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Mr. Wu Zhongfeng invited me to diagnose him; the time was the second day of mid-autumn. The pulses in all six positions were deep and faint (Chen Wei, 沉微), with the left side being particularly severe, faintly resembling the thinness of a spider's thread.

Symptoms:
Originally suffering from intestinal wind bleeding (Changfeng Quxue, 肠风去血), he had overconsumed cold-natured medicines, thereby damaging the spleen and stomach. From spring to autumn, spleen diarrhea (Pi Xie, 脾泄) remained uncured, occurring twelve or thirteen times daily. His complexion was yellowish-white with a bluish tint, his cheeks were swollen, and his limbs were also edematous. Urine could not flow independently; when urinating, it necessarily occurred simultaneously with defecation. There was borborygmus (intestinal rumbling), cold limbs, no thirst, significantly reduced dietary intake, and both lips and gingival flesh appeared white. He is a person prone to excessive worry and thought. The limbs are governed by the spleen; coldness indicates insufficient yang qi. The cheeks belong to the kidney meridian region; edema there further reveals insufficiency of kidney qi. Deep-faint pulses and a yellowish-swollen complexion both pertain to dampness. As the classics state: "All dampness-induced swelling and fullness belong to spleen earth." Synthesizing pulse and symptoms, this arises from spleen deficiency failing to transport, leading to accumulated dampness; the deficiency-cold nature is clear. With the disease reaching this stage, the situation is critical. However, since the physical signs correspond, the complexion matches the pulse, and the body can tolerate tonification, there is hope for survival. The method should be major warming-tonification and lifting. I prescribed modified Yiwei Shengyang Shen Shi Tang (Benefit Stomach, Raise Yang, and Leach Out Dampness Decoction) from Dongyuan for regulation. Ren Shen (Ginseng Radix) 3 qian, Bai Zhu (Atractylodis Macrocephalae Rhizoma) 5 qian, Huang Qi (Astragali Radix) 2 qian, Fu Ling (Poria), Yi Zhi Ren (Alpiniae Oxyphyllae Fructus), Cang Zhu (Atractylodis Rhizoma), Ze Xie (Alismatis Rhizoma) each 1 qian, Da Fu Zi (Aconiti Lateralis Radix Praeparata) 5 fen, Pao Jiang (Zingiberis Rhizoma Praeparatum), Zhi Gan Cao (Glycyrrhizae Radix et Rhizoma Praeparata), Sheng Ma (Cimicifugae Rhizoma), Fang Feng (Saposhnikoviae Radix) each 5 fen. After taking eight doses, all symptoms subsided. I then instructed him: Although the illness has temporarily healed, you must avoid raw/cold foods and excessive worry so that medication remains effective. Do not lightly violate these rules; if violated, neither medicine nor acupuncture can reverse it. The old gentleman said: Agreed, how dare I disobey?

Mr. Zhang Houxi's grandson suffered from generalized scabies accompanied by edema. The edema started at the dorsum of the foot, gradually ascending to the thighs, and now reached the abdomen. He experienced diarrhea, fever, and inability to sleep peacefully. This is a wind-dampness syndrome, occurring during an abnormal climatic period. Treatment followed the two methods of "opening the ghost gate" (sweating) and "purifying the bladder" (diuresis), aiming to raise clear yang to stop diarrhea and promote diuresis to resolve edema. This embodies the intent of dispersing dampness from above and below. Cang Zhu (Atractylodis Rhizoma) 1 qian, Yi Yi Ren (Coicis Semen) and Sang Bai Pi (Mori Cortex) each 3 qian, Qing Hao (Artemisiae Annuae Herba), Fang Feng (Saposhnikoviae Radix), Sheng Ma (Cimicifugae Rhizoma), Chai Hu (Bupleuri Radix) each 5 qian, Da Fu Pi (Arecae Pericarpium), Wu Jia Pi (Acanthopanacis Cortex), Chi Fu Ling (Poria cum Rubro), Ze Xie (Alismatis Rhizoma) each 6 fen. After eight doses, he was completely recovered.