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Wu Youke's writings contain the discussion of "abandoning the disease to treat the medication," but this only knows one aspect. Do people not also know that plagues have specific causes, which cannot be exhausted by just one or two theories? Generally, there are causes such as improper diet, excessive drinking, phlegm retention, fright, emotional depression, qi stagnation, thirst for water but inability to drink, excessive water intake, overuse of cold medicines, mistaken use of warm and tonifying medicines, errors in taking various medicines, and delays due to believing in shamans and prayers. These various reasons are too numerous to count. One should temporarily set aside the treatment of the plague itself and seek the underlying flaw to treat the cause. For food stagnation, digestion is appropriate; for alcohol toxicity, detoxification is appropriate; for phlegm, transformation is appropriate; for fright, sedation is appropriate; for depression, opening is appropriate; for qi stagnation, smoothing is appropriate; for water retention, promoting flow is appropriate; for cold, warming is appropriate; for heat, cooling is appropriate. Then, assisting with medicines for treating the plague is effective. This does not mean completely abandoning the cause. Furthermore, in cases where there are concurrent symptoms of food, drink, phlegm, and water, and sweating is difficult to achieve, the treatment method is roughly the same. However, one must prioritize treating the plague and assist with medicines for the concurrent conditions. In summary, one must ensure no error in distinguishing cold, heat, warmth, and coolness, and no confusion regarding zang-fu organs and meridians, so as to revive the dead and regenerate bones. This depends on those who can divine and understand profoundly.

Since ancient times, after famines, or following military campaigns and wars, as well as the harmful constraints of the Five Movements (Wu Yun) and the deviation of the Six Qi (Liu Qi), when the malignant qi between heaven and earth intersects with human affairs, plagues begin to form. People who come into contact with it fall ill immediately, presenting identical symptoms. Those who suffer from hunger, cold, and hard labor are mostly affected, while elderly and frail individuals suffer more severely. This is because a "toxic vapor" circulates among them. This toxicity is not what is referred to as Yang Toxicity or Yin Toxicity recorded in medical books. Before illness occurs, one has already been poisoned by the toxic vapor, but it remains latent and unnoticed. When illness sets in, the toxic vapor erupts, manifesting various severe symptoms. After sweating or purging treatments, residual toxicity often remains incomplete, leading to relapse. Thus, this toxic vapor and the plague are continuous throughout. Here, we establish Jin Dou Jie Du Decoction (Golden Bean Detoxification Decoction) to resolve its toxic potential and clear heat. It achieves this without using Huang Qin (Scutellariae Radix), Huang Lian (Coptidis Rhizoma), Zhi Zi (Gardeniae Fructus), or Huang Bai (Phellodendri Cortex), yet the heat is already subdued (sha, pronounced 'shai').

Jin Dou Jie Du Decoction (Self-prescribed New Formula.)
Jin Yin Hua (Honeysuckle Flower) (2-3 qian)
Lu Dou (Green Bean, peel) (2 qian)
Sheng Gan Cao (Raw Licorice Root) (1 qian)
Chen Pi (Aged Tangerine Peel) (1 qian)
Chan Tui (Cicada Slough, remove feet and wings) (8 fen)
Jing Hua Shui (Well Water drawn at dawn.) Decoct. Alternatively, add Jiang Can (Bombyx Batryticatus) (soaked to remove saliva) (1 qian).
Jin Yin Hua clears heat and resolves toxicity, treats wind, and stops thirst. Lu Dou is sweet and cold, also a substance for clearing heat and resolving toxicity, circulating through the Twelve Meridians, driving away epidemic toxins, penetrating everywhere. Gan Cao resolves all toxins; when added to cooling formulas, it clears heat and also circulates through the Twelve Meridians, acting as an assistant to Jin Yin Hua and Lu Dou. Chen Pi regulates the middle jiao and directs qi, preventing stagnation of Ying and Wei. Chan Tui utilizes its nature to easily disperse light and floating pathogens, penetrate the skin, dissipate wind-heat, open muscle pores, allowing the toxic vapor to dissolve secretly. This formula can be modified and used flexibly across the nine transmissions of plague.

Lu Tang Yin (Green Sugar Drink) (Self-prescribed New Formula.)
The five grains can all enter medicine, such as Jing Mi (Rice Grain) in Bai Hu Tang (White Tiger Decoction), Yi Ren (Coix Seed) in Bai Zhu San (Atractylodes Macrocephala Powder), Fu Xiao Mai (Floating Wheat) in Mu Li San (Oyster Shell Powder), Chi Dou (Red Bean) in Shu Zao Yin (Draining and Scouring Decoction), Nu Mi (Glutinous Rice) in E Jiao San (Donkey-Hide Gelatin Powder), as well as Mai Ya (Malt), Huang Juan (Yellowed Bean Sprouts), and Yi Xi (Malt Syrup), none of which fail to show their efficacy in the world. Even dough fermentation yeast is called "Shen" (Divine), and millet wine brewing is praised as "Sheng" (Sage). Extracting essence and using broadly, they are too numerous to list. Only the function of Lu Dou is rarely known by the world. Why is Lu Dou so unfortunate in its encounters? Although Lu Dou is cool but not cold and bitter, it excels at resolving toxicity, reducing fever, relieving irritability and thirst, and promoting urination. It is particularly suitable for treating plague. Zhang Jingyue had a Lu Dou Yin, recorded in the new formula collection "Han Zhen" (Cold Array), praising its wonders, but unfortunately adding salt, which, when treating plague,反而 increases thirst, obscuring the function of Lu Dou. Now replacing it with Yang Tang (Western Sugar/White Sugar), it can both resolve toxicity and have a cooling dispersing effect. It can be taken at both the beginning and end of plague, making it the best and quickest among simple formulas. For remote villages, farmers, poor scholars, and soldiers, who suddenly lack medicine, this can gradually induce sweating to resolve the exterior. Even for those taking other medicines, taking this drink concurrently can enhance medicinal power to achieve success. For those whose syndrome differentiation is not yet clear, taking it violates no taboos. It is indeed a good agent for treating plague; do not ignore it because it is plain and simple.

Lu Dou (Green Beans) as needed, Yang Tang (White Sugar) added according to preference. (The efficacy of Lu Dou lies entirely in the peel, do not remove it.) Boil Lu Dou into a thick soup, take out the liquid, add Yang Tang and drink. Temperature (hot or cold) follows the patient's convenience. Use this as tea; give when thirsty. When hungry, mix with sugar and eat the beans together.