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Xue Lizhai treated a postpartum woman who had poor appetite and lack of desire for food. After taking digestive-promoting agents, she developed edema in the four limbs. Xue stated that this was due to deficiency of Middle Qi (Middle Jiao Qi). He prescribed Buzhong Yiqi Tang (Tonify the Middle and Augment the Qi Decoction) in the morning and Liujunzi Tang (Six Gentlemen Decoction) in the evening, resulting in recovery. Later, due to anger causing abdominal distension, she mistakenly took Chenxiang Huqi Wan (Agarwood Regulating Qi Pill), leading to incessant vomiting and diarrhea, inability to eat, difficulty in urination, and edema of the abdomen and four limbs. She was cured using Jiajian Shenqi Wan (Modified Kidney Qi Pill) from *Jingui Yaolue* (Essential Prescriptions from the Golden Cabinet).

Another postpartum woman suffered from diarrhea, with edema of the four limbs and face, panting, and aversion to cold. This was identified as deficiency-cold of Spleen Qi. Using Liujunzi Tang added with fresh ginger, the diarrhea ceased. Subsequently, Buzhong Yiqi Tang was used to strengthen the Spleen and Stomach functions.

Du Ren treated a woman who suddenly developed edema after childbirth. Others treated it as Water-Qi disease without effect. Du Ren said: "Water-Qi disease must involve coughing and difficulty in urination. Now her urination is unobstructed and she does not cough; only her hands and feet are cold. This is deficiency-cold of the Blood Organ (Liver), with Qi obstruction preventing free flow, thus generating edema." The treatment should harmonize and tonify Blood and Qi. She later recovered after taking Danpi San (Moutan Powder).

Zihe Zheng treated the wife of Official Cao. After childbirth, due to worry and indignation causing Qi stagnation, her whole body swelled, including the area around the external genitalia (the pathway of the Foot-Jueyin Liver Meridian). Her urination and defecation were normal, and her pulse was floating and large. This was diagnosed as Fengshui Edema (Wind-Edema). First, he induced vomiting using vinegar water to expel phlegm, assisted by fire therapy to induce sweating. Next, he administered Zhouche Wan (Boat Cart Pill) and Junchuan San (Clearing River Powder) to purge several times. Four or five days later, after completing emesis with bitter agents, he used Zhouche Wan and Tongjing San to promote circulation and purging over ten times. Six days later, he purged again with Zhouche Wan and Junchuan San. Finally, he administered forty-plus pills of Shuizhu Taohong Wan (Water-Boiled Peach Red Pill). Within less than a month, she returned to normal. In total, there were two episodes of emesis and four episodes of purging, totaling about one hundred evacuations. Contemporaries discussed this as the "Emptying the Bag" method (a radical purgative technique), believing that if the disease recurred, death would be inevitable. However, they did not understand that this was the profound principle of treating stagnation according to *Neijing* (The Inner Canon); one only needed to avoid sexual intercourse and similar activities after recovery. Moreover, Fengshui differs from ordinary Water-Qi disease and has no tendency to recur.

Xue Lizhai treated another postpartum woman who, upon hearing any sound, sweated profusely like water and became confused. All medicines taken orally caused immediate vomiting. Xue attributed this to failure of Spleen Qi. He made fine pills from powder of Renshen (Ginseng Root) and Fuzi (Aconite Lateral Root), which she held in her mouth, swallowing three to five pills at a time with saliva, gradually increasing to one qian (approx. 3-5 grams). Then she took Shenfutang (Ginseng and Aconite Decoction) and stabilized.

Another postpartum woman suffered from continuous night sweats, leading to insomnia and extreme mental fatigue, with dry mouth and desire to drink. Xue considered this Heat due to Blood deficiency. He used Danggui Buxue Tang (Danggui Tonifies the Blood Decoction) as a tea substitute. He also prescribed Danggui Liu Huang Tang (Danggui Six Yellow Decoction), where Huangqin (Scutellaria Root), Huanglian (Coptis Rhizome), and Huangbai (Phellodendron Bark) were stir-fried until black, with doubled amounts of Renshen (Ginseng Root) and Wuweizi (Schisandra Fruit). She recovered after two doses.

Miao Zhongchun treated the wife of Yu Zhongfu, who suffered from asthma after childbirth. He prescribed Renshen (Ginseng Root), Sumu (Sappan Wood), and Maidong (Ophiopogon Tuber), each five qian, curing her after one dose. Five days later, she suddenly experienced spontaneous sweating day and night, feared loud noises, and sweated all over upon drinking hot tea. He prescribed Renshen (Ginseng Root) and Huangqi (Astragalus Root), each five qian, plus Dangguishen (Angelica Sinensis Root Heart) and Shengdihuang (Rehmannia Root), but there was no effect after two doses, so he stopped the medication. In Jintan, local custom forbade medical consultation within the first month postpartum. He searched through medical texts and found in *Zhengzhi Yaojue* (Key to Diagnosis and Treatment) under the section on sweating: for cases where surface-consolidating drugs fail, the method should be to tonify the Heart. Sweat is the fluid of the Heart. Miao exclaimed: "Correct!" The patient naturally had a fiery constitution, not a deficiency. Postpartum sudden loss of Yin Blood meant the Heart lacked nourishment, causing sweating. He urgently prescribed a large dose with Zaoren (Bitter Apricot Seed) stir-fried to one liang (approx. 30-50 grams) as the sovereign herb, combined with Shengdihuang (Rehmannia Root), Baishao (White Peony Root), Maidong (Ophiopogon Tuber), Wuweizi (Schisandra Fruit), Gouqi (Goji Berry), Niuxi (Achyranthes Root), Duzhong (Eucommia Bark), Dangguishen (Angelica Sinensis Root Heart), Ejiao (Donkey-Hide Gelatin), Muli (Oyster Shell), and Longyanrou (Longan Aril). After thirty-two doses, there was no effect. The family feared: "Is it incurable?" Miao replied: "No. The previous use of Renshen and Huangqi failed because they are Qi-class herbs, and the dose was large. Their failure indicates mismatch with the syndrome. Now that I have identified the syndrome, what is there to doubt? Yin/Blood is hard to form and easy to deplete; one cannot expect effects overnight." He continued the same prescription. At forty-two doses, she suddenly slept, and the sweating gradually stopped; the deeper the sleep, the better. On the fourth night, she woke up completely cured, with a complexion better than usual, because sufficient Blood manifests as luster.

It was suggested that adding three to five fen (approx. 1-2 grams) of stir-fried Huanglian (Coptis Rhizome) to the formula would cure it in a few doses. (Xu Lingtai notes: One must also remove Dangguishen for faster efficacy.)

Feng Chuzhan treated a postpartum woman who complained of excessive head sweating, with no other discomfort. His pulse diagnosis revealed a洪 (Surging) yet slow quality. He said: "Excessive head sweating is termed Wangyang (Loss of Yang). However, postpartum Yin Qi is too deficient; it is fortunate that the Loss of Yang balances the Yin deficiency. This is what Xue referred to as recoverable without medication." The family doubted this and hired another doctor who aggressively used Renshen (Ginseng Root) and Huangqi (Astragalus Root) for warm tonification. This resulted in violent watery diarrhea with undigested food. The doctor further confirmed Yang deficiency and heavily used Renshen, Fuzi (Aconite Lateral Root), and Paojiang (Prepared Ginger), which worsened the diarrhea. Within a few days, her muscles wasted away, and she was mentally exhausted. Upon re-examination, the six pulses were surging, wiry, and very rapid. This indicated exhaustion of True Yin; how could it be saved? Generally, postpartum head sweating is due to Yin deficiency, with deficient Fire steaming upward, solitary Yang pressing up, and fluids failing to consolidate. Mistaking this for Yang deficiency and adding heavy warm-tonifying and drying-hot qi led to violent downward flow and undigested food excretion. This is because Fire nature is rapid, leaving no time for transformation. Further burning with warm-hot substances leads to ultimate depletion. What medicine can save her now? (Xu Lingtai notes: Xue's statement here is extremely illogical. Wei attributes his failure to nourish Yin to his adherence to the notion that postpartum requires warm tonification, thus daring not to use methods that enrich Water and nourish Yin.)

The case states "fortunate that Loss of Yang balances Yin," and Xue claimed recovery without medication. This highlights Xue's lifelong shortcoming in not boldly using Yin-nourishing methods. I have treated such cases using heavy doses of Shengdihuang (Raw Rehmannia Root), Shudihuang (Prepared Rehmannia Root), Baishao (White Peony Root), Gouqi (Goji Berry), Maidong (Ophiopogon Tuber), and Zaoren (Bitter Apricot Seed). If Heat signs were present, I added small amounts of Huangqin (Scutellaria Root) and Huanglian (Coptis Rhizome). Recovery occurred in two or three doses. Although Feng's discussion of this case was clear, his refusal to prescribe allowed quacks to ruin the condition, which is an error of rigid adherence without flexibility. (How was it clear? He was merely accustomed to warm tonification and became bewildered when encountering such cases.)