Introduction:
The formation of the Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) theoretical system is based on internal evidence. The author of “Notes on Internal Observation” describes how, through introspection, he observed that the “black pathogenic qi flows downward with the movement of qi towards the feet,” which aligns with Li Daozheng’s view that black sha is “flowing sha”. By scraping from top to bottom, the pathogenic factors are guided downward, and then expelled from the body through the four wells detoxification method. The Li-style Bian method, using the copper Bian, helps the body quickly and significantly expel pathogenic qi, thus achieving remarkable clinical results in treating severe diseases repeatedly.
About Black Sha
By scraping specific areas of the body, black sha toxins can be expelled from the skin surface. This is a significant clinical discovery of the Li-style Bian method, resulting from Li Daozheng’s 30 years of clinical practice. Its discovery has revitalized an ancient Bian method that was once overlooked, placing it at the forefront of TCM. This finding has resolved many modern medical challenges that were previously insurmountable.
Black sha is both magical and mysterious, a phenomenon that can be encountered but not sought after. How many practitioners of Bian are overjoyed by its appearance? How many patients have had their suffering alleviated? How many have found hope for life? What exactly is this black sha? What role does it play in human life? What is its relationship with the occurrence and development of human diseases?…
Based on my nearly three years of clinical practice and learning from my mentor, I would like to record some of my insights, hoping to inspire professionals interested in life sciences and TCM research, to reveal the truth about black sha, allowing more people to understand and benefit from the Li-style Bian method, contributing to the continuous exploration and development of human life sciences.
Several Clinical Cases
Let us first look at some shocking scenes of black sha being scraped out using the copper Bian:
The following images are clinical cases from the Shanghai Wen Sha Tang: a patient with breast cancer who had multiple metastases, with black sha expelled from the brain metastasis site. This case is currently under treatment and has shown initial effectiveness.
The next image shows a clinical case from Shanghai Wen Sha Tang. A boy from Canada, suffering from atrophy for 14 months, received scraping treatment from Li Daozheng. After multiple treatments, a large amount of black sha was expelled from his waist and limbs, restoring his motor function to health.
The next image shows a clinical case from Shanghai Wen Sha Tang, a gout patient with urate crystals in the toes. After overall conditioning and a large amount of black sha was expelled from the legs, the urate crystals were eliminated.
In 2014, during a lecture by Li Daozheng, he observed a student whose black sha flowed to the face. When a large amount of sha accumulates in the head, the face is the best area to expel it. Seizing the moment, he scraped it, expelling a large amount of black sha toxins from the student’s face. This not only cleansed the toxins from the head but also beautified the face, making the skin fair and radiant, reflecting health.
The next image is from a Bian friend gathering in Changzhou, showing black sha expelled from a female friend’s shoulder blade. Follow-up feedback indicated that through multiple overall scraping treatments and local detoxification, the rough skin symptoms on her shoulder had significantly improved.
The next image shows a patient with degenerative changes in the lumbar spine, expelling waves of black sha from the lumbar area.
The next image shows black sha expelled from the foot of a patient who had a minor stroke.
Li-style Bian Method on “Black Sha”
Black sha refers to the specific scraping tool, the copper Bian developed by Li Daozheng over more than thirty years. By scraping and polishing specific areas of the body, the skin surface presents a gray-black color. Then, using an oily medium, the black substance is scraped off the skin surface. Due to its gray-black color, it is called black sha. Black sha is tasteless or slightly fishy, and upon close observation, it appears as fine particles, sometimes feeling like very fine sand when touched. Through clinical observation, it has been found that the appearance of black sha varies among individuals, with some appearing dark red, some black, some light-colored, some protruding in blocks, and others evenly distributed in dots. It can be said that each person has a unique sha appearance. The sha toxins expelled through scraping float on the skin surface, and the body absorbs and repairs them through its own hemolytic function and self-healing ability, generally disappearing within two to three days, restoring the skin to its original state or even better. However, black sha differs from the sha toxins that appear on the surface; it is brought to the surface through specific methods and then washed away with oil, meaning that black sha can be directly expelled from the body, along with other toxins such as odors, fatty toxins, and blood toxins.
Black Sha – Commonality in Major Diseases
Clinical findings from the Li-style Bian method indicate that even the most severe patients can survive if they can expel a large amount of toxins (black sha) rapidly, buying time for treatment. Modern medical research has found that blood is the largest immune system and organ in the body, and purifying the blood is the first element in saving lives. Practice has proven that scraping can expel a large amount of toxins from the blood, which is a purely physical method that does not damage the skin, does not require medication, and does not adversely affect the body. Modern medicine’s blood purification methods cannot clean the toxins from the blood, but the Li-style Bian method has found this approach. There was a critical patient who was carried in by three people, and during treatment, the focus was on detoxification. By evening, the patient was able to stand up and walk out of the clinic, a miraculous effect that cannot be explained by modern medical thinking.
Li Daozheng stated: When using medication, we believe that all diseases have individuality, for example, treating heart disease with certain medications and diabetes with others. This is the individuality of diseases. However, through scraping, it has been found that all diseases have commonality. If we can expel sha toxins from the body, all diseases may recover. We have identified a common substance for diseases, which is sha toxins! Therefore, in clinical practice for major diseases, we prioritize detoxification; as long as a large amount of toxins are expelled from the surface, there is a possibility of improvement in the disease.
Black Sha and the Theory of Acid-Base Balance in Human Health
There was a study that collected black sha toxins and tested them in a laboratory, revealing that their composition is a type of denatured neutral protein. Strong acids and bases have no effect on it, but when placed on the liver, it will consume liver cells; when placed on the heart, it will form blood clots. How toxic is black sha? During a lecture in Hong Kong, Li Daozheng conducted a small experiment where a cockroach was placed in a container with black sha, and it died within seconds of contact. In the past, we believed that a weak alkaline constitution is healthy, while an acidic constitution is prone to illness, hence the recommendation to consume more alkaline foods. However, the Li-style Bian method has found that as long as this sha toxin is expelled from the body, the functions of the organs will gradually recover as the scraping treatments progress.
Thus, two conclusions can be explored: First, what substances affect human health? Is it acidity, alkalinity, or this denatured neutral protein? Westerners do not know about scraping and that it can extract this substance from the blood, and currently, the TCM community in China does not have this understanding. However, the Li-style Bian method has identified this sample, and only Li Daozheng and his team have discovered this phenomenon in the exploration of life sciences. If this issue is clarified, we believe that many fundamental theories of modern medicine will be overturned. For example, regarding hypertension and diabetes, modern medicine believes that hypertension has its causes, and diabetes has its causes; you cannot give a diabetic patient hypertension medication or vice versa. However, after scraping treatment, as long as as much of this harmful substance – “sha toxin” – is expelled from the body, all diseases begin to recover. Thus, we can conclude that all diseases have commonality. We believe the source is the same; they merely express themselves differently, and the essence of life is the same. This conclusion is a challenge to the foundational theories of life sciences and has been repeatedly validated in clinical practice by the Li-style Bian method.
Li-style Bian Method’s Great Discovery – Four Wells Detoxification Method
After over 30 years of clinical practice, Li Daozheng discovered that sha toxins flow within the body with the movement of qi and blood, referred to as “flowing sha”. The reason black sha can be expelled from various parts of the body is that there are blockages in the pathways of qi and blood, causing sha to accumulate at those points. Experienced scraping practitioners can often determine where black sha may appear through observation and scraping.
Clear qi rises, and turbid qi descends, which is the normal flow; conversely, it is abnormal. Scraping can unblock and resolve local blockages, guiding the pathogenic factors outwards and downwards. Therefore, the Li-style Bian method employs a top-down scraping technique to guide the body’s toxins step by step downwards.
Li Daozheng discovered that when the bladder meridian and the governing vessel are unblocked, scraping from top to bottom drives the toxins down. When toxins accumulate in the hands and feet, they can form an outlet for detoxification, similar to drawing water from a well. Due to the higher density and turbidity of the toxins, once expelled, surrounding toxins can continuously converge, making it crucial to expel as much as possible for the treatment of diseases. This method is one of the eight major theories of the Li-style Bian method, the Four Wells Detoxification Method. This method was an accidental discovery in clinical practice years ago but has repeatedly proven effective, significantly contributing to the miraculous effects of the Li-style Bian method. The Four Wells Detoxification Method fully grasps the operational laws of sha toxins and is a major discovery in TCM, marking a milestone in the historical development of ancient TCM Bian methods.
The following is a discussion from a Bian friend, exploring the medical principles of the Four Wells Detoxification Method using classic theories:
“Lingshu – Moving Channels, Chapter 62”: The four extremities are the meeting of yin and yang, the great network of qi. The four streets are the pathways of qi. Therefore, when the network is severed, the pathways are open; when the four extremities are resolved, qi converges and circulates like a ring. “Suwen – Yangming Meridian Explanation, Chapter 30”: The four limbs are the foundation of all yang. This shows that the extremities are the great network of qi, where qi and blood converge in large quantities. Why do they converge here? “Lingshu – Evil Guests”: The protective qi first travels to the extremities, circulating between the flesh and skin, and does not rest. This powerful protective qi first reaches the extremities. When the four extremities are resolved, qi converges and circulates like a ring. Qi and blood reach the extremities, reaching their end, and then return from the extremities, day and night, endlessly repeating. This is also why black sha can be easily expelled here and can regulate diseases throughout the body.
The Relationship Between Black Sha and Copper
Upon first encountering black sha, one might reflexively think that it is a reaction product formed when the copper Bian contacts the skin during scraping. Upon reflection, this viewpoint is not without merit. To date, among the many scraping schools in TCM, only the copper Bian can expel black substances from the body; other materials such as Bian stone, cow horn, and jade have not produced similar reports. We have also tried using other materials for scraping, but none have been able to produce black sha toxins. Therefore, the appearance of black sha must be related to copper in some way. There are two possibilities: one is that during scraping, a certain substance in the body is brought to the surface, which reacts directly with copper atoms, forming the black sha we see; the other possibility is that copper merely serves as a medium, allowing a certain substance in the body to be brought to the surface through scraping, which then reacts with the air to form black sha. What role does this substance, identified as a neutral protein, play in the body? What is its relationship with human health? The answers to these questions await research and investigation by scientific institutions. We all look forward to the day when modern technology can reveal the truth about black sha.
Small Experiments Related to Black Sha
1. Killing Cockroaches: During a lecture in Hong Kong, students collected black sha for a small experiment, placing a cockroach in a container with black sha, which died within five seconds of contact.
2. Observing Changes After Expelling Black Sha: The following is a small experiment I conducted in April 2018, where the black liquid in the bottle is a mixture of black sha and scraping oil expelled from a diabetic patient’s foot, collected in a sealed glass bottle. The next day, the black liquid turned green, and two weeks later, it became colorless.
The Relationship Between Black Sha and the Cycles of the Moon and Sun
There is a periodic rise and fall phenomenon in the sea: at a certain time, the sea rises rapidly, reaching a peak; after some time, the rising water recedes, leaving a beach, creating a low tide. This cycle repeats endlessly. The movement of the sea is called tides, caused by the tidal forces of the sun and moon acting on the ocean surface. Human life exists between heaven and earth, and the movement of qi and blood should correspond to the waxing and waning of the moon, just as the sea rises and falls.
In TCM, analogy is a way ancient people used to understand things. Analogy captures the commonality of contradictions; comparison studies the particularity of contradictions. Li Daozheng clinically discovered that black sha has fluidity. Therefore, the appearance of black sha is not only related to human diseases but also to the cycles of the moon and sun, and the rise and fall of the sea. This awaits our discovery and summary in practice.
Internal Evidence Observations of Pathogenic Qi and Black Sha
Internal evidence is an ancient scientific observation and experimental method particularly used by Daoism, Buddhism, and Confucianism, and is an important method for studying the basic principles of TCM and exploring TCM anatomy. The following text is excerpted from the “Notes on Internal Observation” by the anonymous author, describing observations made on a Saturday afternoon in mid-May 2007 regarding the movement of the gallbladder meridian. The text describes: “The descending heart qi has several colors, including red, white, blue, and even black… The body expels pathogenic qi. After a while, upon further observation, the descending qi has basically completed its descent. The descending qi has become finer and slower. However, upon close observation, within the red and blue qi, there are black strips, and upon closer inspection, it turns out to be the black pathogenic qi being expelled from the body. These qi are spherical, black, slightly smaller than Job’s tears, and form a cluster, flowing downward with the descending heart qi. However, the heart qi flowing down to the qi point near the pubic bone disappears there, while all the black spherical pathogenic qi is expelled from the feet into the space, with none entering that qi point. It seems that the qi point is a clean “official” that strictly enforces discipline, not allowing any improper heart qi to enter the body. Qi points have their own principles. This expelled spherical black qi is something between normal qi and tangible substances, and should have some solid characteristics. It is not the usual black color observed but rather a pathological color.
From the above text, two points can be verified:
1. The anonymous author observed that “the black pathogenic qi flows downward with the movement of qi towards the feet,” which aligns with Li Daozheng’s view that black sha is “flowing sha”. By scraping from top to bottom, the pathogenic factors are guided downward, and then expelled from the body through the four wells detoxification method. The Li-style Bian method helps the body quickly and significantly expel pathogenic qi, thus achieving remarkable clinical results in treating severe diseases repeatedly.
2. The anonymous author observed that “the black pathogenic qi has properties between tangible and intangible, with solid characteristics”. In our clinical practice, we have also found that the black sha scraped out is an extremely fine particulate substance. If the black sha toxins are not promptly washed away with oil, they can re-enter the skin or the air, and this physical property of toxins aligns with the observations made in internal evidence.
This reminds me of an incident: during the Spring Festival in 2017, a child who had been working away from home returned for the holiday. After dinner, I wanted to perform scraping on him, but he said he only had half an hour. I decided to scrape just his two legs and expel toxins from his feet. To my surprise, as soon as the copper Bian scraped down from the knee, black sha toxins began to surge out continuously, and the amount was quite significant. The following are the photos I took at that time:
Practitioners of scraping know that black sha generally needs to be activated by circular scraping with the copper Bian while applying some pressure to the skin surface. However, I directly scraped out black sha today, which is quite remarkable, especially in such large quantities. Analyzing the reason, the Internal Classic states: “At eight years old, the kidney qi is full, hair grows, and teeth change. At sixteen, kidney qi is abundant, and the essence overflows, yin and yang are harmonious, thus able to reproduce. At twenty-four, kidney qi is balanced, muscles and bones are strong, thus true teeth grow and extend. At thirty-two, muscles and bones are robust, and flesh is full…” The child was twenty-eight years old, at the peak of male physical strength. At this time, the body’s vitality was strong, and its detoxification function expelled toxins downwards, which explains the situation described above.
The following image shows the material nature of black sha, appearing as fine particles.
Ancient physicians believed that the mechanism of scraping primarily involves opening the pores, promoting qi and blood circulation, unblocking meridians, and dispersing pathogenic toxins. This aligns with modern research on scraping’s ability to improve microcirculation, regulate immunity, and enhance metabolism. Li Daozheng summarized the effects of scraping with one word: “to pass through”, encompassing all theories. When qi and blood circulate freely, diseases do not arise. He lamented that scraping, being the foremost of the six methods in the Internal Classic, has long been overlooked by Confucian doctors, worldly physicians, and medical scientists, regarded as crude and rustic, not worthy of serious consideration. However, the natural way is simple and straightforward. “The Brief Discussion on Scraping” states: Although scraping is a small method, its use is vast, saving lives and curing all diseases. These sixteen characters reveal the mystery of scraping as the foremost method in TCM.
In an interview, Li Daozheng stated: Science is constantly advancing and developing, and TCM is also progressing. TCM has been a process of sedimentation and accumulation over thousands of years. Each generation of TCM practitioners bears the imprint and characteristics of their time. We should strive to explore and interpret TCM using modern means. For example, using modern instruments to measure the flow of energy in the meridians; regarding scraping, what is the molecular structure of the secretions produced? What category of substance do they belong to? How do sha, toxins, and blood clots on the vascular walls exit through scraping? How are they absorbed and expelled through the body’s hemolytic function? Why do some substances return to the body without forming deposits? Can these questions be interpreted through modern science? If scientific validation is achieved, TCM can advance significantly without altering its essence, even entering a geometric leap phase. TCM cannot remain stagnant; we have entered the era of data and computers, exploring higher dimensions. We should work hard to use modern physics to validate TCM, and we hope the state will invest more human and material resources into research on this topic, as this is the mission history has bestowed upon modern TCM practitioners.
We hereby call for: We hope that relevant national departments will discover and pay attention to this topic, placing this research work on the agenda. Because we have methods and have seen results, the Li-style Bian method has broken through many bottlenecks that modern medicine cannot solve, and its efficacy is enough to shock the entire medical community. The data from this process awaits further collection and research by scientific institutions. With the development of the times and people’s renewed understanding of life, there is an increasing preference for physical, non-side-effect, and non-invasive green therapies. The Li-style Bian method meets this demand.
Source: The Hand of Scraping and the Longevity of Scraping