *Bencao Yan Yi*)

Stepping on ruined hearth soil can cause sores; stepping on chicken eggshells can lead to vitiligo (white depigmentation).

Ren Dao, a scholar at Huang Middle School, suffered from a sore between his legs. Initially red and swollen, it later turned black upon cessation of bowel movements. Yellow fluid exuded from the posterior aperture, with floating pus around the edges. Multiple treatments failed. Physician Wang Tong examined it, noting the sore was narrow and long, resembling a "fish-umbilicus sore." He punctured the four directions and center with a large needle, releasing purple-red watery fluid resembling bean curd dregs. He explained three causes: 1) accumulation of wind-toxin; 2) blood and qi stagnation due to prolonged sitting; 3) human sweat falling onto meat consumed. Ren Dao stated he loved reading and sitting for long periods. Years prior, in summer, he bought pork jerky on the road, which tasted like rice mixed with human sweat, suspecting he had eaten meat contaminated by human sweat. Wang Tong replied this was close to accidentally ingesting human sweat. An "Extraordinary Powder" (Yi San Zi) mixed with egg white was applied to the sore, changed three times daily, leading to recovery in a few days. Ren Dao insisted on knowing the formula. Wang Tong said it contained only one ingredient: "Xue Xuan." Subsequent inquiries among famous physicians yielded no knowledge of what "Xue Xuan" was. Later, in Xu and Zheng regions, Ren Dao met an old physician named Hao, who recalled a prescription from *Taiping Shenghui Fang* treating this condition using ash from a pig's head burned in the twelfth lunar month, mixed with egg white. Thus, "Xue Xuan" referred to this ash. Without Hao's erudition and memory, subsequent physicians would surely have been confused. (From *Ming Yi Lu*)