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Rendong Jiu (Honeysuckle Wine) is used to treat yong ju (carbuncles and sores) and fa bei (severe back carbuncle). It should be taken at the initial stage of onset. Regardless of where the sore appears, or in cases of ru yong (acute suppurative mastitis in women), it has miraculous effects. If one lives in a remote village or poor household, taking this medicine is also convenient and effective. It should be combined with the application of Maifan Shi Gao (Wheat Meal Stone Paste) and Shenyi Gao (Miraculous Ointment) to the affected area for even better results.

A gardener suffered from a severe back carbuncle, and his condition was critical. He was instructed to take five or six taels of Jin Yin Teng (Lonicerae Japonicae Caulis), crush it, add one cup of hot wine, squeeze out the juice, and drink it warm. The residue was applied as a compress to the affected area. After four or five doses, the condition subsided. This person used this remedy to treat sores, which was sufficient to support his family, so he abandoned his gardening work and became a practitioner. Various medical texts state: Jin Yin Hua (Lonicerae Japonicae Flos) can dissipate sores that have not yet formed and promote suppuration of those that have formed, possessing the power to revive the dying.

A man suffered from nao yong (brain carbuncle/head abscess), with multiple nodules on his head, unbearable pain. He first took detoxifying medicines without effect. Then he took Rendong Jiu, after which he slept soundly and woke up; the severity of the disease decreased by sixty or seventy percent. After four more doses, it resolved completely. Another man had an even more severe case and was also prescribed this medicine. His swelling and pain immediately receded, but did not fully resolve. Huang Qi (Astragali Radix), Dang Gui (Angelicae Sinensis Radix), Gua Lou Ren (Trichosanthis Semen), Bai Zhi (Angelicae Dahuricae Radix), Gan Cao (Glycyrrhizae Radix et Rhizoma), and Jie Geng (Platycodonis Radix) were added. After several doses, he recovered.

A man was struck by "Gui Ji" (a sudden attack by pathogenic factors causing bruising and pain), presenting with blue marks on the body and pain. He drank a decoction of Jin Yin Hua, and healed immediately. Ben Cao (Materia Medica) states that this herb effectively treats the "Five Types of Fei Shi" (ancient term for certain sudden acute conditions); this is the verification.

Xue Lizhai said: When there is high swelling, pain, and a floating pulse, the pathogen is in the exterior; Tu Fa (supporting method to expel toxins) should be used. When there is hard swelling, deep pain, and a deep pulse, the pathogen is in the interior; Xia Fa (purgative method) should be used. When there is no external redness or swelling, but internal bowel movements and urination are smooth and harmonious, the pathogen is in the meridians; Ying Wei (Nutritive and Defensive Qi) should be regulated. When swelling is accompanied by irritability, dry throat, or thirst, Fire should be descended. When swelling is accompanied by fever, stiffness, or headache, the pathogen is in the exterior; San Fa (dispersing method) should be used. When pain is severe or absent, the pathogenic factor is excess; Suan Jiu (Garlic Moxibustion) should be applied, along with detoxification. When there is irritability, preference for cold drinks, throbbing pain, and a rapid pulse, the pathogen is in the upper part; Qing Fa (clearing method) should be used. When there is aversion to cold and no suppuration, it is Qi deficiency combined with Cold pathogen; Xuan Bu (venting and tonifying) should be used. When swelling, fever, profuse sweating, extreme thirst, constipation, and delirium occur, it is Jie Yang Zheng (Yang knot syndrome); Xia Fa (purgative method) should be used. When pus does not form, or forms but does not rupture, it is deficiency; Bu Fa (tonifying method) should be used.

He further stated: Generally speaking, the syndrome of yong zhong (carbuncles and swellings) should not be solely attributed to Fire toxicity. Moreover, constitutions vary between deficiency and excess, and the elderly and weak differ in constitution. How can one uniformly use cold and cool medicines? If the toxin has just gathered and the momentum is not strong, it might be dissipated. One must investigate the cause and distinguish between deficiency and excess. If cold medicines are used indiscriminately, errors will surely occur. If pus is about to form, and the pathogen is excess while Qi is strong, detoxifying agents should be used first to kill the toxin. Even if pus forms, it will not cause great suffering, and rupture will not be severe. If Tu Li (interior-supporting) methods are used directly at this stage, they will only increase the pathogen's strength. Only when pus is about to form but hasn't, or when it fails to rupture, should Tu Li methods be used. If pus has formed and the momentum is strong, needle drainage should be performed; once the pus drains, all symptoms will retreat.

Danxi said: In Yong Yang (unruptured sores), both interior and exterior are congested; Tu Li Biao San (interior-supporting and exterior-dispersing) should be the main approach. If Da Huang (Rhei Radix et Rhizoma) is desired, it may be considered rash. In Ku Yang (ruptured sores), both interior and exterior are deficient; Bu Jie (tonifying and supporting) should be the main approach. If Xiang San (aromatic dispersing) herbs are used, it inevitably leads to the error of making deficiency worse.

My opinion is that previous discussions on Yong Yang mention avoiding tonification and preferring purgation, while others forbid Da Huang. These seemingly different views arise because the syndromes differ. Avoiding tonification is due to fearing excess pathogen; fearing purgation is due to fearing Qi deficiency. As a general rule, Yong Yang tends toward excess, and Ku Yang tends toward deficiency; this is the norm. However, Yong Yang can also present with insufficiency, requiring tonification rather than purgation; Ku Yang can also present with excess, requiring purgation rather than tonification; this is the variation. Whether to tonify or purge depends entirely on the concepts of Xu Shi (deficiency and excess). However, deficiency and excess are often confusing, requiring firm judgment. For example, if Fire is excessive, clearing is appropriate; if Qi is stagnant, moving is appropriate. If there is heat and congestion, purgation is appropriate; if there is no stagnation or congestion, aggressive purgation should not be used recklessly; this is when attacking methods are contraindicated. Regarding tonification, one must also examine these two aspects. If Qi pathways are congested, warming tonification is unsuitable. If pathogens are blazing, warm tonification is unsuitable. If Qi pathways are unobstructed, Fire pathogen is not severe, and diet and excretions are normal, yet the disease is dangerous and fearful, even if obvious deficiency signs are not yet visible, or if the Yong Yang has not ruptured, immediate Tu Bu (supporting and tonifying) should be adopted. Why? Because prolonged hardship naturally depletes Qi. If Yuan Qi (Original Qi) is secured in advance, the toxin will easily transform, pus will easily rupture, and the wound will easily close. Even in cases of severe emaciation and extensive rupture, survival is still possible. If one waits until deficiency signs accumulate, or until the ruptured wound fails to heal, before attempting support, mild cases will become severe, and severe cases will become critical. Is this not too late? This refers to the insufficiency found in Yong Yang, which is significant and cannot be overlooked.

Previously, my eldest son, in the fifth month of the Guichou year and the Yimao year, just turned two years old, and developed a back carbuncle. Initially, a slight swelling appeared suddenly on his back. After a few days, pressing revealed a deep root spreading wider, the size of a bowl, with unchanged skin color and little pain. By the tenth day, he had a slight fever, and the condition worsened. We consulted a surgeon. Some diagnosed back carbuncle, others phlegm-qi, all agreeing that meat, fish, and warm-tonifying foods must be strictly avoided. A dose of detoxifying medicine was administered, but his fever increased significantly, his spirit became more exhausted, and he refused food. I was extremely fearful and recalled Danxi's words: "Yong Ju (carbuncles and sores) result from accumulated toxins in the Zang-Fu organs; one must first assist Stomach Qi to strengthen the foundation, assisted by blood-invigorating and meridian-regulating herbs." He also said: "When seeing swelling and pain, consult the pulse and symptoms; if deficient, provide nourishment and tonification. If Qi and Blood are not depleted, auspicious outcomes can be ensured." This is indeed a correct theory. Therefore, I rejected the previous doctor's plan and focused solely on securing Original Qi, using Nei Tuo (internal support to expel toxins). I used Ren Shen (Ginseng Radix) 3 qian, Zhi Fu Zi (Prepared Aconiti Lateralis Radix) 1 qian, assisted by Dang Gui, Shu Di Huang (Rehmanniae Radix Praeparata), Zhi Gan Cao (Honey-fried Glycyrrhizae Radix et Rhizoma), Rou Gui (Cinnamomi Cortex), etc. After one dose, his appetite returned instantly; after two doses, his spirit was restored. How miraculous! From then on, dietary restrictions were relaxed, combining medicine and food. After ten doses, pus formed. Due to the deep root and thick skin, needles were used again to drain a large amount of pus. After over a month of regulation, he recovered. Had we blindly trusted mediocre doctors, strictly avoided warm-tonifying flavors, and focused solely on detoxification, our Stomach Qi would have been depleted daily, toxins would have sunk deeper, food intake would cease, and it could have led to perforation through the diaphragm and internal rupture, making survival impossible. Furthermore, this child had no chronic deficiency diseases; how dare we act thus? Only because it was a Yin syndrome, with no visible excess pathogens, and the diagnosis was confirmed, did we dare to strongly tonify Spleen and Kidney to ensure complete safety. Alas! The responsibilities of medicine are all like this. I record this commentary to inform future generations, showing that for Yong Yang and Ku Yang, when deficiency signs are not yet evident but there is no evidence of excess heat or congestion, immediate Tu Bu (supporting and tonifying) is appropriate. The benefit to the patient, though unrecognized by them, is beyond description. (New Commentary)