《急救仙方》

The Immortal’s Emergency Remedies is a collection of medical prescriptions included in The Great Clarity Scripture on Nurturing Life in the Chinese Daoist Canon. The book is divided into eleven fascicles. Its contents include treatments for pregnancy, childbirth, and women’s illnesses; the diagnosis and treatment of injuries from falls and blows, and methods for setting bones; remedies for boils and hemorrhoids; and prescriptions, bathing methods, moxibustion techniques, and related health practices for tuberculosis. Fascicle Six also includes Secret Remedies for Treating Injuries and Rejoining Broken Bones, which describes the steps and mnemonic formulas for treating injuries and rejoining bones.

The most difficult illnesses to treat are those affecting women; among women’s illnesses, the most critical involve pregnancy and childbirth. Why are disorders of pregnancy and childbirth especially important? Because at this time, one person’s condition concerns the safety of both mother and child. For this reason, the Qianjin Fang placed the section on women’s medicine at the very beginning of the book. This reflects the care and deliberation with which the Perfected Sun Simiao, a physician of the Tang dynasty, compiled it.

There are many prescriptions for pregnancy and childbirth, but they often call for complicated mixtures of ingredients that are rare or expensive. When ingredients are numerous, it can be difficult to gather them in an emergency; when they are rare, they may be impossible to find in remote villages; and when they are expensive, poor families may not be able to afford them. The compilers of such prescriptions were not necessarily careless in their choices, but in practice, few people are able to benefit from them.

This prescription book has now been compiled in three sections, with miscellaneous illnesses appended at the end. Although it is not as comprehensive as other prescription books, the medicines it selects are neither complicated, rare, nor expensive, and it covers most critical disorders of pregnancy and childbirth. In an emergency, then, even people in remote villages and poor families can readily find the medicines they need. A single herb or plant may be enough to bring relief. How could these prescriptions be as difficult to use as those mentioned above? Anyone who has tried them will recognize them as an essential collection of effective remedies for women. Preface by Xu Shouzhen of Jinchuan.

Jiujin Xianfang, Volume One

Disorders of Pregnancy

Zhuling Decoction, for treating fetal restlessness during pregnancy.

Equal parts white atractylodes (baizhu) and scutellaria root (huangqin).

Grind the ingredients into a coarse powder. For each dose, take three qian, add two bowls of water, then add one root of Chinese angelica (danggui). Simmer them together until reduced to one bowl. Let it cool slightly before drinking.

Lixiao Powder, for treating fetal restlessness accompanied by a sensation of something heavy falling downward and a belly that feels cold as ice.

Equal parts Sichuan lovage (chuanxiong) and Chinese angelica (danggui).

Coarsely grind the ingredients into powder. Take five qian per dose and decoct in one zhan of water. Let it cool slightly before drinking.

Immediate Relief Powder: Used to treat restlessness of the fetus during pregnancy, with a sensation of a heavy object sinking downward and the abdomen feeling cold as ice.

Take equal amounts of Sichuan lovage rhizome and Chinese angelica.

Coarsely grind the ingredients into powder. Take five qian per dose and decoct in water. Drink warm before meals. If there is bleeding or pain in the chest and abdomen, decoct in equal parts wine and water.

Safe Pregnancy Powder: Used when injury causes fetal movement and unbearable pain, or when vaginal bleeding is profuse and will not stop.

Take an unlimited amount of round cardamom with its husk, a type of amomum, and fry until black. Remove the husks.

Grind the ingredient into a fine powder and take mixed with warm wine. The text says that a feeling of warmth in the abdomen indicates that the fetus is settled.

Used to treat restlessness of the fetus during pregnancy, or lower back pain, baozhuan qiangxin (painful pulling in the womb that surges upward toward the heart and chest), and bleeding that will not stop.

Pound the root of sweet flag to extract three sheng of juice, and drink it.

Another formula: Take mugwort leaves in an amount about the size of an egg. Decoct in four sheng of wine until two sheng remain, then drink in two doses. The text says this formula is effective.

Another formula: Take one liang of betel nut and grind it into powder. Take one qianbi measure per dose, mixed with scallion-white decoction.

Two-Yellow Powder: Used to treat fetal leakage, or vaginal bleeding during pregnancy.

Take equal amounts of raw Rehmannia root and prepared Rehmannia root.

Grind the ingredients into a fine powder. Take three qian per dose, washed down with a decoction of atractylodes and immature bitter orange.

Sagely Remedy Powder: Used to treat persistent bleeding during pregnancy.

Cook two chicken livers in one sheng of fine wine. Consume both the wine and the livers. The text says the effect is remarkable.

Immature Bitter Orange and Poria Powder: Used to treat fetal leakage, or bleeding caused by physical exertion or daily activities.

Take half a liang of immature bitter orange, with the pith removed, half a liang of scutellaria root, stir-fried with bran, and two liang of atractylodes.

Coarsely grind the ingredients into powder. Take five to seven qian per dose and decoct in water. Strain out the dregs and drink before meals.

Used to treat unbearable pain after a pregnant woman accidentally falls or is pushed or struck.

Take one liang of Chinese angelica and two he of fresh green bamboo shavings.

Boil in two sheng of fine wine for more than ten rounds of boiling, then drink in three doses.

Another formula: Grind chuanxiong into a fine powder. Take two qian each time and mix it with warm wine.

A formula for treating restlessness of the fetus and unsettled pregnancy, accompanied by lower back pain and abdominal distension after a pregnant woman has fallen. It may also be used if there is bleeding, or if the fetus rises upward and presses against the chest.

Rehmannia root, two liang; white peony root, mugwort leaf, Chinese angelica root, licorice, donkey-hide gelatin (fried until it forms bead-like pieces), astragalus root, and chuanxiong, one liang each.

Coarsely chop the ingredients. Take half a liang each time, add three slices of fresh ginger and one jujube, and decoct in water to drink.

Fire Dragon Powder, for treating heart-qi pain in pregnant women.

Mugwort leaf, half a liang, half of it fried with salt; fennel, half a liang, fried; and chinaberry fruit, half a liang, fried.

Grind the ingredients into a fine powder, decoct in water, and take before meals.

Qi-Freeing Powder, for treating severe, unbearable lower back pain in pregnant women. This formula is said to have wondrous effects.

Psoralea fruit, in any quantity, roasted on a roof tile until fragrant and cooked through, then ground into powder; chew one walnut kernel.

Qi-Freeing Powder, for treating severe, unbearable lower back pain in pregnant women. This formula is said to have wondrous effects.

Psoralea fruit, in any quantity, roasted on a roof tile until fragrant and cooked through, then ground into powder; chew one walnut kernel. On an empty stomach, take three qian of the powder mixed with warm wine.

Peony and Angelica Decoction, for treating fetal movement in a pregnant woman, when the fetus may or may not have died.

Chuanxiong and Chinese angelica root, in equal amounts.

Coarsely chop the ingredients. Take three to five qian each time, add several leaves of perilla, and decoct in a mixture of wine and water. The original text says that if the fetus has died, it will be expelled after taking the decoction; if it is still alive, it will settle.

Coptis Decoction, for treating a fetus crying in the womb.

Coptis rhizome, two qian; raw licorice, one qian.

Decoct the ingredients into a strong liquid and have the pregnant woman sip it slowly.

Another formula: Take a piece of earth from a rat hole beneath a vacant house that has been uninhabited for many years, and have the pregnant woman hold it in her mouth. It is said to stop the crying.

Polyporus Powder, for treating edema in pregnant women that spreads upward from the feet to the abdomen, when urination is somewhat unobstructed and there is mild thirst and a desire to drink.

Polyporus, five liang.

Grind the polyporus into powder. Take one square-inch spoonful each time, washed down with warm water, three times a day.

Drabstop Powder, for treating severe, whole-body edema in pregnant women.

Drabstop seed, two liang; atractylodes rhizome, five liang; and poria, mulberry root bark, and Chinese bush-cherry seed, two liang each.

Coarsely chop the ingredients and decoct in water to drink. The original text goes on to mention symptoms of thirst and wanting to drink.

Take the medicinal powder above with warm water, one square-inch spoonful at a time (an ancient measure for powdered medicine), three times a day.

Tingli Powder, used to treat marked swelling throughout the body during pregnancy.

Tingli, two liang; Baizhu, five liang; Baifuling, Sangbaipi, and Yuliren, two liang each.

Grind the ingredients into a coarse powder. Add six sheng of water and boil down to two sheng. Divide into three doses. Once urination becomes free, the condition will improve.

Another formula: Zexie and Tingli, two liang each; Fuling, stir-fried Zhike with wheat bran, and Baizhu, six liang each.

Slice the ingredients thinly. Add six sheng of water and boil down to two sheng. Divide into two doses.

Fangji Decoction, used to treat weakness of the Spleen during pregnancy, swelling throughout the body, fullness in the chest and abdomen, shortness of breath, and difficulty urinating.

Fangji, seven and a half qian; Sangbaipi, Chifuling, and the stems and leaves of Zisu, one liang each; Muxiang, two and a half qian.

If the bowels are constipated, add Zhike and Binglang.

Grind the ingredients into a coarse powder. Take four qian at a time, decoct with four slices of fresh ginger, and drink before meals.

Danggui Shaoyao Powder, used to treat gripping abdominal pain and acute pain below the pit of the stomach during pregnancy.

Baishao, four liang; Danggui and Fuling, one liang each; Zexie and Chuanxiong, two liang each; honey-prepared Gancao, one liang.

Grind the ingredients into a fine powder. Take three qian at a time, mixed with warm wine before meals; it may also be made into honey pills.

Renshen Powder, used to treat cholera-like vomiting and diarrhea, restlessness, and abdominal pain during pregnancy.

Renshen, Houpo, and ginger-prepared Chenpi, one liang each; Chuanxiong, two liang; honey-prepared Gancao, one liang.

Grind the ingredients into a fine powder. Take three qian at a time, mixed with warm wine before meals; it may also be made into honey pills.

Renshen Powder, also used to treat vomiting and diarrhea, restlessness, and abdominal pain during pregnancy.

Renshen and Houpo, one liang each; ginger-prepared Chenpi, one liang; stir-fried Danggui and honey-prepared Gancao, half a liang each; honey-prepared dried ginger, one liang.

If vomiting and regurgitation persist, add Yizhiren and roasted Caodoukou.

Coarsely slice the ingredients. Take four qian at a time, add three jujubes, and decoct in water.

Poria and Pinellia Decoction treats pregnancy sickness—nausea and vomiting in early pregnancy. Symptoms include inner agitation, dizziness and blurred vision, weakness in the limbs, aching joints, phlegm and Qi rising between the chest and diaphragm, nausea and vomiting, discomfort at the smell of food, a preference for sour and salty foods, drowsiness and inactivity, and a complete inability to eat. First take Poria and Pinellia Decoction, then take Poria Pills.

The ingredients for Poria and Pinellia Decoction are 1 liang and 2 qian of pinellia (washed seven times in hot water, then stir-fried until slightly red); 7 qian and 5 fen each of red poria and prepared rehmannia root; and half a liang each of dried tangerine peel, ginseng, inula flower, peony root, Sichuan lovage root, and platycodon root. Add half a liang of licorice root, stir-fried. Coarsely grind the ingredients. For each dose, take 5 qian, add three slices of ginger, and decoct. Take warm before meals.

Next is a prescription for Poria Pills: half a liang each of red poria, ginseng, cinnamon (cinnamon twig or cinnamon bark), pinellia (washed in hot water), and platycodon root, plus half a liang of licorice root, stir-fried. Coarsely grind the ingredients. For each dose, take 5 qian, add three slices of ginger, and decoct. Take warm before meals.

The text then gives another prescription for Poria Pills: 5 qian each of red poria, ginseng, cinnamon (cinnamon twig or cinnamon bark), pinellia (washed in hot water and then stir-fried), dried tangerine peel, and processed dried ginger; 1 liang each of white atractylodes and kudzu root; 1 liang of licorice root, honey-fried; and 2 liang of immature bitter orange, stir-fried with bran. Grind the ingredients into a fine powder and form pills the size of Chinese parasol-tree seeds with refined honey. Take 30 to 50 pills before meals with rice water.

Bamboo Sap Decoction treats persistent agitation and unease of heart during pregnancy, a condition called “fetal vexation” (restlessness and agitation during pregnancy). Take 3 liang of poria and 1 sheng of bamboo sap. Add 4 sheng of water and decoct until 2 sheng remain. Divide into three doses. If symptoms do not ease, take another dose.

Another prescription uses 4 liang of poria; 3 liang each of saposhnikovia root, ophiopogon root with the core removed, and scutellaria root; and 1 liang and 5 qian of ginseng. Coarsely cut the ingredients. For each dose, take 4 qian and decoct with a few slices of light bamboo leaf. If unable to sleep, add sour jujube kernels.

Perilla Drink treats the condition in which the fetus presses upward during pregnancy, causing abdominal distension and pain, called “suspended fetus” (upward pressure from fetal Qi with discomfort and distension in the chest and abdomen). It is also used when, during labor, there is fright and palpitations with stagnant Qi, and the fetus remains undelivered after several days. Take 1 liang of perilla leaf; 2 qian and 5 fen each of Chinese angelica root and licorice root; and half a liang each of ginseng, Sichuan lovage root, areca peel, dried tangerine peel, and white peony root. Coarsely cut the ingredients. For each dose, take half a liang and decoct with 1½ zhan of water, four slices of ginger, and seven cun of scallion white. Strain out the dregs and take warm on an empty stomach.

Zhimu Powder is used to treat restlessness in the chest, tightness and unease, dry mouth, and heat in the fetus during pregnancy. It contains Zhimu, licorice, Maidong (Ophiopogon, with the inner core removed), Huangqin, and red poria. According to the dosage given below, use half a liang each of Zhimu, licorice, and Maidong, and seven qian each of Huangqin and red poria. Coarsely chop the ingredients. For each dose, take four qian, add one piece of bamboo shavings (the white membrane from inside a bamboo stem), and decoct in water for drinking. If heat in the limbs is pronounced, add Gegen and Chaihu.

For sudden discharge during pregnancy of a yellow liquid resembling glue or the juice of red beans: take two sheng of chopped ramie root and decoct in four sheng of water until two sheng of liquid remain. Divide into two doses. For each dose, add half a sheng of wine, boil again, and drink.

Houpo Powder is used to treat persistent diarrhea during pregnancy, with yellow, watery stools. It contains three liang of Houpo, two liang of Huanglian toasted with ginger juice, and five whole nutmegs, with their skins. Coarsely chop the ingredients, decoct in two sheng of water until one sheng of liquid remains, and drink.

For sudden bleeding during pregnancy without an apparent cause: take two liang of donkey-hide gelatin and stir-fry it with powdered clam shell until the gelatin forms bead-like shapes, then grind it into powder. Separately, take half a jin of fresh Rehmannia root and pound it to extract the juice. Mix the powder with three sheng of clear wine, warm it, and divide it into three doses.

For blood in the urine during pregnancy without an apparent cause: grind one liang of dragon bone into powder and mix thoroughly with five qian of Puhuang. For each dose, take one fangcunbi measure (the amount held by a small ancient medicinal spoon), mix with wine, and drink three times a day.

For weakness of the organ systems’ Qi and long-standing weakness of the Spleen and Stomach, accompanied by pain around the navel and abdomen and persistent diarrhea; this remedy may also be used after childbirth. Take two liang of Houpo, soak it in ginger juice, and toast until yellow; one Cao Doukou, roasted in its shell; and one nutmeg wrapped in dough and roasted. Coarsely chop the ingredients. For each dose, take three qian, add three slices of fresh ginger, and decoct for drinking.

Daining Powder is used to treat diarrhea during pregnancy, with red and white matter in the stools, accompanied by abdominal pain and a critical worsening of the condition.

Prepare thirty black soybeans, two and a half inches of licorice root, and twenty-one poppy capsules, half raw and half cooked (use half raw and stir-fry the other half). Grind them coarsely and combine as one dose. Add three slices of fresh ginger and decoct together. Take before meals; the remedy is said to work very well. It is used to treat diarrhea caused by internal heat during pregnancy.

For diarrhea from internal heat during pregnancy, use one liang of Coptis rhizome, one liang of phellodendron bark, and ten gardenia seeds. Chop the ingredients. For each dose, take five qian and soak them in two bowls of water for about three hours. Then bring to a boil and let it bubble ten times. Strain out the herbs and drink the liquid in one dose. If there is vomiting, add ginger and tangerine peel.

For diarrhea and abdominal pain during pregnancy accompanied by difficulty urinating, use one he of glutinous rice, one liang of Chinese angelica, and one liang of stir-fried astragalus root. Chop the ingredients finely and mix them together. Add two bowls of water and decoct until one bowl and two fen remain. Strain out the herbs and divide the liquid into four doses.

Coptis Powder is used for diarrhea during pregnancy with red and white pus and blood in the stool that continues for a long time. Take eight qian of Coptis rhizome; six qian each of ginger-prepared magnolia bark, donkey-hide gelatin stir-fried with clam powder, and Chinese angelica; four qian each of mugwort leaves and phellodendron bark; and four qian of processed dried ginger. Grind into a fine powder. On an empty stomach, mix one square-inch spoonful (an ancient small measuring spoon for medicine) with rice water and take three times daily.

For urinary incontinence during pregnancy, roast twelve mantis egg cases and grind them into a fine powder. Take two qian on an empty stomach, mixed with rice water.

Baiwei Powder is used for persistent bedwetting during pregnancy. Take equal amounts of baiwei root and stir-fried white peony root and grind them into a fine powder. Before meals, take two qian mixed with warm wine.

Poria Powder is used for difficulty urinating during pregnancy. Take equal amounts of red poria and yellow hollyhock seeds and chop them. For each dose, take five qian, add two bowls of water, and decoct until one bowl remains. Drink warm. If urination is still impossible, the source says the cause may be “bladder displacement” (during pregnancy, the fetus presses on or affects the bladder or urethra, making urination difficult).

Another passage records the same Poria Powder: take equal amounts of red poria and yellow hollyhock seeds and chop them. For each dose, take five qian, add two bowls of water, and decoct until one bowl remains. Drink warm. If urination is still impossible, add a small amount of hair ash and take it with the liquid; the source says this works very well.

For urinary difficulty during pregnancy, with painful, stinging urination and a hot sensation in the urethra:

Plantain seeds, one liang; mallow root, five qian, chopped.

Add one and a half sheng of water to the two ingredients above. Boil until reduced by half, then drink warm on an empty stomach.

Areca Peel Powder, used to treat reddish urine and stools during pregnancy, with difficult, sluggish discharge.

Areca peel; bitter orange, with the pith removed and dry-fried with bran; licorice; and Scutellaria root, one qian each; and red poria, peeled, two qian.

Chop the ingredients above. Add scallion whites and one zhan of water, then boil until reduced to seven-tenths. Drink warm on an empty stomach.

Evil-Expelling Elixir, used to treat what was called a “ghost fetus” (an ancient term for conditions such as abdominal swelling that might be mistaken for pregnancy), in which the patient feels as if they are carrying a large jar in the abdomen.

Evodia, Sichuan aconite, gentian root, bupleurum, silkworms stiffened by white muscardine fungus and washed clean, raw morinda root, croton seeds with their shells removed but their oil retained, and genkwa boiled in vinegar, one liang each.

Grind the ingredients above into a fine powder. Use refined honey to form pills the size of parasol-tree seeds. Take seven pills at a time with honey wine, continuing until the so-called “harmful matter” is expelled; this was taken to mean that the illness had been cured.

Platycodon Powder, used to treat congestion of the Lung Qi during pregnancy, as well as coughing and labored, rapid breathing after exposure to wind and cold.

Ophiopogon tubers with the cores removed, one liang; fritillaria bulb, ginseng, licorice, mulberry root bark, platycodon root, and perilla, half a liang each; red poria, one liang; and ephedra with the joints removed, seven qian.

Chop the ingredients above. For each dose, take four qian, add three slices of fresh ginger, and boil in water. Avoid eating carp while taking this medicine.

Aster Decoction, used to treat persistent coughing during pregnancy and fetal restlessness.

Aster root and Ophiopogon tubers, one liang each; platycodon root, half a liang; licorice, mulberry root bark, and apricot kernels, two and a half qian each; and Saposhnikovia root, half a liang.

Chop the ingredients above. For each dose, take three qian, add one piece of bamboo shavings, and boil in water. Strain out the herbs, add half a spoonful of honey, and boil for two more bursts. Drink warm. Avoid eating carp while taking this medicine.

Ginseng and Tangerine Peel Decoction, used to treat vomiting during pregnancy accompanied by copious phlegm and saliva and clear fluid, a condition called “morning sickness.”

Ginseng, tangerine peel, white atractylodes, and Ophiopogon tubers with the cores removed, one liang each; licorice, three qian; and magnolia bark prepared with ginger and white poria, half a liang each.

“Those listed above” refers to the medicinal ingredients. Coarsely crush them and take four qian at a time. Add a ball of fresh bamboo leaves about the size of a marble and three slices of fresh ginger. Simmer in water and drink on an empty stomach, before meals.

Modified Four Substances Decoction, used for various disorders of cold damage during pregnancy. Take equal amounts of prepared Rehmannia root, Chinese angelica, Sichuan lovage rhizome, and peony root. Coarsely chop the ingredients and take four to five qian at a time. Simmer in water and drink.

If cold damage during pregnancy is accompanied by headache, fever, absence of sweating, and a floating, tight pulse, add ephedra and Asarum.

If there are signs of externally contracted wind, with spontaneous sweating both at the exterior and interior, headache, stiffness of the neck, fever and chills, and a floating, weak pulse, add Astragalus root and Chinese wolfberry root bark.

If dampness is also present, with aching and discomfort in the joints of the limbs, a floating pulse with heat, and headache, add Saposhnikovia root and prepared Atractylodes rhizome.

If there is distension and pain in the chest and flanks, with a wiry pulse, add Bupleurum root and baical skullcap root.

If the stool is dry and hard, the urine is reddish, and the abdomen is distended, with a deep, rapid pulse, add raw rhubarb and peach kernels that have been peeled, had their tips removed, and been stir-fried with bran.

If urination is difficult, add Poria and Alisma rhizome. If the urine is red like blood, add amber and Poria.

If the limbs are cramped and tense, the body feels cold, there is slight sweating, and there is abdominal pain, with a deep, slow pulse, add processed aconite with its rootlet removed; use only a small amount of cinnamon.

If the condition is blood accumulation associated with cold damage during pregnancy, add raw Rehmannia root and rhubarb soaked in wine.

If the body is hot, thirst is severe, heat surges through the body, and the pulse is long and large, add gypsum and Anemarrhena rhizome.

During pregnancy, if someone contracts cold damage, takes a purgative, and the illness improves excessively but remains unresolved, with a rash appearing in patterns like brocade, add cimicifuga and forsythia to the formula.

During pregnancy, if someone contracts cold damage and develops persistent coughing after taking a purgative, add ginseng and schisandra to the formula.

During pregnancy, if someone contracts cold damage and develops weakness, a stuffy sensation, and abdominal distension after taking a purgative, add magnolia bark (prepared with ginger) and immature bitter orange (stir-fried with bran) to the formula.

During pregnancy, if someone contracts cold damage and cannot sleep after taking a purgative, add gardenia fruit and scutellaria to the formula.

During pregnancy, if someone contracts cold damage and, after sweating therapy, has persistent vaginal bleeding and the fetus is endangered, add donkey-hide gelatin (roasted) and immature bitter orange (stir-fried with bran) to the formula.

During pregnancy, if someone contracts cold damage and cannot sleep after taking a purgative, add gardenia fruit and scutellaria to the formula.

During pregnancy, if someone contracts cold damage and, after sweating therapy, has persistent vaginal bleeding and the fetus is endangered, add donkey-hide gelatin, honey-fried licorice, and astragalus to the formula.

During pregnancy, if the pulse is floating and the head is swollen, with diarrhea and abdominal pain, remove rehmannia from the formula and add stir-fried cinnamon twig.

During pregnancy, if someone contracts cold damage and has diarrhea, abdominal pain, and inability to eat, with a deep pulse, remove rehmannia and Sichuan lovage from the formula and add atractylodes, honey-fried licorice, poria, and astragalus.

Method for Protecting the Fetus: Used for cold damage during pregnancy.

Take an unrestricted amount of white peony root and grind it into a fine powder. Mix it evenly with egg white, spread it on a paper flower, and make a patch about the size of a bowl’s rim. Apply it below the navel, over the position of the fetus. When the patch dries, moisten it with warm water.

Another method: Take the clay from the center of a stove, mix it with water into a paste, and apply it below the navel. When it dries, apply another layer. It may also be mixed with water and swallowed as a pill about the size of a marble; this works better.

Another method: When the fever is severe, apply mud from the bottom of a well below the heart to prevent harm to the fetus.

Atractylodes Powder: Used for cold damage during pregnancy accompanied by vexing heat, headache, and fetal restlessness, or occasional vomiting and inability to eat.

One liang each of atractylodes, tangerine peel, ginseng, hogfennel root, Sichuan lovage, and dwarf lilyturf root with the core removed; half a liang each of pinellia (washed with hot water and stir-fried) and licorice.

Take four qian per dose. Add four slices of fresh ginger and two and a half qian of bamboo shavings, and decoct in water.

Cimicifuga Powder: Used for cold damage during pregnancy accompanied by headache and a high fever throughout the body. The quantities of the ingredients are: one liang of cimicifuga; half a liang each of pinellia (washed with hot water and stir-fried) and licorice.

The “four qian,” “two and a half qian,” and “one liang” listed in these prescriptions are the amounts of each medicine. “Four qian per dose” means taking four qian of the prepared medicine and decocting it for each dose. “The above” refers to the medicines listed, not to a direction. Ginger, bamboo leaves, and bamboo shavings are generally decocted together with the medicines. “Perspire” means to induce sweating after taking the medicine. “Cut into pieces” means chopping the ingredients so they can be decocted.

Shengma Powder: Used for catching cold during pregnancy when symptoms include headache and pronounced fever. The ingredients are one liang each of shengma, stir-fried cangzhu, maidong with the core removed, ephedra with the joints removed, and gypsum, and five qian each of scutellaria and anemarrhena. Take four qian per dose, add four slices of fresh ginger and fourteen leaves of pale bamboo, and decoct in water.

Chaihu Powder: Used for catching cold during pregnancy when symptoms include headache, stiffness in the neck, fever, dry mouth, and pain in the chest and sides. Take equal amounts of chaihu, qianhu, Sichuan lovage, Chinese angelica, ginseng, peony, licorice, and raw rehmannia, and grind them into a fine powder. Take four qian per dose, add three slices of ginger, three jujubes, and three scallion whites, and decoct in water to induce sweating.

Qinjiao Powder: Used for catching cold during pregnancy when, after five or six days, there has still been no sweating, and symptoms include dry mouth with excessive thirst, delirious speech, and vomiting. The text first lists one liang each of qinjiao and chaihu, two liang of gypsum, and three qian each of qianhu, red poria, and kudzu root. Decoction in water to induce sweating.

The text then gives another prescription with the same name, Qinjiao Powder, for the same condition, with additional ingredients: one liang each of qinjiao and chaihu, two liang of gypsum, and half a liang each of qianhu, red poria, kudzu root, powdered rhinoceros horn, shengma, and scutellaria. Take four qian per dose, add four slices of ginger and three qian of bamboo shavings, and decoct in water.

Fangfeng and Kudzu Root Decoction: Used for wind stroke during pregnancy, with stiffness in the lower back and back, and frequent arching of the body backward. Take two liang each of fangfeng, kudzu root, Sichuan lovage, and raw rehmannia; one and a half liang each of prepared apricot kernels and ephedra with the joints removed; and one liang each of cassia bark, stir-fried, duhuo, licorice, and fangji. Chop the ingredients. Take four qian per dose and decoct in water.

Prescription for Wind Stroke and Wind Convulsions During Pregnancy (also called eclampsia): When wind stroke during pregnancy causes the body to bend backward like a bow, the jaws to clench, and difficulty speaking, the condition is called “wind convulsions,” also known as “eclampsia.” The ingredients are one liang each of ephedra with the joints removed, fangfeng, and duhuo; half a liang each of cassia bark, stir-fried, shengma, licorice, antelope horn, rhinoceros horn, sour jujube seed, and qinjiao; and seven qian each of Sichuan lovage, Chinese angelica, and prepared apricot kernels. Chop the ingredients. Take four qian per dose, add four slices of ginger and one ge of bamboo sap, and decoct in water.

When childbirth is near, convulsions caused by an attack of pathogenic Wind, with sudden loss of consciousness, vomiting, dizziness, and collapse, are called “zi xian” (eclampsia: convulsions and fainting during pregnancy).

Take kudzu root, fritillaria bulb with the heart removed, moutan bark, fangji root, saposhnikovia root, and Chinese angelica. Chop them finely. For each dose, take four qian, add four slices of fresh ginger and one he of bamboo juice, and decoct in water.

If the symptoms of zi xian described above occur near childbirth, use this prescription: kudzu root, fritillaria bulb with the heart removed, moutan bark, fangji root, saposhnikovia root, Chinese angelica, Sichuan lovage rhizome, licorice root, alisma rhizome, white poria, and cinnamon heart, two liang each; Chinese thorowax root, gypsum, and ginseng, three liang each. Chop the ingredients, add nine sheng of water, and decoct until three sheng remain. Divide into two doses. Fritillaria is said to help make childbirth go smoothly; if the expected delivery date is not yet near, substitute cimicifuga rhizome for the fritillaria.

Bupleurum Powder is used to treat malaria during pregnancy. Take two qian each of bupleurum root and raw rhubarb, one and a half qian of scutellaria root, and one qian of licorice root. Chop the ingredients to make one dose and decoct in water. On the day the malaria attack begins, take it warm at the fifth watch, just before dawn. The bowels should move afterward; this is taken as a sign of recovery. If the fetus presses upward against the chest and heart, take Immature Bitter Orange Shell Powder. Avoid greasy foods, wheat-flour foods, and hot, spicy foods.

Another prescription: two liang of rhubarb, one and a half liang of bupleurum root, and one liang each of scutellaria root and peony root. Grind to a fine powder and mix with plain water into pills the size of tung seeds. Take one hundred pills with cold water at the fifth watch on the day the malaria attack begins. Take another fifty pills two double-hours later. Continue until the bowels move.

For malaria during pregnancy accompanied by fever, dry mouth, intense thirst, and unceasing drinking: take one and a half liang of raw rehmannia root; one liang each of scutellaria root, ophiopogon tuber with the heart removed, ginseng, and anemarrhena rhizome; two liang of gypsum; half a liang of licorice root; and one liang of dried kudzu root. Chop the ingredients. For each dose, take five qian, add half a smoked plum, and decoct.

For malaria during pregnancy with unceasing drinking, the prescription listed is the same as above: one and a half liang of raw rehmannia root; one liang each of scutellaria root, ophiopogon tuber with the heart removed, ginseng, and anemarrhena rhizome; two liang of gypsum; half a liang of licorice root; and one liang of dried kudzu root. Chop the ingredients. For each dose, take five qian, add half a smoked plum, and decoct.

An effective prescription for malaria during pregnancy: one liang each of changshan root and gypsum, half a liang each of honey-prepared licorice root and scutellaria root, and seven smoked plums.

Finely chop the ingredients and soak them overnight in one bowl of wine and one bowl of water. Early the next morning, boil them until one bowl of liquid remains. Strain out the dregs and take the dose in two portions on the day an attack is expected.

Pregnancy Test Remedy: For women whose menstruation has stopped for three months.

Chuanxiong, not dry-fried.

Grind the Chuanxiong into a fine powder. While fasting, mix one fangcun bi (an ancient small measuring spoonful) with a strong decoction of mugwort leaves and take it. If a slight movement is felt in the abdomen, this is taken to indicate pregnancy.

Difficult Labor and Related Ailments

Zhike Powder: Taken by women nearing their due date; it is said to help the fetus’s joints loosen and make delivery easier.

Four liang of Zhike, dry-fried with wheat bran; two liang of raw licorice.

Grind the ingredients into a fine powder. Take one to two qian at a time, mixed with plain boiled water.

For abdominal pain and signs of labor before the pregnancy is full term:

Crush the root of calamus and squeeze out the juice, then pour it into the mouth.

Another remedy: Take a lump of Puhuang about the size of a jujube and mix it with well water.

Another remedy: Grind three liang of Zhimu into powder and use honey to form pills the size of tongzi. Take twenty pills at a time with rice-water.

Rushi Powder: For difficult labor.

Equal parts of perilla leaves and Chinese angelica. Take three to five qian at a time and decoct in continuously flowing water. If such water is unavailable, stir water in one direction before decocting.

Another remedy: Take one hundred seeds of yellow hollyhock, crush them, and swallow with wine or hot liquid. It is said to bring on delivery quickly.

Another remedy: Take a piece of good-quality ink one cun long, grind it into powder, and mix it with water to take. It is said to bring on delivery quickly.

Another prescription: Take a five-inch length of “husband’s belt,” burn it to ash, and preserve as much of its medicinal potency as possible.

Another prescription: Grind one hundred seeds of yellow hibiscus and swallow them with wine or hot water. It is said to make the fetus come out quickly.

Another prescription: Take a one-inch piece of good-quality ink, grind it to a powder, and mix it with water to swallow. It is said to make the fetus come out quickly.

Another prescription: Take a five-inch length of “husband’s belt,” burn it to ash, and mix it with wine to swallow.

Another prescription: Take two castor beans and have the woman in labor hold one in each hand. It is said to help bring the fetus out.

Another prescription: Take a branch from the east side of a locust tree and have the pregnant woman hold it. It is said to make delivery easier.

Another prescription: Take two soapberry seeds and have the woman in labor swallow them. It is said to make the fetus come out quickly.

Another prescription: Take seven locust seeds and swallow them with freshly drawn clean water. It is said to help bring the fetus out.

Another prescription: Grind a little soapberry to powder and blow it into the nose to induce sneezing. It is said that the fetus will then be born.

Another prescription: Boil perilla in water and use the decoction to take Yiyuan Powder. It is said to make the fetus come out quickly.

For women who have been in labor for many days, have exhausted their strength but still cannot give birth, and whose lochia has stopped while the fetal membranes have dried up, though the fetus has not yet been delivered:

Take one dou of red azuki beans and boil them in nine sheng of water until cooked, then strain out the beans. Dissolve three liang of donkey-hide gelatin in the bean liquid. Take only half a cup at a time. If delivery has not yet occurred, take another dose; the fetus is said to then be delivered.

For women who have been in labor for five to seven days without delivering, and for short women whose pelvic joints do not open, resulting in difficult labor:

Take naturally fallen stove crust, or a tortoise shell discarded after divination. Roast it with butter, or soak it in vinegar and then roast it; it may also be used raw. Then take a handful of hair from a woman who has given birth to many sons and burn it to ash, preserving as much of its medicinal potency as possible. Decoction this with angelica and Sichuan lovage and have the woman drink it. The source says this has worked repeatedly: after walking about five li, both stillborn and living babies can be delivered.

“Black Snake Powder,” for treating women whose fetus is in a breech or otherwise inverted position:

Take one shed black-snake skin, fourteen cicada shells, and one clump of fetal hair. Burn all three ingredients to ash and divide into two doses, each mixed with warm wine. Both doses should be taken. Then lie on the back for a while. The source says the fetus will then turn to the proper position for birth.

Another method: prick the soles of the child’s feet three to five times with a fine silk needle, then immediately apply a little salt to the punctures. It is said this will help the fetus be delivered naturally; using the sharp tip of a grain of millet is said to work even better.

Another method: apply salt to the soles of the child’s feet and scratch them with a fingernail. At the same time, rub salt over the mother’s abdomen.

Another method: dip the middle finger in the black soot from the bottom of a cooking pot and draw crossed lines beneath the child’s feet. It is said this will help the fetus be delivered naturally.

Another method: write the child’s father’s name beneath the child’s feet. It is said this will help the fetus be delivered naturally.

Methods for treating cases in which a woman gives birth to a fetus lying crosswise and the baby cannot be delivered.

Another method: dip the middle finger in the black soot from the bottom of a cooking pot and draw crossed lines beneath the child’s feet. It is said this will help the fetus be delivered naturally.

Another method: write the child’s father’s name beneath the child’s feet. It is said this will help the fetus be delivered naturally.

Another method: grind plantain seeds into a fine powder and take two qianbi (a spoonful measured with an ancient medicinal spoon) with wine.

Another method: grind dodder seeds into a fine powder and take one qianbi with wine; they may also be taken mixed with rice water.

A method said to be effective for treating cases in which a woman’s fetus lies crosswise or feet-first, making delivery difficult:

Take equal amounts of Bai Cao Shuang (soot from the bottom of a pot or the inside of a stove) and fragrant white angelica, without roasting them.

Mix the two ingredients with one ge each (an ancient unit of volume) of a boy’s urine and good vinegar to make a paste. Soak it in boiling water, then take it. In severe cases, labor is said to begin after two doses.

Methods for treating cases in which a woman’s fetus lies crosswise or feet-first and delivery is difficult, or the fetus has died in the womb:

First, take one ge of black beans, roast them, then boil them with water and a boy’s urine. Drink the decoction. It is said to work very well.

Another method: boil half a jin of mugwort leaves with four sheng of wine until one sheng remains, then take it.

Another method: grind Chinese angelica into a fine powder and take one fangcunbi (an ancient small square medicinal spoon) with wine; it may also be mixed with a decoction of perilla.

“Life-Restoring Powder,” used when the fetus has died in the mother’s womb and cannot be delivered:

Two qian of cinnamon bark and one small kernel of musk (a pellet in the musk resembling a door bolt).

Grind these ingredients into a fine powder, then mix with wine and take it. It is said the fetus will be delivered shortly afterward.

Another method: take two or three fangcunbi of deer-horn shavings and boil them in scallion and fermented-soybean soup. It is said the fetus will soon be delivered.

Another method: take one liang of cinnabar, boil it several times in water, then grind it into a fine powder and mix it with wine to take…

Then grind the ingredients above into a fine powder and mix it with wine to take. It is said the fetus will be delivered shortly afterward.

Another method: take two or three fangcunbi of deer-horn shavings and boil them in scallion and fermented-soybean soup. It is said the fetus will soon be delivered.

Another prescription: Take one liang of cinnabar, boil it in water several times, then grind it into a powder and mix it with wine to drink. It is said to be effective.

Another prescription: Boil the white inner bark of an elm tree into a decoction and drink two sheng. It is said to make the fetus be delivered.

Another prescription: Grind the earth from the center of a cooking stove into a powder, mix it with water, and take three qianbi (an ancient unit of dosage). It is said to make the fetus be delivered.

Another prescription: Take two liang of dianthus, chop it, and boil it in eight bowls of water until only three bowls remain. Drink one bowl; if the fetus has not yet been delivered, drink another.

Another prescription: Take two qian of mirabilite and mix it with warm urine from a young boy. It is said to treat retained placenta as well and to take effect quickly.

Another prescription: Take one hundred castor beans, remove their shells, add two qian of realgar powder, and grind them together into a paste. Spread it on paper and apply it to the sole of the right foot of the woman in labor. Prepare a bowl of cold water in advance, and wash it off as soon as the fetus is delivered. It is said to treat retained placenta as well.

A prescription for difficult labor when the woman has died but the fetus has not been delivered:

Take a ball of mercury about the size of a marble and pry open the woman’s mouth to pour it in. Hold her sitting for a while, then help her stand leaning against something. It is said that the fetus will then be delivered.

A secret prescription for retained placenta:

Cover the mouth of a well with the trousers worn by the woman in labor. It is said that the placenta will soon descend.

Another prescription: Boil rice, wheat, and red beans together into a thick liquid and drink it. It is said to be effective.

Another prescription: Take honey-locust thorn. The original text continues, “honey-locust thorn bu women’s trousers cover well mouth, immediately descends.” The meaning seems to connect the thorn with the woman’s worn trousers and a well, but the sentence is unclear.

Another prescription: Take an appropriate amount of honey-locust thorn, burn it to ash while retaining its medicinal properties, and grind it into a powder. Take one large qian each time with warm wine.

Another prescription: Take one cun of earth from beneath a stove, crush it, mix it with good vinegar, and apply it inside the navel; then drink licorice decoction.

Another prescription: Take half a jin of achyranthes root and boil it in nine sheng of water until only three sheng remain. Divide it into three portions and drink them.

A prescription for miscarriage with retained placenta and abdominal pain extending to the lower back: Finely grind good-quality ink. Take two qianbi each time with warm wine, at any time.

A prescription for bleeding that will not stop after miscarriage:

Mix one qian of powdered ochre with fresh rehmannia juice and take it three times a day.

These are accounts from ancient medical texts and should not be used as a basis for self-treatment. Mercury, cinnabar, realgar, and the other substances mentioned are toxic. Retained placenta, severe abdominal pain, or bleeding that will not stop after childbirth requires immediate modern medical care.

Take a lizard from the heart of a mulberry tree and burn it to ash, preserving as much of its medicinal properties as possible. Grind it into powder and mix with wine. Take one square-inch spoonful (an ancient small measure for medicines) three times a day.

A prescription for vaginal bleeding after miscarriage:

Take twelve liang of Danshen (Salvia root). Boil it in five sheng of wine until reduced to three sheng, then divide into three doses.

A prescription for miscarriage: Burn the medicinal ingredients to ash, preserving as much of their medicinal properties as possible. Grind them into powder and mix with wine. Take one square-inch spoonful three times a day.

A prescription for vaginal bleeding after miscarriage:

Take twelve liang of Danshen. Boil it in five sheng of wine until reduced to three sheng, then divide into three doses.

A prescription for bleeding after miscarriage accompanied by fetal death, chills, and other symptoms. These include bluish lips, mouth, and fingernails, and a pale, yellow, or dark complexion. Sometimes the fetus presses upward against the heart, causing chest tightness and loss of breath, as if the person were about to die; cold sweat may also appear. If mistakenly eating something poisonous has disturbed the pregnancy and caused persistent bleeding, but the fetus is unharmed, the medicine is said to stabilize the pregnancy. If the fetus has already died, taking it is said to expel it.

Take equal parts of Mudanpi (moutan bark), white Fuling (Poria), Guixin (cinnamon bark), Taoren (peach kernels, peeled, with tips removed, and stir-fried with bran), and Chishaoyao (red peony root). Grind to a fine powder and form pills the size of a marble using refined honey. Take one pill at a time, chew it thoroughly, and swallow it with a mild vinegar broth. Take two pills in succession. If the fetus has decayed in the womb and the situation is critical, the medicine is said to expel it immediately.

A remedy for the condition in which a woman’s intestines prolapse during labor, also called “coiled-intestine childbirth”: during delivery, the uterus and intestines prolapse first and do not return on their own after the birth.

Grind Banxia (Pinellia) into a fine powder and inhale it through the nose. Separately, grind castor seeds into a paste and apply it to the crown of the head. As soon as the intestines return, wipe off the paste.

Various Disorders After Childbirth

A remedy for fainting and loss of consciousness from blood loss after childbirth, accompanied by delirious speech, mental confusion, forgetfulness, and other symptoms:

Take one liang of Zikuang (purple mineral), grind it into a fine powder, and mix two qian of it with warm wine.

Another prescription: boil Suhexiang Wan (Styrax Pills) in a child’s urine for a few moments, then take it mixed into the liquid.

A remedy for fainting and unconsciousness from blood loss after childbirth:

Squeeze the juice from Xiakucao (Prunella), and drink one cup. It is said to work very well.

Another formula: Take two liang of Wulingzhi (a blood-moving herb), half used raw and half stir-fried, and grind it into a fine powder. Take one qian each time, mixed with warm wine. If the patient’s jaws are clenched shut, pry open the mouth and pour it in. Adding an equal amount of powdered Jingjie and mixing it with warm Zitongniao (urine from a young boy) is said to work even better.

Another formula: Take one liang of safflower, divided into two doses. Simmer the herb in one cup each of wine and Zitongniao, then take one cup of the liquid.

Another formula: Grind one liang of Banxia into a fine powder. Mix it with cold water to form pills the size of beans, and place them in the nostrils; this is said to bring a cure.

Another formula: Grind an ink stick with vinegar and take it; this is said to be effective.

For treating postpartum blood faintness, discomfort in the chest and upper abdomen, stiffness of the head, chest oppression and agitation, breath close to failing, burning sensations in the hands and feet, or alternating chills and fever that are hard to bear:

Stir-fry Yanhusuo, a herb that moves blood and relieves pain, then grind it into powder. Take one qian each time with wine. It is also used to treat postpartum lochia that has not fully discharged, and distension in the chest and abdomen.

Another formula: Take two liang of the bark of Xuduan, chop it, and simmer it in three sheng of water until reduced to one sheng. Divide into three warm doses. After each dose, wait about as long as it takes to walk two or three li before taking the next. There are no dietary restrictions while taking this medicine. It can cure the condition even when it is critical.

Another formula: Take one cup of fresh Rehmannia juice, two and a half qian each of Danggui and red peony root. Simmer the ingredients in water until the liquid has boiled three to five times, then take it warm. If you feel agitated and feverish, omit Danggui, add half a cup of Zitongniao, and take it.

For treating postpartum stagnant blood surging into the chest and upper abdomen, with fever, delirious speech, restless running about, and a pulse that is vacuous and large:

Take equal parts dried lotus leaf, fresh Rehmannia, and moutan bark. Simmer them into a decoction, stir in two qian of Puhuang, and take one dose to settle the condition.

For treating postpartum stagnant blood surging into the chest and upper abdomen, retained placenta, and blood clots in the abdomen.

Grind one liang of large yellow rhubarb with a fine, brocade-like texture into a fine powder. Simmer it in half a sheng of strong vinegar until it forms a paste, then shape it into pills the size of tung tree seeds. Dissolve five to seven pills in a seven-tenths cup of vinegar and take. The bowels should move shortly afterward.

For blood surging to the heart after childbirth, causing fainting as if dead, or when the fetus has not yet been delivered.

Burn turmeric just until its medicinal properties remain, then grind it into a fine powder. Take two qian at a time, mix with one he of strong vinegar, and administer. It is said to restore consciousness quickly.

For postpartum stagnant blood surging to the heart, with chest oppression and gasping, when life is in immediate danger.

If genuine dragon’s blood is unavailable, use purple mineral resin in place of myrrh.

Take equal amounts of the above ingredients and grind them gently into a fine powder. Take two qian at a time. Combine a half large cup of a child’s urine and wine, bring it to a boil once, and drink warm. Take one dose just after delivery, then rest in bed for a long while before taking another.

For postpartum gasping. The source calls this condition “solitary Yang and extinguished Yin” and considers it difficult to treat.

Take half a large cup each of ginseng and sappanwood. Bring to a boil once and drink warm. Take one dose just after delivery, then rest in bed for a long while before taking another.

For postpartum gasping. The source calls this condition “solitary Yang and extinguished Yin” and considers it difficult to treat.

Take one liang each of ginseng and sappanwood. For each dose, use five qian with two bowls of water and decoct until seven-tenths of the liquid remains. Drink slowly in several portions.

Another formula: use walnut kernels with the skin left on, in an amount equal to the ginseng. For each dose, take five qian, add one and a half bowls of water, and decoct until seven-tenths remains. Drink slowly in several portions. It is said to be effective when used repeatedly.

Cang Gong Powder: For postpartum oppression and blood fainting—that is, closed eyes, unconsciousness, and unresponsiveness. First blow Cang Gong Powder into the nose to induce sneezing, then take Baiwei Decoction.

Take equal amounts of muskmelon stems, veratrum, realgar, and calcined alum; grind into a fine powder and blow into the nose.

Baiwei Decoction

Take one liang each of Baiwei and Chinese angelica, half a liang of ginseng, and two and a half qian of licorice. For each dose, take four qian, decoct in water, and drink warm.

Solitary Phoenix Powder: For closing the eyes and being unable to speak after childbirth.

Take one liang each of Baiwei and Chinese angelica, half a liang of ginseng, and two and a half qian of licorice. For each dose, take four qian, decoct in water, and drink warm.

Grind one qian of alum into a fine powder and take it mixed with warm boiled water.

For failure of postpartum blood to discharge.

Pound self-heal and squeeze out the juice. Take one small cupful at a time, add one ge of wine, warm, stir well, and drink.

Another remedy: Add three liang of cattail pollen to three sheng of water and simmer. Reduce to one sheng of liquid and drink it all at once.

For women with blood stasis remaining after childbirth, causing fullness and distension in the chest and abdomen:

Slice five liang of fresh ginger. Add five sheng of water and boil until reduced to three sheng. Divide into three doses. It is said to take effect quickly.

For pain caused by blood stasis gathering after childbirth:

Take one liang of rhubarb, half a liang of Chinese angelica, and two qian of cassia bark. Add three sheng of wine and boil for ten rolling boils. Drink it all at once.

For lochia remaining after childbirth, accompanied by abdominal pain:

Take one liang of raw dried rehmannia root and lightly stir-fry it; one liang of Chinese angelica, lightly stir-fried; and half a liang of fresh ginger, roasted on a roof tile until charred black. Grind the ingredients into a fine powder. Take two qian at a time, mixed with ginger wine. It is said to be highly effective.

For severe pain in the chest and abdomen after childbirth:

Take equal amounts of pyrola and cattail pollen and grind them into a fine powder. First mix two qian with strong vinegar and simmer into a paste. Then add half a cup of water and half a cup of a child’s urine. Boil until the liquid is about seven-tenths of its original volume. Drink it hot before a meal. It is said to be highly effective.

For unbearable cramping in the abdomen after childbirth:

Take equal amounts of corydalis, Chinese angelica, peony, Sichuan lovage, and dried ginger, and grind them into a fine powder. Take three qian at a time, mixed with warm wine.

For lochia remaining after childbirth, with pain in the lower back and abdomen, and for “pain from the child’s pillow” (an old term for abdominal pain caused by postpartum uterine contractions or blood stasis):

Take equal amounts of corydalis, Chinese angelica, peony, Sichuan lovage, and dried ginger, and grind them into a fine powder. Take three qian at a time, mixed with warm wine.

For abdominal cramping caused by internal deficiency and cold entering the abdomen after childbirth, with tight, drawing pain in the flanks and around the navel—a condition called “cold bind”:

Take one jin of fatty mutton, and one liang each of Chinese angelica, licorice, stir-fried peony, and ginseng.

Cut the medicinal ingredients into small pieces. First decoct them in one dou of water until seven sheng remain. Add the remaining ingredients and continue decocting until two sheng remain. Strain out the dregs and take the decoction in two portions.

Treats painful blood masses after childbirth, distention and fullness below the navel, and inability to eat.

Two liang of angelica root; half a liang each of cinnamon bark and peony root; one and a half liang of cattail pollen; one liang each of dragon’s blood and Corydalis rhizome.

If there is distention and fullness in both flanks, omit the dragon’s blood and add betel nut, bupleurum, and green costus root.

Grind the ingredients into a fine powder. Take two qian at a time, mixed with warm wine.

Treats stagnant blood surging into the lungs after childbirth, causing a darkened complexion, panting, and a life-threatening condition.

One liang of ginseng, ground separately into powder; two liang of storax.

Decoct the storax in two bowls of water until one bowl remains, then strain out the dregs. Stir in an appropriate amount of ginseng powder and take. The original text says this formula is highly effective.

Treats failure of postpartum lochia to discharge, followed three or four days later by retching and high fever.

Two and a half liang of peony root; two liang each of anemarrhena, fresh ginger, angelica root, and cattail pollen; five qian of safflower; one cup of fresh rehmannia juice; and seven stems from the centers of lotus leaves.

Decoct in two sheng of water until one sheng remains, then strain out the dregs. Add the cattail pollen and bring the decoction to a boil four times. Take on an empty stomach in three portions.

Treats persistent vomiting after childbirth.

One liang of aged tangerine peel; half a liang each of prepared pinellia and licorice; two liang of patchouli.

Grind the ingredients into a fine powder. Take three qian at a time, decocted with three slices of fresh ginger, and drink hot.

Chentong Powder: Treats Qi deficiency and impaired blood circulation after childbirth, with fever, headache, and pain throughout the body.

Half a liang each of Achyranthes root, angelica root, cinnamon bark, atractylodes, astragalus, pubescent angelica root, and fresh ginger; two and a half qian each of honey-roasted licorice and Chinese chive bulb.

Cut the ingredients into small pieces. Take half a liang at a time and decoct in three cups of water until one and a half cups remain. Strain out the dregs and take hot before meals.

Treats headache after childbirth.

Sichuan lovage root, angelica root, and the flower spikes of schizonepeta.

Coarsely chop the above ingredients. For each dose, take half a liang, simmer it in three cups of water until reduced to one and a half cups, strain out the herbs, and drink hot before meals.

For postpartum headache: Use equal parts Sichuan lovage rhizome, Chinese angelica, and schizonepeta spikes. Coarsely chop the herbs. For each dose, take five qian, decoct in water, and drink hot.

For persistent postpartum bleeding: Boil roasted mulberry root bark in water and drink the liquid. It is effective.

Another prescription: Simmer two liang of sweet flag rhizome in two sheng of wine and drink in two portions. This can stop the bleeding.

For postpartum bleeding accompanied by severe weakness and wasting, when death is near: Simmer two liang of cattail pollen in two sheng of water until eight he of liquid remain, then drink the whole amount at once.

For postpartum uterine prolapse that does not retract on its own: Use equal parts schizonepeta spikes, patchouli leaves, □, and chinaberry bark. Prepare a decoction and use it to steam and wash the affected area; the uterus will retract.

Another prescription: Grind Chinese gallnuts and alum into powder, dissolve in warm water, and wash the affected area.

Another prescription: Pound castor seeds and apply them to the crown of the head.

For postpartum uterine prolapse that does not retract on its own: Use equal parts schizonepeta spikes, patchouli leaves, □, and chinaberry bark. Prepare a decoction and use it to steam and wash the affected area; the uterus will retract.

Another prescription: Grind Chinese gallnuts and alum into powder, dissolve in warm water, and wash the affected area.

Another prescription: Pound castor seeds and apply them to the crown of the head; once it has been drawn back in, wash the medicine off immediately.

For postpartum prolapse of the intestines that does not retract: Simmer bitter orange in water and use the warm liquid to soak and wash the affected area. After a while, the intestines will retract.

For postpartum vaginal prolapse: Put common cnidium seeds in a silk pouch, steam until hot, and apply as a warm compress. This can also treat pain in the vaginal opening.

Another prescription: Dry one jin of shunhuo herb in the shade, simmer it in five sheng of water, and drink the liquid warm in divided doses.

Another prescription: Mix purple ash from an iron stove with sheep fat until thick. Wrap it in cloth, heat it, and apply as a warm compress while pushing the prolapsed part back into place. This can cure the condition.

For postpartum vaginal laxity and inability to close: Fry one dou of lime until yellow, pour it into three dou of water, and let it cool and settle. Take one dou and two sheng of the clear liquid from the top, warm it, and wash the affected area. This can also treat prolapse of the vaginal canal.

For catching wind and cold after childbirth, with the whole body cold and rigid, the mouth unable to open, and impaired consciousness: Use three liang of white atractylodes, and one liang each of Sichuan lovage rhizome, Chinese angelica, and fresh ginger. Simmer in three sheng of wine until reduced to one sheng, then drink the whole amount at once.

For postpartum windstroke causing unclear speech and stiffness or spasms in the limbs:

Three liang of qianghuo, one liang of danggui, half a liang of official cinnamon, and half a liang of apricot kernels. Remove the skin and tips from the apricot kernels, then dry-fry them.

Grind the ingredients into a fine powder. Take five qian at a time, simmered in half a bowl of wine and half a bowl of water. Strain out the dregs and drink while warm.

For postpartum windstroke accompanied by agitation and thirst:

Five ge of safflower, lightly dry-fried. Add one sheng of water and simmer until reduced to seven ge. Sip slowly.

For postpartum windstroke with unconsciousness, foaming at the mouth, and convulsions of the hands and feet:

Equal amounts of danggui and jingjie flower spikes.

Grind the ingredients into a fine powder. Take three qian at a time, simmered in one bowl of water and wine until reduced to about seven tenths. Strain out the dregs and administer by pouring it into the patient’s mouth. If the patient’s jaws are clenched, pry the mouth open and pour it in.

Minor Life-Sustaining Decoction: For postpartum windstroke with rigid, straightened back and waist that often arch backward, or with paralysis on one side, a crooked mouth and eyes, trembling hands and feet, and unclear speech.

One liang each of fangji, peeled cinnamon bark, scutellaria root, peony root, apricot kernels with the skin and tips removed, licorice, Sichuan lovage root, ephedra with the roots and joints removed, and ginseng; one and a half liang of saposhnikovia root; and half a liang of aconite with the skin and navel removed.

Cut the ingredients into pieces. Take five qian at a time, add one bowl of water, five slices of ginger, and one jujube, and simmer until reduced to about seven tenths. Drink hot. If there is deficiency-cold in the organs and bowels with diarrhea, omit fangji and scutellaria, add atractylodes, and double the amount of aconite. If there is spontaneous sweating, omit ephedra and apricot kernels, and add atractylodes and astragalus. If the voice is lost, double the amount of apricot kernels. The text repeats the adjustments for “deficiency-cold in the organs and bowels with diarrhea” and “spontaneous sweating” once each.

For postpartum windstroke causing inability to move the hands and feet, impaired speech, a confused mind, forgetfulness, and emotional restlessness:

Five qian each of duhuo, danggui, peony root, saposhnikovia root, Sichuan lovage root, scrophularia root, and gastrodia rhizome; three qian of cinnamon heartwood. If preparing the ingredients as pills, increase the amount of every ingredient.

Coarsely chop the ingredients, add eight sheng of water, and decoct until two and a half sheng remain. Divide into three doses. Alternatively, make the ingredients into honey pills. For signs of Qi deficiency, add one and a half liang of fresh ginger; for signs of heat, add five liang of kudzu root; for signs of cold, add five liang of white atractylodes; for unsteadiness in the hands and feet, add one liang and two qian of achyranthes root, three liang of Dioscorea hypoglauca, and four liang of astragalus.

For unremitting thirst after childbirth, one formula uses equal amounts of scutellaria root and heart-removed ophiopogon tuber, decocted and taken.

Take equal amounts of corydalis, turmeric, dried kudzu root, cinnamon bark, green citrus peel, and bran-fried bitter orange. Soak them overnight in good vinegar, then dry by roasting and grind into a fine powder. Take two qian at a time, mixed with a decoction of dried citrus peel.

Another formula: take fresh rehmannia juice, add honey and heat gently to refine it, then mix with warm boiled water and drink to relieve thirst.

Bamboo Leaf Decoction treats weakness, thirst, and shortness of breath after childbirth. Its ingredients are three sheng of bamboo leaves; one liang each of licorice, ginseng, and poria; five ge of wheat; three liang each of ginger and pinellia; five liang of heart-removed ophiopogon tuber; and fifteen jujubes.

Coarsely chop the ingredients. First decoct the bamboo leaves, wheat, ginger, and jujubes in nine sheng of water until seven sheng remain, then strain out the dregs. Add the remaining ingredients and decoct until three sheng remain, then strain out the dregs. Take five ge at a time, three times daily, and once more at night.

Yiyuan Powder treats deficiency thirst after childbirth. Decoction of ginseng, schisandra, and heart-removed ophiopogon tuber, followed by taking Yiyuan Powder mixed into the decoction, is more effective.

For frequent urination and urinary incontinence after childbirth: take half a liang of mantis egg-case and one liang of calcined dragon bone, and grind them into a fine powder. Take two qian on an empty stomach, mixed with rice water.

Another remedy can also be used: burn chicken droppings to ash, then take one square-inch spoonful with wine on an empty stomach. (In ancient times, this was a small spoon used to measure medicine, holding roughly a spoonful the size of a square inch.)

For difficulty passing urine or stool after childbirth, or blood in the stool:

Plantain seeds, scutellaria root, cattail pollen, oyster shell, rehmannia root, and peony root, one liang each.

Grind the ingredients into a fine powder. On an empty stomach, take one square-inch spoonful with rice water. Avoid wheat-based foods and garlic.

For restlessness and difficulty sleeping after childbirth:

Peony root, Chinese angelica root, and gardenia fruit, five qian each; fermented black soybeans, half a he.

Coarsely chop the ingredients. Take one liang at a time, simmer in water, and drink.

For alternating chills and fever after childbirth:

Bupleurum root, two liang; scutellaria root, seven qian; ginseng, five qian; pinellia tuber, one and a half liang, rinsed with boiling water; licorice root, seven and a half qian; three jujubes; and rehmannia root, gardenia fruit, and citrus fruit, stir-fried with bran, five qian each.

Coarsely chop the ingredients. For each dose, take one liang and simmer with five slices of fresh ginger. Drink while hot.

Bupleurum Powder, for weakness and wasting after childbirth, chills and fever, poor appetite, and abdominal distension that varies in severity:

Bupleurum root, ginseng, licorice root, pinellia tuber (rinsed with boiling water), tangerine peel, Sichuan lovage root, and white peony root, in equal portions.

Coarsely chop the ingredients. For each dose, take five qian and simmer in water with five slices of fresh ginger and two jujubes. Take after meals. For a cough, add mulberry root bark and Chinese wolfberry root bark.

For bleeding that continues after childbirth:

Take three eggs, half a sheng of vinegar, and two sheng of good wine. Simmer them together until reduced to one sheng, then divide into four doses. Before each dose, walk two or three li. Drink when the liquid is lukewarm.

For persistent diarrhea after childbirth with watery white stools:

Mugwort leaves, half a liang, and half a liang of aged ginger, roasted until hot.

Simmer in water and drink; it is said to stop the diarrhea.

A remedy for various kinds of dysentery after childbirth:

Pound cocklebur leaves and squeeze out the juice. Add honey, warm it, and drink half a cup three times a day.

Scutellaria Pills, for red-and-white dysentery after childbirth (dysentery with red or white mucus or pus and blood) and unbearable cramping abdominal pain:

Donkey-hide gelatin, cattail pollen, and gardenia seeds, two liang each; coptis root, four liang; Chinese angelica root, one and a half liang; Amur cork tree bark, three liang; scutellaria root and peony root, two liang each.

Grind the above ingredients into a fine powder, then mix with honey that has been cooked down to make honey pills the size of parasol tree seeds. Take sixty pills each time with rice water, three times during the day and once at night.

Another formula: peony root, donkey-hide gelatin, mugwort leaf, prepared Rehmannia root, licorice root, and Chinese angelica root, four liang each.

Cut the above ingredients into pieces. Take one liang at a time, add water, and decoct. In an emergency, combine the amounts given above as a single dose: add three sheng of water and decoct until one sheng remains. Divide into two doses and take on an empty stomach. This is called “Emergency Powder.”

Another formula: peony root, three qian; Scutellaria root, two and a half qian; Chinese angelica root, two qian; licorice root, one and a half qian.

Cut the above ingredients into pieces. The original text records “one sheng and two of water”; add water and decoct. In an emergency, combine the amounts given above as a single dose: add three sheng of water and decoct until one sheng remains. Divide into two doses and take on an empty stomach. This is called “Emergency Powder.”

Peony root, three qian; Scutellaria root, two and a half qian; Chinese angelica root, two qian; licorice root, one and a half qian.

Cut the above ingredients into pieces. Add one sheng of water and decoct until seven-tenths remains. Take warm before meals. If there is tightness in the abdomen, difficulty passing stool, and tenesmus, add root bark and areca nut.

For persistent spontaneous sweating after childbirth.

Chinese angelica root, astragalus root, Ephedra root, calcined oyster shell, ginseng, and honey-fried licorice root, in equal parts.

Cut the above ingredients into pieces. Take five qian at a time, decoct in one cup of water, and take warm.

Another formula: calcined oyster shell and wheat bran, dry-fried until yellow, in equal parts.

Grind the two ingredients into a fine powder. Take two qian mixed with broth from boiled pork, at any time.

For “food aversion” after childbirth.

Clove and white cardamom, half a liang each; Fulonggan (a kind of hearth clay), one liang.

Grind the above ingredients into a fine powder. Take one qian mixed with a decoction of peach kernel and Sichuan evodia. Take another dose after walking for about the time it takes to cover five li.

For postpartum cough and counterflow lasting three days without stopping, with an urgent and severe condition.

Cassia bark, half a liang; fresh ginger, three he.

Boil the two ingredients together and obtain two he of liquid. Then mix one qian with a decoction of Sichuan evodia and take it. Take another dose after walking for about the time it takes to cover five li.

For postpartum cough and counterflow lasting three days without stopping, with an urgent and severe condition.

Cassia bark, half a liang; fresh ginger, three he.

Boil the two ingredients together and obtain two he. First warm the back with fire, then massage it until it feels hot, and apply the liquid. This is said to work very well.

For irregular menstruation after childbirth, distressing pain in the limbs, complete loss of appetite, and progressive emaciation.

Take one liang each of amber, Achyranthes root, fresh Rehmannia root, and Chinese angelica; take half a liang each of peach kernels and red peony root. Grind coarsely into powder. For each dose, take three to five qian, add one zhan of water and three slices of ginger, and decoct. Strain out the herbs and drink warm.

This formula is used to treat postpartum discomfort and oppression in the chest and diaphragm, cramping abdominal pain, rapid breathing, and absent menstruation.

Take two liang of lindera root and one liang each of Chinese angelica and zedoary (Curcuma zedoaria). Grind into a fine powder. For each dose, take two qian and mix with warm wine to drink, then eat some food. Avoid raw, cold, and greasy foods while taking the medicine.

Section on Miscellaneous Women’s Ailments

Four-Substance Decoction

Take equal amounts of prepared Rehmannia root, Sichuan lovage rhizome, peony root, and Chinese angelica. Grind coarsely into powder and decoct in water.

For women with steaming heat or fever from fatigue, add lycium root bark, moutan bark, anemarrhena rhizome, bupleurum root, and scutellaria root.

For restlessness of the fetus and persistent bleeding during pregnancy, add ten leaves of mugwort, donkey-hide gelatin, astragalus root, and scallion.

For uterine bleeding and excessive blood loss caused by deficiency-cold in the Blood aspect, donkey-hide gelatin and mugwort may also be added.

For profuse uterine bleeding, add fresh Rehmannia root, cattail pollen, and scutellaria root. Another method calls for adding donkey-hide gelatin, mugwort, and scutellaria root.

For abdominal pain due to blood deficiency, accompanied by slight sweating and aversion to wind, add zedoary and cinnamon bark.

For dizziness and vertigo due to wind deficiency, add large-leaved gentian root and notopterygium root.

For Qi deficiency and weakness, when one cannot remain standing, the vision darkens, and one collapses, add magnolia bark and aged tangerine peel.

For fever, restlessness, and inability to sleep, add coptis rhizome and gardenia fruit.

For deficiency-cold with a faint pulse, spontaneous sweating, and difficult breathing, but normal urination and bowel movements, add processed dried ginger and aconite.

If you experience dampness-associated pathogenic influence, with heaviness and weakness in the body, chills, and slight sweating, add baizhu and fuling.

If the sinews, bones, and joints of the limbs are painful, or you have a headache and feel cold, add qianghuo, fangfeng, gaoben, and xixin. If urination and bowel movements are normal and there is no other discomfort, add prepared ganjiang and fuzi.

If you feel cold below the navel and have abdominal pain, or a dull ache between the lower back and the back, add stir-fried xuansuo and stir-fried kulian.

If menstrual bleeding is heavy but there are no other symptoms, add huangqin and baizhu. If menstrual blood flows sluggishly and is scant, add sunflower and honghua.

If weakness of Qi from chronic exhaustion is accompanied by coughing, shortness of breath, and fullness in the chest and abdomen, add ginger-prepared houpu and bran-fried zhishi. If menstrual blood suddenly flows in great quantity, add huangqin.

If blood clots accumulate and cause pain, add ezhu, sanleng, gui, and stir-fried ganqi. For reddish or whitish vaginal discharge, add stir-fried xiangfuzi and gui. For bloody dysentery, add ejiao, aiye, and huanglian.

If bloody dysentery and abdominal pain occur after childbirth, add huaihua, huanglian, and yingsumi ke. If pathogenic Heat combines with the blood, causing a dry tongue and thirst, add guolou and maidong. If thirst is severe and you drink large quantities of water, add shigao and zhimu.

If the organs and bowels are obstructed and evacuation is difficult, add dahuang and taoren. For vomiting, add baizhu, renshen, huoxiang, and shengjiang. For persistent diarrhea due to deficiency and Cold, add guangui and prepared fuzi. For vexation due to deficiency that makes it difficult to fall asleep, add zhuye, renshen, and suanzaoren.

If the eyes are red and a cloudy opacity suddenly appears, with unbearable pain, add fangfeng, qianghuo, wine-soaked fangji, and wine-soaked caolongdan.

For intense thirst and drinking large quantities of water, add shigao and zhimu. If the organs and bowels are obstructed and evacuation is difficult, add dahuang and taoren. For vomiting, add baizhu, renshen, huoxiang, and shengjiang.

Xiong Gui Tang

Take equal amounts of chuanxiong and danggui.

Roughly chop the medicinal ingredients, decoct them in water, and drink while hot.

For dizziness after childbirth, add peony and wild chrysanthemum flowers.

For abdominal pain after childbirth, add official cinnamon (a kind of cinnamon bark) and decoct with wine and the urine of a child, as used in ancient prescriptions.

If the fetus has died during pregnancy, or is still alive but moving restlessly, add purple perilla and decoct with wine and water. The prescription says that if the fetus has died, it can be expelled; if still alive, it will be calmed.

Taken when birth is near, it is said to help the fetus descend and make delivery go smoothly.

For a breech or transverse presentation, difficult labor, or a fetus that has died in the womb, add one he of black beans. First dry-fry them, then decoct with water and a child’s urine.

For intestinal bleeding (an ancient term for symptoms such as blood in the stool), add half a qian of powdered pagoda tree flowers. After taking it for three days, blood clots are said to be expelled and the condition cured.

For vomiting blood, add raw Rehmannia root, Scutellaria root, and immature bitter orange.

For disharmony of Blood and Qi accompanied by panting, abdominal fullness, or edema, add prepared medicinal ingredients and decoct with water and a child’s urine.

For disharmony of Blood and Qi accompanied by panting, abdominal fullness, or edema, you may also decoct mugwort into a broth and take the medicinal powder mixed into the broth on an empty stomach.

For postpartum blood oppression, disordered consciousness, rapid panting, and abdominal pain, add one he of dry-fried black beans and decoct with ginger juice.

For uterine bleeding outside the menstrual period, whether heavy or persistent and scant, add dry-fried cyperus rhizome. For every two liang of medicine, include one qian of licorice, and take with broth.

For white vaginal discharge, add half a liang of peony and two and a half qian of dried ginger. Grind them together into a fine powder and take mixed with rice water.

For red or white vaginal discharge, add cyperus rhizome and the ash of burned palm bark. Grind together into a powder and take mixed with rice water.

The Toosendan Pill is used to treat red or white vaginal discharge.

Crush toosendan fruit. Use five qian each of wine-fried fennel and dry-fried angelica.

Grind the ingredients above into a fine powder, then form pills with wine and flour paste. Take fifty pills at a time on an empty stomach, washed down with warm wine.

Another prescription: Grind mica into powder and take three fangcun bi measures (a spoonful measured with an ancient powder-measuring implement) mixed with warm water. It is said to act quickly.

Another prescription: Gather self-heal when it flowers in summer and pound it into powder. Take two qian at a time before meals, washed down with warm water, using three fangcun bi measures. It is said to act quickly.

Another prescription: Gather self-heal (Xiakucao) when it flowers, crush it, and grind it into a fine powder. Take two qian each time, stirred into a warm drink before meals. Those who can drink alcohol may take it with wine.

Another prescription: Dry wood sorrel in the shade and grind it into a fine powder. Take three qian on an empty stomach with wine.

For turbid menstrual discharge and red or white vaginal discharge that have persisted for many years:

Take one stone swallow (Shiyan), grind it in warm water against a hard porcelain surface, and drink the resulting liquid.

Dingxiang Jia’ai Decoction: Treats white vaginal discharge and profuse uterine bleeding, which comes and goes and drips like water from a leaking roof, sometimes mixed with fresh blood.

Ingredients: one and a half qian of danggui root; half a qian each of prepared rehmannia root, white peony root, and Sichuan lovage root; six fen of donkey-hide gelatin, stir-fried until it forms beads; four fen of clove; and one qian of fresh mugwort leaf.

Wash the danggui with wine, then chop it. Chop the mugwort leaf, Sichuan lovage root, clove, and rehmannia root as well, and grind them all into a fine powder to make one dose. Boil in five bowls of water until reduced to one and a half bowls, then strain out the herbs. Add the donkey-hide gelatin and continue boiling until reduced to one bowl. Drink hot on an empty stomach. Two or three doses are said to bring recovery.

Supplement: Chop the mugwort leaf, Sichuan lovage root, clove, and rehmannia root, and grind them into a fine powder to make one dose. Boil in five bowls of water until reduced to one and a half bowls, then strain out the herbs. Add the donkey-hide gelatin and continue boiling until reduced to one bowl. Drink hot on an empty stomach. Two or three doses are said to bring recovery.

Bujing Guzhen Pills: Treats extremely weak pulses at the pericardium and wrist positions, with persistent, uninterrupted white vaginal discharge.

Ingredients: one qian each of honey-fried licorice root and bupleurum root; one qian of chopped baical skullcap root; three qian of dried ginger powder; half a qian of tangerine peel; two qian of ginseng; sixteen white hibiscus flowers, with the calyces removed and the petals snipped into pieces; and one qian of Chinese bush-cherry kernels, with the skins and tips removed and ground separately into a paste.

Except for the baical skullcap root, boil the other ingredients in three bowls of water until reduced to seven-tenths of a bowl. Add the baical skullcap root and boil together until reduced to one bowl, then strain out the herbs. Drink hot on an empty stomach, then eat breakfast a little later.

Wanjin Powder: Treats profuse uterine bleeding in women that does not stop.

Ingredients: four liang of stir-fried cyperus rhizome; one liang and two qian of the tail of the danggui root; and one liang of stir-fried flying squirrel feces.

Grind the ingredients into a fine powder. Take five qian each time, mixed with vinegar, on an empty stomach. It is said to take effect immediately.

Danggui Powder: Treats profuse uterine bleeding.

Grind one liang each of Angelica sinensis and dragon bone, three qian of parched nutgrass rhizome, and half a liang of palm fiber ash into a fine powder. Take four qian on an empty stomach, mixed with rice water. Avoid greasy foods and similar fare.

Lotus Receptacle Powder, for flooding of blood.

Take a dried lotus receptacle and burn it while preserving its medicinal properties. Burn palm bark and palm fibers to ash, half a liang of each. Parched nutgrass rhizome, three qian. Grind all the ingredients into a fine powder. Take four qian each time on an empty stomach, mixed with rice water.

Lotus Receptacle Powder, for flooding of blood.

Take a dried lotus receptacle and burn it while preserving its medicinal properties. Burn palm bark and palm fibers to ash, half a liang of each. Parched nutgrass rhizome, three qian. Grind all the ingredients into a fine powder. Take four qian each time on an empty stomach, mixed with rice water.

Small Thistle Decoction, for persistent uterine bleeding.

Take the stems and leaves of small thistle and extract one cup of juice; take one cup of raw Rehmannia juice; and chop half a liang of white atractylodes. Add these three ingredients to one cup of water and decoct until the liquid is reduced by half. Strain out the dregs and drink warm.

Sophora Flower Powder, for flooding of blood.

Grind one liang of aged sophora flowers and half a liang of charred thatch into a fine powder. Take three to four qian each time, mixed with warm wine. If the patient is dazed and unresponsive, quench a red-hot steelyard weight in wine, then use that wine to swallow the powder.

Ligusticum Wine, for uterine bleeding that continues day and night.

Take one liang of Ligusticum and one cup of raw Rehmannia juice. First boil the Ligusticum in five cups of wine until only one cup remains, then strain out the dregs. Add the Rehmannia juice and bring to a boil two or three times. Divide into three doses.

Sophora Ash Powder, for uterine bleeding or red and white discharge, regardless of how long the illness has lasted.

Burn a suitable amount of sophora branches to ash. Before meals, take one square-inch spoonful—an ancient measure for medicines, about one spoonful—mixed with warm wine.

Cuttlebone Powder, for persistent discharge accompanied by pain around the navel and abdomen.

Burn cuttlebone while preserving its medicinal properties, then grind it into a fine powder. Take two qian each time, swallowed with a decoction of horsetail.

Red Flower Powder: Used for blood fainting and persistent bleeding after childbirth, irregular menstruation, and long-standing blood stasis. Take equal amounts of dried lotus leaf, moutan bark, Chinese angelica, safflower, and pollen typhae (stir-fried), and grind them into a fine powder. Take half an ounce per dose and simmer it in wine; drink it warm with the dregs. If the placenta (afterbirth) has not been expelled, add half an ounce of powdered elm bark and take it mixed in. The text says this will cause the placenta to be expelled.

Pill for Ten Thousand Ailments: Used for menstrual blood stasis and blockage, absence of menstruation, and pain around the navel. Crush dry lacquer and stir-fry it for a while, until it gives off thick smoke with a bluish-white tip. Soak achyranthes root in wine overnight, then dry it by roasting. Take one ounce of each and grind them into a fine powder. Add one sheng of fresh Rehmannia juice and simmer slowly over low heat in an earthenware or stone vessel until the mixture can be rolled into pills. Make pills the size of parasol tree seeds. Take two pills on an empty stomach with rice water.

Achyranthes Powder: Used for scant or obstructed menstruation and pain in the navel and abdomen. Take one ounce of achyranthes root, and seven qian each of cassia bark, red peony root, peach kernel, Corydalis, Chinese angelica, moutan bark, Sichuan lovage, and costus root. Grind them into a fine powder. Take one square-inch spoonful per dose, mixed with warm wine, before meals.

Powder to Promote Menstruation: Used for obstruction of the menstrual passages. Take any quantity of trumpet creeper flower, crush it, and sift it into a fine powder. Take two qian per dose, mixed with warm wine, before meals.

Health-Preserving Decoction: Used for women or girls of weak constitution who have absent menstruation. Take two ounces each of white peony root and Chinese angelica, three ounces of astragalus, and one ounce each of licorice and ginseng. Prepare a coarse powder. Take five qian per dose, decocted in water, on an empty stomach.

Two Spirits Pill: Used for unmarried women with Qi and blood contending, stabbing pain in the abdomen, and irregular menstruation. Take two ounces of tangerine peel; peel the Corydalis and boil it in vinegar; slice the Chinese angelica, soak it in wine, then stir-fry it. Take one ounce each of the latter two ingredients.

Grind the medicinal ingredients into powder. Make pills with rice paste cooked in wine, each about the size of a tung tree seed. Used for stabbing pain in the abdomen and irregular menstruation.

Two liang of dried tangerine peel; one liang each of peeled Corydalis rhizome, boiled in vinegar, and sliced Chinese angelica root, soaked in wine and then stir-fried.

Grind the medicinal ingredients into powder. Make pills with rice paste cooked in wine, each about the size of a tung tree seed. Take one hundred pills at a time with vinegar decocted with mugwort leaves.

Lotus Receptacle Powder: Used to treat persistent menstrual bleeding.

Burn lotus receptacles to ash, but do not burn them until their medicinal properties are completely lost.

Grind the ash into a fine powder. Take two qian at a time, mixed with hot wine.

Clear-Head Balm: Used to treat headaches in women.

Three qian of Sichuan lovage rhizome; one qian each of Vitex fruit, Asarum, mint, and Ligusticum; half a qian each of raw licorice root and honey-fried licorice root; and one and a half qian of Chinese angelica root.

Grind the ingredients into a fine powder. After meals, take two qian mixed with clear tea.

Gypsum Powder: Used to treat severe, unbearable headaches.

One liang each of gypsum and ephedra, with the roots and joints removed; seven and a half qian of dried kudzu root; and half a liang of fleeceflower root. Do not use iron utensils when preparing the fleeceflower root.

Grind the ingredients into a fine powder. Take three qian at a time with three slices of fresh ginger, decocted in water and taken hot.

Sichuan Lovage Powder: Used to treat migraines in women.

Three qian each of Sichuan lovage rhizome, chrysanthemum flowers, and gypsum; six qian of raw silkworms, used uncooked.

Grind the ingredients into an extremely fine powder. Take three qian at a time, mixed with clear tea.

Clear Tranquility Powder: Used to treat migraines in women accompanied by pain extending to the eyes.

Three qian each of gypsum, burdock fruit, and chrysanthemum flowers; six qian of raw silkworms, used uncooked.

Grind the ingredients into an extremely fine powder. Take three qian at a time, mixed with clear tea.

Clear Tranquility Powder: Used to treat migraines in women accompanied by pain extending to the eyes.

Use equal amounts of gypsum, burdock fruit, and stir-fried Sichuan lovage rhizome; use half as much chrysanthemum and Asarum.

Grind the ingredients into powder and take before meals, mixed with clear tea.

Gushing Spring Powder: Used to treat low milk production in women caused by deficiency of Qi and blood or other factors.

Flowering spikes of Dianthus, Ophiopogon root with the core removed, dragon bone, prepared Chinese pangolin scales, and Wangbuliuxing seeds.

Grind the ingredients into a fine powder. Take one qian at a time, mixed with hot wine, then eat a little pork trotter soup. Next, comb each breast twenty or thirty times with a wooden comb. Take three times daily.

Trichosanthes Powder: Used to treat low milk production.

Take equal amounts of trichosanthes root and mint, grind them into a fine powder, and mix with wine before taking.

Before taking the medicine, drink a bowl of lamb bone broth. Then take the medicine, followed by lamb soup with shredded scallions. After a while, the body should sweat lightly; this is said to bring results.

Milk-Flow Powder

Take half a ge each of nonglutinous rice and glutinous rice, half a liang of raw licorice, and one ge of lettuce seeds. Wash all the ingredients thoroughly.

Decoct the ingredients to make one sheng of liquid. Grind the medicinal ingredients very finely, strain out the dregs, and divide the liquid into three doses. After each dose, eat lamb soup with shredded scallions. After a while, the body should sweat lightly; this is said to bring results.

Milk-Flow Powder

Take half a ge each of nonglutinous rice and glutinous rice, half a liang of raw licorice, and one ge of lettuce seeds. Wash all the ingredients thoroughly.

Decoct the ingredients to make one sheng of liquid. Grind the medicinal ingredients very finely, strain out the dregs, and divide the liquid into three doses. It is said to promote lactation after taking it.

Frankincense Powder, for treating “milk blowing” (a condition involving breast swelling and pain, and blocked milk flow).

Take one qian of frankincense and one liang of trichosanthes root powder.

Grind the two ingredients together until evenly mixed. Take two qian at a time, mixed with warm wine.

Separately, mix arisaema powder with warm water and apply it to the affected area.

Tangerine Peel Powder, for treating the early stages of breast abscess; it is said to be very effective.

Soak tangerine peel in hot water, remove the white inner layer, and dry it in the sun. Then stir-fry it with flour until lightly yellow.

Grind the peel into a fine powder. Take two qian at a time, mix thoroughly with musk, and take with wine.

Trichosanthes Powder, for treating breast abscess and “nursing fatigue” (breast disorders related to breastfeeding); it is said to have worked repeatedly.

Take one trichosanthes fruit, peel it, dry-roast it, and grind it into powder; one qian of raw licorice; one qian of frankincense, ground separately; two qian of myrrh, ground separately; and half a liang of Chinese angelica, soaked in wine and then dry-roasted.

Place three sheng of ash-free wine in a silver or stone vessel and simmer over low heat until one sheng of clear liquid remains. Divide into three doses.

Forsythia Powder, for treating “jealous breast” (a condition involving breast redness, swelling, and pain, with blocked milk flow).

Take one liang each of forsythia fruit, cimicifuga, and mirabilite; eight qian each of scrophularia, peony, white atractylodes, aristolochia root, and blackberry lily; two qian of rhubarb; six qian of licorice; and forty apricot kernels, with the skins and tips removed.

Coarsely chop the ingredients and decoct them in five sheng of water until two sheng remain. Then add the rhubarb and boil a few times. Add the mirabilite, and divide into three doses.

Formula for Genital Ulceration (for treating ulcers or eroded lesions of the genital area).

Chinese angelica, white peony, licorice, great burnet, and Sichuan lovage, three liang each.

Chop the ingredients, simmer them in five sheng of water until reduced to two sheng, then strain out the herbs and use the liquid to steam and wash the affected area. Wash it three times during the day and once at night.

Another prescription: one sheng of cattail pollen and one liang of mercury. Grind the two ingredients together until evenly mixed, then apply to the affected area.

Another prescription: the medicinal name in the original text is corrupted and cannot be identified. According to the original, apply the medicine to the opening of the sore; it is said to be effective.

For treating women who dream of consorting with ghosts, experience hallucinations or hear voices, and speak incoherently:

Poria with spirit, one and a half liang; poria, ginseng, and stone sweet flag, one liang each; red beans, half a liang.

Coarsely chop the ingredients. For each dose, take four qian and simmer in one cup of water. Drink warm before meals.

Evil-Averting Elixir: For treating women who consort with ghosts and spirits.

Tiger skull, two liang; cinnabar, realgar, orpiment, ghost parasol, Chinese honey locust, ghost arrow, false hellebore, and Chinese elm seeds, one liang each.

Use the ingredients unprocessed and grind them into a fine powder. Mix with refined honey and form pills the size of a projectile. Put one pill in a pouch: men should wear it on the left arm, women on the right. Take another pill and burn it in front of the patient’s door. The original says this will keep all kinds of evil ghosts from approaching.

Stone Sweet Flag Powder: For treating women with obstructed menstruation and swelling and pain in the genital area.

Stone sweet flag and Chinese angelica, one liang each; stir-fried gentiana, seven and a half qian; prepared evodia, half a liang.

Make a coarse powder. For each dose, take three qian and simmer in one cup of water with five inches of scallion white. Drink warm on an empty stomach.

Another prescription: mugwort leaves, five liang; saposhnikovia, three liang; euphorbia, two liang.

Chop the ingredients and simmer them in one dou of water until reduced to five sheng. Wash the affected area while the liquid is hot, three times a day. Be sure to avoid wind and cold.

This prescription is used to treat swelling or ulceration of the female genital area.

Take two liang each of mahuang, huanglian, and shechuangzi; one and a half liang of mugwort leaves; and ten ume plums, chopped. Add one dou of water and boil until five sheng of liquid remain. Strain out the herbs, then wash the affected area while the liquid is hot. After washing, avoid drafts and keep warm.

Rhubarb Powder, for itching of the genital area.

Take one liang each of rhubarb, lightly stir-fried until yellow, huangqin, and honey-prepared huangqi; one and a half liang each of red peony root, xuanshen, danshen, shanzhuyu, and mugwort leaves; and ten ume plums, chopped. Add one dou of water and boil until five sheng of liquid remain. Strain out the herbs, then wash the affected area while the liquid is hot. After washing, avoid drafts and keep warm.

Rhubarb Powder, for itching of the genital area.

Take one liang each of lightly stir-fried rhubarb, huangqin, and honey-prepared huangqi; and half a liang each of red peony root, xuanshen, danshen, shanzhuyu, and shechuangzi. Grind them into a fine powder. Before meals, mix two qian with warm wine and take it.

Another formula: Burn almonds to ash, wrap them in cotton cloth while hot, and insert them into the vagina. Replace them twice a day.

Another formula: Boil garlic to make a broth and wash with it. Another prescription uses a decoction of goji root for washing.

Another formula: Take a chicken liver and insert it into the vagina while hot; the original text claims that if there are worms, they will be expelled with it.

A method for treating itching of the genital area and prolapse of the vagina.

Grind alum into a fine powder. Take one fangcun spoonful, an ancient measure for medicines, on an empty stomach with wine, three times a day.

A method for treating downward prolapse of the vagina.

Take two liang each of stir-fried danggui and huangqin; two and a half liang of oyster shell; one liang of honey-prepared hedgehog skin; and one and a half liang of red peony root. Grind them into a fine powder. Take two qian each time before meals, mixed with warm wine, or take it with rice broth.

A method for treating sores in the vagina.

Almonds, stir-fried while retaining their medicinal properties.

A method for treating downward prolapse of the vagina.

Take two liang each of stir-fried danggui and huangqin; two and a half liang of oyster shell; one liang of honey-prepared hedgehog skin; and one and a half liang of red peony root. Grind them into a fine powder. Take two qian each time before meals, mixed with warm wine, or take it with rice broth.

A method for treating sores in the vagina.

Take half a liang each of stir-fried almonds, retaining their medicinal properties, realgar, and alum; and one qian and two fen of musk. Grind them into a fine powder and apply it inside the vagina.

Internal Supplement Pill, for treating women’s “five strains and seven injuries”—a general term for various forms of overexertion and debility—and infertility. The original text claims that after taking it for one month, a woman will become pregnant and all illnesses will be cured.

Four liang of bisie; two liang each of niuxi, wuxianpi, and baizhu; and one liang each of processed chuanwu, wheat-bran-fried zhishi, and danshen.

Grind the medicinal ingredients into a fine powder and use refined honey to form pills about the size of a tung seed. Take twenty pills at a time with warm wine, once in the morning on an empty stomach, once at midday, and once in the evening. Stop taking them during pregnancy.

A Verse for Identifying Patterns

Purple or red coloring is often associated with cold damage; green with fright; and white with infantile malnutrition and accumulation, a condition in which a child becomes thin and the abdomen swells. Black coloring may indicate sudden illness caused by an attack of malign influences, while yellow is often associated with weakness and stagnation of the Spleen.

Observe the child’s complexion and the lines on the finger joints, counting from left to right or right to left. For a boy, examine the left hand; for a girl, the right. If the lines extend upward from the base of the fingers and pass beyond the third joint, the condition is harder to treat.

Complete Infant Purple Pill

This formula is used for infantile bianzheng, the changes in fever that ancient physicians believed accompanied an infant’s growth and development; persistent fever; cold damage; prolonged fever that does not subside; phlegm accumulation in the abdomen; difficulty nursing; vomiting after nursing; convulsions triggered by food; or alternating chills and fever. The scripture says the formula has a wide range of uses and that even if it induces purging, it will not weaken the patient.

One liang each of hematite and red halloysite; fifty large apricot kernels, with the skins and tips removed; thirty croton seeds, shelled, wrapped in thick paper, and pressed to remove the oil. One qian of green montmorillonite may also be added; grind it separately into powder before mixing it in.

Grind the hematite and red halloysite into a fine powder. Grind the croton seeds and apricot kernels separately into pastes, then mix them with the powders. Pound the mixture repeatedly, one or two thousand times, until the ingredients are thoroughly blended. If the pills are too hard, add a little refined honey and pound until evenly mixed. Seal and store.

For an infant only thirty days old, give one pill the size of a sesame seed with a little breast milk. Feed the child again after a while, but do not let the child eat too much. If the child has a slight bowel movement by midday, the fever will subside. If it has not fully subsided, give another pill the next day. For an infant one hundred days old, give one pill the size of a small bean at a time, adjusting the amount proportionally as appropriate.

When an infant is first born, the bones and sinews have not yet matured, and the five viscera and six bowels are not yet fully developed. The spirit, Qi, and blood are weak, and the skin is tender and delicate. The infant depends on milk for nourishment and grows gradually. For this reason, infants experience what is called “transformation and steaming” (bianzheng): an ancient belief that the body changes and develops in cycles as an infant grows.

According to the old texts, one “transformation” lasts thirty-two days and refers to changes in the infant’s physical form. Two transformations make one “steaming,” a term that refers to the gradual growth of the muscles. After ten transformations, five minor steamings, and four major steamings—a total of 576 days—the sequence of minor and major steamings ends, and the infant is considered fully grown.

During transformation and steaming, mildly affected children may develop a fever and be slightly startled; their ears and buttocks may feel cool, small white blisters like fish eyes may appear on the upper lip, and they may occasionally sweat a little. In more severe cases, the fever is pronounced and the pulse irregular. The child may or may not sweat, may refuse milk or food, and may vomit after eating. The whites of the eyes may be slightly red, and the pupils may look somewhat pale. Once the transformation and steaming have ended, the eyes return to their usual brightness. The ancients believed these signs resulted from the movement of Qi and blood and the gradual strengthening of the skin and flesh. The scripture says that treatment is generally unnecessary. If the child has a fever along with refusing milk, vomiting after eating, slightly red eye whites, or pale-looking pupils, a small dose of “Purple Pill” (Ziyuan), an ancient pediatric pill, may be given to gently promote purging and reduce the fever. If the fever persists after two purges, and the ears and buttocks are also hot, the condition is considered a different illness and should be assessed and treated accordingly.

“Infant-Protecting Peach-Red Powder” (Baoying Taohong San) can also be made into pills the size of longan fruit using flour paste prepared with water. When taking it, swallow the pill with the prescribed decoction, first grinding it to dissolve. If swallowing the pill whole, make it the size of a mung bean and take fifteen at a time.

Five qian each of Sichuan aconite and white aconite, used raw; two qian each of large tuberous arisaema and aged pinellia, used raw.

Cut the medicinal ingredients into small pieces. Moisten them with freshly drawn well water—the fresh water taken from the surface of the well—and soak them in an earthenware vessel. Soak for five days in spring, three in summer, seven in autumn, and ten in winter. Leave them in the sun during the day and outdoors at night, replacing the water with fresh water once a day. When the soaking period is complete, dry the ingredients in the sun and grind them into a fine powder. Separately, take five qian of high-quality, large-grained cinnabar and grind it finely; then mix it with the medicinal powder until the mixture turns peach pink.

For acute convulsions in children, take the medicine with a decoction of mint, rush pith, and honeysuckle. In severe cases, apply moxibustion to Baihui, the acupoint at the crown of the head. For chronic convulsions, which come on more gradually and persist, take it with a decoction of scorpion and Uncaria vine; in severe cases, apply moxibustion to Baihui. For vomiting and diarrhea, take it with a decoction of ginger and scallion, or with aged rice water mixed with a mouthful of sour vinegar. For abdominal pain, take it with a mild ginger infusion; for cough, take it with a decoction of mulberry root bark. For fetal fright with nighttime crying—when an infant cries at night from being startled—or when worms are suspected in the abdomen, take it with a decoction of chinaberry root bark that has been left outdoors overnight. For wind-cold cough and malaria, also take it with a decoction of ginger and scallion; afterward, taking the powder mixed with ginger infusion is said to work better.

Baoming Dan is used to treat acute and chronic convulsions in children, as well as symptoms such as abundant phlegm and saliva obstructing the throat, locked jaws, the body arching backward like a bow, startling movements during sleep, incessant crying and screaming, convulsions on one side of the body, eyes turned askew, unevenly flushed and bluish complexion, a fixed stare, twitching hands and feet, the head and neck tilted back and shaking, and eyes rolling upward. It is said to treat various disorders caused by pathogenic wind and phlegm.

Take two liang of depithed Arisaema tuber, two liang of cleaned white stiff silkworm, six qian of Fushen soaked in ginger juice and then stir-fried, one liang of cicada slough with the head, feet, and wings removed, one liang of alum, four dried centipedes (called “tianlong” here), boiled in wine, one qian of musk, two liang of whole scorpion with the tail removed and its venom thoroughly eliminated (stir-fried with glutinous rice until the rice turns yellow, then separated from the rice), one liang of Polygala root with the core removed and only the clean root retained, and five qian of large grains of cinnabar boiled with licorice, after which the licorice is discarded. Grind each ingredient into a fine powder. Break up two liang of Chinese honeylocust thorn and simmer it into a thick liquid.

First, roast the Arisaema tuber wrapped in heated ash, then quench it repeatedly, more than ten times, in the honeylocust liquid. Set aside the remaining liquid to cook rice paste. Grind the other ingredients into a fine powder, mix it with the rice paste, and form pills about the size of longan fruit. Coat them with cinnabar and leave them to dry in a shaded, cool place. Take one pill at a time. Simmer it in a decoction of mint, rush pith, and honeysuckle rings, and grind the pill into the liquid until dissolved. Warm it slightly over a fire before giving it as medicine.

Baotong Dan is used to treat acute and chronic convulsions in children; coughing with phlegm and drooling; wheezing and chest congestion; refusal to nurse or eat; and disorders such as intestinal parasites, childhood malnutrition, accumulated heat, and abdominal distension.

Take five pairs of aged bitter orange rinds, choosing the larger ones and removing their bases. Place seven shelled croton seeds inside each rind and bind it tightly with crossed thread. Repeatedly boil the rinds in good vinegar until soft. Remove and slice the croton seeds, then dry the rinds in a warm oven. Set aside the vinegar used to boil the rinds to cook the flour paste. Separately, grind five qian each of roasted zedoary and three-edged rhubarb, ten sheets of gold leaf, and two qian of cinnabar, ground finely on its own, into a powder. Use the reserved vinegar to cook flour paste and make pills the size of mung beans. Coat them with cinnabar. Children under one year old should take one pill; the dosage instructions that follow are incomplete in the text provided.

Grind the medicinal ingredients above into a fine powder. Use the paste made by boiling vinegar, mentioned earlier, to form pills about the size of mung beans, then coat them with cinnabar. Give a child under one year old one pill; a child aged one year or older, three pills; a child under three years old, five pills; and a child aged three or older, seven pills. Take them with a decoction of mint, rush pith, and honeysuckle vine. If the child cannot swallow, grind the pill, dissolve it in liquid, and administer it.

This concludes Volume Three of Immortal Prescriptions for Urgent Relief. Next is Volume Four of Immortal Prescriptions for Urgent Relief, titled “Formulas Benefiting Yin.”

Medical prefaces and discussions say that cyperus rhizome is known as a fine remedy for women’s ailments and is often used to regulate the blood vessels and harmonize the movement of Qi (vital energy). Combined with lindera root, it can keep Yang Qi from becoming excessive and Yin Qi from becoming deficient. From childhood to adulthood, women differ in their inborn constitutions, yet the body’s functions are governed chiefly by blood. Many illnesses begin when the movement of Qi is first disrupted; Qi and blood then bind against one another, and the condition gradually develops into a serious disease.

Blood belongs to Yin. Its nature is gentle and moistening, yet it can readily become diseased when out of balance. Heat can make blood flow excessively, while cold can cause the blood vessels to congeal and stagnate. Overexertion can disrupt the circulation of blood; unpredictable joy and anger can cause blood to congeal and Qi to gather; and persistent worry and brooding can prevent blood from following its proper channels. Chao also says that blood is generated by coolness. If a physician treats an illness without carefully judging its severity, or mistakenly uses medicines with inappropriate hot or cold properties, other illnesses may result, and life itself may be endangered. Great care is therefore essential.

The formulas presented in the following pages have mild properties: they are neither excessively cold nor harsh in action. Their purpose is to keep Qi and blood flowing smoothly through the nutritive and defensive systems. They address women’s health and illnesses during pregnancy and after childbirth. They may be used for people both young and old to support their health. The author is concerned that those who use the formulas may dismiss them as too ordinary, but points out that they are important methods for women’s health and treatment. They should be administered according to the prescriptions, all of which are listed below.

The Unusual Fragrance Four Spirits Powder, also called the Four Spirits Decoction, is specifically used to regulate imbalances of Qi and blood in women and unmarried girls. It is also suitable for many conditions during pregnancy and after childbirth. Qi and blood are the foundation of women’s health, and the movement of Qi often becomes disordered first. When the blood vessels then fail to circulate freely, various illnesses arise. This formula has a particular rationale in the way its ingredients are combined.

Cyperus rhizome, hairs removed and stir-fried, half a jin; lindera root, stir-fried, four liang; honey-fried licorice, one liang.

Coarsely chop the medicinal ingredients above. For each dose, take five qian and decoct them in one bowl of water with three slices of fresh ginger and one jujube. When the liquid has reduced to about seven-tenths of its original amount, strain out the dregs and drink it warm on an empty stomach. Three inches of the white part of a scallion may also be added during decoction. For various illnesses, adjust the ingredients as described below; the text says the medicine takes effect quickly.

For women with impeded circulation of Qi and blood, and a feeling of oppression and fullness in the chest, add perilla leaves and decoct together. If fright, grief, or emotional fluctuations have harmed the heart and Shen, causing fullness in the chest, abdominal pain, swelling of the face and eyes, or various Qi disorders, add Acorus rhizome and decoct together.

For disordered circulation of the blood, with blood obstructing the diaphragm, counterflow of food, or vomiting, take a piece of aged ginger, char it until black, cut it into five slices, add a little salt, and decoct together. Use the same preparation for cold affecting the spleen and stomach. For blood accumulation, faintness and oppression from blood disorders, or stabbing pain, add a small sip of good vinegar after the medicine has been decocted.

If a woman is exposed to wind and rain during menstruation, or is also subjected to fright and worry, and her menstrual cycle becomes irregular, this is called “constricted vessels.” If it is accompanied by tight, painful abdominal distension and pain in the lower back and legs, add a pinch of toasted fennel to each dose and decoct together. For impeded Qi and blood, with panting, chest oppression, shortness of breath, and swelling of the face and eyes, add fresh ginger and perilla leaves and decoct together. For coughing up blood or blood-streaked phlegm, with a fishy smell in the throat, add three or four slices of yellow mulberry leaf; flowering mulberry leaves are preferable.

For impeded blood flow and blocked Qi, with dry, difficult bowel movements, add several slices of immature bitter orange, or use green tangerine peel with its white inner layer removed. If the blood organs are deficient and cold, causing sluggish blood flow and abdominal pain, or if the “Sea of Blood” (the visceral function associated in Chinese medicine with menstruation and fertility) has been cold for a long time, with flooding, red or white vaginal discharge, frequent urination, or abnormal flow of blood into the large intestine resembling intestinal wind (a disorder involving blood in the stool), add a spoonful of toasted Evodia powder and decoct together. This prescription is also called the “Warming the Menses Decoction.” If heat in the channels causes menstrual blood to surge and the blood vessels to move erratically, a condition called “heat flooding,” add raw Rehmannia root.

If stagnant blood attacks the spleen and stomach, causing blood obstruction in the throat, impeded Qi and blood, or coughing and retching, add three slices of fresh ginger and five persimmon calyxes. For clouding and oppression from Qi and blood, with stabbing pain in the chest and abdomen, add lesser galangal and red peony root, and decoct in half a bowl of water and half a bowl of wine. During pregnancy, if improper eating causes oppression in the chest and diaphragm, belching, food odors rising up, and tight fullness in the chest and abdomen, add southern costus root, or decoct with Amomum fruit. When pregnancy is nearing full term and the fetus presses up against the chest and heart, a condition called “fetal suspension,” add ginger slices and perilla as usual and decoct together.

After childbirth, if the cause of an illness is unclear and the state of the blood vessels, deficiency or excess, and cold or heat cannot be determined, the text recommends first using this medicine to regulate Qi and blood, then treating according to the specific symptoms, so as to avoid incorrect treatment. If cold enters the abdomen after childbirth, making it hard and tense, with stabbing pain below the navel, this is called “cold Shan.” Add toasted Evodia and decoct together. If overexertion after childbirth causes the uterus to prolapse, a condition commonly called “□ illness,” first use this prescription to regulate Qi and settle the intestines. Then decoct the root or branches of the chinaberry tree, scallion whites, and Sichuan pepper in water, and use the liquid for steaming and washing; the text says this can return the uterus to its proper position. The same treatment is recommended for women who develop this condition at other times.

“Wu Xi Pill” is used to regulate the blood vessels, dispel Wind, and tonify deficiency. It is also used for various blood-related conditions, such as Blood Wind, Blood Cold, Blood Stagnation, and impeded circulation of Blood and Qi.

“Horse-Neighing Liver” refers to late-season silkworm droppings, preferably collected in the fifth lunar month. Remove impurities and stir-fry until they begin to smoke. Take two liang of large Aconite (cao wu), bury it in hot ashes, and roast until it splits. Remove it, place it in a cloth bag, and beat away the outer skin and tip.

Grind these two ingredients into a fine powder. Mix with a paste made by boiling sour vinegar, then form pills the size of parasol-tree seeds. Take thirty pills at a time, usually with weak vinegar broth or warm wine. For particular symptoms, choose one of the broths or wines described below.

For impaired circulation of Blood and Qi, irregular menstruation, delayed periods, or two periods within a month, take the pills with weak vinegar broth or warm wine. For Blood deficiency and Yin depletion, with scanty or absent menstruation lasting several months, a sallow complexion, emaciation, unrelenting pain in the waist and abdomen, or cramping of the legs and knees, roast black beans and steep them in wine, then take the pills with that wine. Long-term use is intended to gradually restore free circulation through the blood vessels.

If the channels are obstructed and menstruation has not come for a long time, with heaviness and pain in the lower back, steep Chinese ox-knee root in wine and take the pills with it. Once the pulse returns to normal, menstruation should resume. For women under fifty whose periods have stopped prematurely, accompanied by deep pain in the lower back and spine, numbness in the legs and feet, or dim vision, take the pills with clear tea or wine.

If Blood and Qi surge upward, with Blood rushing into the Lungs, a fishy taste in the throat, or coughing or spitting blood, take the pills with scallion-white broth or mulberry-leaf broth. If Blood and Qi become painful after exposure to Wind-Cold, with recurring mental cloudiness, heat an iron counterweight until red-hot, quench it in wine, and take the pills with that wine. Alternatively, crush and finely stir-fry Fulonggan (the earth from the center of a stove), steep it in wine, and take the pills with the wine.

For persistent abnormal uterine bleeding that may progress to flooding and spotting, or for red or white vaginal discharge or yellow fluid—conditions called “leaking”—take the pills with an Artemisia-leaf vinegar broth. Alternatively, steep roasted black beans in wine, or mix the ash of burned cotton seeds with wine. They may also be taken with a decoction of Northern mugwort, garden burnet root, and arborvitae leaves, alternating this with the Artemisia vinegar broth recorded in the “Bureau Formulary.”

When Blood and Qi disturb the Spleen and Stomach, causing confusion and discomfort in the chest and heart region—a condition called “Blood Bewilderment”—take pig’s clotted blood, add a little sesame oil, fry it, and steep it in wine. For Blood Wind causing cramping of the sinews and channels, swollen and painful feet, or foot cramps, take the pills with Chinese quince broth. Alternatively, steep Chinese angelica, Chinese quince, and Chinese ox-knee in wine; or steep roasted black beans and notopterygium in wine. Chopped stems and leaves of red smartweed may also be boiled into a broth for fumigation and washing.

If the lower back is swollen and painful and the knees feel heavy, the text attributes this to Blood Stagnation in the Foot Taiyang channel. First chew a pinch of fennel, then take the pills with warm wine; alternatively, take them with wine in which roasted black beans have been steeped. If Blood Wind invades and causes heaviness, numbness, and aching on one side of the hands and feet, take the pills with wine in which ginger has been fried.

For Blood deficiency or Blood Wind disturbing the upper body, causing swollen teeth, headache or migraine, ringing in the ears, deafness or diminished hearing, or sores, numbness, dryness, and itching over the body, take the pills with Japanese catnip flower spikes and leaves, or with raw scallion or tea broth. They may be taken before or after meals.

If Liver deficiency gives rise to Wind, causing the eyes to water constantly with cold tears or vision to become blurred, take the pills with a decoction of Muze or a black-bean broth, at any time. If Wind-Cold invades the Blood aspect and forms a blood disorder or abdominal mass, accompanied by coughing and shortness of breath, take the pills with a decoction of mulberry root bark. For blood in the stool, take them with a decoction of arborvitae leaves and garden burnet root.

Puhuang Heishen Powder may be used to address wind-weakness, overwork and depletion, deficiency cold, and various disorders of Qi and blood in unmarried women and married women. It may also be used for impaired blood flow, fainting, difficulty expelling lochia, and disorders caused by stagnant blood during pregnancy or after childbirth.

After giving birth, a woman should first take Wujin Powder to prevent fainting caused by blood loss and stagnation, and to expel stagnant blood. Beginning the next day, she should take this medicine regularly to clear stagnant blood and nourish fresh blood. The prescription says that this can prevent various illnesses. The classic describes the formula as commonly used and highly effective.

To address different disorders in women, the medicine may be made into pills with refined honey, each weighing three qian, with ten pills together weighing one liang. Alternatively, it may be made into pills using a paste of flour cooked in wine, each about the size of a parasol tree seed. Take thirty to fifty pills at a time, with the accompanying decoction chosen according to the condition being treated. The formula also has different names depending on the condition: Yiyin Pill, Tongzhen Pill, Shengjin Elixir, Jinchai Decoction, Baosheng Pill, and Sishun Lizhong Pill.

The ingredients listed are one sheng of black beans, roasted and skinned; one liang each of powdered xiangfuzi, processed dried ginger, and raw dried rehmannia root. Names such as Puhuang Heishen Powder, and the methods of using these medicines, come from records of ancient prescriptions. “Accompanying decoction” refers to a decoction selected according to the condition and taken with the pills.

Grind the medicinal ingredients into a fine powder. Take two qian at a time, stirred into warm wine and taken before meals. Alternatively, cook flour paste with wine and use it to make pills about the size of parasol tree seeds. Take thirty pills at a time with warm wine or rice broth.

After childbirth, if stagnant blood has not been fully expelled, or if there is a hard, painful mass in the uterus, take the medicine with a boy’s urine. If the fetus dies in the womb during labor, or a dead fetus cannot be delivered, take one ge of black beans, boil them in vinegar, and use the liquid to mix a dose of the medicine, filling a cup about seven-tenths full. Drink it warm; it is said that the fetus will then be expelled on its own. If the placenta does not come out during labor, decoct the medicine with a boy’s urine and take it with wine.

If lochia does not flow freely after childbirth and stagnant blood surges up into the chest and heart, causing dimming vision, faintness, locked jaws, loss of consciousness, or failure of the placenta to descend, the medicine may also be stirred into warm wine and taken. In severe cases, quench a steelyard weight in wine, then take the medicine.

The Black Spirit Powder mentioned earlier can be mixed with refined honey and made into pills the size of parasol tree seeds. These are called “Fourfold Harmonizing Pill of the Middle.” For weakness, shortness of breath, and frequent spontaneous sweating during the fifth postpartum period—a term for a particular stage after childbirth—take thirty pills on an empty stomach with rice broth.

If refined honey is used to make pills the size of a small ball, the formula is called “Life-Preserving Pill” when used for conditions related to the period before pregnancy or its early stages. If, just after becoming pregnant, a woman’s fetal Qi is unsettled and she lies down often, moves little, and has no desire to eat, this condition is called “morning sickness.” Take one pill at a time, chewing it slowly, and wash it down with a decoction of ramie root and glutinous rice. It may also be taken with a decoction of Qin Jiao and glutinous rice.

If bleeding continues during pregnancy, or yellowish-red fluid is discharged along with aching and heaviness in the lower back and abdomen, take the medicine with warm wine and use it together with Gel-Ai Decoction, Ai Decoction, Six-Ingredient Decoction, or Pregnancy-Supporting Drink. In early pregnancy, if the fetal Qi is excessive, causing oppression and fullness in the chest and abdomen, vomiting of phlegm and saliva, loss of appetite, and abdominal distension, take the medicine with a decoction of pale bamboo, with its outer green skin scraped off, and tangerine peel; use it together with Poria and Pinellia Decoction or Two-Aged Ingredients Decoction. If sexual activity and exertion cause the fetus to stir and bleeding to occur—a condition called “fetal injury”—take the medicine with warm wine.

If a pregnant woman has miscarried several times, or miscarries or bleeds before completing a month of pregnancy, take the medicine with warm wine. It is intended to regulate Qi and blood, contain the blood, and stabilize the fetus. If the pregnancy is not yet at term but labor seems imminent, take the medicine with a decoction of Anemarrhena. If the fetus presses upward against the chest and heart, take it with a decoction of Sichuan lovage.

It is said that regularly taking this medicine in the seventh or eighth month of pregnancy nourishes the fetus and benefits the blood, calms the uterus, and makes delivery smoother. Take it with a decoction of bitter orange and glutinous rice, or simply with glutinous rice broth.

When taken after childbirth, this formula is called “Golden Elixir of Victory” and is used for various postpartum conditions. Take it with warm wine or rice broth. When used to nourish and restore blood deficiency, blood taxation, blood and Qi, or blood wind, it is called “Yin-Nourishing Elixir”; take it with warm wine or rice broth. Women with cold blood, a pale, washed-out complexion, and prominent veins may also take it with wine.

When used to regulate menstruation and nourish young women, this formula is called “Golden Hairpin Decoction.” For irregular menstruation, turbid menstrual blood, frequent stabbing pain in the abdomen, or weakness of the blood and deficiency of Yin in young women with irregular cycles, take it with wine or rice broth as described above.

Some young women menstruate once or twice, then stop for a year or two; others menstruate only four times a year, or once every three to five months. The text explains that their blood vessels are weak and not yet fully developed, so menstruation comes and goes. The medicine should be used to regulate Qi and nourish the blood; once the blood and Qi are sufficient, menstruation will flow naturally, without the need to forcefully expel anything. Otherwise, masses of stagnant blood may form, followed by blood-deficiency exhaustion, steaming of the bones, and consumption disorders. The formula may also be used with the Agarwood Victory Over Gold Elixir and Blood-Nourishing Decoction found in the Hundred and One Formulas.

Women whose periods come early or late, or appear and disappear unpredictably, may also use this medicine to regulate Qi and nourish the blood. For women’s miscellaneous disorders, use the “Great Sage Penetrating Truth Pill.” If, after a stroke, the jaws are locked, the body arches backward, and the hands and feet are cramped and dragged along, roast Notopterygium root and black beans together, take them with wine, and use the formula together with Minor Renewal of Life Decoction, Black and Schisandra Pill, and similar prescriptions.

Women with five-colored vaginal discharge, scant blood and cold Qi, a bluish-white complexion, or within the first hundred days after childbirth may all take this medicine regularly. The text says it removes old stagnant blood, generates fresh blood, supplements Qi, restores deficiency, and harmonizes the Thoroughfare and Conception vessels, preventing various illnesses. Take it with warm wine or rice broth.

The formulas discussed earlier, such as Puhuang Heishen Powder, use medicines that appear mild and unremarkable, yet have their own subtle virtues and differ from ordinary strong prescriptions. During labor, treatment must be tailored to the specific signs and symptoms. For example, during pregnancy, after Jing and Qi have joined and the fetal Qi has first congealed, secret methods must be used to nourish the root of the womb. Even a slight imbalance of cold and heat may harm the fetus or even cause a miscarriage. The old books say that exposure to cold can bring on pain, while heat can agitate the fetus. Potent decoctions with strong, unbalanced properties should therefore never be used casually.

A pregnant woman’s anger can harm fetal Qi. After childbirth, the joints throughout the body are loosened, much blood has been lost, fluids are depleted, both Yin and Yang are deficient, and the organs are weak. Even an occasional invasion by pathogenic factors may become critical. The old books say that neglecting the proper time for postpartum care may begin with a fault as slight as an autumn hair, yet bring harm as heavy as Mount Song. Cold medicines and harsh, drying, hot medicines in particular must not be used lightly, lest they trigger other illnesses. If Wind or Heat pathogens have indeed been contracted, treatment should still focus on restoring balance, then proceed according to the signs and symptoms. Even when deficiency-cold is severe, first use medicines with mild properties, then gradually add warmer medicines to restore balance. Never act hastily. With such care, there should be fewer problems before and after childbirth. Do not reach for decoctions indiscriminately just to address an urgent situation; doing so may instead invite disaster. The consequences of these mistakes are serious, so keep this firmly in mind.

Major Danggui Decoction: Used when labor pains come in waves but delivery does not progress smoothly; the amniotic fluid has already broken, blood is not flowing freely in the birth canal, and labor continues for a day or two without delivery. The book says this is often caused by fright or by using labor-inducing medicines too early. In this situation, first help the woman in labor settle and regain balance. With repeated doses of this decoction, a safe and smooth delivery may follow.

Chuan Danggui, Rehmannia root, Chuanxiong, white Poria, licorice, red peony root, and prepared immature bitter orange, each half a liang; cinnamon bark, two and a half qian.

Take three qian each time. Add one cup of water and decoct until reduced to seven-tenths of its original volume. Then add one zi (a very small amount) of powdered frankincense, bring to a boil once, and drink warm at any time. If the child has been born but the afterbirth (placenta) has not yet come out, first cut the umbilical cord, then take Black Spirit Powder, Life-Restoring Elixir, and this medicine.

If the child has been born but the mother’s abdomen remains distended, she may continue taking Small Black Spirit Powder. Use vinegar charcoal to regulate the stomach Qi and ensure an ample supply of congee. If she can drink alcohol, a small amount may also be given, but not too much. Frankincense Decoction may also be taken.

Pearl-Supporting Elixir: Used to hasten childbirth. It should be taken only when it is certain that the time for a normal delivery has arrived, and the mother has unbearable, downward-dragging pain in her lower back and abdomen. Take one or two pills; delivery will usually then proceed quickly and smoothly. Its effect is more reliable if it is not taken rashly at an unsuitable time.

Four liang of plantain seeds, washed, lightly dry-fried, crushed, and sifted into a fine powder; four liang of dodder seeds, washed, steamed with wine, then roasted dry and ground into a fine powder.

Prepare these two ingredients on the seventh day of the month, when the weather is clear and auspicious. Take a little juice from crow’s sour grass, commonly called “mother-in-law’s sour herb,” and mix it with sour vinegar and toasted flour paste. Form pills the size of chicken-head seeds, coat them with cinnabar, and dry them in the shade. Each time, take half a pill or one pill. Grind it into a paste with juice extracted by pounding crow’s sour grass leaves, then mix with boiled vinegar broth and drink.

Frankincense Decoction: Take clear, pure frankincense, in any quantity, and grind it into a fine powder. If you feel pain in the lower back or abdomen, take this medicine first: one spoonful at a time, stirred into half a bowl of boiling water. It may also be taken if labor is temporarily delayed, whether because it has begun too early or is not progressing smoothly. Those who can drink alcohol may mix it with wine instead. This formula is intended to open the channels, clear obstructions, and ease pain, and is beneficial to women in labor. Do not take too much, however, as it may weaken the fetus’s bones.

First Formula for Difficult Labor: Burn three pieces of gold leaf and three rabbit-hair brush heads to ash. Grind them into a fine powder and use yellow wax to form pills the size of parasol-tree seeds. This amount is one dose, to be taken with wine. If birth has still not occurred after a day, take half a liang of mica powder, wash and settle it, then grind it finely. Gather about an egg-sized amount and take it with ash-free wine when needed. The scripture says this formula has saved three to five thousand people.

Spirit-Responsive Powder: Used for transverse or breech presentations—that is, when the fetus is abnormally positioned and cannot be delivered easily. In severe cases, it is said that one dose can bring about delivery. Grind equal parts of Bai Zhi and Bai Cao Shuang, the soot left on a pot after burning plants. Take two qian at a time, mix with a little each of child’s urine and good vinegar, then add boiling water and drink.

For a Stillborn Fetus That Has Not Been Expelled: Grind two qian of mirabilite into a fine powder and mix it with child’s urine before taking.

There is another case in which a stillborn fetus has not been expelled, with symptoms including blue fingernails, a blue tongue, severe abdominal distension and chest tightness, and a foul odor in the mouth. First take one packet of Ping Wei San, divided into two doses. For each dose, simmer one bowl each of water and wine until reduced to one bowl. Add the powdered mirabilite and simmer for a further three to five boils, then pour it out and drink it all once it has cooled to lukewarm. The scripture says the fetus will then turn into blood and be expelled.

The Fetal Test Decoction is used to determine whether a woman who has missed her period for three months is pregnant.

Grind Sichuan lovage rhizome into a fine powder. Take it on an empty stomach, mixed with mugwort decoction. If, after taking it, she feels a slight movement in her abdomen, this is taken to indicate pregnancy. Whether or not there is movement below the navel, the condition is classified as a blood disorder—a condition related to impaired blood circulation, among other causes—and can be treated with medicines that invigorate the blood. It should be addressed early.

Ten Thousand Prescriptions Powder

Soak atractylodes in rice-washing water, then slice and dry-fry it; remove the white inner layer from dried tangerine peel and dry-fry it; remove the white inner layer from green tangerine peel, then slice and dry-fry it; slice and dry-fry dried ginger; slice and dry-fry lesser galangal; dry-fry powdered licorice, a type of licorice root. Use half a jin of each of these ingredients. Shell and dry-fry amomum; slice and dry-fry tsaoko cardamom. Use six liang of each. Dry-fry sharp-leaf galangal, and use five liang of each of that and clove bark, a close relative of clove, which is used without dry-frying. Wash and dry-fry cyperus rhizome; dry-fry Lindera root; and dry-fry perilla.