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A scholar named Yang Zezhi had an irritable temperament and was fond of sexual indulgence. A nodule formed in his supraclavicular fossa (Quepen). This was a condition of Liver Fire causing blood dryness and tendon contraction; the treatment principle should be to nourish Kidney Water to generate Liver Blood. He did not believe this, instead taking internal medicine to descend fire and resolve phlegm, and applying external poultices containing Arisaema Cum Bile (Nanxing) and Phytolaccae Radix (Shanglu). Consequently, the swelling enlarged to the size of a bowl. I used Buzhong Yiqi Tang (Tonify the Middle and Augment the Qi Decoction) and Liuwei Dihuang Wan (Six-Ingredient Rehmannia Pill), interspersed with Lushui Wan (Aloe Pill). After more than a year, his Yuan Qi (Original Qi) gradually recovered, and the swelling subsided.

A man who was prone to anger had slight swelling on the left side of his neck, which gradually enlarged to the size of a sheng (a unit of volume). Previous treatment with methods to clear phlegm and regulate Qi resulted in high fever, thirst, frequent urination, and turbid urine. I diagnosed it as Kidney Water deficiency and treated him with Liuwei Dihuang Wan and Buzhong Yiqi Tang, resulting in a cure. Similarly, for swellings in the chest or abdomen the size of a sheng or dou (units of volume), or those that ulcerated resembling mushrooms or pomegranates, regardless of size, the same method was applied.

Juren Jiang Jiefu had nodules in his neck, arm, and hypochondrium. Misusing drugs that dispel phlegm, descend fire, and soften hardness aggravated his condition. I stated, "This is due to blood deficiency in the Liver and Gallbladder meridians with hyperactive fire." He persisted with the previous medication. By June of the following year, all nodules ulcerated, and the pulse was floating, large, and choppy. I predicted that since Metal (Autumn) would become prosperous and overcome Wood (Liver), he would not survive, which proved true.

Gu Dayou’s father, aged seventy-nine, engaged in sexual activity with a young wife just before going out in mid-winter. This caused headache and fever, dizziness, vertigo, panting, excessive saliva and phlegm, frequent urination, dry mouth with desire to drink, thorns growing over the entire tongue, tongue retraction resembling a lychee pit, black cracking of the lower lip, red eyes, irritability, insomnia, and occasional sensations of smoke and fire rushing up the throat. Drinking cold tea provided slight relief, but he was near death. The pulse was large, disordered, and forceful; his body felt burning hot to the touch. This was deficient fire from the Kidney meridian wandering externally. I administered Shiquan Dabu Tang (Ten-Agent Great Tonifying Decoction) augmented with Cornus Fructus (Shanzhuyu), Alisma Rhizoma (Zexie), Moutan Cortex (Danpi), Dioscoreae Rhizoma (Shanyao), Ophiopogonis Radix (Maidong), Schisandrae Fructus (Wuweizi), and Aconiti Lateralis Radix Praeparata (Fuzi). After one dose, he slept soundly for a long time, and his pulse and symptoms decreased by three or four parts. He then took Bawei Wan (Eight-Ingredient Pill, i.e., Jin Gui Shenqi Wan), after which all symptoms receded. He later recovered, though he remained averse to cold substances.

Gu Rencheng, aged sixty-one, experienced seminal emission after dysentery and sexual activity, which lasted two days. Subsequently, due to sexual exhaustion, exposure to cold, and anger, he developed alternating chills and fever, pain in the right hypochondrium radiating to the heart and abdomen, chest oppression, spontaneous sweating, night sweats like rain, cold limbs, palpitations during sleep, sensations of floating upward or sinking downward, leading to neglect of food and rest. Two doses of tonifying medicines taken by others worsened his condition. The pulse was large, surging, and rapid, but fine and weak upon deep pressure. This belonged to deficiency heat without fire. Urgently, I prescribed Shiquan Dabu Tang augmented with Dioscoreae Rhizoma, Cornus Fructus, Moutan Cortex, and Aconiti Lateralis Radix Praeparata. After one dose, all symptoms instantly resolved. Such extreme depletion of Yuan Qi is rare, occurring in less than one in a hundred. The two Gu family members were father and son.

Zhou Tong Han Yongzhi, aged forty-six, suffered from vexation, heat, and thirst due to excessive sexual desire in mid-summer. He drank incessantly, had dribbling urination, constipation, profuse expectoration, red face and eyes, thorns on the tongue, dry and cracked lips, generalized fever, intermittent prickling sensations without fixed location, and burning soles of the feet that hurt when touched with ice. The pulse was surging and disordered. This was Kidney Yin deficiency with Yang having no attachment, manifesting externally; it was not excess fire. Generally, intense heat that does not respond to cooling indicates a lack of Water; thus, severe tonification of Yin is required. I prepared Jiajian Bawei Wan (Modified Eight-Ingredient Pill) material weighing one jin, added Rougui (Cinnamon Bark), boiled it in water to make six bowls, and served it cold. After half an hour, he had consumed most of it. Upon waking, he ate a bowl of warm congee, slept until evening, then took another bowl of the decoction warmed. He slept until dawn, ate two bowls of hot congee, and all symptoms subsided. The next day, he felt cold, with coldness extending to his knees, and symptoms returned. Others suspected Cold Damage (Shanghan). I said, "No. Intense cold that does not respond to warming indicates a lack of Fire; Yang Qi is also deficient." I urgently prescribed Bawei Wan. After one dose, he improved slightly. After four doses, all symptoms vanished. His stool remained unpassed for thirteen days; using pig bile suppositories caused symptoms to recur. Urgently, I used Shiquan Dabu Tang, and after several doses, he recovered.