典藏书目

Mrs. Zhao Tingweng, at three months of pregnancy, experienced fetal restlessness, severe vaginal bleeding (hemorrhage), and syncope. Her family urgently summoned me for consultation. I informed Mr. Zhao: "Syncope caused by bleeding during pregnancy is already a critical and dangerous condition. Now, the fetus has not yet been expelled, but syncope has appeared first. If the fetus is expelled and collapse occurs due to Qi following Blood loss, what then?" Mr. Zhao instructed me to prescribe a formula. I said: "For conditions of Blood depletion, tonifying Qi is essential; apart from Dushen Tang (Ginseng Decoction), there is no other effective medicine." Mr. Zhao asked how much Ginseng was needed. I replied: "Not less than one liang (approx. 30-37g) will suffice." Mr. Zhao went out to obtain the Ginseng. I heard the hired women in the room whispering privately that pregnant and postpartum women should not take Ginseng. I hastily called them out and said sternly: "What do you know? Do not speak nonsense and disturb people's minds." Shortly after, Mr. Zhao returned with the Ginseng. I intended to leave, but recalling what the hired woman had said, I feared the patient might hear it, become suspicious, and refuse to take the medicine, which would ruin everything. Therefore, I waited. When Mr. Zhao brought the Ginseng decoction, I entered the room with him. The patient indeed refused to take it. Mr. Zhao was at a loss. I spoke seriously: "The safety of life and death depends on this single step. If you do not take this decoction now, and the fetus is expelled leading to collapse from Qi and Blood depletion, it cannot be saved. The common belief that Ginseng is contraindicated during pregnancy and childbirth stems from the fear that its tonifying nature might trap lochia (postpartum discharge). This argument might hold some validity after the fetus is expelled. However, since the fetus has not yet been expelled, the situation is no different from normal labor. If Ginseng can be taken during normal labor, why not now when one is fainting and on the verge of collapse? I have treated many such cases; do not be confused by idle talk." The patient's doubts were dispelled, and she drank the entire dose in one go. I said: "With this pillar supporting the middle (tonifying central Qi), the major trend can be stabilized. However, we must still guard against recurrent syncope after the fetus is expelled. It would be advisable to decoct the dregs of the Ginseng again and administer them." The next morning, upon follow-up examination, Mr. Zhao reported: "Yesterday, following your instructions, I also decocted and administered the Ginseng dregs. In the evening, the fetus was expelled. There was little lochia, and the syncope did not recur. Later, having her take more agents to nourish Qi and Blood led to full recovery." Subsequently, Mrs. Shengye, the wife of Mr. Zhao's brother-in-law, suffered a miscarriage (spontaneous abortion in the second trimester or late first trimester) with syncope following fetal expulsion. It was deep night in winter, and the family urgently summoned me. Her pulses were found to be scattered and rootless (indicating exhaustion), her face was pale, and her limbs were cold. I immediately administered Shenfu Tang (Ginseng and Aconite Decoction) to revive her. Both cases in this family were critical, yet both were preserved thanks to the power of Ginseng. The notion that "Ginseng must not be taken during pregnancy and childbirth" is undoubtedly a fallacious statement.

Annotation by Anbo: The deficiency resulting from miscarriage is self-evident. Moreover, in conditions such as antenatal syncope which indicate collapse syndromes, how can one fail to use Ginseng to assist in treatment? That we avoided being misled by ignorant women and achieved preservation was merely fortunate.