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My mother, aged fifty-three. She suffered from toothache and could not eat for nearly several months. Someone mistakenly used an old prescription, filling wild bee nests with salt and Sichuan pepper, and rubbed powdered sheep tibia bones on the affected area. This caused her entire mouth to become ulcerated and broken, doubling the pain and making it even more impossible to eat. Later, my mother applied a canker sore powder containing *Ningbois* (Human Placenta Ash) to the area, which allowed her to consume liquids, so she took a boat into the city for medical treatment. Upon pulse diagnosis, the pulses at the Cun, Guan, and Chi positions on the right hand were all deep and hidden (*Fu*). The pulses at the Cun and Guan positions on the left hand were fine and weak (*Xi*), while the pulse at the Chi position on the left was surging and slow (*Hong Huan*). I said with alarm: Selecting formulas to treat diseases is inferior to reasoning based on medical principles. The deep and hidden pulses in the three positions of the right hand are due to the inability to eat because of toothache, causing the Spleen and Stomach to lose nourishment; the fine and weak pulses at the left Cun and Guan positions are due to Spleen and Stomach deficiency, failing to nourish the Blood of the Heart and Liver; the surging and slow pulse at the left Chi position indicates Damp-Heat. I used *Baizhu* (Atractylodis Rhizoma), *Gancao* (Glycyrrhizae Radix et Rhizoma), and *Chenpi* (Citri Reticulatae Pericarpium) to tonify the Spleen and Stomach; *Siwu Tang* (Four Substances Decoction) to nourish Yin and Blood; and *Cangzhu* (Atractylodis Rhizoma), *Fuling* (Poria), *Huangbai* (Phellodendri Cortex), and *Zhimu* (Anemarrhenae Rhizoma) to clear the surging and slow condition (Damp-Heat) at the Chi position.

Cui You, over twenty years old. He had a habit of excessive sexual activity. Suddenly, he suffered from a dental disease and sent a messenger to report: his gums were swollen and painful, and bleeding would not stop. I reasoned: This is a manifestation of Wood overcoming Earth. It indicates deficiency of Blood in the Liver and Kidney, with Wind-Fire moving recklessly, attacking what it cannot overcome (the Spleen and Stomach). I treated him with *Jiawei Xiaoyao San* (Modified Free and Easy Wanderer Powder) for two doses. After one dose, the pain decreased and bleeding stopped; after two doses, he was completely cured. This is because it cooled the Yin of the Liver and Kidney, treated the branch symptoms of Wind-Heat, and fortified the deficiency of Spleen Earth. The Classic says: When Wood is depressed, disperse it; when Fire is depressed, vent it...

My Grandmaster Cun Bi, over forty years old. His Spleen and Stomach were chronically deficient. Suddenly, one day he suffered from toothache, with saliva flowing incessantly from both corners of his mouth, accumulating enough to fill a bushel, and his cries of pain shook the neighbors. Pulse diagnosis revealed a wiry and urgent (*Xian Ji*) pulse at the right Guan position, indicating a syndrome of Spleen and Stomach Deficiency-Cold. I prescribed *Buzhong Yiqi Tang* (Tonify the Middle and Augment the Qi Decoction) added with *Wuzhuyu* (Evodiae Fructus), *Ganjiang* (Zingiberis Rhizoma), and *Rougui* (Cinnamomi Cortex), each 3 fen, and *Renshen* (Ginseng Radix) 5 fen taken internally. Within a short time after taking the medicine, the pain did not resolve but increased, and he was restless sitting or lying down. This was because the medicinal power had not yet taken effect. After another short period, although the pain decreased, the saliva still did not stop. I said: Saliva is the fluid of the Spleen; it should not be excessively lost. Therefore, I decocted the previous formula adding 8 fen of *Renshen*. The next day, I administered another dose as before. The pain stopped, and the saliva ceased, and then...