Library

(For carbuncles and sores, see the sections on hemorrhoids and fistulas.)

Frequently needle Fengmen (BL12). To drain heat from the Yang meridians. The back will never develop carbuncles or sores. (From *Tongren Shuxue Zhenjiu Tujing*)

Method for treating Back Carbuncle: If the head of the sore is not visible, apply wet paper to the area; the spot where it dries first indicates the location of the sore head. Peel garlic, slice it into pieces approximately one qian thick. Place one slice of garlic on the sore head first, then moxibustion with three zhu. Replace the garlic slice and moxibustion again for three zhu. Repeat this process, changing slices indefinitely. If painful, moxibustion until pain ceases; if painless, moxibustion until pain arises, then stop. If treated urgently on the first day, nine-tenths of the pathogenic factor can be reduced; on the second day, eight-tenths. By the seventh day, treatment is still effective. As time passes after onset, the efficacy of moxibustion diminishes. After finishing moxibustion, wash and grind *Pilea pumila* growing on stones, extract the juice, and drink it warm with water decoction. This will expel foul matter and remove the root cause. All types of ding sores, head sores, fish-umbilicus sores, and any unnamed swellings can be cured. (From *Jixiao Fang*)

Any swelling that is hard and has a distinct root is called Stone Carbuncle (*Shi Yong*). The treatment method is to moxibustion the upper part 100 zhu. The stone should fragment and exit. If it does not exit, increasing the number of zhu is better. (From *Qianjin Fang*)

It is stated: All Back Carbuncles are caused by taking Five-Mineral Powder (*Wushi San*), Cold Food Powder (*Hanshi San*), or Gengsheng Powder. Some occur from taking only Stalactite (*Zhongru*). Others occur spontaneously in those who have never taken such medicines. The symptoms usually begin between the two scapulae on the back, initially the size of millet grains, either painful or itchy, appearing red. People often ignore it at first. It grows day by day, leading to death within ten days. Near death, a sore appears, three cun wide and one cun high, with dozens of holes. Pressing with hand causes pus to flow from all holes. Voice is lost immediately. Therefore, for health preservation, if one feels unusual itching or pain on the back, immediately take clean earth, mix with water to form mud, shape into cakes, thickness 2 fen, diameter 1.5 cun. Use coarse moxa cones to moxibustion on the mud cake, placing it directly on the sore. Replace one cake per cone. If the sore is millet-sized, seven cakes suffice for cure. If elm-seed sized, forty-nine cakes suffice. If coin-sized, moxibustion day and night without limit on the number of cones. Simultaneously administer *Wuxiang Lianqiao Tang* and Iron Slurry (*Tiejiang*) to attack the pathogen. Only then will recovery occur. Any swelling rising in the middle of the back/scapula, with a white head like millet grains, surrounded by connected red-black swelling, causing mental confusion, is named Back Carbuncle (*Fabei*). Abstinence from sexual intercourse, alcohol, meat, garlic, and wheat products is required. If not treated with moxibustion, the toxin enters internally and kills. If treated with moxibustion, 700-800 zhu should be applied on the sore. Those who do not recognize this disease often treat it as ordinary miscellaneous swellings, resulting in death.

Household Guo told me: In my hometown, there are experts in treating Back Carbuncles and sores who moxibustion directly on the sore, up to 300-200 zhu, without fail of cure. They simply make the moxa cones small. Small cones reduce patient fear of pain; numerous applications yield results. This is likely due to mastering this method. However, one need not rigidly adhere to this. Recently, a physician famous for external medicine treated a patient with a Back Carbuncle the size of a bowl with several holes. The physician had no medicine to treat it, so he spread moxa wool over the entire sore and moxibustioned for a long time until pain was felt. This was because the tissue on the sore was necrotic, hence no initial pain sensation. Subsequent medicinal treatment led to recovery. This was truly unexpected.

Wang Qu's carbuncle developed on his back. Zhang Sheng applied moxibustion to the sore from morning till evening, totaling 150 zhu, stopping only when Wang Qu felt pain. The next day, black scabs were removed with tweezers, pus and blood completely drained, skin texture turned red, and pain ceased. Medicinal dressing was then applied separately, changed once daily. During changes, black rotting foul flesh was trimmed away. The wound flattened after about a month. That autumn and summer, seven scholar-officials in the capital died of carbuncles; I alone survived. Although this may be attributed to destiny, proper care indeed plays a role. Those who lack knowledge of methods suffer misfortune. (See *Preface to Wang Qu's Back Carbuncle Formula*.)

Yangfu (GB38): Treats axillary swelling/carbuncle and Scrofula (*Madao*). (See section on Waist and Leg Pain.)
Dubi (ST34): Treats knee cap carbuncle/swelling. (See section on Knee Pain.)
Yinqiao (GB11): Primarily manages (Mingtang text says Bone) Carbuncle Fa Li, neck pain radiating to head (Mingtang same), eye pain. (Tongren says: Treats headache and irritability caused by carbuncles/sores.)

When Carbuncle suddenly affects the five fingers, causing tendon spasm and inability to flex or extend, moxibustion dozens of zhu or up to 100 zhu at the center of the ankle bone. For Deep-rooted Carbuncle (*Fugu Ju*), moxibustion one cun posterior to Jianshi (PC5), according to age in zhu, immediate cure.

Tiantu (CV22): Treats Lung Abscess (*Fei Yong*), coughing up pus and blood, Qi obstruction. (Mingtang)
Danzhong (CV17): Treats Lung Abscess, cough with upward rushing Qi, expectoration of pus, inability to eat, chest fullness feeling like blockage.
Xiaohai (SI8): Treats ulcer swelling with chills/shivering.
Taichong (LR3), Zulinqi (GB41), (See...)

I once wrote a preface for Liu Heshu's formula for moxibustion on carbuncles and sores, stating: One must use toxic drugs internally to attack and cut off the root, and use fire/moxa externally to burn and disperse the toxin. This is the correct method. External physicians in the capital deemed it untreatable. A person from Xu taught burning moxa cones the size of dates, nearly 1000 zhu. Huang Tingjian suffered recurrent back sores and also recovered through moxibustion. Moxibustion is the primary method. (From *Bixiao Fang*)