The Essentials of the Golden Coffer
Introduction
1. The Compilation, Loss, Reappearance, and Organization of The Essentials of the Golden Coffer
1. Compilation:
The Essentials of the Golden Coffer is the miscellaneous diseases section of the “Treatise on Febrile and Miscellaneous Diseases” by the famous physician Zhang Zhongjing of the Eastern Han Dynasty. It is the earliest existing specialized book in China discussing the diagnosis and treatment of miscellaneous diseases, revered as the ancestor of formula books and the classic of medical prescriptions.
2. Loss:
3. Reappearance:
During the reign of Emperor Renzong of the Northern Song Dynasty, scholar Wang Zhu discovered three volumes of “The Essentials of the Golden Coffer” among the damaged texts in the Hanlin Academy.
4. Organization:
During the Northern Song Dynasty, Gao Baoheng, Sun Qi, and Lin Yi from the Medical Book Correction Bureau were commissioned to edit this book, which was titled “The Treatise on the Essentials of the Golden Coffer” and later abbreviated to “The Essentials of the Golden Coffer”.
2. Basic Content and Compilation Style of The Essentials of the Golden Coffer
1. Explanation of the Book Title:
2. Basic Content:
The entire book consists of twenty-five sections.
The first section, “Diseases of the Organs and Meridians”, serves as the general outline of the book, providing principled guidance on the etiology, pathogenesis, diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of diseases in a preface format.
Sections 2 to 17 discuss diseases within the internal medicine category (such as spasms, dampness, heat, vomiting, and diarrhea).
The 18th section discusses surgical diseases.
The 19th section discusses several other diseases that are difficult to classify.
Sections 20 to 22 specifically address women’s diseases, also known as the “Three Sections on Women”.
Sections 23 to 25 contain prescriptions and dietary prohibitions.
The original text includes approximately 398 entries across the first 22 sections, covering more than 40 diseases and containing 205 prescriptions (of which 4 only list the names without the herbs), utilizing about 155 medicinal substances.
In terms of dosage forms: internal medicines include decoctions, pills, powders, and wines; external medicines include fumigations, washes, sitz baths, and plasters.
3. Compilation Style:
Diseases are discussed by section, symptoms are narrated by item, and prescriptions are provided based on symptoms.
Compilation Basis:
(1) Similar pathogenesis, similar symptoms, and proximity of disease locations.
(2) Diseases that are difficult to classify are grouped into one section, such as the section on leg cramps, hand and arm swelling, and other conditions.
(3) Sections are divided by categories, such as those belonging to surgical diseases like abscesses and intestinal abscesses.
Special Discussion Characteristics:
“Special discussions” refer to diseases that are independently discussed in their own sections, such as malaria, running pig qi, phlegm fluid disease, water qi disease, and jaundice, which are all treated as independent sections. These chapters have strong independence and distinct clinical characteristics.
Textual Features:
The original text is concise and to the point, highlighting the main ideas.
(1) Directly addressing the main point or using a guest to define the main subject. Sometimes it directly defines the disease; other times, it uses a guest to highlight the characteristics of the disease.
(2) Emphasis on comparison. Sometimes similar entries are listed together to compare their similarities and differences; other times, different entries are placed together for comparative reflection.
(3) Different levels of detail. Sometimes more detail is given to prescriptions while less to symptoms, indicating that one should measure symptoms by prescriptions; other times, more detail is given to symptoms while less to prescriptions, indicating that one should establish prescriptions based on symptoms.
(4) Less detail on general knowledge but more on specifics. For content that is easy for people to understand and familiar with, it is often summarized; for content that is easily overlooked or confused, it is analyzed in detail.
Purpose: To inspire practitioners to truly grasp the laws of disease diagnosis and treatment.
3. Academic Achievements and Basic Arguments of The Essentials of the Golden Coffer
1. Establishing a diagnostic and treatment system for miscellaneous diseases based on disease as the framework, combining disease and syndrome, and differentiating syndromes to guide treatment.
(1) Emphasis on the whole, with the organs and meridians as the core of syndrome differentiation.
(2) Based on pulse diagnosis.
(3) Differentiating syndromes to guide treatment.
(4) Preventing disease before it occurs.
(5) Treating the root cause of diseases, emphasizing the body’s righteous qi.
(6) Adapting to circumstances.
2. Creating widely applicable, rigorously composed, and highly effective classical prescriptions for miscellaneous diseases.
(1) Contains 205 prescriptions, widely used in clinical practice.
(2) The composition of prescriptions is rigorous and concise, with flexible modifications.
(3) Emphasizes the specific use of herbs and the methods of processing and decocting them.
The Essentials of the Golden Coffer
▲【Original Text】
Question: What does it mean for a skilled practitioner to treat diseases before they occur? The Master said: To treat diseases before they occur means to recognize liver diseases and understand that the liver transmits to the spleen. One should first strengthen the spleen. If the spleen is strong in all four seasons and not affected by evil, then there is no need to tonify it; if the middle practitioner does not understand the transmission, sees liver disease, and does not strengthen the spleen, but only treats the liver.
For liver diseases, sour herbs are used to tonify, bitter herbs are used to assist, and sweet herbs are used to harmonize. Sour enters the liver, bitter enters the heart, and sweet enters the spleen. The spleen can harm the kidneys; if the kidney qi is weak, then water does not flow; if water does not flow, then heart fire is excessive; if heart fire is excessive, then it harms the lungs; if the lungs are harmed, then the metal qi does not flow; if the metal qi does not flow, then the liver qi is excessive. Therefore, by strengthening the spleen, the liver will heal itself. This is the key to treating the liver by tonifying the spleen. If the liver is deficient, this method is used; if it is excessive, it is not used.
The classic states: “When there is deficiency, supplement the insufficient; when there is excess, reduce the excess.” This is its meaning. The same applies to other organs.
▲【Original Text】
Humans are endowed with the five constants, growing according to the wind and qi. Although the wind and qi can give life to all things, they can also harm all things, just as water can float a boat but can also capsize it. If the five organs are unobstructed, the person will be peaceful and harmonious. If external evil winds invade, many will die. There are three main causes of diseases: first, the meridians are invaded by evil, entering the organs, causing internal causes; second, the limbs and nine orifices, blood vessels are obstructed, causing external skin invasion; third, injuries from rooms, sharp objects, insects, and beasts. By detailing this, the causes of diseases are fully explained.
If a person can cultivate caution, not allowing evil winds to disturb the meridians; if they can adapt to the meridians, not allowing them to flow into the organs, then they can be treated. If the limbs feel heavy and stagnant, then guiding, breathing exercises, acupuncture, and topical applications should be used to prevent the nine orifices from closing; furthermore, one should not violate the laws of nature or suffer from animal disasters; in rooms, one should not allow exhaustion, and food should be moderated in terms of cold, heat, bitterness, sourness, spiciness, and sweetness, so that the body does not weaken, and diseases have no way to enter the pores. The pores are where the San Jiao connects with the original qi, and the principles are the patterns of the skin and organs.(2)
【Original Text】
Clear evil resides above, turbid evil resides below; great evils are external, small evils are internal. The evil that enters through the mouth is from food stagnation. Each of the five evils has its own rules: wind affects the front, cold affects the evening, dampness harms below, mist harms above; wind causes the pulse to float, cold causes the pulse to be rapid, mist harms the skin, dampness flows into the joints, food harms the spleen and stomach, extreme cold harms the meridians, and extreme heat harms the collaterals.(13)
【Original Text】
Question: When a patient has a complexion seen on the face, what does it indicate? The Master said: A blue color at the tip of the nose, abdominal pain, and bitterness and cold indicate death. If the abdomen is cold, bitterness and pain indicate death. A slightly black color at the tip of the nose indicates water qi; a yellow color indicates cold in the chest; a white color indicates loss of blood; if slightly red at the wrong time, it indicates death; if the eyes are perfectly round, it indicates spasms, which are untreatable. A blue color indicates pain, a black color indicates labor, a red color indicates wind, a yellow color indicates difficulty in defecation, and a bright color indicates retained fluid.(3)
【Original Text】
Question: When a disease is urgent, what does it mean to save the interior and the exterior? The Master said: If a disease causes diarrhea and the patient continues to have clear stools, with body pain, it is urgent to save the interior; if the body pain resolves and the stools adjust themselves, it is urgent to save the exterior.(14)
【Original Text】
When chronic diseases are compounded by acute diseases, the acute disease should be treated first, followed by the chronic disease.(15)
【Original Text】
For all diseases in the organs, if one wishes to attack them, one should follow the symptoms to attack them, such as thirst, use Zhu Ling Decoction. The rest should be treated similarly.(17)
Spasms, dampness, and heat disease pulse diagnosis and treatment, second section
【Original Text】
For spasmodic pulse, it feels tight like a string, moving straight up and down. One version states it is tight and string-like. The “Pulse Classic” states: The pulse of those with spasms is hidden and firm, moving straight up and down.(9)
Patients have fever with cold feet, stiff neck, aversion to cold, occasional head heat, red face, red eyes, and if the head shakes alone, the mouth is tightly closed, and the back arches, this indicates spasms. If sweating occurs, cold dampness is present, and the exterior is more deficient, leading to severe aversion to cold. If sweating has occurred, the pulse feels like a snake.(7)
【Original Text】
For Taiyang disease, if there is fever without sweating and aversion to cold, it is called “stiff spasm”.(1)
For Taiyang disease, if the symptoms are complete, the body is strong, and the pulse is deep and slow, this is a spasm, and Guo Lou Gui Zhi Decoction is the main treatment.(11)
Guo Lou Gui Zhi Decoction: Guo Lou root 2 liang, Gui Zhi 3 liang, Shao Yao 3 liang, Gan Cao 2 liang, Sheng Jiang 3 liang, Da Zao 12 pieces.
【Original Text】
For Taiyang disease, if there is no sweating and urination is scant, qi rushes up to the chest, the mouth is tightly closed and cannot speak, and it is about to become a stiff spasm, Ge Gen Decoction is the main treatment.(12)
Ge Gen Decoction: Ge Gen 4 liang, Ma Huang 3 liang (remove joints), Gui Zhi 2 liang (remove skin), Shao Yao 2 liang, Gan Cao 2 liang (roasted), Sheng Jiang 3 liang, Da Zao 12 pieces.
【Original Text】
Spasms are a disease, and the character for spasm has a character for stiffness above it. If there is fullness in the chest, the mouth is tightly closed, and one cannot lie down, with legs cramping and pain, Da Cheng Qi Decoction can be used.(13)
Da Cheng Qi Decoction: Da Huang 4 liang (washed with wine), Hou Po 0.5 jin (roasted, remove skin), Zhi Shi 5 pieces (roasted), Mang Xiao 3 he.
【Original Text】
For Taiyang disease, if there is joint pain and restlessness, the pulse is deep and thin, this is called damp bi. The “Jade Coffer” states it is damp.(14)
【Original Text】
Wind and dampness combine, causing pain throughout the body; the method should be to induce sweating and resolve it. If it is continuously cloudy and rainy, the doctor says this can induce sweating; if the sweating disease does not resolve, why? Because inducing sweating with excessive sweating only removes the wind, but the dampness remains, hence it does not resolve. If treating wind and dampness, inducing sweating should be slight, and both wind and dampness will be removed.(18)
【Original Text】
▲ For dampness causing body pain, Ma Huang Jia Zhu Decoction can be used to induce sweating appropriately; be careful not to attack with fire.(20)
Ma Huang Jia Zhu Decoction: Ma Huang 3 liang (remove joints), Gui Zhi 2 liang (remove skin), Gan Cao 1 liang (roasted), Xing Ren 70 pieces (remove skin and tip), Bai Zhu 4 liang.
【Original Text】
▲ If the patient has pain throughout the body, fever, and the pain is worse in the afternoon, this is called wind-dampness. This disease is caused by sweating in the wind or prolonged exposure to cold. It can be treated with Ma Huang Xing Ren Yi Yi Gan Cao Decoction.(21)
Ma Huang Xing Ren Yi Yi Gan Cao Decoction: Ma Huang (remove joints) 0.5 liang (soaked in decoction), Gan Cao 1 liang (roasted), Yi Yi Ren 0.5 liang, Xing Ren 10 pieces (remove skin and tip, stir-fried).
【Original Text】
▲ For wind-dampness, the pulse is floating, the body is heavy, sweating occurs, and there is aversion to wind, Fang Ji Huang Qi Decoction is the main treatment.(22)
Fang Ji Huang Qi Decoction: Fang Ji 1 liang, Gan Cao 0.5 liang (stir-fried), Bai Zhu 7 qian 5, Huang Qi 1 liang 1 fen (remove the reed).
【Original Text】
After eight or nine days of febrile disease, if wind-dampness combines, causing body pain and restlessness, without vomiting or thirst, the pulse is floating, weak, and rough, Gui Zhi Fu Zi Decoction is the main treatment; if the stool is hard and urination is self-beneficial, remove Gui and add Bai Zhu Decoction as the main treatment.(23)
Gui Zhi Fu Zi Decoction: Gui Zhi 4 liang (remove skin), Sheng Jiang 3 liang (sliced), Fu Zi 3 pieces (processed, remove skin, broken into eight pieces), Gan Cao 2 liang (roasted), Da Zao 10 pieces (split).
Bai Zhu Fu Zi Decoction: Bai Zhu 2 liang, Fu Zi 1.5 pieces (processed, remove skin), Gan Cao 1 liang (roasted), Sheng Jiang 1.5 liang (sliced), Da Zao 6 pieces.
【Original Text】
For wind-dampness combining, causing joint pain and restlessness, unable to bend or stretch, if close it causes severe pain, sweating occurs with shortness of breath, urination is not beneficial, and aversion to wind, or slight swelling of the body, Gan Cao Fu Zi Decoction is the main treatment.(24)
Gan Cao Fu Zi Decoction: Gan Cao 2 liang (roasted), Bai Zhu 2 liang, Fu Zi 2 pieces (processed, remove skin), Gui Zhi 4 liang (remove skin).
【Original Text】
For Taiyang heat, if there is fever and aversion to cold, the body is heavy and painful, the pulse is thin and weak. If urination is already present, it is slightly profuse, hands and feet are cold, if there is slight exertion, the body becomes hot, the mouth opens, and the front teeth are dry. If sweating occurs, the aversion to cold becomes severe; if warming needles are applied, the fever becomes severe; if purged multiple times, it becomes more profuse.(25)
【Original Text】
For Taiyang heat, if there is fever, aversion to cold, body heat, and thirst, Bai Hu Jia Ren Shen Decoction is the main treatment.(26)
Bai Hu Jia Ren Shen Decoction: Zhi Mu 6 liang, Shi Gao 1 jin (crushed), Gan Cao 2 liang, Jing Mi 6 he, Ren Shen 3 liang.
For Taiyang heat, if there is body heat, heavy pain, and the pulse is weak, this is caused by summer injury from cold water, and Yi Wu Gua Ti Decoction is the main treatment.(27)
Yi Wu Gua Ti Decoction: Gua Ti 20 pieces.
Hundred Lili and Fox Disease Pulse Diagnosis and Treatment, third section
【Original Text】
For the disease of hundred lili, all pulses are affected, causing the disease. The person desires to eat but cannot, often silent, desires to lie down but cannot, desires to walk but cannot, desires to drink and eat, sometimes has a good appetite, sometimes cannot stand the smell of food, as if cold without cold, as if hot without heat, bitter mouth, red urine, and all medicines cannot treat it. If medicine is taken, it causes severe vomiting and diarrhea, as if there is a spirit, the body appears harmonious, and the pulse is weak and rapid.
【Original Text】
▲ For hundred lili disease seen in the yin, use yang methods to save it; seen in the yang, use yin methods to save it. Attacking yang with yin causes sweating, which is a reversal; attacking yin with yang leads to purging, which is also a reversal.(9)
【Original Text】
▲ For hundred lili disease, if it does not involve vomiting, purging, or sweating, and the disease appears as initially, Bai He Di Huang Decoction is the main treatment.(5)
Bai He Di Huang Decoction: Bai He 7 pieces (split), Sheng Di Huang juice 1 sheng.
【Original Text】
For hundred lili disease after sweating, Bai He Zhi Mu Decoction is the main treatment.(2)
Bai He Zhi Mu Decoction: Bai He 7 pieces (split), Zhi Mu 3 liang (sliced).
For hundred lili disease after purging, Hua Shi Dai Zhi Decoction is the main treatment.(3)
Hua Shi Dai Zhi Decoction: Bai He 7 pieces (split), Hua Shi 3 liang (crushed, wrapped in cotton), Dai Zhi Shi the size of a bullet (crushed, wrapped in cotton).
For hundred lili disease after vomiting, Bai He Ji Zi Decoction is the main treatment.(4)
Bai He Ji Zi Decoction: Bai He 7 pieces (split), Ji Zi Huang 1 piece.
For hundred lili disease that does not resolve after a month, turning into thirst, Bai He Xi Fang is the main treatment.(6)
Bai He Xi Fang:
Guo Lou and Mu Li San: Guo Lou root and Mu Li equal parts.
For hundred lili disease that turns into fever, Bai He Hua Shi San is the main treatment.(8)
Bai He Hua Shi San: Bai He 1 liang (roasted), Hua Shi 3 liang.
【Original Text】
Fox disease is like febrile disease, silently desiring sleep, unable to close the eyes, restless in bed, gnawing in the throat as if it were a worm, gnawing in the yin as if it were a fox, not wanting to eat, and hating the smell of food, with a face that alternates between red, black, and white. If it gnaws at the upper part, the voice is hoarse, and if it gnaws at the lower part, it is the fox; Gan Cao Xie Xin Decoction is the main treatment.(10)
Gan Cao Xie Xin Decoction: Gan Cao 4 liang, Huang Qin 3 liang, Ren Shen 3 liang, Gan Jiang 3 liang, Huang Lian 1 liang, Da Zao 12 pieces, Ban Xia 0.5 sheng.
【Original Text】
For the patient with a rapid pulse, without heat, slightly restless, silently desiring to lie down, sweating, initially having it for three or four days, with red eyes; after seven or eight days, the eyes are black. If they can eat, it indicates that pus has formed, and Chi Dou Dang Gui San is the main treatment.(13)
Chi Dou Dang Gui San: Chi Xiao Dou 3 sheng (soaked, sprouted, dried) Dang Gui 3 liang.
【Original Text】
For gnawing in the lower part, Ku Shen Decoction can be used to wash it.(11)
Ku Shen Decoction: Ku Shen 1 sheng.
For gnawing at the anus, Xiong Huang can be used to fumigate it.(12)
Xiong Huang
【Original Text】
For Yang toxin disease, the face is red with spots like brocade, sore throat, and spitting pus and blood. It can be treated within five days, but not after seven days; Sheng Ma Bie Jia Decoction is the main treatment.(14)
For Yin toxin disease, the face is blue, the body aches as if beaten, and the throat is sore. It can be treated within five days, but not after seven days; Sheng Ma Bie Jia Decoction without Xiong Huang and Shu Jiao is the main treatment.(15)
Sheng Ma Bie Jia Decoction: Sheng Ma 2 liang, Dang Gui 1 liang, Shu Jiao (stir-fried to remove sweat) 1 liang, Gan Cao 2 liang, Xiong Huang 0.5 liang (ground), Bie Jia the size of a finger (roasted).
Malaria disease pulse diagnosis and treatment, fourth section
【Original Text】
For malaria, if it occurs on the first day of the month, it should be cured by the fifteenth; if it does not resolve, it should be resolved by the end of the month; if it does not resolve, what should be done? The Master said: This is a knot called the “mother of malaria”; it should be treated urgently with Bie Jia Jian Wan.(2)
Bie Jia Jian Wan: Bie Jia 12 fen (roasted), Wu Shan 3 fen (burned), Huang Qin 3 fen, Chai Hu 6 fen, Shu Fu 3 fen (boiled), Gan Jiang 3 fen, Da Huang 3 fen, Shao Yao 5 fen, Gui Zhi 3 fen, Ting Li 1 fen (boiled), Shi Wei 3 fen (remove hair), Hou Po 3 fen, Mu Dan 5 fen (remove heart), Qu Mai 2 fen, Zi Wei 3 fen, Ban Xia 1 fen, Ren Shen 1 fen, Cheng Chong 5 fen (boiled), A Jiao 3 fen (roasted), Feng Wo 4 fen (roasted), Chi Xiao 12 fen, Qiang Long 6 fen (boiled), Tao Ren 2 fen.
【Original Text】
The Master said: When Yin qi is isolated, Yang qi is alone, it becomes hot and causes little qi, with hot hands and feet desiring to vomit, this is called “Dian Malaria”. If there is only heat and no cold, it indicates that the evil qi is hidden in the heart, and the external is between the flesh, causing the person to lose weight.(3)
【Original Text】
For warm malaria, the pulse is flat, the body has no cold but heat, the joints ache, and there is occasional vomiting; Bai Hu Jia Gui Zhi Decoction is the main treatment.(4)
Bai Hu Jia Gui Zhi Decoction: Zhi Mu 6 liang, Gan Cao 2 liang (roasted), Shi Gao 1 jin, Jing Mi 2 he, Gui Zhi 3 liang.
【Original Text】
For malaria with more cold, it is called “female malaria”; Shu Qi San is the main treatment.(5)
Shu Qi San: Shu Qi (washed to remove fishy smell) equal parts, Yun Mu (burned for two days and nights), Long Gu equal parts.
Stroke and joint disease pulse diagnosis and treatment, fifth section
【Original Text】
For the pulse at the inch, if it is floating and tight, tight indicates cold, floating indicates deficiency; cold and deficiency combine, the evil is in the skin; floating indicates blood deficiency, the vessels are empty; if the evil is not expelled, it may be on the left or right; if the evil qi is slow, the righteous qi is urgent, the righteous qi leads the evil, and the flow is obstructed.
The evil is in the vessels, the skin is numb; if the evil is in the meridians, it is heavy and unbearable; if the evil enters the bowels, the person cannot recognize others; if the evil enters the organs, the tongue cannot speak, and saliva is spit out.(2)
【Original Text】
Fang Ji Di Huang Decoction: Treats the condition of madness, wandering, speaking incessantly, without cold or heat, and the pulse is floating.
Fang Ji 1 qian, Gui Zhi 3 qian, Fang Feng 3 qian, Gan Cao 2 qian.
【Original Text】
For all limbs and joints aching, the body is thin, the feet swell like they are falling off, the head is dizzy, and there is shortness of breath, Gui Zhi Shao Yao Zhi Mu Decoction is the main treatment.
Gui Zhi Shao Yao Zhi Mu Decoction: Gui Zhi 4 liang, Shao Yao 3 liang, Gan Cao 2 liang, Ma Huang 2 liang, Sheng Jiang 5 liang, Bai Zhu 5 liang, Zhi Mu 4 liang, Fang Feng 4 liang, Fu Zi 2 pieces (processed).
【Original Text】
For all joint diseases that cannot bend or stretch, Wu Tou Decoction is the main treatment.
Wu Tou Decoction: Treats foot pain that cannot bend or stretch.
Ma Huang, Shao Yao, Huang Qi each 3 liang, Gan Cao 3 liang (roasted), Chuan Wu 5 pieces (father, chewed, with honey 2 sheng, boiled to obtain 1 sheng, then remove Wu Tou).
Blood Bi and Deficiency Labor Disease Pulse Diagnosis and Treatment, sixth section
【Original Text】
Question: How does blood bi disease occur? The Master said: Those who are honored have weak bones and strong skin, heavy fatigue, sweating, and irregular movements, and are exposed to slight wind, thus they develop this condition. However, the pulse is slightly rough at the inch and guan, and tight at the chi, indicating that acupuncture should be used to draw out the Yang qi, allowing the pulse to harmonize and the tightness to dissipate.(1)
【Original Text】
Blood bi with both Yin and Yang being weak, the pulse at the inch and guan is weak, and the chi is slightly tight; the external symptoms are numbness of the body, resembling wind bi. Huang Qi Gui Zhi Wu Wu Decoction is the main treatment.(2)
Huang Qi Gui Zhi Wu Wu Decoction: Huang Qi 3 liang, Shao Yao 3 liang, Gui Zhi 3 liang, Sheng Jiang 6 liang, Da Zao 12 pieces.
【Original Text】
Men with large pulses are laboring, and extreme deficiency also leads to labor.(3)
For loss of essence, the lower abdomen is tight, the head is cold, and the eyes are dizzy, sometimes with pain around the eyes. Hair loss, the pulse is extremely weak and rough, indicating loss of essence, loss of blood, and loss of essence in men, while women experience dreams of intercourse. Gui Zhi Jia Long Gu Mu Li Decoction is the main treatment.(8)
Gui Zhi Jia Long Gu Mu Li Decoction: The “Minor Essentials” states: For those who are weak, floating heat, and sweating, remove Gui, and add Bai Wei and Fu Zi each 3 fen, hence it is called the two additions of Long Gu Decoction.
Gui Zhi, Shao Yao, Sheng Jiang each 3 liang, Gan Cao 2 liang, Da Zao 12 pieces, Long Gu, Mu Li each 3 liang.
【Original Text】
For deficiency labor with urgency, palpitations, nosebleeds, abdominal pain, dreams of loss of essence, and aching limbs, Xiao Jian Zhong Decoction is the main treatment.(13)
Xiao Jian Zhong Decoction: Gui Zhi 3 liang (remove skin), Gan Cao 3 liang (roasted), Da Zao 12 pieces, Shao Yao 6 liang, Sheng Jiang 3 liang, Jiao Yi 1 sheng.
【Original Text】
For deficiency labor with urgency, all insufficiencies, Huang Qi Jian Zhong Decoction is the main treatment.
For deficiency labor with lower back pain, tightness in the lower abdomen, and difficulty urinating, Ba Wei Shen Qi Wan is the main treatment.(15)
Shen Qi Wan: Gan Di Huang 8 liang, Shan Yao, Shan Zhu Yu each 4 liang, Ze Xie, Mu Dan Pi, Fu Ling each 3 liang, Gui Zhi, Fu Zi (processed) each 1 liang.
For deficiency labor with all insufficiencies, wind qi causing a hundred diseases, Shu Yu Wan is the main treatment.(16)
Shu Yu Wan: Shu Yu 30 fen, Dang Gui, Gui Zhi, Qu, Gan Di Huang, Dou Huang Juan each 10 fen, Gan Cao 28 fen, Ren Shen 7 fen, Xiong Yao, Shao Yao, Bai Zhu, Mai Men Dong, Xing Ren each 6 fen, Chai Hu, Jie Geng, Fu Ling each 5 fen, A Jiao 7 fen, Gan Jiang 3 fen, Bai Lian 2 fen, Fang Feng 6 fen, Da Zao 100 pieces for paste.
For deficiency labor with insomnia, Suan Zao Ren Decoction is the main treatment.(17)
Suan Zao Ren Decoction: Suan Zao Ren 2 sheng, Gan Cao 1 liang, Zhi Mu 2 liang, Fu Ling 2 liang, Xiong Yao 2 liang.
For extreme deficiency labor, emaciation, abdominal fullness, inability to eat, food injury, worry injury, drink injury, room injury, hunger injury, labor injury, and injury to the meridians, internal blood dryness, skin and flesh are disordered, and the eyes are dark. The method is to nourish the deficiency and supplement the excess, Da Huang Cheng Chong Wan is the main treatment.(18)
Da Huang Cheng Chong Wan: Da Huang 10 fen (steamed), Huang Qin 2 liang, Gan Cao 3 liang, Tao Ren 1 sheng, Xing Ren 1 sheng, Shao Yao 4 liang, Gan Di Huang 10 liang, Gan Qi 1 liang, Wu Mei 1 sheng, Huang Lian 1 liang, Gan Jiang 1 liang, Bai Lian 1 liang, and Wu Tou 1 sheng.
For lung atrophy, lung abscess, cough, and shortness of breath, the seventh section of pulse diagnosis and treatment.
【Original Text】
For extreme reverse qi, if the throat is not smooth, it stops reverse qi, Mai Men Dong Decoction is the main treatment.(10)
Mai Men Dong Decoction: Mai Men Dong 7 sheng, Ban Xia 1 sheng, Ren Shen 3 liang, Gan Cao 2 liang, Jing Mi 3 he, Da Zao 12 pieces.
For lung atrophy, if there is vomiting of phlegm and no cough, the person does not thirst, must urinate, this is due to the inability to control the lower part. This is a cold in the lung, which must be treated with warmth. If after taking the decoction, the person becomes thirsty, it indicates diabetes.(5)
Gan Cao Gan Jiang Decoction: Gan Cao 4 liang (roasted), Gan Jiang 2 liang (processed).
Question: How can one know if the cough is due to lung abscess? There must be pus and blood; if it is vomited, it indicates death. What type of pulse is it? The Master said: The pulse at the inch is weak and rapid; weak indicates wind, rapid indicates heat; weak indicates sweating, rapid indicates aversion to cold. Wind affects the defense, preventing air from entering; heat exceeds the nourishment, preventing air from exiting. Wind harms the skin, heat harms the blood vessels. If wind resides in the lungs, the person coughs, the mouth is dry, the breath is full, the throat is dry and not thirsty, with much phlegm and turbid saliva, and chills at times. If the heat passes, the blood coagulates, forming pus and abscesses, and if it is in the early stages, it can be saved; if pus forms, it indicates death.(2)
For lung abscess, if the person cannot lie down, Ting Li Da Zao Xie Fei Decoction is the main treatment.(11)
Ting Li Da Zao Xie Fei Decoction: Ting Li (boiled until yellow, pounded into balls), Da Zao 12 pieces.
For cough with fullness in the chest, shaking chills, rapid pulse, dry throat, and no thirst, it indicates lung abscess, and Jie Geng Decoction is the main treatment.(12)
Jie Geng Decoction: also treats blood bi. Jie Geng 1 liang, Gan Cao 2 liang.
For cough and shortness of breath, if the throat sounds like a water chicken, She Gan Ma Huang Decoction is the main treatment.(6)
She Gan Ma Huang Decoction: She Gan 13 pieces, Ma Huang 4 liang, Sheng Jiang 4 liang, Gan Cao 2 liang, Bai Qian 5 liang, Wu Wei Zi 0.5 sheng, Da Zao 7 pieces, Ban Xia (large, washed) 8 pieces.
For cough and reverse qi, if the person cannot sleep, Zao Jia Wan is the main treatment.(7)
Zao Jia Wan: Zao Jia 8 liang (scraped off the skin, roasted).
For cough and reverse qi, this is lung distension; the person is panting, and the eyes are like they are falling out; the pulse is floating and large, and the main treatment is Yue Bi Jia Ban Xia Decoction.(13)
Yue Bi Jia Ban Xia Decoction: Ma Huang 6 liang, Shi Gao 0.5 jin, Sheng Jiang 3 liang, Da Zao 15 pieces, Gan Cao 2 liang, Ban Xia 0.5 sheng.
For cold drinks mixed with heat, the main treatment is Hou Po Ma Huang Decoction.(8)
Hou Po Ma Huang Decoction: Hou Po 5 liang, Ma Huang 4 liang, Shi Gao the size of a chicken egg, Xing Ren 0.5 sheng, Ban Xia 0.5 sheng, Gan Jiang 2 liang, Xi Xin 2 liang, Xiao Mai 1 sheng, Wu Wei Zi 0.5 sheng.
For the pulse being deep, Ze Qi Decoction is the main treatment.(9)
Ze Qi Decoction: Ban Xia 0.5 sheng, Zi Shen 5 liang, Ze Qi 3 jin (boiled with five dou of flowing water, boiled to obtain one dou and five sheng), Sheng Jiang 5 liang, Bai Qian 5 liang, Gan Cao, Huang Qin, Ren Shen, Gui Zhi each 3 liang.
For lung distension, if the person coughs and has shortness of breath, is restless and panting, the pulse is floating, the heart has water, Xiao Qing Long Jia Shi Gao Decoction is the main treatment.(14)
Xiao Qing Long Jia Shi Gao Decoction: “Thousand Gold” diagnosis is the same, but externally adds pain under the ribs.
Ma Huang, Shao Yao, Gui Zhi, Xi Xin, Gan Cao, Gan Jiang each 3 liang, Wu Wei Zi, Ban Xia each 0.5 sheng, Shi Gao 2 liang.
For the disease of running pig qi, the pulse diagnosis and treatment, eighth section.
【Original Text】
For running pig qi, if it rushes up to the chest, causing abdominal pain, alternating cold and heat, Ben Tun Decoction is the main treatment.(2)
Ben Tun Decoction: Gan Cao, Chuan Xiong, Dang Gui each 2 liang, Ban Xia 4 liang, Huang Qin 2 liang, Sheng Ge 5 liang, Shao Yao 2 liang, Sheng Jiang 4 liang, Gan Li Gen Bai Pi 1 sheng.
For running pig qi, after sweating, if the needle site is cold and swollen, it must induce running pig qi, and the qi rushes from the lower abdomen to the heart; moxibustion should be applied to the swollen area, and Gui Zhi Jia Gui Decoction is the main treatment.(3)
Gui Zhi Jia Gui Decoction: Gui Zhi 5 liang, Shao Yao 3 liang, Gan Cao 2 liang (roasted), Sheng Jiang 3 liang, Da Zao 12 pieces.
For running pig qi, if the pulse is rapid and the heart is beating, Fu Ling Gui Zhi Gan Cao Da Zao Decoction is the main treatment.(4)
Fu Ling Gui Zhi Gan Cao Da Zao Decoction: Fu Ling 0.5 jin, Gan Cao 2 liang (roasted), Da Zao 15 pieces, Gui Zhi 4 liang.
Chest obstruction, heart pain, and shortness of breath disease pulse diagnosis and treatment, ninth section.
【Original Text】
The Master said: The pulse should be taken as excessive or insufficient; if Yang is weak and Yin is string-like, it indicates chest obstruction and pain. This is due to extreme deficiency. Now Yang deficiency is known to be in the upper jiao, hence chest obstruction and heart pain occur due to its string-like nature.(1)
For chest obstruction disease, if there is wheezing, coughing, chest and back pain, shortness of breath, and the pulse at the inch is deep and slow, while the guan is slightly tight and rapid, Guo Lou Xie Bai Bai Jiu Decoction is the main treatment.(3)
Guo Lou Xie Bai Bai Jiu Decoction: Guo Lou fruit 1 piece (pounded), Xie Bai 0.5 jin, Bai Jiu 7 sheng.
For chest obstruction, if one cannot lie down, Guo Lou Xie Bai Ban Xia Decoction is the main treatment.(4)
Guo Lou Xie Bai Ban Xia Decoction: Guo Lou fruit 1 piece (pounded), Xie Bai 3 liang, Ban Xia 0.5 sheng, Bai Jiu 1 dou.
For chest obstruction with fullness, Qi is trapped in the chest, Guo Lou Bai Jiu Gan Cao Decoction is the main treatment; Ren Shen Decoction is also effective.(5)
Guo Lou Bai Jiu Gan Cao Decoction: Guo Lou fruit 1 piece, Bai Jiu 1 dou, Gan Cao 1 liang.
For chest obstruction, if Qi is trapped, shortness of breath, Fu Ling Xing Ren Gan Cao Decoction is the main treatment; Ju Zhi Jiang Decoction is also effective.(6)
Fu Ling Xing Ren Gan Cao Decoction: Fu Ling 3 liang, Xing Ren 50 pieces, Gan Cao 1 liang.
Ju Zhi Jiang Decoction: Ju Zhi 1 jin, Zhi Shi 3 liang, Sheng Jiang 0.5 jin.
For chest obstruction with urgency, Yi Yi Fu Zi San is the main treatment.(7)
Yi Yi Fu Zi San: Yi Yi Ren 15 liang, Da Fu Zi 10 pieces (processed).
For heart pain that penetrates the back, Wu Tou Chi Shi Zhi Wan is the main treatment.(9)
Wu Tou Chi Shi Zhi Wan: Shu Jiao 1 liang, Wu Tou 1 fen (processed), Gan Jiang 1 fen, Chi Shi 1 liang.
For abdominal fullness, cold hernia, and food stagnation disease pulse diagnosis and treatment, tenth section.
【Original Text】
If the pulse at the foot is weak and string-like, it indicates abdominal fullness; if it is not full, it indicates constipation, and if there is pain in the lower abdomen, this is due to deficiency cold from below. It should be treated with warming medicine.(1)
If abdominal fullness decreases and then returns, this indicates cold, and warming medicine should be used.(3)
If the patient has abdominal fullness, pressing does not cause pain, it indicates deficiency; if it causes pain, it indicates excess, and purging should be done. If the tongue is yellow and has not been purged, purging will cause the yellow to go away.(2)
For abdominal fullness, if there is fever for ten days, the pulse is floating and rapid, and the diet remains the same, Thick Po Seven Herbs Decoction is the main treatment.(9)
Thick Po Seven Herbs Decoction: Thick Po 0.5 jin, Gan Cao 3 liang, Da Huang 3 liang, Da Zao 10 pieces, Zhi Shi 5 pieces, Gui Zhi 2 liang, Sheng Jiang 5 liang.
For pressing the heart and causing pain, this indicates excess, and purging should be done; Da Chai Hu Decoction is the main treatment.(12)
Da Chai Hu Decoction: Chai Hu 0.5 jin, Huang Qin 3 liang, Shao Yao 3 liang, Ban Xia 0.5 sheng (washed), Zhi Shi 4 pieces (roasted), Da Huang 2 liang, Da Zao 12 pieces, Sheng Jiang 5 liang.
For pain and closure, Thick Po Three Herbs Decoction is the main treatment.(11)
Thick Po Three Herbs Decoction: Thick Po 8 liang, Da Huang 4 liang, Zhi Shi 5 pieces.
If abdominal fullness does not decrease, it indicates that it is insufficient, and purging should be done; Da Cheng Qi Decoction is the main treatment.(13)
If there is cold qi in the abdomen, causing thunder-like pain, chest and ribs are full, vomiting, Fu Zi Jing Mi Decoction is the main treatment.(10)
Fu Zi Jing Mi Decoction: Fu Zi 1 piece (processed), Jing Mi 0.5 sheng, Gan Cao 1 liang, Da Zao 10 pieces.
If there is severe cold pain in the chest, causing vomiting and inability to eat, and the abdomen is cold, rising and falling, with pain that cannot be touched, Da Jian Zhong Decoction is the main treatment.(14)
Da Jian Zhong Decoction: Wu Jiao 2 he (remove sweat), Gan Jiang 4 liang, Ren Shen 2 liang, Yi Tang.
If there is pain in the lower ribs, fever, and the pulse is tight and string-like, this indicates cold, and warming medicine should be used; Da Huang Fu Zi Decoction is the main treatment.(15)
Da Huang Fu Zi Decoction: Da Huang 3 liang, Fu Zi 3 pieces (processed), Xi Xin 2 liang.
If there is abdominal pain, the pulse is string-like and tight, indicating that the qi is not flowing, leading to aversion to cold, and tightness indicates a lack of appetite; the evil and righteous qi are clashing, indicating cold hernia.
For cold hernia causing pain around the navel, if it occurs, it indicates white sweating, cold hands and feet, and the pulse is deep and tight; Da Wu Tou Decoction is the main treatment.(17)
Da Wu Tou Decoction: Da Wu Tou 5 pieces (boiled, remove skin, do not chew).
For cold hernia causing abdominal pain, and pain in the lower abdomen, Dang Gui Sheng Jiang Yang Rou Decoction is the main treatment.(18)
Dang Gui Sheng Jiang Yang Rou Decoction: Dang Gui 3 liang, Sheng Jiang 5 liang, Yang Rou 1 jin.
Question: What are the three diseases of a new mother? One is disease spasms, the second is disease depression, and the third is constipation. What does this mean? The Master said: New mothers have blood deficiency, excessive sweating, and are prone to wind, hence they develop spasms; loss of blood and excessive sweating lead to cold, hence they develop depression; loss of body fluids leads to dryness in the stomach, hence they develop constipation.(1)
For postpartum abdominal pain, Dang Gui Sheng Jiang Yang Rou Decoction is the main treatment; it also treats abdominal cold hernia and deficiency.(4)
Dang Gui Sheng Jiang Yang Rou Decoction: see cold hernia.
For postpartum abdominal pain, restlessness, and inability to lie down, Zhi Shi Shao Yao San is the main treatment.(5)
Zhi Shi Shao Yao San: Zhi Shi (burn until black, but not too much) and Shao Yao equal parts.
For postpartum abdominal pain, the method should be Zhi Shi Shao Yao San; if it does not improve, it indicates that there is dry blood stuck in the lower abdomen, and Xue Yu Decoction is the main treatment; it also treats menstrual irregularities.(6)
Xue Yu Decoction: Da Huang 2 liang, Tao Ren 20 pieces, Cheng Chong 20 pieces (boiled, remove feet).
For postpartum wind, fever, red face, shortness of breath, and headache, Zhu Ye Decoction is the main treatment.(9)
Zhu Ye Decoction: Zhu Ye 1 handful, Ge Gen 3 liang, Fang Feng, Jie Geng, Gui Zhi, Ren Shen, Gan Cao each 1 liang, Fu Zi 1 piece (processed), Da Zao 15 pieces, Sheng Jiang 5 liang.
For postpartum milk deficiency, restlessness, and vomiting, An Zhong Yi Qi, Zhu Pi Da Wan is the main treatment.(10)
Zhu Pi Da Wan: Sheng Zhu Ru 2 fen, Shi Gao 2 fen, Gui Zhi 1 fen, Gan Cao 7 fen, Bai Wei 1 fen.
For miscellaneous diseases in women, pulse diagnosis and treatment, twenty-second section.
【Original Text】
For women with a sensation in the throat as if there is roasted meat, Ban Xia Hou Po Decoction is the main treatment.(5)
Ban Xia Hou Po Decoction: The “Thousand Gold” states it causes fullness in the chest, hardness in the heart, and a sensation in the throat as if there is roasted meat, which cannot be vomited or swallowed.
Ban Xia 1 sheng, Hou Po 3 liang, Fu Ling 4 liang, Sheng Jiang 5 liang, Gan Su Ye 2 liang.
For women with organ restlessness, who are prone to sadness and want to cry, as if created by a spirit, and frequently yawning, Gan Mai Da Zao Decoction is the main treatment.(6)
Gan Mai Da Zao Decoction: Gan Cao 3 liang, Xiao Mai 1 sheng, Da Zao 10 pieces.
For women aged fifty, suffering from diarrhea for several days without stopping, with evening fever, lower abdominal urgency, abdominal fullness, hot palms, and dry lips, the Master said: This disease belongs to the “leukorrhea” category. Why? Because there was a previous childbirth, and blood stasis remains in the lower abdomen. How do I know? The symptoms of dry lips indicate this. The treatment should be with Wen Jing Decoction.(9)
Wen Jing Decoction: Wu Jiao 3 liang, Dang Gui 2 liang, Chuan Xiong 2 liang, Shao Yao 2 liang, Ren Shen 2 liang, Gui Zhi 2 liang, A Jiao 2 liang, Sheng Jiang 2 liang, Mu Dan Pi (remove heart) 2 liang, Gan Cao 2 liang, Ban Xia 0.5 sheng, Mai Men Dong 1 sheng (remove heart).
For women with black discharge that does not resolve, Jiao Jiang Decoction is the main treatment.(12)
For women with menstrual irregularities, with hard lumps that do not stop, and with dry blood, white discharge, Alun Stone Pill is the main treatment.(15)
Alun Stone Pill: Alun Stone 3 fen (burned), Xing Ren 1 fen.
For women with sixty-two types of wind, and stabbing pain in the abdomen, Hong Lan Hua Jiu is the main treatment.(16)
Hong Lan Hua Jiu: This is not a formula from Zhongjing.
Hong Lan Hua 1 liang.
For women with various abdominal pains, Dang Gui Shao Yao San is the main treatment.(17)
Dang Gui Shao Yao San: see previous pregnancy.
For women with abdominal pain, Xiao Jian Zhong Decoction is the main treatment.(18)