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Shou (Receiving/Consolidating) refers to the subsidence of swelling after the pustular fluid returns. Jie (Knotting/Crusting) refers to the drying of pus and the formation of scabs. If Shou and Jie proceed according to the proper method, the therapeutic effect is achieved. However, if the pustular fluid returns but the swelling does not subside, or if pus forms but no scab develops, this is also due to a deficiency of True Yang (Zhen Yang), where the body lacks heat and cannot dry the fluid and resolve the toxin. Sufficient pus and fluid must rely on the steaming action of Yang Qi to form scabs. Are not these two characters, "Yang Qi," the most precious element throughout the entire course of smallpox? If at this time the patient's constitution is weak and unable to form scabs, one must assess the deficiency and excess, employing methods to tonify Qi and Blood, which will invariably yield miraculous results. There is another condition where the pustular fluid fails to dry and maggots develop, known as "Maggot Pox" (Qu Dou). This is entirely due to insufficient Yang Qi. In such cases, it is appropriate to alternate the administration of Da Bu Yuan Jian (Greatly Tonify the Source Decoction) and Da Wen Zhong Yin (Greatly Warm the Middle Drink). The pus will naturally dry, the maggots will dissolve, and the scabs will form, leading to recovery.

Pox originates from fetal toxins and moves from the interior to the exterior. If, during the eruption, all toxins are transformed into pus, there will be no residual toxins after the pox resolves. In the initial stage, it is generally advisable to tonify Original Yang and simultaneously use dispersing agents so that the toxic vapors can fully emerge and transform into pus. Contemporary physicians often use herbs such as Huang Qin (Scutellariae Radix), Lian Qiao (Forsythiae Fructus), and Ze Xie (Alismatis Rhizoma), believing that cooling herbs can detoxify. They fail to realize that pox is a yin toxin from the womb; it moves with Yang Qi and stagnates with cooling herbs. Consequently, the toxic vapors remain stagnant within the muscles due to the cooling herbs, leading to the development of large carbuncles after the pox, named "Pox Toxin" (Dou Du). Most patients present with unchanged skin color and should take several doses of Da Wen Zhong Yin for complete recovery. If the color is a mixture of red and white, it is a half-Yang, half-Yin syndrome; alternating Jing Fang Di Huang Tang (Schizonepeta and Saposhnikovia Rehmannia Decoction) with Da Wen Zhong Yin will lead to recovery in a few days. If ulceration has already occurred, Jing Fang Di Huang Tang should still be combined with Da Wen Zhong Yin, and recovery can be expected within a calculated number of days. Jing Jie (Schizonepetae Spica) and Fang Feng (Saposhnikoviae Radix) resolve stagnation, while Gan Jiang (Zingiberis Rhizoma) and Rou Gui (Cinnamomi Cortex) disperse cold and coolness, hence the possibility of cure. However, if contemporary physicians see this condition without distinguishing between Yin and Yang, uniformly attributing it to Fire Toxin, and continue to use herbs such as Sheng Di Huang (Rehmanniae Radix), Lian Qiao, and Yin Hua (Jasmini Flos), the firm swelling will not subside, the ulceration will not heal, pus will drip continuously, and the condition will persist for a long time. This gradually leads to diarrhea and anorexia; once the Spleen and Stomach function collapses, death is inevitable. If the color is red with purple hues, it is a Yang syndrome, and only then can Jing Fang Di Huang Tang be used to cure it; if the stool is constipated, purgatives should be used. Nevertheless, Yin syndromes are common, while Yang syndromes are rare; there are rarely pure Yang toxin cases after pox. It is further noted that formulas for white-colored pox toxins are the most effective.