Library

There is another condition where parasites such as venomous snakes in mountain streams or leeches remain in the semen. This results from accidentally drinking water contaminated with them, or mistakenly consuming plant materials and fruits harboring insect clusters. This leads to stabbing pain in the heart and abdomen, radiating to the waist and hypochondrium, occurring intermittently. When various medicines fail to produce an effect, it is identified as a worm disease (Chong Zheng). The principal formula is Xiongsha Wan (Cinnabar Pill).

*Herbs:* *Nanyshei Herba* (Hershe, 鹤虱), *Wuyi Fructus* (Wuyi, 芜荑), *Drynariae Rhizoma cum Scaly Cortex* (Ganqi, 干漆), *Bombyx Batryticatus* (Jiangcan, 僵蚕) — each 3 qian; *Cyathulae Radix* (Guanzhong, 贯众), *Punicae Pericarpium* (Shiliupi, 石榴皮) — each 5 qian; *Cinnabaris* (Zhusha, 朱砂), *Realgar* (Xionghuang, 雄黄), *Ovum Vespae* (Leiwang, 雷丸), *Kansui Radix* (Gansui, 甘遂).

Grind the above herbs into fine powder. Use rice flour paste as a binder to form pills the size of hemp seeds. Take ten pills at a time, administered with rice gruel broth during the fifth watch (Wugeng Shi, approx. 3:00–5:00 AM). This formula effectively kills various parasites. A small amount of *Moschus* (Shexiang, 麝香) may be added.
Another prescription: Realgar powder alone, mixed with wine and taken orally, is also effective.

When treating parasites associated with Consumption Disease (Lao Bing), formulas should be selected according to the five Zang organs. Treatment must only proceed on days when the patient is heavily intoxicated. After expelling the worms, tonification of the respective organ should follow immediately; for instance, after expelling spleen worms, tonify the Spleen; after expelling kidney worms, tonify the Kidney. If the disease is severe, regardless of the specific organ involved, use Zhuibing Dan (Pursuit-Disease Pill) to eradicate the root cause. For milder cases, consumption of eel or Ziheche (Human Placenta) is recommended. For cases of isolated Yang Deficiency, Jinye Dan (Golden Liquid Pill) is most suitable.

Method for Expelling Worms: First, have the patient's family seal a room tightly with hide paper, ensuring no gaps remain. Select an elderly, robust person to pass items through this sealed space. Spray this person’s body with Anxi Shui (Anxi Water). Apply Realgar (Xionghuang, 雄黄) and Orpiment (Cihuang, 雌黄) to the passerby’s ears, eyes, mouth, and nose. Prepare a pair of iron tongs and a cloth towel. Boil two jin of sesame oil in a pot over low heat until bubbling. Prepare a tall bucket containing Duanshi (Calcined Gypsum). Cover the bucket mouth with raw cloth. Wait until the first day of the lunar month, when the worms’ heads face upward. Administer the worm-expelling medicine to the patient: one dose at the beginning of the fifth watch, and another dose three points into the fifth watch. After ingestion, abdominal pain will occur as if split by knives or axes; do not be alarmed. By the Si hour (9:00–11:00 AM), the worms must be expelled. The expelled material may be foul-smelling like glue or lacquer, or vomited/diarrheal pus and blood clots. These are deposited into the ash-filled bucket. The worms may exit via sweat, resembling purple silkworm larvae; or emerge from the ears, nose, or mouth; or pass through urine. Their shapes vary grotesquely, and colors include black-green or yellow-red. Large worms should be immediately seized with iron tongs and fried in the hot oil. On the same day, wrap them in oil paper, place them in a clay jar, fill the jar with calcined gypsum, and bury it in a remote, deep mountain area to prevent contagion. All clothing, bedding, mats, and beds used by the patient must be discarded. The physician should administer the medication and then retreat to a distance. Regarding the expelled worms: those that are white indicate consumption of visceral fat and marrow for thirty days, followed by medicinal tonification; those that are yellow-red indicate consumption of flesh and blood for sixty days, followed by medicinal tonification; those that are purple-black indicate consumption of essence and marrow, signifying the disease has transmitted to the Kidney, representing the extreme stage. Hope for a slight chance of survival, or perhaps eliminating the hazard for future generations. Additionally, worms with white heads are difficult to treat, according to Wei Yilin. Zhu Danxi stated: One need not adhere strictly to these details.