Library

Yang Canmou (Staff Officer), named De, courtesy name Zhongshi, was sixty-one years old. In the second month of the Renzi year, he suffered from unbearable headache, unable to sleep day or night. Physician Cao Tongfu invited me to examine him. He stated that recently in Yanjing, he initially experienced dizziness, stuffiness, and slight headache. The physician treated it as Taiyang disease (a syndrome caused by pathogenic factors affecting the Taiyang channel) and induced sweating. After sweating, the pain worsened. After inducing sweating again to resolve the exterior, the condition deteriorated further and the headache intensified, so he returned home. Whenever passing through commanderies or counties, he summoned physicians to prescribe identical medications. To this day, the pain is severe, preventing him from lying down comfortably; he dislikes wind and cold and has no appetite. Palpation revealed his six pulses were wiry, fine, and faint; he had shortness of breath with a hurried rhythm, and spoke lazily. The *Neijing* states: "In spring, diseases manifest in the head." Due to advanced age and weak qi, clear yang cannot ascend to the head and face, resulting in dizziness and stuffiness. This illness originally lacked exterior pathogens; however, excessive sweating further depleted the clear yang qi, which could neither nourish the upper body nor secure the exterior. Thus, he suffered from severe headache and aversion to wind and cold, along with shortness of breath, weakness, and loss of appetite. It is precisely suitable to use Shunqi Hezhong Tang (Harmonizing Qi and Center Decoction). This formula raises yang and tonifies qi, and the headache will heal spontaneously.

[Shunqi Hezhong Tang]
Huangqi (Astragali Radix, 1.5 qian)
Renshen (Ginseng Radix, 1 qian)
Gancao (Licorice Root, honey-fried, 0.7 qian)
Baizhu (Atractylodis Macrocephalae Rhizoma)
Chenpi (Citri Reticulatae Pericarpium)
Danggui (Angelicae Sinensis Radix)
Baishao (Paeoniae Radix Alba, each 0.5 qian)
Shengma (Cimicifugae Rhizoma)
Chaihu (Bupleuri Radix, each 0.3 qian)
Xixin (Asari Radix et Rhizoma)
Manjingzi (Vittariae Spora)
Chuanxiong (Ligustici Chuanxiong Rhizoma, each 0.2 qian)

Crush the above herbs into coarse powder. Take one dose. Decoct in two cups of water until one cup remains, remove the dregs, and take warm after meals. After one dose, pain reduces by half; after another dose, complete recovery occurs. The *Neijing* states: "The yang qi guards the exterior and secures the body." Due to advanced age and weak qi, compounded by sweating, the qi guarding the exterior is further damaged. Therefore, Huangqi (Astragali Radix), sweet and warm, tonifies wei qi (defensive qi) and strengthens the exterior as the sovereign herb. Renshen (Ginseng Radix), sweet and warm, and Danggui (Angelicae Sinensis Radix), acrid and warm, nourish blood and qi. Baishao (Paeoniae Radix Alba), sour and cold, collects wei qi as the minister herb. Baizhu (Atractylodis Macrocephalae Rhizoma), Chenpi (Citri Reticulatae Pericarpium), and Gancao (Licorice Root, honey-fried), bitter, sweet, and warm, nourish stomach qi, generate yang qi, fill the skin and hair, and thicken the cou li (skin and interstices) as the assistant herbs. Chaihu (Bupleuri Radix) and Shengma (Cimicifugae Rhizoma), bitter and neutral, guide Shaoyang and Yangming qi to ascend, unblocking the hundred vessels to irrigate the whole body. Chuanxiong (Ligustici Chuanxiong Rhizoma), Manjingzi (Vittariae Spora), and Xixin (Asari Radix et Rhizoma), acrid and warm, are light and floating, clearing and emptying the orifices as the envoy herbs.

In the following spring, upon being summoned to Liupanshan, Physician Cao presented an ancient-style poem praising me:
"Li Mingzhi of Dongyuan was famous early for his medical skill.
Obtaining profound secrets from Yishui, he exhausted gold on medicine.
In a quiet room lit by a single lamp, he exhaustively studied the Neijing.
The Yellow Emperor clapped his hands in praise, Qibo was astonished.
Day by day, month by month, accumulation made it hard to sell;
Half a lifetime, how could it be but three broken limbs [experienced]?
His strength lay in flexible application of medicines;
Old prescriptions piled on desks, white fish [bookworms] grew.
He did not hear of Li Yan living together and sharing the same disease,
One purgative, one sweat, both achieved clarity by morning.
Thus knowing ancients had one prescription per syndrome,
Later generations matching prescriptions to syndromes fail to understand this principle clearly.
Who among you examines with public heart?
Directly creating noise and slander against those different from oneself.
The master lies in yellow earth full of regret,
Disciples rely on you, outstanding among medical heroes.
Your life-saving endeavors will be like ministers,
Once in your hands, the power is not light.
Year after year summoned to Tiance Mansion,
Grass and trees at Liantai all rejoice.
Good at storing Qiyе Qingzhan San,
Do not let Fan A alone monopolize fame."