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The *Huangdi Neijing* (Yellow Emperor's Inner Canon) states: Below the Foot-Taiyang Bladder channel, if both blood and qi are deficient, one is prone to muscle cramping (Zhuanjin), accompanied by pain below the heel. Zhu Danxi stated that muscle cramping all belongs to Blood-heat syndrome; it can be treated with Siwu Tang (Four Substances Decoction) added with Huangqin (Scutellariae Radix), Honghua (Carthami Flos), Cangzhu (Atractylodis Rhizoma), and Nanting (Arisaematis Rhizoma Praeparatum). If the tendons twist at the big toe of the foot and extend upward to the thigh near the waist, this is caused by rich nourishment, drinking alcohol, and contracting cold; it should be treated with Jiuhuangqin (Scutellariae Radix fried with wine), Cangzhu, Honghua, Nanting, and ginger decocted together. Zhang Zhongjing stated: In the disease of muscle cramping, the arms and legs become straight and rigid, the pulse runs vertically from top to bottom and is slightly wiry; if the cramping extends into the abdomen, Jishi Bai San (Chicken Dropping White Powder) is the primary treatment. Take a single ingredient, Jishi Bai (the white part of chicken droppings), grind it into powder. Take one Fangcunbi (a square-inch measure) as a dose, mix with six He (an ancient liquid measure) of water, blend, and take warm. The *Taiping Shenghui Fang* (Holy惠民 Formulas of the Taiping Era) treats liver deficiency causing muscle cramping by using three He of chopped leaves of Chiliaodouye (Polygoni Multiflori Folium or related herb), one Dun of water, and three He of wine, decocted until four Dun remain, then strained and taken in two warm doses. Sun Shangyao treated foot muscle cramping with pain, spasm, and urgency using two Liang of Songjie (Pinus Massoniana Node) finely cut like rice grains, and one Qian of Xuxiang (Boswelliae Resina). These ingredients are slowly stir-fried in silver or earthenware vessels until scorched, retaining only a fraction of their nature, removing fire toxicity, and ground into fine powder. Each dose is one to two Qian, taken with hot Mugua Jiu (Quince Wine). Although these are all tendon diseases, they can all be treated thus. The *Waitai Miyao* (Essential Prescriptions Worth a Thousand Gold for Emergencies) treats muscle cramping by taking old cotton wool, soaking it in strong vinegar, steaming it in a steamer until hot, wrapping the patient's feet with the cotton, and replacing it continuously until recovery. Zhu Danxi stated: For muscle cramping throughout the body extending into the abdomen with unbearable pain, soak the patient in a trough filled with very salty warm water. The chapter "Si Shi Qi" (Qi of the Four Seasons) in the *Lingshu* (Spiritual Pivot) records: For cramping in Yang channels, treat the Yang; for cramping in Yin channels, treat the Yin; both are treated with acupuncture. Lou Quanshan said: This refers to the method mentioned in the classics of "using the painful point as the Shu point," which generally involves burning moxa needles (Fenxian) for rapid puncture. During an episode of cramping, one must observe where the pain is located; if in Yang, puncture Yang; if in Yin, puncture Yin, following the site of pain. Hence it is called "using the painful point as the Shu point." If one needle does not yield immediate results, prick again, stopping when sensation/response is achieved; hence it is called "using sensation as the number of pricks." Grand Master Dou stated: For cramping with pain, moxibustion on Chengshan (BL57) can cure it. Cramping caused by Huoluan (Cholera-like syndrome) has been discussed in the Huoluan section. This passage refers to spontaneous cramping without Huoluan.