一男子年三十,房后骑马渡溪,遇深渊沉没复起,混衣坐马行十五里抵家。次日憎寒壮
热,肢节酸痛如疟状。医作虚以补中气治,又作劳治,以四物汤加黄柏、知母服之,
反加满闷不食。召予诊。六脉皆洪缓,重按若牢,右手为甚。作湿郁处治,用平胃散加苍术、
白术、半夏、茯苓、川芎、香附、砂仁、防风、羌活、加姜,煎服三帖,诸病皆减。后以
茯苓渗湿汤倍加白术,服二十帖全安。
一室女因忤意,郁结在脾,半年不食。但日食熟菱、枣数枚,遇喜亦食馒头弹子大,深
恶粥饭。此为脾郁,非枳实不能散,治温胆汤去竹茹与之,数十剂而安。
一女许婚后,夫出二年不归,因不食困卧如痴,无他病,多向床里坐卧。此思想气结也,
药难独治,得喜可解。不然,令其怒,使其木气升发,而脾气自开,木能制土故也。俾
激之,大怒而哭,良久令解之,与药一剂,
遂思食。予曰∶病虽愈,得喜方已。乃设曰∶夫回。病果不复作。
一少妇,因逆意不食,膈满,累月惫甚,巳午间发热面赤,酉间退热,小便数而点滴。脉
沉涩而短,经水按月,惟数滴而已。予曰∶此气郁血虚,中宫却因食滞生痰。遂用补泻兼治,
参术为君,陈皮、茯苓、红花为佐使,浓煎食前服。少顷药行,吃粥半盏;少顷,与神 丸
减轻粉、牵牛,细丸津下十五丸。昼夜二药各进四服,食进热退,七日愈。
A thirty-year-old man, after sexual intercourse, rode a horse across a stream. He fell into a deep abyss, submerged, and then resurfaced. Wearing wet clothes, he continued riding for fifteen li to reach home. The next day, he experienced aversion to cold with high fever, and soreness and pain in the limbs and joints resembling malaria. Physicians treated him as a deficiency syndrome using methods to tonify middle qi, and also as an overstrain syndrome, administering Siwu Tang (Four Substances Decoction) added with Huangbai (Phellodendri Cortex) and Zhimu (Anemarrhenae Rhizoma). However, his symptoms worsened, presenting with chest fullness and loss of appetite. I was summoned to diagnose him. All six pulses were hong (surging) and huan (moderate), but when pressed heavily, they felt like lao (firm) pulses, more pronounced on the right hand. I diagnosed it as dampness stagnation and treated it with Pingwei San (Calm the Stomach Powder) added with Cangzhu (Atractylodis Rhizoma), Baizhu (Atractylodis Macrocephalae Rhizoma), Banxia (Pinelliae Rhizoma), Fuling (Poria), Chuanxiong (Ligustici Chuanxiong Rhizoma), Xiangfu (Cyperi Rhizoma), Sharen (Amomi Fructus), Fangfeng (Saposhnikoviae Radix), Qianghuo (Notopterygii Rhizoma et Radix), and ginger. After taking three doses decocted in water, all symptoms subsided. Later, he took Fuling Shen Shi Tang (Poria Damp-Draining Decoction) with doubled Baizhu, taking twenty doses until fully recovered.
A maiden, due to displeasure, had qi stagnation constrained in the spleen, resulting in no food intake for half a year. She only consumed several cooked water caltrops and dates daily, and when happy, ate steamed buns the size of a marble, deeply detesting porridge and rice. This was spleen qi stagnation, which cannot be dispersed without Zhishi (Aurantii Fructus). I prescribed Wendan Tang (Gallbladder-Warming Decoction) with Zhuru (Bambusae Caulis in Taenia) removed. After dozens of doses, she recovered.
A young woman, after being betrothed, saw her husband leave for two years without returning. Consequently, she lost her appetite, lay listlessly in bed as if dazed, with no other illnesses, preferring to sit and lie facing inward toward the bed. This was qi knotting caused by excessive thinking. Medication alone could not cure it; relief required joy. Alternatively, inducing anger would cause liver wood qi to ascend and open, thereby releasing spleen earth qi, based on the principle that wood controls earth. Thus, I provoked her into a fit of angry weeping. After a long while, I had others comfort her, administered one dose of medicine, and she began to desire food. I said, "Although the illness has improved, it will only be completely resolved through joy." So, I falsely claimed, "Your husband is returning." Indeed, the illness did not recur.
A young married woman, due to displeasure, lost her appetite and suffered from chest diaphragm fullness. For months, she became extremely fatigued. Between si (09:00–11:00) and wu (11:00–13:00) hours, she had fever and flushed face, which subsided during you (17:00–19:00) hours. Her urination was frequent but scanty. Her pulse was chen (deep), se (choppy), and duan (short). Her menstruation occurred monthly but was very scanty. I said, "This is qi stagnation and blood deficiency, while the middle jiao has generated phlegm due to food stagnation." Therefore, I employed both tonifying and purging methods. Ginseng (Renshen) and Atractylodes Macrocephala (Baizhu) served as the sovereign drugs, while Chenpi (Citri Reticulatae Pericarpium), Poria (Fuling), and Safflower (Honghua) served as minister and envoy drugs. Decocted strongly, it was taken before meals. Shortly after the medicine acted, she drank half a cup of porridge. Then, Shen Wan (Divine Pill) modified with reduced Fen (Calamine) and Niu Bang Zi (Arctii Fructus) or Qian Niu Zi (Pharbitidis Semen - *Note: Text says Qian Niu, likely Phoebe or Pharbitis, standardly Phoebe/Ipomoea contextually often implies purgative*), formed into small pills, were swallowed with saliva, fifteen at a time. Both medicines were administered four times each throughout day and night. Food intake increased, fever receded, and she recovered in seven days.