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A simple and effective prescription specifically for treating all kinds of unnamed swellings and toxic sores, whether painful or itchy. Take one raw garlic clove; a single-clove garlic is preferable. On soil where many people have walked, use saliva to grind the garlic into a paste on the ground. Apply this garlic paste to the affected area. If a head (pustule) has already appeared, leave the head uncovered and apply the paste only around the periphery. Whether there is redness, swelling, pain, or itching, immediate effect will be seen.

Mash fresh Portulaca oleracea (Purslane) and apply it as a poultice. After only a few applications, efficacy can be achieved.

Collect Hibiscus mutabilis (Cotton Rose) leaves on the ninth day of the ninth lunar month, dry them in the shade, and grind them into powder. Collect Xanthium sibiricum (Cocklebur) herb on the fifth day of the fifth lunar month, burn it to ash while preserving its medicinal properties, and grind into powder. Mix equal parts of these two powders. When using, mix with honey and water to form a paste, and apply around the periphery of the sore. Whether it is a malignant toxin or a carbuncle/furuncle, applying this will prevent the toxin from spreading.

Carbuncles and furuncles (Ding Chuang) are conditions in surgery that progress rapidly. If not treated promptly, they are often incurable. The term "Ding" describes the shape resembling a nail: small in size but deep-rooted, capable of arising anywhere on the body. These sores are the most malignant, and their toxicity is the most intense. They arise from excessive consumption of rich and strong-flavored foods leading to accumulated heat, or from bites by snakes and insects, or from poisoning by animals that died of epidemic diseases. The depth of the toxin varies, and the location and appearance indicate urgency. Without clear identification and differentiation, people tend to neglect this, causing significant harm. For instance, those appearing on the top of the head, chest, or back are most urgent; those on the joints of hands and feet are slightly less urgent. A small sore appearing outside a main Ding is called "Ying Hou" (Responding Signal). Redness and swelling around the four sides without spreading widely is called "Hu Chang" (Protective Field). Multiple small sores appearing around the sides are called "Man Tian Xing" (Stars in the Sky). Cases with these signs are slower/milder; cases without them are more urgent. Furthermore, observe the progression from onset to three or five days: if the color changes from white to cyan-purple, the Ding head ulcerates and suppurates, resembling a honeycomb, and there are no internal symptoms of the "Seven Evils," it is a favorable course (Shun). If initially resembling a Ding but not quite, appearing gray, with a depressed apex like a fish navel, presenting cyan-purple-black blisters that are soft and depressed without pus, and showing internal symptoms of the "Seven Evils," it is an unfavorable course (Ni). This is a general overview of differentiating Ding. In summary, for any case of Ding Chuang, early treatment is crucial. It is contraindicated to take acrid-warm herbs, as this may exacerbate the pathogenic factor. Externally, it is contraindicated to apply cold-cooling herbs, as this may force the toxin inward. Plasters should not be applied too early; they should only be used when the sore is about to ulcerate or has just ulcerated, to promote drainage and tissue regeneration against wind-cold. At the initial stage of ulceration, it is contraindicated to use flesh-regenerating astringents, as the toxin may not be fully cleared, potentially worsening the ulceration. Post-ulceration, tonification should not be started too early. Even if true deficiency is evident, only mild tonification should be considered, requiring careful judgment. Dietary taboos include ginger, Sichuan pepper, alcohol, meat, chicken, fish, goose, mutton, seafood, pungent/spicy fried foods, raw/cold foods, and "fa wu" (stimulating/triggering foods). One must also avoid anger, sexual exertion, foul odors, and contact with menstrual blood. Violating these will inevitably lead to recurrence. Caution is paramount.