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Dysentery without exterior symptoms or severe malignant signs: whenever there are tenesmus and passage of pus and blood, within three days, Shaoyao Decoction (Shaoyao Tang) is suitable.

For dysentery accompanied by cramping abdominal pain, passage of bloody clots, or anorexic dysentery (Jinkou Li), where various medicines have failed, the Doumen Secret Formula (Doumen Mitruan Fang) is suitable.

For dysentery regardless of whether it is new or chronic, Xianglian Pill (Xianglian Wan) taken with old rice soup, three qian per dose, three times a day, is highly effective. For chronic dysentery, it can be administered with Sijunzi Decoction (Sijunzi Tang), Liujunzi Decoction (Liujunzi Tang), Buzhong Yiqi Decoction (Buzhong Yiqi Tang), or Shiquan Dabu Decoction (Shiquan Dabu Tang). This method originates from Dr. Xue and is often effective.

For chronic dysentery unresponsive to various medicines, if carefully diagnosed as deficiency collapse with incontinence and no remaining pathogenic factors, Zhenren Yangzang Decoction (Zhenren Yangzang Tang) is suitable.

For chronic dysentery lingering and recurring, known as Resting Dysentery (Xiuxi Li), caused by premature use of astringents leaving residual pathogens, use four qian of Mutton Fat (Yangzhi), three qian of White Beeswax (Baila), three qian of Coptis Powder (Huanglian Mo), eight qian of White Honey (Baimi), two qian of Stir-fried and Ground Smoked Plum Flesh (Wumei Rou), and three qian of Ashed Human Hair (Xuyuhui). Boil and stir into pills the size of Torreya seeds, taken with rice drink, thirty pills per dose, three times a day. This is the method of Sun Simiao. ○ In cases where Buzhong Yiqi Decoction fails and fresh purple bloody clots are passed, this is food retention diarrhea caused by long-standing wind; wind energy connects to the Liver, and liver injury leads to failure to store blood. Yupingfeng San (Yupingfeng San) is suitable, removing Atractylodes Macrocephala Rhizome (Baizhu), doubling Saposhnikovia Root (Fangfeng), and adding Notopterygium Rhizome (Qianghuo), Pueraria Root (Gegen), and Cimicifuga Rhizome (Shengma) as the main treatment. Yupingfeng San is suitable.

For Dongxie Cold Middle (severe diarrhea due to cold invading the spleen/stomach), with water and undigested food passing directly, red and white dysentery, immediate expulsion after eating, and indigestion, Shengji Fuzi Wan (Shengji Fuzi Wan) is suitable.

(Revised by Xiuyuan)
Cheng Shanling stated: Regarding epidemic diseases, one must understand there are two sources (lai lu) and five exit routes (qu lu). What are the two sources? Epidemics come from Heaven (natural climate) or from Humans (human-to-human transmission). For example, spring should be warm but is cold; summer should be hot but is cool; autumn should be cool but is hot; winter should be cold but is warm. When the season does not match the qi, humans contract it, and the pathogen enters via the meridians, manifesting as headache, fever, cough, or neck swelling leading to Big Head Wind (Datou Feng). This is an epidemic from Heaven. If one person's illness infects a room, a room infects a village, and a village infects a county, the disease qi and turbid qi transmit mutually. The pathogen enters via the mouth and nose, manifesting as aversion to cold with high fever, chest fullness, and vomiting of yellow saliva. This is a human epidemic, transmitted by qi resonance, unrelated to Heaven. These are the two sources. For epidemics from Heaven, the pathogen enters via meridians. If cold predominates, treat with acrid-warm methods; Wuji San (Wuji San) is suitable. If heat predominates, treat with acrid-cool methods; Jiwei Qianghuo Tang (Jiwei Qianghuo Tang) is suitable. If qi deficiency prevents sweating, Renshen Baidu San (Renshen Baidu San) is suitable. If extreme heat repels the pathogen preventing sweating, Fangfeng Tongsheng San (Fangfeng Tongsheng San) is suitable. For conditions like Parotitis (Fayi) and Big Head Syndrome, caused by wind-fire combining into toxicity, Fangfeng Tongsheng San added with Arnebia Root/Lithospermum Root (Niubangzi), Honeysuckle Flower (Jinyinhua), Platycodon Root (Jiegeng), Trichosanthes Seed (Gualou Ren), etc., is used so that pathogens entering via meridians exit via meridians. This is using sweating as an exit route. For human epidemics, the pathogen enters via mouth/nose. Use Xiangsu Yin (Xiangsu Yin) added with Polygonatum Odoratum Rhizome (Yuzhu), Ligusticum Chuanxiong Rhizome (Chuanxiong), Lonicera Japonica Flower/Bud (Renjendu), or Shenzhu San (Shenzhu San) added with Pueraria Root (Gegen) and Scallion Stalk (Congtou), or Huoxiang Zhengqi San (Huoxiang Zhengqi San), so that pathogens entering via mouth/nose exit via mouth/nose. This is using resolving turbidity as an exit route. As for pathogens received via meridians and mouth/nose transmitting to the Yangming Meridian, symptoms include spontaneous sweating, great thirst, high fever, macules, and jaundice. Ganlu Yin (Ganlu Yin) is suitable to generate fluids as the basis for overcoming pathogens and restoring life. Severe cases require Renshen Baihu Tang (Renshen Baihu Tang) to clear scattered heat in Yangming. This is using clearing fire as an exit route. If entering the Stomach Fu, symptoms include delirium, mania, constipation, and lower abdominal tenderness. Sanyi Chengqi Tang (Sanyi Chengqi Tang) is suitable for purgation. If there is interior excess heat and exterior excess pathogen, Fangfeng Tongsheng San is suitable to resolve both. This formula is the premier good prescription for epidemics; when used correctly, it is logical for both new and chronic cases. This is using purgation as an exit route. For deficient persons suffering from epidemics, or those becoming deficient due to prolonged illness or mis-treatment, Siwu Tang (Siwu Tang), Sijunzi Tang (Sijunzi Tang), Buzhong Yiqi Tang (Buzhong Yiqi Tang), etc., should be modified. This is using nourishment to support and expel pathogens as an exit route. Essentially, epidemics must resolve through heavy sweating. Robust persons sweat without shivering; deficient persons must shiver before heavy sweating. If sweating is incomplete, wait seven days for another bout of sweating. The above five methods are contained within the sweating method. Dispersing pathogens is the correct sweating method. However, if turbid qi attacks meridians and is not resolved with acrid-aromatics, sweat will not occur. If fire evil burns internally, drying blood and fluids, clearing fire is required to nourish yin and produce sweat. If stomach qi is obstructed and excess is not purged, turbid qi will not resolve and sweat will not occur. Sweat transforms from fluids, originating from yang but sourced from yin. Without nourishing yin and yang, qi and blood will not be sufficient, and sweat will not occur. Thus, the sweating method is the critical juncture in treating epidemics: sweating means life, no sweating means death. Improper treatment either depletes the source of sweat or forces sweat, leading to wrongful death. One must be cautious. Before sweating, yang pulse is suitable, yin pulse is contraindicated. After sweating, yin pulse is suitable, yang pulse is contraindicated.