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Dou Hanqing said: Throat tumor (Houliu) grows on both sides of the throat, either unilateral or bilateral, shaped like a round eye, wrapped in blood vessels resembling a tumor, hence the name. This is caused by heat in the Lung Meridian (Fei Jing), damage to Qi from excessive talking, shouting in anger, reading too hastily, drinking excessive distilled spirits, or eating too much roasted and grilled food. One must gather the spirit and rest quietly, and attack the condition with medicine, then this syndrome will fall off and heal. It must not be pierced with a knife. (Quan Shu)

Xin Fa says: Throat tumor grows beside the throat, either unilateral or bilateral, some having a large head and small pedicle. Whenever anger and shouting trigger it, touching causes pain; without touching, there is no pain.

Qing Liu Bi Yu San (Clear Tumor Jade Powder)
Borax (San Qian / 3 qian) Dan Fan (Alum) Bing Pian (Borneol) (each San Fen / 3 fen)
Grind into fine powder, dip a chopstick into it, and apply locally.

Dou Hanqing said: Throat joint (Houjie), this condition arises in the area of Jiutui (CV15). Initially, it resembles a plum pit located between the throat and diaphragm, unable to be spat out or swallowed. By the third day, it moves up to the thyroid cartilage area, named Houjie. This disease requires piercing with a needle, followed by blowing Dan Xiao Dan (Gall Nitrate Pill) into the throat, and then swallowing seven pills of Xiong Huang Hua Du Wan (Realgar Detoxification Pill). (Quan Shu)

Chen Shigong said: Single and double Eme (tonsils) are all exterior syndromes (Biao Bing). The affliction occurs beside the pharynx, unilateral or bilateral. Although the throat gate is swollen, it is half-open and half-closed. Although the disease appears fierce, the airway is wide and swollen; even if severe, it is not obstructive. One should use Jin Suo Chi (Golden Lock Key) to induce vomiting of phlegm and saliva, pushing away accumulated heat. (Zheng Zong)
The Classics state: Acupuncture and cauterization are suitable.
Feng Luzhan said: For single and double fleshy Eme, if acupuncture is possible, do it immediately. If not, use blowing medicines and coercive medicines to expel wind-phlegm via vomiting for rapid effect, followed by decoction. Urgent conditions cannot wait long. (Jin Nang)
He also said: Swelling on both sides of the pharynx is Double Eme, which is easy to treat; swelling on one side is Single Eme, which is difficult to treat. If there are exterior symptoms such as aversion to cold, use Jing Fang Bai Du San (Atractylodes and Saposhnikovia Decoction to Overcome Toxicity) to disperse the exterior. If there is no aversion to cold and no exterior syndrome, only acrid-cool clearing and draining methods should be used. Externally, dip a goose feather in rice vinegar and stir the throat to remove all phlegm and saliva, then use the feather to induce gagging, causing a forceful cough. Once the purple blood in the tonsil is broken, it will ulcerate and heal. Alternatively, grinding Zijin Ding (Purple Gold Tablet) orally brings relief. Do not lightly use knives or needles. Ancient formulas used paper soaked in croton oil rolled into a taper, lit, blown out, and the smoke inhaled into the nose, causing immediate salivation from mouth and nose, and natural opening of the jaw. Then using this medicine insufflated into the nose cures the condition.
Master Qi said: Patients with Double Eme are considered to have Heat Syndrome. The throat gate is swollen and painful, phlegm is continuous like sawing, and not a drop of tea or water can be swallowed; is this not Heat? However, although pain is severe, it lightens slightly in the early morning; although the throat is swollen, the tongue is definitely not dry; although there is much phlegm, it is not yellow nor clumped. This is False Heat Syndrome. If cold-cooling medicines are used for emergency treatment, there is temporary relief upon swallowing, but shortly after, the heat becomes worse. People think the cooling dose was insufficient and add more cold medicines, making it worse. Immediately prick Shaoshang (LU11) acupoint to bleed slightly; a channel will open in the throat gate. Immediately decoct Fuzi (Prepared Aconite Root) 1 qian, Shudi (Prepared Rehmannia Root) 1 liang, Shanzhuyu (Cornus Fruit) 4 qian, Baifuling (Poria with Hostwood) 5 qian, Maidong (Ophiopogon Tuber), Niuxi (Achyranthes Root), Bei Wuwei Zi (Schisandra Berry) each 3 qian, and administer. Upon swallowing, a loud sound is heard, and the fire-heat syndrome dissipates instantly. This is because Fire of Shaoyin (Lesser Yin) runs like a galloping horse. When Kidney Water is greatly depleted, the Original Yang of the Kidney cannot descend and hide. Without water to nourish Fire, Fire must ascend. Daily rising against the narrow throat cannot pass through, forming swelling and pain. It looks like Double Eme but is not truly Double Eme. The brilliance of the formula lies in Fuzi, an acrid-hot medicine, guiding Dragon-Lei Fire (Ministerial Fire) down to its dwelling. Dragon-Lei Fire is Ministerial Fire; it likes Water but dislikes Fire. Therefore, medicines like Shudi and Shanzhuyu in the formula are purely Yin-nourishing, giving Fire a place to return so it does not boil again. This guides it along its counter-flow. (Likes Water means liking True Yin Water, not cold-water; dislikes Fire means disliking Evil Heat Fire, not acrid-hot Fire.)
He also said: If symptoms worsen during the day and lighten at night, treatment is relatively easy. Use Shandougen (Sophora Tonkinensis Root) and Jiegeng (Platycodon Root) each 3 qian, Gancao (Licorice Root) and Banxia (Pinellia Tuber) each 1 qian. One dose cures immediately.
Zhang Zhongjing said: For Yin Deficiency Double Eme, use Fuzi 1 qian, fried in salt water until it forms slices. Hold one slice in the mouth; a passage opens immediately for taking decoctions. Afterwards, take Bawei Dihuang Wan (Eight-Ingredient Rehmannia Pill) 1 liang with warm water, curing immediately.
Lei Zhenjun said: When people suddenly have swollen and painful throats with Double Eme, unable to swallow food or drink, death ensues if fasting for five days. This condition shows that Excess Fire is easy to treat, while Deficient Fire is hard to cure. The world has good prescriptions for Excess Fire, treating it with Huangqin (Scutellaria Root) and Lianzi (Lotus Plumule) eliminates it quickly. Only Deficient Fire is Kidney Fire not hiding in Mingmen (Gate of Life), floating in the throat. Its symptoms resemble Excess Fire, but nighttime is heavier than daytime, and early morning feels lighter. Excess Fire is heavier in the morning and lighter at night; Excess Fire has dry mouth and cracked tongue; Deficient Fire has little thirst, smooth tongue without cracks. Judging by this, there will be no error. If this Deficient Pain is treated like Excess Fire, it is like throwing someone into a well and adding stones. Thus, not only should cold medicines be avoided, but also dispersing medicines, because Deficient Fire must be tonified. Merely tonifying Kidney Water can control Fire slightly, but if Fire is too strong, it is hard to subdue. It is better to tonify Fire within Water, guiding Fire back to its origin, removing Fire power instantly. The main formula is Yin Huo Tang (Guiding Fire Decoction). After one dose, phlegm sounds cease, pain vanishes, and swelling disappears; two doses bring full recovery. Shudi, Shanzhuyu, Wuweizi are holy medicines for tonifying Kidney Water. Fuling (Poria) and Shanyao (Dioscorea Tuber) benefit Essence and promote urination, assisting Rougui (Cinnamon Bark) in descending. Xuanshen (Scrophularia Root) clears floating Fire above; Baijiezhi (White Mustard Seed) clears obstructive Phlegm. With the Upper Jiao widened and Lower Jiao warmed by Rougui, how can Dragon-Lei Fire fail to return to Mingmen? One dose produces miraculous results, surpassing Bawei Dihuang Tang. If throat swelling blocks everything, preventing even a spoonful of water from entering, how can this divine prescription be applied? I have another method: Take one Fuzi and Pogu Zhi (Cibotium Rhizome) 5 qian, grind into powder, mix into paste, make into a plaster the size of a teacup, apply to the center of the sole (Yongquan KI1), and warm with fire. In one shichen (2 hours), the throat widens and a path opens for medication. This is a wonderful method.
He also said: Yin Eme syndrome is due to Kidney Water deficiency, Fire cannot hide below, flies upward, and the throat gate is narrow, preventing direct discharge of Fire, thus forming Eme. It is called Eme but is not true Eme. Pain is light in the morning, heavy in the afternoon, worst at dusk. Relief comes with heat; worsening with cold. Severe cases cannot swallow a drop of water. If treated as Exterior Yang Syndrome, mistakenly using Shandougen, Huangqin, Lianzi, Zhizi, etc., pain increases, the gate remains closed, leading to death. Only tonifying Yin Deficiency using the method of Guiding Fire back to its Origin stops pain immediately. Treat with Hua E Tang (Transform Eme Decoction). This formula greatly tonifies Kidney Water. It does not directly treat Eme pain; strengthening Water extinguishes Fire, guiding Fire eliminates pain, achieving complete success. Truly a miraculous method. (Huoren Lu)
Hua Zhenjun said: Yin Syndrome of Double Eme is hardest to treat yet easiest to treat. Not knowing the trick makes it hardest; knowing the method makes it easiest. I often treat this. Use one Fuzi and one he of salt, boiled thoroughly. Let the patient hold a slice in the mouth; Fire stops immediately. Then drink a large dose of Liujun Dihuang Tang (Six-Ingredient Rehmannia Decoction); it will not recur. Divine prescription.
Chen Yuan Gong said: Someone contracts Wind-Cold, throat swells and hurts urgently, turning into Double Eme. Symptoms include thick turbid phlegm, frequent thirst for drinks, pain preventing water entry. This is Yang Fire blocking the throat. The situation seems severe but the disease is actually mild. Yang Fire refers to Taiyang Fire and Bladder Fire. Bladder Fire and Kidney Fire are interior-exterior related. When Bladder Fire moves, Kidney Fire assists, rushing straight to the throat. Fire of Lung, Spleen, and Stomach follows upward. Borrowing phlegm-saliva from these three meridians, they block the throat, forming indissoluble Fire-Toxin. Treatment seems to require managing multiple meridians. However, the root begins in Taiyang. Draining Bladder Fire calms Fire in other meridians. But the throat is close to the Lung. Taiyang passes through the Lung. The Lung meridian is dangerous terrain, a battlefield in a narrow path. Why abandon the battlefield to relieve the siege and attack the homeland (Kidney) first? The value lies in combined treatment. Qing Zao Tang: Jiegeng, Xuanshen, Huafen (Trichosanthes Root) each 2 qian, Gancao 2 qian, Baishao (White Peony Root) 5 qian, Shandougen, Chaihu (Bupleurum Root), Mahuang (Ephedra Stem) each 1 qian. Decoct in water and take. One dose widens the throat; two doses eliminate Eme completely. (Bing Jian. This formula disperses Taiyang pathogen in four parts, other meridians in six parts, paying special attention to dispersing Lung pathogen, from near to far.)
He also said: Suddenly, throat swells and hurts, vomiting phlegm like a surge, thirsty for water. Swallowing brings slight relief, but soon heat returns demanding water. Throat forms Double Eme, large and red, shape like a rooster comb. This is Hou Bi (Throat Bi) syndrome, commonly known as Chan Feng (Coiling Wind). It is simultaneous blazing of Yin and Yang Fire. One is Shaoyang Ministerial Fire, the other is Shaoyin Sovereign Fire. Now both fires erupt together, their momentum violent. The throat tube is small, difficult to drain quickly, so it is suppressed, initially swelling then forming Eme. There are two types of Eme: Double Eme and Single Eme. Double Eme has two masses, pressing against each other, leaving a slit in the middle for tea, water, and medicine. Single Eme blocks the food and water path entirely; often, not even a spoonful of water can enter. If medicine cannot be swallowed, how to administer it? First, use needling. Pricking Shaoshang (LU11) etc. is not the fastest way. Only piercing the throat directly with a knife by one fen reduces swelling slightly, allowing insufflation. Insufflation Formula: Burn Zaojiao (Gleditsia Sinensis Fruit) to ash, Dan Fan, Niuhuang (Calculus Bovis), Bing Pian each one fen, Shexiang (Musk) 3 li. Grind to fine powder. Insufflate into throat; massive vomiting of phlegm leads to cure. Follow with decoction named Jiu Hou Tang (Save Throat Decoction): Xuanshen 1 liang, Maidong 5 qian, Huafen 3 qian, Gancao, Shandougen, Shaye (Belamcanda Rhizome) each 1 qian. Decoct in water; one dose cures completely. For Double Eme, needling is unnecessary; this formula works effectively. (Xuanshen is the sovereign herb, sufficient to drain Sovereign and Ministerial Fire of Heart and Kidney. Assisted by Dougen, Shaye, Huafen to dispel evil and eliminate phlegm, Fire returns to its meridian, and the throat gate is restored.)
He also said: Throat swelling and pain, light in day and heavy at night, growing into Throat Eme, resembling Yang Syndrome, but not very painful. The throat feels extremely dry in a line. Drinking water enters quickly, but discomfort arises after swallowing into the abdomen. Vomiting copious watery phlegm; spitting saliva into water dissolves it. People think it is Throat Pain with Eme and prescribe Fire-draining formulas, which not only fail but worsen the condition. Some cannot even swallow a spoonful of water. Why? It belongs to Yin Eme. Yin Eme is light in day and heavy at night; Yang Eme is heavy in day and light at night. This is Shaoyin Kidney Fire having nowhere to hide below, flaring straight up to the throat. Treatment should greatly tonify Kidney Water, add Fire-tonifying flavors, guide Fire back to origin. Cooling below naturally cools above. Yin Huo Tang: Shudi 3 liang, Bajitian (Morinda Root), Tiandong (Asparagus Tuber), Maidong each 1 liang, Fuling 5 qian, Bei Wuwei Zi 2 qian. Decoct in water and take. One dose lowers Fire, swelling and throat resolve; two doses cure completely. (This formula uses Shudi as sovereign, greatly tonifying Kidney Water. Maidong and Wuweizi heavily nourish Lung Metal. Metal and Water support each other; mother and son have abundant nourishment. Abundant Water controls Fire. Adding the warmth of Bajitian, which is also a Water-tonifying medicine, achieves balance of Water and Fire. Water flows down, forcing Fire to follow. Fuling guides them forward, so Water and Fire move together, resting peacefully in the Kidney Palace, like harmony of zither and lute. Why use Gui (Cinnamon Twig) and Fu (Aconite) great heat to guide Fire back? Gui and Fu are holy medicines for guiding Fire back, why discard them? Unknown is that this syndrome is Fire boiling due to Water insufficiency. Using great heat guides Fire temporarily but consumes Water later. So using only Bajitian guides Fire while tonifying Water, avoiding Kidney dryness and benefiting throat clarity.)

Yi Lun Xuan Yao says: Single Eme is round and small like a chopstick head, growing at the upper gate of the throat, left or right. Double Eme grows on both sides. If growing below the lower gate, it is difficult to treat.
Dou Hanqing said: The soft part of the left pharynx governs swallowing; the right throat governs voice production. The throat gate divides into two paths, suffering different diseases. (Quan Shu)
He also said: On the left side of the throat, Deficient Yang attacks upward, swelling is slightly red, named Ru E (Breast Eme). If accompanied by exterior Lung symptoms like cold limbs, spontaneous phlegm-saliva, heavy head, and dizziness, urgently pour Changpu (Acorus Rhizome) sour juice mixed with Xuanming Fen (Mirabilite) into the mouth, remove phlegm-saliva, and insufflate medicine. If coma is severe and breath is failing, urgently grind Wuzhuyu (Evodia Fruit), mix with vinegar, and apply to the soles. On the right side, Deficient Yang attacks upward, color is slightly yellow, shape resembles silkworm cocoon, hence called Ru E. Symptoms also include cold limbs.
He also said: Double Eme Wind, this condition has two masses, bean-sized on both sides of the throat. Quickly use Huangbo (Phellodendron Bark) juice with a little honey, add Xuanming Fen, gargle to expel wind-phlegm, and insufflate Bing Pian San (Borneol Powder).
Kui Guang said: Ru E can be single or double, or linked pearls (Lianzhu). Often caused by stagnation from alcohol and sexual excess. Single is mild, double is severe. Day 1: pain. Day 2: redness and swelling. Day 3: appearance of fine white spots. Fever and chills indicate ominous prognosis. Day 4: condition stabilizes; treatment over 4-5 days leads to cure. The condition grows beside the throat. Growing on one side is Single Eme; growing on both sides is Double Eme. Two white spots connected vertically like a bag are Lianzhu.
He also said: To treat Ru E, first blow Bidan (5 parts) and Jindan (1 part). Next, blow Jindan (2 parts) and Bidan (3 parts) together to expel phlegm. Combine with decoction. Add Xijiao (Rhinoceros Horn - substitute with Buffalo Horn) and Huanglian (Coptis Rhizome) for left side; add Chishao (Red Peony Root) and Chaihu for right side. Use both for Lianzhu. If constipated, add Xuanming Fen and Dahuang (Rhubarb Root). (Insufflation formulas detailed in Throat Section.)

Xin Fa says: Ru E is formed by accumulated heat in the Lung Meridian condensing with Wind. Grows beside the throat, shape like silkworm moth, single or double. Double is mild, single is severe. Growing before the gate, shape is easily seen, insufflation reaches easily, manipulation is easy, thus easy to treat. Growing behind the gate, shape and form are hard to see, insufflation does not reach, manipulation is difficult, thus hard to treat.
He also said: If Double or Single Eme prevents swallowing water, look for fine pits inside the hair on the top of the head. Pierce them to immediately open the passage.