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According to the *Zhubing Yuanhou Lun* (Treatise on the Pathogenesis and Symptoms of All Diseases), "recrudescence of labor" in warm diseases refers to a condition where, shortly after recovery, body fluids have not yet replenished and blood and qi remain deficient. Due to premature physical exertion, heat is generated anew; this pathogenic heat re-enters the meridians and collaterals, causing the disease to recur.

Furthermore, for those who have just recovered from warm toxic diseases, the spleen and stomach remain weak, and the vital energy derived from grain (Gu Qi) has not yet recovered. If one consumes dog meat, pork, mutton, intestinal blood, fatty fish, or roasted greasy foods, it will inevitably lead to severe diarrhea. Once severe diarrhea occurs, it becomes incurable. Additionally, if one eats cakes, pastries, roasted meats, jujubes, chestnuts, and other hard-to-digest raw fruits, digestion will fail. These substances will stagnate and accumulate in the intestines and stomach, causing abdominal distension and hardness, and obstruction of both urination and defecation. Consequently, fever may return, leading to disease recurrence. It is not only about improper diet; one must also be cautious with activities such as combing hair and bathing. (Foods such as peaches, plums, raw green onions, raw vegetables, kelp, Chinese cabbage, and sparrow meat are all prohibited; see Volume 10 for details).

The *Qianjin Fang* (Essential Prescriptions Worth a Thousand Gold) states that after the recent recovery from febrile diseases or major illnesses, consuming pork, intestinal blood, fatty fish, or roasted greasy foods will inevitably cause severe diarrhea, which physicians cannot treat, leading to death. If one consumes cakes, millet, malt sugar jerky, roasted meat, jujubes, chestnuts, and other hard-to-digest items, the weak stomach qi will fail to digest them, leading to the accumulation of heat. If purgatives are then administered, the stomach becomes cold and deficient, resulting in uncontrollable severe diarrhea. If purgatives are not used, death is certain; if they are used, the condition becomes critical. Both scenarios are difficult to rescue. Many die from febrile and major illnesses due to these errors; caution is essential. After recent recovery, one should only consume thin gruel. It is better to eat little and remain slightly hungry rather than overeating. No other foods should be consumed; even if desired, they should not be given. Over time, mutton gruel can be gradually introduced. Soups made from pheasant, rabbit, or venison are acceptable, but pork and dog meat must be avoided. One should rest quietly in bed after recovery, avoiding early rising. One should not have hair combed or take baths. Besides physical fatigue, excessive talking and mental exertion should also be avoided, as all these factors can lead to recrudescence of labor.

There was a case where a patient had recovered but remained unwell. He consulted Hua Fu for pulse diagnosis. Hua Fu said, "Although the illness has subsided, you are still deficient and not fully recovered, with insufficient yang qi. Do not engage in strenuous activities. General fatigue is tolerable, but sexual intercourse will lead to death. Upon death, your tongue will protrude several inches." His wife, hearing of his recovery, traveled over a hundred li to visit him. They stayed together and engaged in sexual intercourse. Three days later, he fell ill, his tongue protruded several inches, and he died. If sexual activity occurs within one hundred days of recent recovery, before strength has returned, death is almost inevitable. This condition, occurring during or immediately after a febrile disease, is called "Yin-Yang Exchange Disease" (Yin Yang Yi Bing), which is difficult to treat and often fatal. (*Gu Jin Lu Yan* and *Ji Yan Fang* agree).

Another prescription is provided for treating recrudescence caused by early rising and exertion after a serious illness, or by excessive food intake, nearly leading to death.
Burn tortoise shell into powder and administer one fang cun bi (a square-inch measure). Avoid amaranth. (*Zhou Hou Bei Ji Fang*, *Ji Yan Fang*, and Wen Zhong's *Bei Ji Fang* concur; see Volume 10).

The *Shen Shi Fang* treats recurrence due to improper diet after recovery from warm diseases. Ma Huang San (Ephedra Powder).
Ma Huang (Ephedrae Herba, 10 parts, nodes removed) Da Huang (Rhei Radix et Rhizoma, 15 parts, processed with heat) Fu Zi (Aconiti Lateralis Radix Praeparata, 1 part, processed) Hou Po (Magnoliae Officinalis Cortex, 2 parts, processed with heat) Ku Shen (Sophorae Flavescentis Radix, 6 parts) Shi Gao (Gypsum Fibrosum, 6 parts, crushed, wrapped in silk) Wu Tou (Aconiti Radix, 6 parts, processed)
Grind the seven ingredients into fine powder. Mix with wine or rice water and administer one fang cun bi. Take three times daily and twice at night. (See Volume 14).

*Gu Jin Lu Yan* treats recrudescence of febrile diseases. Ma Zi Tang (Hemp Seed Decoction). (Effective formula used by Wu Zheng).
Ma Zi (Cannabis Fructus, 1 sheng) Chi Shao (Sojae Semen Preparatum, 1 sheng) Mu Shu Shi (Excrement of Male Rat, 11 pieces)
Boil the three ingredients in five sheng of water until two and a half sheng remain. Divide into three warm doses. The effect is immediate and highly effective. (*Zhou Hou Bei Ji Fang* concurs).

Another prescription: Da Huang Wan (Rhubarb Pill).
Da Huang (Rhei Radix et Rhizoma, 1 liang, steamed with two dou of rice) Ba Dou (Crotonis Fructus, 50 seeds, heart and skin removed, fried) Xiao Shi (Natrii Sulfas, 3 parts, refined; use Mang Xiao/Mirabilite if unavailable) Gui Xin (Cinnamomi Ramulus, 2 parts) Gan Jiang (Zingiberis Rhizoma, 2 parts, processed)
Grind the four ingredients (excluding Ba Dou) into powder. Independently grind Ba Dou into a paste. Mix with honey and pound for two thousand strokes to form pills the size of mulberry seeds. Administer one pill with decoction. If heat is above the diaphragm, expect vomiting; if below, expect purgation. Prepare porridge in advance. Follow standard procedures for emetic/purgative pills. If no reaction after two meal periods, stimulate with hot drinks. If still no reaction, administer another half pill. Robust adults may take two pills. This formula is superior to other purgatives, allowing flexible dosing. If purgation is excessive, alleviate with cold porridge. For sores, apply a pill mixed with honey to a cotton swab inserted into the sore. For constipation due to warm diseases, this promotes bowel movement. For retained food, it aids digestion. For Fei Shi (Flying Corpse) or Dun Shi (Lurking Corpse) pathogens, administer half a pill with cereal liquid once daily; relief comes quickly. For abdominal distension and pain, take one pill. For malaria, fast the day before the expected attack, take one pill in the morning; robust adults take two pills. Eat only after enduring hunger through the attack phase. For postpartum blood stasis, irregular menstruation, infertility, or cyanotic-yellow complexion, take half a pill. For children with dribbling urine, chills and fever, abdominal distension, anorexia, and failure to thrive (ages 3-4), take one pill the size of hemp seed daily; ages 6-7 take two pills. Cures various abdominal diseases within thirty days; reduce dose for younger infants. Excellent efficacy. Avoid wild boar meat, asparagus, and raw green onions. (See Volume 3).