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Apoplexy (Zhongfeng, Stroke) in the North is mostly caused by Cold pathogen, suitable for dispersing Cold; in the South, it is mostly caused by Fire pathogen, suitable for clearing Fire. However, dispelling Wind and eliminating Phlegm are consistent practices in both regions. Among ancient prescriptions, apart from Hou Shi Hei San (Black Powder of Hou Shi) and Feng Yin Tang (Wind-Driving Decoction) by Zhang Zhongjing, Xu Ming Tang (Life-Prolonging Decoction) serves as the main formula. There are several versions of Xu Ming Tang, all centered on driving out Wind, with modifications based on symptoms containing profound principles. It has never been appropriate to purely use warm and tonifying herbs without expelling Wind-Cold, Phlegm, or Fire pathogens, which leads to certain death in severe cases and a state of neither living nor dying in mild cases. Merely taking Ginseng Radix et Rhizoma (Renshen, 人参) daily depletes one's fortune while merely prolonging life, which is most lamentable! Some who slightly alter this approach use Di Huang Yin Zi (Rehmannia Infusion), claiming it achieves simultaneous tonification of Yin and Yang, which is also a major error. This formula treats Shaoyin syndrome characterized by Qi reversal failing to reach the extremities, manifesting as aphasia and lower limb flaccidity, known as Fei syndrome (Fei Zheng, 痱症). This condition is purely deficient without evil pathogens, resembling apoplexy but being exactly opposite to apoplexy caused by Wind-Cold, Phlegm, and Fire, as verifiable in Liu Hejian's works. Using this formula to treat apoplexy with excess pathogens causes equal harm. I see dozens of apoplexy patients annually; those treated according to ancient methods recover eight or nine out of ten. Those taking warm tonics have no cures among hundreds; those not heavily taking tonics can still be salvaged. The ones who do not fully recover or are truly incurable account for only one or two out of ten. Why, upon contracting this disease, do they resign themselves to becoming invalids forever? Bystanders view it as inevitably fatal, and physicians only advise taking expensive medicines until death occurs without regret. Is this not strange! I wish all apoplexy patients would never throw their curable bodies into inevitable death.

Cough results from Wind-Cold invading the Lung. The Lung is a delicate organ; misapplication of medication immediately causes harm. If one uses cloying and astringent tonics such as Prepared Rehmannia Root (Shu Dihuang, 熟地黄), Ophiopogon Tuber (Maidong, 麦冬), Cornus Fruit (Yurou, 山茱萸), and Schisandra Berry (Wuweizi, 五味子) to tonify and trap the external pathogen, it will inevitably lead to hemoptysis, aphonia, throat tinea, perianal abscess, dyspnea, aversion to cold, and fever. Death may occur within half a year or up to three years. Indeed, the day these medicines are taken is the day of their doom. Occasionally, those who stop medication upon seeing signs may extend their lives somewhat; I have seen thousands of such cases. Thus, most people today who develop consumption (Lao, 劳) due to hemoptysis do so because of mistakenly taking tonics during cough. Some claim that Schisandra Berry is an essential herb prescribed by Zhang Zhongjing for cough. They fail to know that in ancient formulas, Schisandra Berry is always combined with Dried Ginger (Ganjiang, 干姜), one dispersing and one astringing, to treat Cold-type cough, not Wind-Fire type cough. Furthermore, adding Prepared Rehmannia Root and Ophiopogon Tuber intensifies the disaster. Additionally, Platycodon Root (Jiegeng, 桔梗) is often used in cough remedies. Platycodon Root has an ascending property; in Gan Jie Tang (Licorice and Platycodon Decoction), it is used to carry Licorice Root (Gancao, 甘草) upward to treat Shaoyin throat pain, which is unsuitable for the descending method required for treating cough. Patients often experience rebellious Qi and rising Phlegm, making it impossible to rest their heads on pillows. Medications must be deeply understood in nature and repeatedly tested for efficacy before applying them to specific diseases, avoiding rash actions.