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Sweet, sour, warm, non-toxic.

[Invention] The cat catches live mice, and the tiger devours live humans; although their sizes differ greatly, their inherent natures are not distinct. When the tiger roars, wind is generated, thus it is used to treat swelling and pain caused by wind-bi (Wind-Bi Syndrome). When the cat cries, mice scurry away, thus it primarily treats chills and fever associated with "rat" conditions. Therefore, in the *Emergency Prescriptions Kept up the Sleeve* (*Zhouhou Beiji Fang*), cat meat is made into a soup to dissipate rat-scrofula (tuberculous lymphadenitis), healing both ulcerated and non-ulcerated cases. However, it promotes dampness and triggers toxins, so those with damp-toxin conditions should avoid it. The skull, brain, and eyes of the cat, when roasted with lard (su), also treat scrofula and rat-scrofula. Cat hair, preserved in its original state and applied externally, treats ulcerated scrofula. Cat urine treats leeches (yan you) entering the ear; dripping it into the ear causes the leech to exit. This is obtained by rubbing the cat's nose with ginger or piercing its nostrils with raw green onion. Cat feces treat inverted or depressed smallpox lesions; dried feces from the twelfth lunar month are burned to retain their properties for use. The cat's womb (placenta) treats dysphagia, regurgitation, and reverse flow of food. Because its pure-yang nature has not yet dissipated, it is used to open knots formed by yin pathogens. The prescription uses one whole placenta, roasted with lard and ground into powder, mixed with small amounts of borneol (nao), musk (she), realgar-derived bezoar (niuhuang), and turmeric root (yujin), dissolved in saliva and taken orally. I once applied the theory of investigating things to understand animal classes: the cat's body is yang while its function is yin; its nature embodies yin treachery, cunning, and stealth, corresponding to the Earthly Branch Yin. Thus, its eyes see clearly at night and can contract and dilate at will; it is agile in jumping, fond of raw fishy food, does not eat cooked food but can digest raw flesh and blood—all due to the operation of wind and fire. It becomes active upon contact with snow water because snow's body is yin while its function is yang, demonstrating the resonance between different species. Similarly, if one consumes the bones of the Coilia nasus (Jing fish) from the Yangtze River, the fetus will inevitably be lost. Note: The *Record of Strange Things* (*Yiwu Zhi*) states that the Coilia is transformed from birds, hence there remain two bird kidneys inside its abdomen, similar to sparrows turning into clams after entering the Huai River. The fine bones in its meat are hair-like, adhering to the intestines and causing injury to the fetus, which is another example of resonance between species.

Sweet, warm, non-toxic.

[Invention] The civet cat (li) is of the same family but a different species as the cat. Due to its warm and dispersing nature, its bone ash is excellent at opening qi stagnation caused by yin pathogens, making it a specific medicine for treating chills and fever associated with rat-scrofula. The *Essential Prescriptions Worth a Thousand Gold* (*Qianjin Fang*) uses civet meat to treat wandering wind (urticaria). Su Song claimed it treats rat-scrofula. Hua Yuanhua (Hua Tuo) used the head bone. The *Qianjin Fang* used the penis. All these applications share the meaning of attacking toxins and breaking accumulations. Li Shizhen stated that civet bone and cat bone have similar properties and can be used interchangeably.