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Generally speaking, when a pregnant woman suddenly develops sores, carbuncles, or malignant boils, whether at the initial stage before or after ulceration, one must realize that medication is being administered to a woman carrying a fetus. This situation cannot be treated as in ordinary people. Substances such as realgar (Shi Niao), mercury sulfide (Qing Fen), croton seed (Ba Dou), and musk (She Xiang) are contraindicated during pregnancy as they may harm the fetus. Similarly, purgatives like mirabilite (Mang Xiao) and rhubarb (Da Huang) should not be used indiscriminately. It is advisable to use only formulas that regulate qi, nourish blood, secure the fetus, and support the interior to ensure safety. This is a critical matter concerning life and death, which must not be ignored.

Gu Shicheng stated: When treating sores and ulcers in women, one must first inquire about the menstrual cycle. If the woman is pregnant, one must not recklessly use ingredients such as gleditsia spine (Zao Jiao Ci), pangolin scales (Chuan Shan Jia), peach kernel (Tao Ren), safflower (Hong Hua), borneol (Bing Pian), musk (She Xiang), rhubarb (Da Huang), or croton oil (Ba Jiang), hoping for resolution of the swelling. If menstruation happens to occur, one must not induce profuse sweating.

After childbirth, when a woman’s qi and blood are severely depleted, she may contract pathogens from the seven emotions (joy, anger, worry, thought, sadness, fear, fright) and six excesses (wind, cold, summer heat, dampness, dryness, fire). This causes the defensive (Wei) and nutritive (Ying) qi to fail to circulate properly, becoming reversed within the muscle tissue, thereby generating abscesses and swellings. Given the insufficiency of primordial qi, how can one lightly administer harsh agents like croton? One should primarily tonify qi and blood significantly. By adding mild warming herbs to *Ba Zhen Tang* (Eight Treasures Decoction) or its pill form to promote the circulation of Ying and Wei qi, the pathogenic toxins will dissipate, ensuring stability. Otherwise, it may lead to deficiency damage, worsening the sore, resulting in non-healing ulcers, and often proving fatal.

If an abscess or swelling suddenly appears on the limbs, chest, or abdomen about half a month after delivery, it is due to incomplete expulsion of lochia (stagnant blood) flowing into the meridians, or because of qi and blood deficiency causing Ying qi to deviate and reverse within the muscle tissue. If caused by stagnant blood, symptoms include red, swollen, painful areas with a wiry, surging, and forceful pulse. Treatment should focus on nourishing and moving blood, assisted by methods to guide out stasis and soothe qi stagnation. If caused by qi and blood deficiency with sluggish Ying and reversed Wei qi, the lesion will appear flat and diffuse with a faint, weak, and powerless pulse. Treatment should prioritize massive tonification of qi and blood, using formulas such as *Shi Quan Da Bu Tang* (Ten Significant Tonifying Decoction) or *Ba Zhen Tang*. These consolidate the root qi, support stomach qi, harmonize qi and blood, allowing the toxin to resolve naturally. If treated with cooling and detoxifying herbs intended for toxic heat, pus formation and ulceration will likely fail to occur, leading to a deteriorated condition.

Although these women possess female physiology, are they not different from married women? Although they do not engage in sexual intercourse, they often suffer from anxiety and excessive thinking. Their desires are suppressed and unfulfilled, lacking marital harmony, leading to disharmony of qi and blood and deviation of yin and yang. Therefore, the treatment of their sores and ulcers differs from others. While employing internal support and middle-jiao tonification, it is essential to combine herbs that regulate menstruation, relieve depression, and calm the spirit, treating according to specific symptoms.

Gu Shicheng stated: The conditions suffered by such individuals, including carbuncles, scrofula (*Luo Li*), loss of firmness (*Shi Ying*), breast lumps (*Ru Pi*), and yin abscesses, mostly occur in the regions of the Jueyin and Shaoyang meridians. This is due to prolonged depression and unfulfilled desires, causing internal fire to flare up and consume true yin. The treatment method should primarily focus on nourishing blood, relieving depression, and calming the spirit, combined with herbs that support the interior and drain pus, to prevent complications. Furthermore, for virgins who have missed marriageable age and developed sores due to internal stagnation, their fathers and brothers should be advised to arrange marriages early. Just as heaven and earth harmonize to bring rain, husband and wife harmony establishes family order. After marriage, unulcerated sores often dissipate spontaneously, and those that have persisted for a long time become easier to heal.