Library

Treats Shanghan (Cold Damage) and warm-heat diseases where both exterior and interior patterns are unresolved, presenting with headache, fever, dry mouth and throat, irritability, thirst with desire to drink, or vomiting immediately after drinking water, diarrhea, and persistent irritability and thirst even after sweating resolves the exterior pattern; this formula is suitable. It also treats Huoluan (Cholera-like disorder) with vomiting and diarrhea, restlessness, thirst, and desire to drink.

Zexie (Alisma Rhizoma, 25 liang), Baizhu (Atractylodis Macrocephalae Rhizoma), Zhuling (Polyporus), Chifuling (Poria with Red Host, peeled, each 15 liang), Rougui (Cinnamomi Cortex, bark removed, 10 liang).

Grind the above ingredients into a fine powder. Take 2 qian per dose, mixed with hot water, at any time. After taking the medicine, drink plenty of hot water; recovery occurs when sweating ensues. It also treats stasis-heat in the interior causing jaundice (yellow discoloration of the body); take it mixed with strong decoction of Yinchen Hao Tang (Coix Seed and Capillaris Decoction) before meals. For jaundice accompanied by thirst, or heatstroke with excessive drinking, it can be taken mixed with water. For children, add a small amount of Baizhu powder. If deficiency-heat occurs, add a small amount of Mian Huangqi (Astragali Radix) and Renshen (Ginseng Radix et Rhizoma) powder.

Treats spontaneous diarrhea without thirst due to Shanghan, incessant vomiting and hiccups, simultaneous vomiting and diarrhea, dysuria or polyuria, excessive sweating, weak pulse, abdominal pain and distension, cold extremities (cold reversal), and all types of deficiency-cold jue-ni (cold limbs); this formula is suitable for all such conditions. In cases of Shanghan presenting with these symptoms, which result from Yang qi deficiency and cold invasion, even if there are headache, body ache, fever, aversion to cold, and rigid limbs indicating complete exterior patterns, do not attack the exterior first; instead, treat the interior first with this medicine.

Gancao (Honey-fried Licorice Root, 2 liang), Ganjiang (Dried Ginger, 1.5 liang), Fuzi (Prepared Aconite Root, raw, peeled, navel removed, finely sliced, 0.5 liang).

Cut Gancao and Ganjiang into coarse pieces, mix evenly with Fuzi. Take 3 qian per dose, with 1.5 cups of water, decoct until 1 cup remains, strain, and take warm at any time. Regular use helps dissipate summer-heat and separates clear from turbid fluids.

Treats exposure to summer-heat and latent heat, excessive drinking, dampness affecting the Spleen and Stomach, failure to distinguish food and water, interference between clear and turbid Qi, rebellion of Yin and Yang Qi, Huoluan with vomiting and diarrhea, and irregular diet.

Gancao (cut into inch-long strips, 30 jin), Ganjiang, Xingren (Apricot Seed, peeled and tip removed, stir-fried), Rougui (Cinnamon Bark, bark removed, honey-fried, 4 jin).

First, stir-fry Gancao with white sand until it is eighty percent yellow and cooked. Then add Ganjiang and stir-fry together until the ginger cracks. Next, add Xingren and continue stir-frying until no sound is produced from the apricot seeds. Sieve to remove impurities, then add Rougui. Pound and sieve all together into a powder. Take 2 qian per dose, decoct with one cup of water until three-tenths remain, strain, and take warm. If irritability occurs, take mixed well-water (Jinghua Shui) at any time. Taking it with boiling water is also acceptable.