《急救仙方》Vol. 2

Remove the coarse outer bark from magnolia bark, process it with ginger juice, and then dry-fry it; use one pound of each of the above medicines. Take four ounces of areca peel, wash and chop it, then dry-fry it with ginger juice. Do not roast the cinnamon twig over a flame.

For each dose, add one and a half bowls of water and five slices of fresh ginger. Boil until the liquid is reduced to about seven-tenths of its original amount, strain out the dregs, and drink it warm on an empty stomach. Avoid raw, cold, and poisonous foods.

For abdominal pain, add a pinch of fennel seed. For swelling in the limbs, add dry-fried old radish seeds. For cold Qi, add dry-fried Sichuan pepper. For pain in the lower back and legs, add Sichuan Achyranthes root, washed in wine and not roasted over a flame, and chopped quince. For headache accompanied by signs of wind, add Saposhnikovia root with the root crown removed and northern Asarum with its leaves removed. You may also add Sichuan aconite, processed in hot liquid, with the skin and tips removed and then baked, and decoct the medicine with ginger juice. Here, “processing in hot liquid” means treating the medicinal material with hot soup or boiling water.

For pain in the joints of the limbs, add dry-fried fennel seed. For exposure to wind and cold with aversion to cold, add the white part of a scallion and decoct. For tidal fever, add the white part of a scallion, and stop adding it once the fever subsides. For obstructed Heart Qi and rapid, labored breathing, add three grains of Ophiopogon tuber with the core removed, or three inches of rush pith. For thirst, add half a smoked plum or kudzu powder.

For cough, add mulberry root bark: take the root bark of a mulberry tree whose branches grow eastward, remove the coarse outer bark, chop it, and dry-fry it with honey. Once dry, add honey and fry it again. For lung injury, add northern schisandra berries or a leaf from a mulberry tree whose branches grow eastward. For vexing heat in the five centers—the palms, soles, and area over the heart—and dark yellow urine, add plantain herb, cogongrass rhizome, and sugarcane, or add rush pith.

For persistent menstrual bleeding, add palm ash burned until only the medicinal properties remain—that is, a palm preparation burned to ash while retaining its medicinal potency. For diarrhea, add a pinch of dry-fried glutinous rice or add nutmeg. To hasten childbirth, use three stems of ramie root. For persistent abnormal menstrual bleeding, use Gelatin and Mugwort Decoction. For irregular menstruation, add northern mugwort leaves, soak and wash them, dry-fry them, and then process them with vinegar.

The Authentic Ji Yin Elixir is used to treat various women’s ailments before and after childbirth.

Take eight liang of purified xiangfuzi and divide it into four portions, each weighing two liang. Chop one portion into small pieces; soak one in good vinegar; soak one in ash-free wine, meaning wine with no lime added; and soak one in salt water. Then soak them for a full day and night in the urine of a child aged two or three, and rinse them clean under a long-running stream of water. If child’s urine is unavailable, soak them instead in ginger juice or a decoction of mugwort. Fry all the xiangfuzi together until dry.

Next, take wuuyao, danggui, zelan, chishao, baicaoshuang, chenpi, chuanxiong, wulingzhi, and prepared cangzhu, half a liang of each. Together with the xiangfuzi, these make eleven ingredients. Grind them into a fine powder, then use vinegar-cooked flour paste to form pills. Take thirty pills at a time, swallowing them with a suitable decoction according to the condition being treated.

If the patient is not pregnant, add sanleng, ezhu, and baizhi, one liang of each, and guizhi, half a liang. Grind them together into powder, form pills with vinegar paste, and take them. For use after childbirth, add baicaoshuang, or add yimucao as well. Soak the yimucao in honey, fry it dry, grind it into powder, and mix it with the preceding medicines for use.

End of Emergency Immortal Remedies, Volume Four.

Editorial notes: 1. The original has “bo”; this was changed to “bo” based on the meaning. 2. “Add” is probably a mistaken form of “good.”

Emergency Immortal Remedies, Volume Five

Treatise on Aiding Yin

Verses on Forty-One Gynecological Conditions and Their Remedies

Regulating Menstruation

A woman’s menstruation changes in seven-year stages. By the age of forty-nine, it usually ceases. The causes of menstrual irregularity are not easy to identify: it may be neither a cold condition nor a heat condition, and headaches may also occur. Menstruation should be regulated step by step, with care not to treat it improperly.

Stomach-Regulating Decoction

One liang of banxia, four qian of chuanxiong, four qian of xuanfuhua, three qian of chenpi, one qian of dingxiang, and half a qian of baifuling.

Decoct these medicines with ginger and take on an empty stomach.

Stomach-Calming Decoction

Renshen, caoguo, baizhu, sharen, baifuling, and red date flesh. First simmer the red date flesh, then roast it dry.

Grind these medicines into powder and mix with plain boiled water to take on an empty stomach.

Abdominal Pain with Bleeding During Pregnancy

Bleeding during pregnancy must not be taken lightly. If the fetus withers and dies as a result, regret afterward will be too late.

Ingredients for the Stomach-Calming Decoction: caoguo, baizhu, sharen, baifuling, and red date flesh. First simmer the red date flesh, then roast it dry.

Grind these medicines into powder and mix with plain boiled water to take on an empty stomach.

Some women bleed during pregnancy but do not seek treatment in time. By the time the fetus dies, it is too late for regret. For this reason, medical formularies include a prescription called Suozhu Decoction, for use when a pregnant woman faces this kind of emergency.

When a woman is two or three months, or five or seven months, pregnant, she may sometimes pass blood clots. This is called “fetal leakage,” and it is often difficult to preserve the fetus.

Suozhu Decoction

One liang of su sha ren and half a liang of yi zhi ren. Grind into a fine powder. Take three qian each time on an empty stomach, washed down with plain boiled water.

Pregnancy-Calming Drink

One liang of xiang fu zi, with the hairs removed and the herb stir-fried. Grind into a fine powder and take with plain boiled water.

Pain in the Hands and Feet

Persistent aching in the joints of the limbs is caused by overexertion and damage to one’s spirit and vital strength. An adjusted version of Mei Jian Powder may be taken with warm wine to help open the channels and ease the pain.

Pain in a woman’s limbs may sometimes occur because Wind pathogen entered the body after childbirth or from excessive labor.

Mei Jian Powder

Half a liang each of dang gui, northern chai hu, and huang qi; one liang each of bie jia, tian xian teng, and gan cao. Grind into a fine powder and take mixed with warm wine.

Huoluo Pills

Half a liang each of chuan wu and cao wu; one liang each of chi xiao dou and di long; and one head of garlic, roasted until cooked through. Grind into a fine powder, mix with wine to form pills, and take with warm wine.

Pain in the Lower Back and Legs

If Dampness invades during menstruation, menstrual blood may fail to flow freely, leading to pain in the feet and lower back. Huoluo Pills may be used.

Huoluo Pills

Half a liang each of chuan wu and cao wu; one liang each of chi xiao dou and di long; and one head of garlic, roasted until cooked through. Grind into a fine powder, mix with wine to form pills, and take with warm wine.

Pain in a woman’s feet and lower back is often caused by stagnation of Qi and Blood. If Dampness invades during menstruation, it may obstruct the flow of menstrual blood and affect the channels in the lower limbs, leading to illness. In severe cases, the woman may be unable to turn over, groan day and night, and even develop a fever.

Liujing Powder

Three qian each of dang gui, rou gui, chuan xiong, wei ling xian, and hei qian niu; half a qian each of wu dou, wu yao, and di huang; four qian of jing shao yao; and two qian of mu dan pi. Roughly chop the ingredients and decoct them in equal parts wine and water. Take the decoction.

Headache

Taiyang-channel headaches are often associated with blood deficiency and pathogenic wind. The pain gradually worsens and may extend to both eyes. First regulate and nourish the Yang channels, then treat the condition with wind-expelling medicines. Medicines that disperse wind are especially effective.

One-Character Powder

Arisaema tuber (a phlegm-resolving medicine), three scorpions, Sichuan lovage rhizome, Dahurian angelica root, and Japanese catnip flower spikes, two qian each.

Grind the ingredients into a fine powder and take it mixed with tea.

Dizziness

When the Liver is weak, vision may become blurred or dim. Nausea is caused by pathogenic phlegm. If, after getting up in the morning, phlegm and Qi rise and disturb the head, causing spinning dizziness, this indicates that the internal organs have been invaded by cold.

When a woman has blurred vision and dizziness, difficulty standing or moving, and nausea, the dizziness is due to Liver deficiency combined with phlegm-fluid retention (water and phlegm that have accumulated in the body). The treatment should nourish the Liver, expel wind, and transform phlegm.

Loujin Pills

Fennel and cyperus rhizome, half a qian each; one aconite root; fermented Pinellia, one liang; poria and asarum, half a liang each.

Combine the ingredients with wine and flour paste to make pills. Take twenty pills after meals with wine, and use Sanwuqi Powder to regulate and nourish.

Frequent Abdominal Pain

Accumulated blood retained for many years at Guanyuan (an acupuncture point below the navel) causes a person to groan day and night and makes sleep difficult. A cure may be possible with green tangerine peel, lindera root, dried ginger, cyperus rhizome, zedoary, and three-edged vinegar.

Women with frequent abdominal pain and insufficiency of Qi and blood above and below may be suffering from blood accumulated over many years.

Powder for Immediate Relief

Green tangerine peel, aged tangerine peel, lindera root, dried ginger, cyperus rhizome, zedoary, and three-edged vinegar.

Boil the ingredients in vinegar, then dry-roast and grind them into a fine powder. Take on an empty stomach with aged tangerine peel decoction.

Pain-Resolving Pills

Dry lacquer and three-edged vinegar, half a liang each; galangal, one liang; three blister beetles, stir-fried.

Boil the ingredients in one sheng of vinegar until dry, then dry-roast and grind them into powder. Make pills with vinegar. Take thirty pills with vinegar decoction, or with ginger decoction.

Another prescription: four liang each of zedoary rhizome, curcuma rhizome, green tangerine peel, malt, and pinellia. Boil these ingredients in six sheng of vinegar, then dry them by heating and grind them into powder. Mix the powder with vinegar to make a paste and form pills. Take twenty pills each time with vinegar broth or ginger broth.

Stabbing pain below the ribs

Pain in both sides below the ribs may arise when Qi movement is obstructed. The pain may sometimes pull downward and extend into the chest. Use lindera root, agarwood, cyperus rhizome, and corydalis, adjusting the Seven Qi Decoction according to the symptoms.

In women, pain on both sides below the ribs and lower abdominal pain that extends to the chest and back are caused by disordered Qi movement.

Modified Seven Qi Decoction

Three qian each of ginseng and cinnamon; two qian each of licorice, corydalis, cyperus rhizome, and agarwood; five qian of lindera root; and four qian of pinellia.

Add ginger and decoct. Take as needed.

Distension and pain in the small intestine

Blood may accumulate in the Sanjiao (the areas through which Qi circulates, in traditional Chinese medicine), filling the abdomen. Sometimes urination is scant and dribbles. The effect of Ten Thousand Spirits Powder is notable. Take it mixed with hot wine, three doses in succession.

In women, lower abdominal pain may be related to blood, heat, or Qi: pathogenic factors accumulate in the Sanjiao and descend to the bladder, making urination scant and dribbling. This may also occur after childbirth or miscarriage, when menstrual blood has not been fully discharged and stagnant blood remains.

Ten Thousand Spirits Powder

Half a liang of cinnamon, one liang of Chinese angelica root, half a liang of curcuma rhizome, three qian of costus root, and six qian of rehmannia.

Grind the ingredients into powder and take it mixed with hot wine. You may also use Minor Center-Fortifying Decoction to regulate and replenish. For scant, dribbling urination, use Eight-Herb Powder for Rectification or the Peach Kernel Decoction from Benshi Fang.

Heat in the palms and soles

When the menstrual period begins, dampness affecting the hands and feet may influence the blood aspect and cause vexing heat in the chest. After regulating the menstrual blood, take white atractylodes and bupleurum, among other herbs, to relieve the vexing heat in the palms and soles.

If a woman’s hands and feet get wet during menstruation, this may stir pathogenic factors in the blood aspect and cause recurring vexing heat in the palms and soles. First take Magnetite Decoction with bupleurum added.

Magnetite Decoction

Two qian each of peony root and rehmannia; three qian each of white atractylodes, licorice, and lycium root bark; and five qian of Northern bupleurum.

Cut the ingredients into pieces, decoct them in water, and take on an empty stomach.

Alternating Chills and Fever

When the balance between Yin and Yang is lost, this may lead to cold damage or to various disorders occurring around pregnancy. Taking a modified Bupleurum Decoction is said to make chills and fever subside quickly, like hot water poured over accumulated snow.

In women, alternating bouts of chills and fever are caused by Yin and Yang contending: when Yin Qi is predominant, one feels cold; when Yang Qi is predominant, one feels hot. If this occurs during pregnancy, one may take a modified Bupleurum Decoction. For women with alternating chills and fever, or with various disorders during pregnancy, there is also a method using Bupleurum Powder.

Bupleurum Powder

Three qian each of northern Bupleurum, Scutellaria, and licorice; three qian each of schizonepeta and cassia twig; and one qian of lycium bark.

Chop the ingredients and decoct them in water. This may be followed by three to five doses of Minor Bupleurum Decoction. A “dose” means one serving of medicine.

Deficiency Heat

Attacks of deficiency heat occur unpredictably by day or night, and the pulses at both wrists are thin and weak. Add cyperus to Rambling Powder and decoct it with bamboo leaves; this is said to calm the person.

In women, bodily heat accompanied by a faint, weak pulse is considered deficiency heat. The source attributes it to excessive blood loss.

Modified Rambling Powder

Add three qian each of lycium bark and licorice, five qian of northern Bupleurum, and three qian each of Scutellaria and Sichuan lovage to Rambling Powder.

Chop the ingredients, decoct them in water, and take on an empty stomach.

Pain in the Center of the Back

The Heart generates blood, while the Spleen nourishes it. If anger causes Qi to surge against the Heart, Qi and blood may clash between the chest and diaphragm, causing pain in the back that corresponds to the front of the chest. The source says this can be treated with Aconite Pill.

Aconite Pill

One Sichuan aconite; one liang of Sichuan pepper, dry-fried; one liang of cassia twig; half a liang of red stone fat, calcined; one prepared aconite; half a liang of langdu; and half a liang of galangal.

Grind the ingredients into a fine powder and form pills with honey. Take ten pills each time on an empty stomach, washed down with warm wine or rice water.

Abdominal distension and fullness may result from weakness of Qi and blood, or from food stagnation that has injured the Spleen and Stomach. Nao Sha Wan may be taken frequently. If the distension and fullness do not subside, there may be another condition, such as an accumulation or mass.

In women, distension and fullness in the chest or abdomen often arise from weakness of Qi and blood, compounded by injury to the Spleen from eating raw or cold foods. They may also result from obstructed menstruation, with blood stagnating in the Spleen. If the Spleen and Stomach are not regulated and the flow of Qi is not made smooth, this may eventually develop into the difficult-to-treat condition called Gu distension.

Nao Sha Wan

Three liang of Nao Sha, ground separately into a fine powder; three qian each of San Leng, Qing Pi, Sichuan pepper, and dry lacquer; two qian of Hou Po.

Grind the ingredients into a fine powder and mix with vinegar to form a paste. Make pills and take thirty at a time with ginger tea.

Swelling and sores of the limbs

Swelling and pain in the limbs can become so severe that they resemble edema. If the physician diagnoses and treats the condition incorrectly, it may become difficult to manage. Take Dang Gui Wan with rice water; the formula text says it can disperse dampness in the channels.

In women, swelling and pain in the limbs may occur when menstrual blood does not flow freely to the limbs, or when dampness invades and obstructs the channels.

Dang Gui Wan

Half a liang of Dang Gui; three qian of cinnamon; two qian of Ting Li; one qian of Ren Shen; three qian of Da Huang; two qian of red peony; half a qian of white Fu Ling; half a qian of Gan Sui.

Make the ingredients into pills the size of a marble, using honey. To take, dissolve a pill in rice water.

Needle-like pain in the flesh

A sensation as if needles were pricking the flesh, sometimes accompanied by frequent vomiting, may be caused by exposure to cold during menstruation. The pain has an underlying cause.

In women, needle-like pain in the muscles, sometimes accompanied by vomiting, is said in the formula text to be mostly related to exposure to cold during menstruation and pain from blood stagnation. First take Jia Qian San, followed by Li Xiao San; Li Xiao San appears earlier in the section “Abdominal Pain.”

Jia Qian San

Three qian each of Mo Yao, Dang Gui, and northern peony; two qian of cinnamon; one fen of musk; three qian each of Sichuan aconite and fennel.

Grind the ingredients into a fine powder and take with wine.

Prolonged menstruation

Menstrual bleeding that continues for too long and dribbles on without stopping is said in the formula text to result from Qi deficiency. Add deer antler and Fu Zi to Nei Bu Wan to replenish the three deficiencies (deficiencies of Qi, blood, Yin and Yang, and so on).

Gui Rong Wan

“Grind the ingredients into a fine powder, form pills with flour paste, and take them with a decoction of donkey-hide gelatin” means that the ingredients should be ground into a fine powder, made into pills with flour paste, and swallowed with a decoction of donkey-hide gelatin.

Pills for Persistent Diarrhea

One liang of Chinese angelica, three qian each of moutan bark and deer antler, one aconite tuber, three qian of rehmannia, and three qian of ginseng.

Grind the ingredients into a fine powder, form pills with flour paste, and take them with a decoction of donkey-hide gelatin.

Diarrhea with Blood

Diarrhea falls into two types: red in the stool usually indicates a heat pattern, while pale stool usually indicates a cold pattern. For abdominal pain accompanied by frequent diarrhea, the Eight-Treasure Decoction may be taken.

According to the explanation here, when a woman has diarrhea, red or pale stool, and abdominal pain, the cause is cold and heat pathogens lodged in the organs. Treatment should first clear the heat pathogen, then regulate the Spleen and Stomach.

Eight-Treasure Decoction

One liang of Chinese angelica, half a liang of rhubarb, and three qian each of bitter orange, red peony root, and costus root.

Simmer the ingredients in water and take the decoction.

Decoction to Regulate the Stomach and Nourish the Middle

Three qian each of ginseng, white atractylodes, dried tangerine peel, round cardamom, and white poria, and one chebula fruit.

Grind the ingredients into a fine powder and take it mixed with rice water.

Wheezing and Cough

Wheezing and coughing are often caused by wind and cold invading the Lungs, resulting in cough, phlegm, and shortness of breath. The text says to take Dragon-Subduing Decoction mixed with a decoction of perilla to calm the fetus and regulate Stomach Qi.

When a woman’s Lungs are affected by cold, she may develop a cough. The condition can gradually affect the Spleen and Stomach, leading to the spitting up of phlegm. If treatment is delayed, blood clots and blood taxation—a debilitating condition caused by blood loss or similar factors—may develop. Impaired menstrual flow may also lead to loss of voice.

Dragon-Subduing Decoction

Seven almonds, five chebula fruits, three qian each of dried tangerine peel and bitter orange, seven pieces of donkey-hide gelatin, two qian of ephedra, and one qian of indigo.

Grind the ingredients into a fine powder and take it mixed with a decoction of perilla. After eating, take the Menstrual-Regulating Powder; the formula appears in the Treatise on the Three Causes, an ancient medical text.

Postpartum Bleeding That Does Not Stop

Why does bleeding continue after childbirth? The explanation here is that the uterus has been injured and invaded by cold. Over time, the body may gradually become emaciated, followed by the development of abnormal vaginal discharge, making it difficult to recover fully.

If a woman continues to bleed after childbirth, or if after a month the blood turns yellow and resembles ash water, the condition may eventually develop into vaginal discharge disease.

Use ten sheets of coarse paper, a large sheet of mulberry-bark paper burned to ash, a handful of Schizonepeta spikes, and half a qian of pinellia. Decoction in water and wine, and take. If accompanied by a cough, use Jinfeicao Powder, decocted with ginger and dates.

Red, Difficult Urination

If the navel feels as though something is tugging at it, and urination is scant and difficult, whether this occurs before or after childbirth, take Sunflower Seed Pills three to five times and apply a hot compress of scallions to the navel. Urination will then become free.

In women, red, painful urination with heat in the abdomen is often associated with insufficient body fluids and substantial blood loss, which may cause scanty or difficult urination.

Sunflower Seed Powder

Akebia stem, half a liang; angelica, three qian; sunflower seeds, two qian; Tetrapanax pith, one liang; and three gardenia fruits. Decoction in water and take. After childbirth, a hot compress of scallions on the navel may help urination become free.

Constipation

Deficiency heat in the Lungs may lead to constipation. This is also associated with Spleen deficiency and depleted body fluids in the internal organs. Take it with mint decoction. After three or four doses, the bowels will naturally move freely and the heat in the body will subside.

The original text suggests that constipation in women may be caused by wind-heat affecting the Lungs and by blood deficiency.

Three-Yellow Powder

Saposhnikovia root, half a liang; bitter orange, half a liang; and rhubarb, two liang. Grind into a fine powder and take with mint decoction.

Empty-Bowel Pills

Take equal amounts of hemp seeds, magnolia bark, bitter orange, rhubarb, apricot kernels, and Sichuan aconite. Grind into a fine powder and form pills with honey. Take one pill at a time with rice water.

Toothache and Swelling

The original text associates toothache and swollen gums with Spleen deficiency; swelling and pain in both cheeks may also involve wind-heat. Rinse frequently with Banquet Powder, then take Liver-Tonifying Decoction, and the symptoms will ease.

The original text attributes toothache and cheek swelling in women to Spleen deficiency, weakened blood, impaired upward and downward movement of Qi, and an invasion of wind-heat. Use the wind-dispelling Banquet Powder as a mouth rinse.

Asarum, an unidentified herb, the skin of aconite, and the skin of Sichuan aconite. Decoction these medicines into a liquid, hold it in the mouth and rinse, then spit it out once the mouth is full.

Liver-Tonifying Decoction

Nutmeg and fresh tangerine peel, half an ounce each; atractylodes, half an ounce; schizonepeta, three qian; inula flower, three qian; galangal and poria, three qian each. Grind the medicines into powder and take it mixed with rice water.

Intestinal Wind

Bleeding after a bowel movement is called “intestinal wind.” The scripture holds that it results from an excess of Qi. Make pills from schizonepeta and Sichuan aconite, and take them with astragalus wine to relieve the condition.

In women, this pattern may sometimes be related to excessive sexual activity. The scripture says it arises when Blood is deficient and Qi is excessive, causing constriction and pain at the anus.

Intestinal-Opening Pill

Sichuan aconite, fresh schizonepeta spikes, and bitter orange, one ounce each. Make the medicines into pills with rice paste and take them with astragalus wine.

Upward Surging of Vomited Blood

When menstruation begins, Blood may instead move upward. The scripture holds that this is caused by illness in the Lung channel and Heat Qi surging upward. Treatment should restore the proper downward flow of menstrual Blood and regulate Lung Qi; safflower powder is effective.

There are three causes of women vomiting Blood. First, when menstruation is obstructed, Blood moves upward instead, damaging Qi. Second, the Thoroughfare Vessel is injured. Third, Heat in the Lung channel causes Heat Qi to surge upward, resulting in the vomiting of Blood.

Spleen-Regulating Powder

Sparganium and zedoary, one ounce each; malt, half an ounce; pepper, two qian; round cardamom, three qian; Sichuan lovage, two qian; fennel, two qian; licorice, green tangerine peel, and aged tangerine peel, three qian each. Grind the medicines into powder and take it mixed with rice water.

Menstruation-Regulating Pill

Chinese angelica, one and a half qian; cinnamon twig, unroasted; green tangerine peel, with the white pith removed; rhubarb, processed; dry lacquer, stir-fried until the smoke is gone; dried ginger, processed; Sichuan aconite, processed; peach kernel, stir-fried and skinned; zedoary, stir-fried; and Sichuan pepper, one qian each. Lightly stir-fry each of the ten ingredients with the Sichuan pepper, then spread them on the ground so they can cool and release their moisture. Grind them into powder. Simmer half the powder with vinegar to make a paste, then add the other half of the powder and egg white to form pills. Dry them in the shade, and take thirty pills with vinegar decoction.

Abdominal Pain During Pregnancy

The pregnancy Qi is excessive, and Dampness is obstructing the three Yin channels of the feet, causing swelling in the feet. Add half an egg white to the medicinal ingredients, mix well, and form pills. Let them dry in the shade, then take them with vinegar decoction, thirty pills per dose.

Abdominal Pain Before Birth

The pregnancy Qi is excessive, and Dampness has stagnated in the three Yin channels, preventing normal transformation and transportation. Treatment should first regulate the body and dispel Dampness, then calm the fetus and treat the swelling in the feet.

If a pregnant woman develops swelling in her feet during the seventh or eighth month, the pregnancy Qi may be flowing into the three Yin channels of the feet. Near the time of delivery, a large amount of menstrual blood flows out, and Qi is depleted along with it. Dampness should be dispelled first, followed by Fenqi Decoction, a formula for regulating Qi and dispelling Dampness.

Fenqi Decoction

Three qian each of aged tangerine peel, licorice, and red poria; five qian each of atractylodes rhizome, quince, and white atractylodes.

Decoct the ingredients with ginger and dates.

Muscle and Channel Spasms

Wind may invade the Liver channel and cause spasms. If the body is extremely weak, the hands and feet may also contract, with the fists clenched and difficult to open. The ingredients in Shenfu Decoction, a warming and tonifying formula based mainly on ginseng and aconite, may be adjusted as appropriate to regulate the flow of Qi and blood through the channels.

When a pregnant woman’s Qi is severely deficient and Wind invades the Liver channel, the sinews and channels may become tense and contracted. The Liver governs the sinews; when affected by Wind, they may twitch and tighten, making it difficult to stretch them out. Treatment should begin by dispelling Wind.

Shenfu Decoction

Two qian each of ginseng, aconite, raw licorice, asarum, white atractylodes, and dried ginger.

Grind the ingredients into powder and take mixed with hot wine.

Yellowing of the Whole Body

The face and body turn yellow, like orange peel, and the channels circulate abnormally. According to this chapter, the condition may result from menstrual blood being disturbed during sexual intercourse; without treatment, the outcome is said to be ominous.

When a woman develops jaundice throughout her body, the chapter calls the condition “irregular menstruation” and attributes it to sexual intercourse being undertaken at a forbidden time.

Cunjin Powder

Five qian of yellow beeswax, five qian of alum, and three qian of aged tangerine peel.

Form the ingredients into pills using the yellow beeswax. Take them with Nourishing Blood Decoction or Menstrual-Regulating Decoction. The chapter notes that this formula appears in the Comprehensive Formula.

Inability to Speak

Sometimes the voice becomes hoarse and fails after coughing; this may also result from catching cold after removing clothing and being exposed to Wind. Take the dried medicinal ingredients with salt decoction and chew them. If the condition is “blood taxation”—exhaustion caused by blood loss or blood deficiency—the illness is as grave as a snapped string.

When a woman is deficient in Qi and wind pathogen has invaded the lungs, causing her to lose her voice, or when coughing suddenly cuts off her voice, she may take Foot Meridian Pills and use ginger that has been salt-roasted and left overnight. Take it the following morning. For long-lasting loss of voice, Aid-the-Cinnamon Decoction is especially suitable.

Aid-the-Cinnamon Decoction

Two liang of high-quality perilla seeds, thirty apricot kernels, three chebula fruits, and two liang of Baiyaojian.

Mix the ingredients with hot wine and take.

Obstruction and Stoppage in the Chest and Diaphragm

When the movement of Qi is out of balance and the upper burner is chilled, the chest and diaphragm may become obstructed and food may stick in the throat, with phlegm and saliva being brought up. Cloves, persimmon calyxes, and loquat leaves can help clear the obstruction and restore comfort.

In women, troubled Qi and a chilled upper burner may lead to persistent obstruction and stoppage in the chest and diaphragm, along with phlegm and saliva. The same condition may also occur in those affected by wind pathogen.

Clove Powder

Cloves, persimmon calyxes, loquat leaves, and aged tangerine peel, in equal amounts.

Grind the ingredients into a fine powder. Chew thoroughly before taking.

Emaciation and a Worn Appearance

When Qi and Blood are insufficient, the muscles are not nourished and cannot grow, causing the body to become thin. Taking Grain-Spirit Pills for two months can make the cheeks rosy, fill out the body, and improve the spirit.

In women, when Qi and Blood are weak and the muscles fail to grow, or when the Blood governed by the Thoroughfare and Conception vessels is depleted, treatment depends on nourishing and regulating Qi and Blood.

Grain-Spirit Pills

One liang each of astragalus root, ginseng, Achyranthes root, and angelica; one aconite; half a liang of rehmannia; three qian each of Eucommia bark, atractylodes, white atractylodes, cinnamon, and goji berries; and five qian of poria.

Mix with wine and flour paste to form pills. Take with ginseng decoction.

Pregnancy for Several Months with Menstruation Continuing as Usual

If a woman has been pregnant for several months without giving birth, eats normally, yet continues to menstruate as usual, she may take Styrax Pills, dissolved in water. The text says this can dispel strange influences it calls “ghost pregnancy” and “guest intrusion,” preventing them from lingering.

When a woman is three or four months pregnant, eats normally, and continues to menstruate as usual, the text attributes this to “ghostly, intrusive strange Qi” lingering in the organs and causing abdominal distension. Styrax Pills are considered suitable. Take them in the morning with well water.

Sores of the Jade Gate

“Jade Gate” refers to the female external genitalia. The original text says that sores there, with pain or itching, result from excessive sexual activity damaging the original Qi. It recommends washing the area two or three times with water boiled with yellow scallions, then burning almonds to ash, mixing the ash with clear oil, and applying it.

The text also says that sores on the female external genitalia may be related to exposure to wind during menstruation or excessive sexual activity. This condition is called “yin erosion.” The prescribed treatment is to wash the area first with scallion water, then apply Almond Powder.

Almond Powder

One liang of almonds, burned to ash and mixed with clear oil. Apply to the affected area.

Body Pain

The original text describes pain on the right side of the body as “rebellious Blood” and pain on the left as constrained Qi. It considers pain on either side potentially related to worry or exposure to wind and cold; the pain often concentrates on one side of the body.

For women, the text associates pain on the right side mostly with Blood and pain on the left mostly with Qi. It also says that exposure to wind-dampness, excessive worry, or sexual activity and fatigue may disrupt Qi and Blood. It recommends Harmonizing Qi Decoction for problems involving Qi and Harmonizing Blood Decoction for problems involving Blood.

Harmonizing Blood Decoction (Formula One)

Fennel, Magnolia Bark, frankincense, cinnamon, licorice, black morning glory seed, rehmannia, and notopterygium, in equal parts. Grind into powder and take with Aucklandia Decoction.

Harmonizing Blood Decoction (Formula Two)

Chinese angelica, asarum, dahurian angelica, myrrh, Chinese eupatorium, licorice, and Celosia vine, in equal parts. Grind into powder and take mixed with hot wine.

Chills and Shivering

The original text attributes trembling and shivering to cold Blood. It says to take Cuckoo Pill mixed with hot wine, using only a small amount.

For women, the text says that shivering commonly arises from exposure to wind and cold and from weakness of Qi and Blood.

Cuckoo Pill

Japanese catnip, moutan bark, cinnamon, and white peony. Grind into powder and take mixed with hot wine.

Acid Reflux

The original text attributes a sour sensation rising in the chest to accumulated cold in the Spleen and Stomach and to phlegm accumulation in the Stomach. Tangerine peel and malt can help disperse accumulation; atractylodes and evodia are used to regulate the condition.

In women, accumulated fluid, phlegm, and dampness between the Spleen and Stomach may cause frequent acid reflux or regurgitation of fluid.

Evodia Pill

One liang each of evodia (washed in salt water) and atractylodes; five qian each of tangerine peel (with the white pith removed), malt, cinnamon, and Shenmian.

Aqueous-treated brierwood medicinal material can dispel stagnation; Atractylodes and Evodia can gradually improve the condition.

Women with accumulated fluid and phlegm disorders between the Spleen and Stomach often feel sour fluid rising in the chest, or vomit clear water.

Evodia Pill

One liang each of Evodia fruit, washed in salt water, and Atractylodes; five qian each of aged tangerine peel with the white pith removed, malt, cinnamon bark, and medicated leaven.

Boil the ingredients into a paste with water and form pills. Take with rice water.

Deafness

If a woman suddenly loses her hearing around the thirtieth day after childbirth, this is attributed to reckless bleeding and exposure to Wind. When taking the Morinda Pill, add prepared aconite and a small amount of borneol and musk to strengthen its effect.

A woman whose condition arises from a pathogenic influence of Wind and deficiency attacking upward can take the Morinda Pill with prepared aconite, washed down with warm wine, and then take Astragalus Decoction. The Morinda Pill prescription is found in the Bureau Formulary of the Taiping Era.

Numbness Throughout the Body

When the body is weak and affected by pathogenic Dampness, it may become numb all over, with no awareness of itching or pain, and vision may grow dim. This is attributed to Qi and Blood being briefly affected by Wind toxin. The Five-Tonic Pill, taken with Wind-dispelling medicine, is highly effective.

When a woman is numb throughout her body, the condition is called “insensibility”—numbness and dulled sensation—and is often caused by Blood deficiency and Wind-Dampness affecting the Blood level.

Five-Tonic Pill

One liang of astragalus, five qian of ginseng, one aconite, three qian of Chinese angelica, and five qian of white peony.

Refine the ingredients with honey to make pills, and take them with Wind-Dispelling Powder.

Wind-Dispelling Powder

Three qian each of raw Sichuan aconite, Atractylodes, Dahurian angelica, and licorice.

Mix the ingredients with warm wine, then swallow the Five-Tonic Pill.

Qin-Gui Pill (supplement added in another edition; see the Effective Prescriptions)

This prescription treats infertility in women. In the past, Fan Luo of Jinzhou once asked someone to provide it for women to try.

Three qian each of Atractylodes, Dahurian angelica, and licorice.

Mix the ingredients with warm wine, then swallow the Five-Tonic Pill.

This formula is used to treat infertility in women. It is said that Fan Luo of Jinzhou once asked for it and declared that women should take it for forty-nine days; if they still could not conceive, he was willing to have his whole family punished to prove the formula’s efficacy. Though his words were boastful, the formula was reportedly remarkably effective. The author’s wife had remained childless at the age of twenty-seven, but became pregnant after taking the medicine for twenty days. The remaining medicine was given to the wife of the magistrate of Shimen County. She was thirty-four and had been without menstruation and unable to bear children for sixteen years; after taking it, she too conceived. The leftover medicine was later given to the wife of Wen Ji, an attendant to the Crown Prince. She was forty and had no children; after taking it, she also became pregnant. The author calls its efficacy miraculous, beyond recounting in full, and says it is an immortal formula.

The formula contains fourteen ingredients: three fen each of Qin Jiao, Gui Xin, Du Zhong, Fang Feng, and Hou Po; one liang and five qian of raw Fu Zi; two liang and five qian of Fu Ling; five qian each of Bai Wei, Gan Jiang, Sha Shen, Niu Xi, and Ban Xia; one liang of Ren Shen; and one liang and one fen of Xi Xin. Grind all the ingredients together while raw into a fine powder, then use refined honey to make pills the size of mung beans. Take thirty pills at a time on an empty stomach, washed down with rice water. If they have no effect, the dose may be increased gradually by a few pills. Once pregnancy is suspected, stop taking them.

This concludes volume five of Emergency Immortal Remedies. Volume six follows, titled Formulas for Treating Injuries and Rejoining What Has Been Broken, a collection of prescriptions for treating injuries and reconnecting sinews and bones. It is accompanied by the “Preface to the Secret Formula for Treating Injuries, Imparted by an Immortal.”

This prescription for treating injuries from falls and blows is said to date from the Huichang era of Emperor Wuzong of the Tang dynasty. At that time, a wandering monk who practiced spiritual cultivation set up a thatched hut in Zhong Village, Yichun, and lived there. His face looked ancient, and he seemed to be a hundred and forty or fifty years old. He bought several acres of land, cleared the wilderness, and grew millet to support himself.

An old villager named Peng often visited him at the hut, and the two became close. At times, Peng even helped him work the fields. One day, Peng’s son climbed a tree to cut branches, but accidentally fell to the ground, breaking his neck and injuring his arm. He groaned incessantly from the pain. Peng told the Daoist what had happened. The Daoist went to examine the young man, had someone buy several kinds of medicine, and prepared a remedy himself for the injured man to take. Before long, the pain eased, and within a few days he had recovered.

Only then did people learn that the Daoist could treat illnesses, and more and more people came seeking his help. The Daoist found it difficult to keep up, so he gave the prescription to Peng and told him to prepare the medicine according to its instructions, treating injuries for those in need. He warned Peng not to exploit the remedy for profit, not to sell the medicine carelessly, and not to pass the prescription on to unsuitable people. From then on, those who treated injuries from falls and blows took the Peng family as their model. When Peng first met the Daoist, the Daoist already looked to be over thirty. Now Peng was old, yet the Daoist’s appearance had not changed at all. Asked his name, he said he was called the Daoist Lan. Asked where he came from, he said he was from Chang’an.

At first, the Daoist kept his door shut and had no dealings with the outside world; few people came to visit. Only Master Deng would visit each spring when the days were mild and clear, and each autumn when the air turned cool. He brought his children and always brought wine. The Daoist hung a coconut-shell ladle on the wall. When Master Deng arrived, he would take it down and pour the wine. Peng sometimes happened to be there too, and would join them. The two men talked and laughed all day, then, once drunk, sang loudly. The lyrics went:

“Learning to govern the world, learning to govern the world—

even mastered, there is nowhere to put it to use.

Life in the mountains, life in the mountains—

here is fertile ground to till and sow.

A ladle carved from knotted wood

holds wine for us to share.

Drunk and fallen in the thatched hut,

who will come to wake us?

Then, from beneath the pines, two cranes cry out together.

We rise to find the sun already high,

its light streaming through the trees.”

Peng was a simple man and did not understand the song’s meaning; he only learned its tune. Whenever he returned home, he sang it to others, but they could not understand it either. After a long while, Master Deng stopped coming, and Peng asked the Daoist why. The Daoist replied, “He has become an immortal and departed.” Peng never understood what he meant.

Later, the Jiangxi Circuit Intendant came on an inspection tour to Yuanzhou. He heard Peng singing the song and thought its lyrics unusual, so he pressed him to explain their origin. In this way, he learned the Daoist’s name and where he lived. He then sent someone to accompany Peng to the thatched hut and invite the Daoist. When they arrived, the Daoist had already left; only the wine ladle remained. The Intendant deeply regretted this. Since Peng had passed down the Daoist’s prescription for treating injuries from falls and blows, he renamed the local village “Gong.” The Daoist had written several works, but the volume he gave Peng was only the last one.

The prescribed sequence for treating bone injuries is as follows: first, boil water and wash the injured area; then examine it and assess the injury. Next, traction is applied to the limb. If necessary, force is used to put the bone back in place, after which it is aligned properly. Black Dragon Powder, an external medicine, is then spread over the injury, and Wind-Flow Powder, a medicine used to pack wounds, is placed inside the wound. The area is then secured with splints, and medicine is taken. After washing the area again, Black Dragon Powder is applied once more. If needed, Wind-Flow Powder is used again to pack the wound; the area is then secured again, and the same medicine as before is continued.

If the skull is shattered, the bone should be pressed gently by hand to restore its smooth shape. If the skin is unbroken, apply Black Dragon Powder. If the skin is broken, pack the wound with Wind-Flow Powder, then bandage and secure it. Another account calls for wrapping the area in silk to keep wind from the wound and prevent it from getting wet, out of concern that this might cause tetanus. If hair covers the injury, it should be cut away before applying the medicine. The scripture holds that injuries to the crown or skull can still be treated, but regards the temple as a vital spot where rescue is impossible.

If the scapula is dislocated, first examine the injury and find a way to steady the body, padding it with soft clothing or bedding. One person holds the body in place while two others pull the injured limb. They draw the wrist downward, then bend it and secure it with a silk wrap.

The “Golden Well Bone” mentioned in the scripture is located below the ribs. An injury there should not be secured with splints. Instead, the bone should simply be pressed flat and set properly, then treated with Black Dragon Powder and wrapped in silk. Injuries to the ribs on either side are treated in the same way.

If the hip bone has come out at the buttock, two or three people can hold the body steady and pull the leg, then push the bone back into place with a foot. If the hip bone has come out at the groin, the scripture holds that it cannot be set.

When a hand bone is dislocated, first determine which way it has shifted. If it has moved to the left, pull it back from the right; if it has moved to the right, pull it back from the left.

The bones in the hands and feet each have two shafts. If one shaft is broken, it can still be treated; if both are broken, it cannot be treated. Injuries to the hands or feet that are especially severe also cannot be treated.

For more serious injuries, the general approach is to pull and press the bone back into place. Sometimes the bone must first be drawn out, then pressed back into position. Once it is reset, apply, pack, and spread medicine, then secure it with splints. When pulling the bone back into place, align it with the bone that was originally injured; do not mistake it for a neighboring joint.

Before pulling the bone back into place, determine which way it has shifted, then decide whether to pull straight or at an angle.

To identify the injured area, feel whether the bone is smooth and even; this should give a general indication of the injury.

For injuries on the left or right side, carefully examine the direction in which the bone has shifted, then decide whether to pull straight or at an angle. Feel along the bone seams, carefully pinching and pressing to assess the injury. When resetting the bone, return it to its original position and press the surrounding flesh together so it fits against the bone.

One, two, or three people may perform the pull and reset, depending on how difficult it is.

If the skin is torn and the bone protrudes, and pulling does not bring it back into place, press the parts together. If the bone still falls short by one or two fen, make a small cut with a sharp knife to allow it to be reset. There is no need to cut away the flesh; the original text says that it will rot and break away on its own. After the bone is reset, apply Heilong Powder, an external medicine, to the swollen area around the wound, leaving the wound itself uncovered. Then pack the wound with Fengliu Powder, a medicine for filling wounds. The knife must be sharp; a gouging knife or carving knife will do.

When pressing the bone back into place, turn the injured area from time to time to keep it flexible.

If a bone is crushed or broken, check whether the area where it should sit is even. In general, if the bone lies low, the bone itself may be undamaged. Examine it from both the left and right sides to determine where the injury is. Pull and press the bone into alignment, then apply medicine and secure it with a splint until it sits evenly.

Swelling is caused by stagnant blood. First soak and wash the area with hot medicinal water, then apply Heilong Powder.

When the injury is severe, first soak and wash it with medicinal water, then apply the medicine. For a minor injury, soaking and washing are unnecessary; apply the medicine directly.

If the swelling is caused by blood stasis, soak and wash the area with hot medicinal water, then apply a dressing of Black Dragon Powder, a medicine for external injuries.

When removing the splints and bandages, do so every two or three days in summer and every three to five days in winter. After removing them, soak and wash the bandaged area with hot medicinal water to remove the old medicine. Take care not to disturb the injured part while washing. When it is clean, apply Black Dragon Powder, then splint and bind the area again. This method is for more serious injuries.

If the skin is broken, pack the wound with Fengliu Powder, a medicinal powder for external use, then apply the medicine. If the skin is unbroken, apply Black Dragon Powder and secure the area with cedar boards.

When traction or pressure is needed to set the injury, first place a soft material such as silk over the area.

If fragments of bone are enclosed by flesh, apply only Black Dragon Powder. The flesh will then break down on its own, allowing the bone fragments to come out; the wound can heal afterward.

For a broken bone, or a torn tendon with an open wound, first pack the wound with Fengliu Powder. Sew the skin together with a needle and thread, then apply Black Dragon Powder around the injury.

Several strips of cedar bark can be placed around the injury and secured tightly as splints, leaving gaps between the strips. Bind the splints in three passes and tie them firmly. For a fracture in a straight part of the body where the skin is unbroken, apply the medicine and secure the area with closely fitted splints. Do not splint curved areas or places such as the hollow of the foot, as this may prevent them from extending later. Apply only Black Dragon Powder and wrap the area in cloth so it can bend and move.

For some areas, such as a broken finger bone, bind with ramie alone. For the leg, use ramie cord to bind it; the cord should be thin, about the thickness of thread.

To apply the medicine, take a piece of wood and cover it with skin paper or oiled paper. Mix Black Dragon Powder evenly with water and spread it across the paper. Roll up the paper, then place it over the injured area.

When using fir bark, soak it until soft, cut it into broad strips about a finger’s width, and lay them loosely around the injured area. Then wrap it tightly with a small cord, making three turns. Every three days, wash the injury as described earlier and replace the dressing with a fresh medicated patch.

If the injured area is bent, as with the wrist, the hollow of the ankle, or a finger, soak, lay, and bind the fir bark as described above. After applying the medicine, wrap the area in silk cloth and keep moving it regularly. Practice extending bent joints, and once they are straight, practice bending them as well. The joint must be moved often, alternating between bending and extending.

In the early stages of an injury, the area may sometimes be numb and painless. In that case, traction and pressure should be applied to set the bone. Even if the skin is cut with a knife, no pain may be felt; pain usually begins only after two or three days.

An injury can still be treated within a month. If too much time passes, it becomes difficult to manage.

After an injury, do not take herbal medicines, or the bone may grow back out of its proper shape.

If blood has stagnated in the stomach and intestines after a fall, take a medicine to disperse blood stasis, such as Siwu Tang (Four-Substance Decoction), a traditional formula made from four herbs.

If urination or bowel movements become blocked after an injury, do not take injury medicine right away, since such medicines are usually mixed with wine and tend to be warming in nature. First take Siwu Tang, then, as appropriate, take Dacheng Tang with added Mutong. If urination and bowel movements are still blocked, add Puxiao. Take the injury medicine only after they have returned to normal.

For a serious injury, first take medicine to regulate the movement of Qi, such as Yunqi San, a formula for regulating Qi, before taking injury medicine.

If the whole body aches for no apparent reason, this is considered wind damage, an ancient medical term for injuries caused by a type of pathogenic wind. Take medicine for wind damage, such as Paifeng Tang, a formula for wind-related disorders.

While taking injury medicine, avoid cold-natured foods, especially fish, meat, and beef. If beef is eaten, the pain may be difficult to treat.

Injury medicines are usually warming in nature. They are said to promote the generation of blood and Qi and are used to set bones.

Any kind of wine may be used when taking the medicine: red wine, ash-free wine (wine not treated with lime), or raw wine (wine that has not fully fermented).

The medicines should be prepared in the third or fourth lunar month, and not in large quantities at one time, especially in the fifth month. Store the medicinal powder first, then make it into pills as needed.

Place the prepared pills and powder in jars, keep them in a cabinet, and warm them over a fire.

Injuries treated with fire, such as cauterization, are difficult to heal, and medicines will have no effect.

Among the various medicines, the Small Red Pill and the Great Blood-Activating Elixir are the most precious because they contain frankincense and myrrh. Liquidambar resin can replace one-third of the frankincense. Dragon’s blood is hard to obtain, but the Great Blood-Activating Elixir can be prepared without it; it is better to include it if available.

Frankincense and myrrh must never be left out of a prescription. If myrrh is unavailable, it can be replaced with southern dalbergia. Liquidambar resin can replace one-third of the frankincense. If dragon’s blood is unavailable, southern dalbergia can also be used in its place.

Some medicinal materials are locally produced, while others come from elsewhere. For example, local angelica differs from Sichuan angelica: local angelica can be used to make pills, but powder must be made with medicinal materials from elsewhere.

For people with severe injuries, first prepare the following decoction and wash the affected area with it, then apply the medicine.

Cut fresh scallions into sections. Another version says to chop fresh ginger and schizonepeta, and add local angelica.

Decoct these three ingredients and pour the warm liquid over the affected area.

Black Dragon Powder is applied externally to treat injuries from falls and blows, broken bones and tendons, or dislocated joints. First, boil scallions in water, or prepare a medicinal decoction, and wash the injured area with it. Then apply traction and gentle pressure to align the bones. Next, take fresh ginger juice or raw Rehmannia juice, dilute the powder with water, and spread it thinly on boiled cloth or paper. Apply the dressing to fit the size of the injured area.

Then secure the area with wooden splints. Each splint should be about a finger’s width; arrange them at intervals around the injury, wrap them with a small cord three times, and tie it firmly. Every three days, wash the area as before, change the dressing, and rewrap it. Do not remove the splints. Protect the injured area carefully and keep it from moving. Once the bones have firmly knitted, the splints may be removed, and normal activity can gradually resume.

For wounds from knives or arrows, or bites from insects or animals that become ulcerated and are slow to heal, as well as swelling and pain after a fall or collision, the powder may also be mixed with diluted ginger juice and applied. If the wound is open, leave its opening exposed and pack it with Wind-Flow Powder.

Ingredients: six liang of chuan shan jia (pangolin scales), stir-fried until yellow or burned until the material remains but has not turned to ash; six liang of clove bark; half a liang of loquat-leaf root, with the hairs removed (some accounts give mountain loquat root instead); two liang of tu dang gui; and half a liang of pot-bottom soot, used to disperse stagnant blood.

Dry the ingredients by roasting and grind them into a fine powder. Mix with ginger juice diluted with water and apply; Rehmannia juice may also be extracted and used for mixing.

Great Blood-Activating Elixir is used to treat injuries from falls and blows and fractures. The ingredients listed in its formula include half a liang of loquat-leaf root, with the hairs removed (some accounts give mountain loquat root instead); two liang of tu dang gui; and half a liang of pot-bottom soot, used to disperse stagnant blood.

Dry the ingredients by roasting and grind them into a fine powder. Mix with ginger juice diluted with water and apply; Rehmannia juice may also be extracted and used for mixing.

Da Huoxue Dan is used to treat injuries from falls and blows, fractures, and tendon injuries. It is also used for pain and swelling, blood stasis in the abdomen that spreads into the limbs, and agitation and unease. It is said to be suitable as well for sores and abscesses on the back, rotting muscles and tendons, and paralysis of one side of the body or numbness in the hands and feet caused by various wind disorders. The listed uses also include disorders in women attributed to an imbalance of the blood, postpartum blood stasis that does not discharge and spreads into the limbs, swelling of the head and face, pain involving Qi and blood, numbness throughout the body, impeded circulation through the channels, episodes of wind-taxation, and aching joints.

Take half a pill each time. Grind the pill into a little ash-free wine—wine brewed without lime or similar additives—then bring it briefly to a boil three to five times. Drink it warm. It may be taken at any time, and no total number of doses is specified. The pills can be stored in a gauze bag hung in a clean place; they keep well for a long time and can be kept on hand for emergencies. Pregnant women must not take them. For an injury to the upper body, take the medicine after eating; for an injury to the lower body, take it on an empty stomach. In severe cases, this timing need not be followed; the same applies in other circumstances.

The ingredients are: one jin of tiannanxing, soaked overnight in ginger juice and then baked dry; one jin of peony root, either red or white; one jin of gusuibu, baked dry, preferably gathered from rocks; one jin of black beans, boiled in wine and then baked dry; one jin of six large chestnuts, using old chestnuts with the shells removed and baking them dry; one jin of Sichuan aconite, processed; half a jin of natural copper, calcined over a fire and quenched in sour vinegar to preserve its medicinal properties; six liang of dragon’s blood resin, ground separately into a fine powder; ten liang of xixin, with the stems and leaves removed; one jin of baizhi; half a jin of mubie, shelled, finely sliced, and stir-fried until lightly yellow, then measured out; one jin of Sichuan achyranthes root, with the root crown removed, soaked in wine, and baked dry; four liang of myrrh, ground separately into a fine powder, or, if unavailable, replaced with powdered jiangzhenxiang; half a jin of frankincense, ground separately, or, if unavailable, replaced with three times that amount of liquidambar resin; and ten jin of green mulberry charcoal. To make the charcoal, take green mulberry wood about as thick as an arm, remove the bark and leaves, calcine it over charcoal until red and smoking, then quench it in sour vinegar.

Grind the six ingredients—mulberry, chestnut, bean, bu, star, and medicinal herb—into powder, then grind them finely together with the other ingredients. Cook glutinous rice with rice vinegar until it forms a paste, then mix in the medicinal powder. Pound the mixture a thousand times each day. Everyone must then work quickly to roll it into pills; even a slight delay will cause the mass to fall apart. Leave it to dry in a cool place for half a month, then heat it over a fire or leave it in the sun for a day. The large pills should weigh six qian while still moist, and the medium pills three qian. Once the pills are dry, apply a little lacquer to your hands and roll two or three pills between them until their surfaces are coated with a layer of lacquer.

When preparing the medicine, take half a pill at a time. While mixing the ingredients, do not let “four-eyed” people see you. It is also forbidden for chickens, dogs, or women to see the process; otherwise, the pills will fall apart. “Four-eyed” is an expression used as a taboo in the original text; its specific meaning is not explained.

The Little Red Pills are used to treat injuries such as sprains and fractures, including broken skin, exposed bone, crushed or severed hands and feet, rotting sinews and flesh, and severe pain—even cases where the patient cries out day and night and every treatment has failed. They are also used for longstanding injuries to the hands and feet, when displaced bones and sinews prevent movement, and for injuries followed by exposure to wind and dampness and stiffened joints, eventually leaving one side of the body difficult to move. They may also be used for strain and damage to the sinews and bones, pain in the shoulders and back, and fatigue and weakness in the limbs. Regular use is said to strengthen the sinews and bones, regulate the channels, and replenish Qi and blood.

Take thirty pills at a time, swallowing them with wine decocted with fresh ginger or with salted broth. They may be taken at any time. Pregnant women should not take them.

Six liang of local angelica, six liang of Sichuan aconite, six liang of poplar bark, prepared by simmering, four liang of cinnamon bark, two liang of unheated zedoary, two liang of cloves, roasted, two liang of dried ginger, roasted, one liang of Sichuan lovage root, roasted, four liang of Chinese wild ginger, roasted, three qian of myrrh, ground separately, three and a half liang of aconite, simmered and peeled, three qian of frankincense, ground separately, six liang of white peony root, and six liang of boneset, roasted. First prepare the boneset with ginger, then roast it dry and use six liang.

Of these ingredients, the four—boneset, the medicinal herb, angelica, and poplar bark—must be locally produced. Grind the remaining eight ingredients into a fine powder. Prepare the frankincense and myrrh separately, then mix them with the powder. Add vinegar to make a paste and form pills the size of mung beans. Coat each pill with a layer of cinnabar. Take thirty pills at a time with warm wine. For external application, the paste may be prepared with wine simmered with fresh ginger juice, or mixed with salt water. It may be taken or applied at any time.

The Great Red Pill is used to treat injuries from falls and blows, fractures, severed sinews, pain and numbness, and coldness in the limbs. It is suitable for all kinds of injuries and pain, whether the injury is internal or external, blood stasis has accumulated, there is external swelling or internal pain, or the joints and limbs are painful and weak. It is recommended regardless of how long the condition has lasted. Regular use is said to repair injuries, strengthen the bones and sinews, nourish the blood, and increase strength, with benefits too numerous to describe. Take thirty pills at a time with warm wine or vinegar water, at any time. Pregnant women must not take it.

One jin of tuber of Arisaema, one jin of peony root, roasted, ten liang of local angelica, roasted, and ten liang of Chinese teasel root, roasted after soaking in wine.

One catty of Tian Nanxing, one catty of peony root that has been dry-roasted, ten liang of Tu Danggui, ten liang of Achyranthes root that has been dry-roasted, eight liang of Asarum that has been soaked in wine and then dry-roasted, with the stems and leaves removed, two catties of adzuki beans that have been dry-roasted, one catty of Chi Lian that has been dry-roasted (the original text identifies this as He Shou Wu), one catty and seven liang of Sichuan aconite that has been dry-roasted, and five catties of green mulberry bark, calcined and then quenched in vinegar (this ingredient may be omitted). First process and dry-roast all the herbs as specified, then weigh them. Separately, take four liang of natural copper and calcine it while preserving its medicinal properties; take one catty of Drynaria root, process it with ginger, then dry-roast it.

Grind Chi Lian, Tian Nanxing, peony root, Danggui, Drynaria root, Achyranthes root, and Asarum—the seven ingredients—together with the remaining herbs into a fine powder. Cook flour paste with vinegar, form the powder into pills the size of wutong seeds, then coat the pills with cinnabar. Take thirty pills each time with warm wine, or with vinegar broth. For injuries to the upper body, take them after meals; for injuries to the lower body, take them on an empty stomach. In severe cases, they may be taken at any time, and may also be alternated with the small red pills.

The black pills are used for injuries caused by blows, falls, or falls from donkeys or horses, as well as broken bones, injured sinews, joint pain, stagnant blood, swelling, and toxic accumulations. They are also used for various wind disorders, numbness and pain in the limbs, weakness and loss of strength in the sinews and channels, general fatigue, sluggishness and weakness in the hands and feet, difficulty walking, and women’s various blood-wind disorders and debility. Take twenty to thirty pills each time with wine and scallions that have been roasted in their skins, or with tea. Pregnant women must not take them.

A separate list of ingredients is given: one catty of white peony root, four liang of Bletilla rhizome that has been dry-roasted, six liang of Nanxing that has been dry-roasted, ten liang of peony root that has been dry-roasted, four liang of Tu Danggui that has been dry-roasted, eight liang of Drynaria root that has been dry-roasted, and three liang of Sichuan aconite that has been dry-roasted. Take with wine or tea. Pregnant women must not take it.

White curdle root, one jin, dry-roasted; Bletilla rhizome, four liang, dry-roasted; Arisaema rhizome, six liang, dry-roasted; peony root, ten liang, dry-roasted; local angelica root, four liang, dry-roasted; Drynaria rhizome, eight liang, dry-roasted; Sichuan aconite, three liang, dry-roasted; Achyranthes root, six liang, dry-roasted; soot scraped from the bottom of a pot, ten liang; and adzuki beans, one jin.

The Arisaema rhizome, peony root, angelica root, Drynaria rhizome, Achyranthes root, and adzuki beans should all be locally produced. Scrape the soot from the bottom of a pot. Grind all the ingredients together into a fine powder, mix with vinegar to make a paste, and form pills the size of parasol-tree seeds. Take thirty pills at a time.

Angelica Powder: Used to treat cuts and tears in the flesh caused by falls or blows, severe damage to the sinews and bones, and stagnant blood with persistent swelling. Such injuries may sometimes develop into an abscess, a painful pus-filled lump between the skin and flesh. The remedy is also used for stroke-like symptoms after an injury, weakness or numbness in the hands and feet that prevents movement, looseness or stiffness in the sinews, bones, and joints, and pain in the shoulders, back, and limbs following overexertion. It is said to help the sinews and bones rejoin and heal, with relatively rapid results.

Lycopus, Sichuan angelica root, Achyranthes root, and teasel root, ten liang each; peony root, Dahurian angelica root, Sichuan lovage rhizome, and cinnamon bark with the rough outer layer removed, five liang each; Sichuan aconite and Sichuan pepper with the seeds removed, three liang each; platycodon root and licorice root, four liang each; white poplar bark, optional; and asarum, five liang. Choose good-quality ingredients throughout.

Grind the ingredients into an extremely fine powder. Take two qian at a time, mixed with hot wine. It may be taken at any time.

Ruxiang San (Frankincense Powder) is used to treat injuries from falls and blows, including broken skin and flesh, injured sinews and bones, stagnant blood, swelling and ulceration, and severe pain. It is also used for pain in the shoulders, back, and limbs caused by overexertion, as well as numbness and weakness in the hands and feet after an injury, inability to move, and sinews and bones that have become slack or cramped and stiff. The source says this formula can mend sinews and reconnect bones.

After taking it, the formula is said to disperse lumps and resolve blood stasis, relieve pain, and help restore strength. Take two qian per dose, mixed with warm water. It may be taken at any time.

The ingredients are cinnamon bark, dried ginger, Achyranthes root, notopterygium root, Sichuan lovage rhizome, asarum, turmeric, peony root, kusnezoff monkshood, Sichuan aconite, angelica dahurica root, rhizome of the genus Drynaria, Chinese angelica root, atractylodes rhizome, and the seeds of Mu Bie Zi (shelled and dry-fried with bran), along with myrrh, fleeceflower root, red beans, frankincense, and platycodon root. Grind the frankincense and myrrh separately into powder. One version omits Mu Bie Zi and adds Hai Tong Pi. Dry the remaining ingredients by roasting, grind them into powder, then add the frankincense and myrrh powders and mix well. Take mixed in a decoction as described above.

Biejia San (Turtle Shell Powder) is used for the five strains and seven impairments (a general term for overexertion and various forms of deficiency), seasonal cold damage, and symptoms such as alternating chills and fever throughout the body, joint pain, coughing and expectoration, weakness caused by excessive drinking and sexual activity, and fatigue in the limbs. It is also used for mountain miasma malaria (malaria like illness attributed to the damp heat of mountainous regions), various forms of stagnation, distension and fullness in the chest and abdomen, vomiting, diarrhea, and wind disorders.

The listed ingredients are cinnamon bark, Sichuan lovage rhizome, angelica dahurica root, large-leaved gentian root, vinegar-roasted turtle shell roasted three times until reddish purple, and aster root.

Cinnamon bark, Sichuan lovage root, angelica dahurica, gentian root (an herb used to dispel wind and dampness), soft-shelled turtle shell (vinegar-processed three times, then stir-fried until reddish), aster root (washed and baked dry), ephedra (joints left intact), notopterygium root (some versions give “pubescent angelica root” instead), Chinese angelica (tail removed), dried ginger, perilla (not stir-fried over heat), and tangerine peel, four liang each; Tiantai lindera root, lindera root, bupleurum, and schisandra, seven liang each; atractylodes and platycodon, three and a half jin in total, baked dry; half a Sichuan aconite tuber, baked dry.

After baking the herbs dry, grind them into a fine powder. Take two qian per dose. Simmer with one cup of water, three slices of fresh ginger, and one dark plum until about seven-tenths of the liquid remains; drink while hot. For cold damage, add scallion white and simmer together. For overexertion injuries, add salt and take mixed with hot wine.

Small Red Pills

One aconite tuber; fleeceflower root, atractylodes, cnidium seed, trogopterus dung, achyranthes root, red adzuki beans, white resin, and Chinese angelica, one liang each; frankincense, two qian.

Grind the herbs into powder, then boil it with good wine until it forms a paste. Make pills the size of mung beans. Take thirty pills per dose with warm wine.

Small Black Pills

Japanese quince root, bletilla tuber, arisaema, and peony, ten liang each; Chinese angelica, five liang; asarum, three liang; red adzuki beans, one sheng; “hundred herbs” (as in the original).

Boil the herbs with good wine until they form a paste, then make pills the size of mung beans. Take thirty pills per dose with warm wine.

Small Black Pills

Japanese quince root, bletilla tuber, arisaema, and peony, ten liang each; Chinese angelica, five liang; asarum, three liang; red adzuki beans, one sheng; hundred-herb ash (a medicinal material made from the soot of plants and trees), six liang.

Grind the herbs into powder and mix with vinegar to form a paste. Make pills the size of parasol tree seeds. Take thirty pills per dose with warm wine.

Wind-Searching Pills

Used for lower back pain caused by wind pathogens; its effect in treating headaches is the same as that of “Pill 12.”

Fleeceflower root, arisaema, drynaria rhizome, and Sichuan aconite, half a jin each; wild achyranthes root and peony, five liang each; “cloud,” two liang (as in the original); asarum, three liang; Chinese angelica, ten liang; white dittany bark.

Grind the herbs into powder and mix with vinegar to form a paste. Make pills the size of parasol tree seeds. Take thirty pills per dose with warm wine or salted broth, at any time.

Wind-Dispelling Pills

Their effects are the same as those of the Black Pills.

Drynaria rhizome, five liang; Sichuan aconite and Sichuan lovage root, one liang each; kusnezoff monkshood, Sichuan Chinese angelica, achyranthes root, and wood soft-shelled turtle, two liang each; fleeceflower root, four liang; black gold, four liang—that is, hundred-herb ash, though some versions identify it as capital ink (an ink stick).

Grind the medicinal ingredients into a fine powder, then mix with vinegar to form a paste and make pills the size of parasol-tree seeds. Take thirty pills at a time on an empty stomach, swallowing them with salted broth; they may also be taken after meals with an infusion of schizonepeta.

Black Tiger Elixir is used to treat numbness and painful impediment in the hands and feet of men and women.

One jin each of Sichuan aconite and climbing cucumber; ten liang of earthworms; half a sheng of black beans; two liang of trogopterus dung; and two liang of pine soot, stir-fried with vinegar.

Grind the Sichuan aconite, climbing cucumber, earthworms, and black beans into a fine powder. Grind the trogopterus dung with vinegar. Boil flour into a paste and make pills the size of longans. Take one or two pills at a time, chewing them thoroughly and swallowing them with wine; peppermint tea may also be used. Take at any time.

Fo-ti Pills are used to treat injury from pathogenic wind and to relax the sinews and vessels.

Ten jin of fo-ti, steamed together with half a sheng of black beans; ten liang of morning glory seeds, dry-fried; twenty liang each of Achyranthes root and peppermint; two liang of Sichuan aconite; five liang of Aucklandia root; and two jin of Chinese honey locust pods. Burn one jin until its medicinal properties remain, and roast the other jin with honey.

Grind the ingredients into a fine powder, mix with wine to form a paste, and make pills the size of parasol-tree seeds. Take thirty pills at a time with scallion broth or peppermint infusion. Take at any time.

Qi-Regulating Powder: When an injury is severe, take this medicine first to regulate the flow of Qi, then take medicine for the injury.

Half a liang each of fennel, green citrus peel, prepared magnolia bark, angelica dahurica, lindera root, and blanched almonds with their skins and tips removed; one liang each of aged citrus peel, malt, hog fennel root, balloon flower root, atractylodes, and licorice powder.

Grind the ingredients into a fine powder. Take two qian at a time, add one cup of water, and decoct with ginger and dates until about eight-tenths of the liquid remains. Take on an empty stomach.

Four-Substance Decoction is used for severe injuries when there is stagnant blood in the intestines.

Equal parts white peony root, Sichuan angelica, prepared rehmannia, and Sichuan lovage root.

Take three qian at a time, add one and a half cups of water, and decoct until about seven-tenths of the liquid remains. Drink hot on an empty stomach. Another formula uses only angelica and rhubarb.

Seven Qi Decoction: pinellia, five liang; ginseng, cinnamon bark, and honey-fried licorice root, one liang each.

Take three qian per dose. Add one cup of water and three slices of ginger, simmer until about seven-tenths remains, and drink hot before meals.

Five Accumulations Powder: Used for the five strains and seven injuries, and also for headaches and chills caused by injury or exposure to wind-cold. Take two qian per dose, simmer with ginger, add scallion whites, and drink hot after meals.

Atractylodes, 20 liang; platycodon, 20 liang; immature bitter orange, aged tangerine peel, and ephedra (with roots and joints removed), six liang each; peony, angelica dahurica, Sichuan lovage rhizome, Sichuan angelica, licorice root, cinnamon bark, poria, and pinellia (soaked in hot water), three liang each; magnolia bark and dried ginger, four liang each.

Chop all the herbs except immature bitter orange and cinnamon bark. Stir-fry over low heat until their color changes, then spread them out to cool. Add the immature bitter orange and cinnamon bark, and mix well.

Take three qian per dose. Add one cup of water and three slices of ginger, simmer until about half a cup remains, and drink hot.

Great Completion Decoction, also called Great Order the Qi Decoction: Used for people with extremely severe injuries who cannot urinate or pass stool. You may add akebia stem and simmer it with the other ingredients. If the blockage persists, add mirabilite. Only after urination and bowel movements have resumed should medicines for treating the injury be taken. Do not simmer injury medicines in wine, as this may make bowel movements even more obstructed. Adjust the medicines according to the patient’s constitution and strength. Pregnant women and children must not take this decoction.

Rhubarb and immature bitter orange, four liang each; Sichuan mirabilite, licorice root, aged tangerine peel, safflower, Chinese angelica, sappanwood, and akebia stem, two liang each; a small amount of magnolia bark.

Chop the ingredients. Take two qian per dose, add one and a half cups of water, and bring to a boil once. Strain out the dregs and drink warm at any time. This formula is specifically for men with severe injuries.

Chop the medicinal ingredients above. Take two qian per dose, simmer in one and a half cups of water until boiling, then strain out the herbs and drink while warm. Take at any time. This formula is specifically for men who have suffered severe injuries followed by stagnant blood that will not disperse, abdominal distension, and inability to urinate or defecate. The stagnant blood may surge upward into the chest and abdomen, causing chest tightness and agitation and putting life at risk. Take this medicine in an emergency; only after the stagnant blood has been expelled should medicines for treating the injury be taken.

Minor Order the Qi Decoction

Four liang of rhubarb and two qian of mirabilite. First decoct the rhubarb. Once it is cooked, gradually add two liang of immature bitter orange and eight liang of magnolia bark.

This formula has the same effect as the Great Completion Decoction, but is milder and can also be taken by women and children.

Wind-Expelling Decoction, for treating various wind disorders and injuries.

Two liang each of white dittany root bark, largehead atractylodes rhizome, peony, cinnamon bark (with the coarse outer bark removed), Sichuan lovage rhizome, apricot kernels (with the skin and tips removed), Sichuan angelica root (with the rootlets removed), saposhnikovia root, and licorice; three liang each of pubescent angelica root and ephedra (with the roots and joints removed); and three liang of white poria.

Take two qian per dose. Add four slices of fresh ginger to one and a half cups of water and decoct until eight-tenths of the liquid remains. Take at any time. This may be followed by the Life-Sustaining Decoction or Wind-Dispersing Powder.

Bone-Setting Medicine: Take the bones of a burrowing crow, also called an owl, and burn them to ash while preserving their medicinal properties. Take one old copper coin, heat it red-hot, and quench it in vinegar seven times; grind it to powder and mix it in equal parts with the bone ash. Once the fracture has been aligned and secured, take one qian of the medicine mixed with wine. Do not take more than this. For an injury to the lower body, take it on an empty stomach; for an injury to the upper body, take it after a meal. This formula is said to work very well.

Common Bone-Setting Medicine: Take a large aconite tuber, scrape off the outer skin, and grind it to a fine powder. Take half a qian mixed with warm wine. If you feel no effect, take an additional two fen, washed down with medicinal wine.

Another Formula: Grind two liang each of frankincense and myrrh separately. Then take one liang each of dragon’s blood, pyrite, nameless mineral, and yellow velvet bean seed boiled in vinegar, along with two liang of earthworms. Grind them all together into powder and mix with refined honey to form pills the size of longan fruit. Chew one thoroughly and swallow it with hot wine. Then chew fresh scallion to counteract the medicine’s effects.

Zhizhen Powder is used to treat injuries and open wounds from falls or blows, head injuries, and headaches caused by tetanus. Grind one liang each of pyrite, nameless mineral, and yellow horsebean that has been boiled in vinegar, together with two liang of earthworms, into a fine powder. Mix with honey and form pills the size of longan fruit. To take, chew a pill and swallow it with hot wine; then chew raw scallion to counteract the medicine.

Another formula is also called Zhizhen Powder, and is also known as Life-Saving Powder. It is used to treat tetanus, headaches, and opisthotonus—the rigid, backward-arching posture—that develop after injuries or head wounds from falls or blows. Grind equal amounts of prepared Arisaema and Saposhnikovia root, with the reed heads and branching roots removed, into a fine powder. For tetanus, apply the powder to the wound, then take one qian mixed with warm wine. If the jaws are clenched shut, take two qian mixed with a child’s urine, used in traditional formulas as a medicinal vehicle. If the patient is near death but the chest is still faintly warm, take two qian mixed with a child’s urine, three times in succession.

End of volume six of Emergency Immortal Prescriptions. Volume seven begins.

A Discussion of Prescriptions for Treating Bruises and Other Injuries

When an injury is severe, the first step is to take Major Order the Qi Decoction, Minor Order the Qi Decoction, or the Four Substances Decoction, to promote regular bowel movements and urination and expel stagnant blood. Women should instead take Yin Red Decoction to purge. The second step is to take Yellow Powder Medicine, mixed with warm wine. It may be taken at any time: for an injury in the upper body, take it after meals; for an injury in the lower body, take it on an empty stomach; for pain throughout the body, take it before bed. The third step is to take White Powder Medicine, mixed with hot wine, in the same way as Yellow Powder Medicine. Both medicines may also be used for various conditions involving stagnant blood after childbirth. The fourth step is to take Black Pills, the fifth Red Pills, and the sixth Hemp Pills, each with warm wine. Women should take them with moxa-and-vinegar soup; pregnant women must not take them. The seventh step is to take Blood-Activating Elixir, Angelica Powder, and Frankincense Powder. The formulas for Angelica Powder and Frankincense Powder appear earlier in the text. Mix them with wine and take them at any time, following the same instructions as for Yellow and White Powder Medicine. There is also a version of Frankincense Powder called the Mountain Spring formula. In addition to the ingredients in the original formula, it contains six more: one jin of white poplar bark, ten mustard seeds, one jin of Chinese sweetflag, six liang of sandalwood, two liang of agarwood, and one jin of Sichuan lovage rhizome.

The formulas for Major Order the Qi Decoction, Minor Order the Qi Decoction, and the Four Substances Decoction all appear earlier in the text.

Yellow Powder Medicine treats injuries from falls and blows, including torn skin and flesh, severed tendons and muscles, stagnant blood blockage, lumps that form and suppurate, and severe pain. It is also used for injuries caused by overexertion; pain in the shoulders, back, and limbs; stroke-like symptoms following an injury; numbness and weakness in the hands and feet, with difficulty moving; and displaced bones and tendons, spasms, or contracted limbs that cannot be straightened. The original text claims that this formula has remarkable effects in rejoining tendons and setting bones. Taken regularly, it can promote blood circulation, reduce swelling, and restore strength.

Prepared Sichuan aconite (Chuanwu), prepared wild aconite (Caowu), sweetgum resin boiled in vinegar (grind separately into powder), and Chinese angelica (Danggui; remove the root crown, soak in wine overnight, then air-dry in the shade), three jin each; Sichuan pubescent angelica (Chuan Duhuo; remove the root crown), Sichuan lovage (Chuanxiong; soak seven times in hot water), Asarum (Xixin; remove the shoots and wash clean), fragrant white angelica (Xiang Baizhi), mountain cinnamon (Shan Gui; remove the rough bark), white ginger (wrap in flour and dry-fry), yellow ginger (wrap in damp paper and dry-fry), ginseng bark (Wujia Pi; wash and remove the inner core), platycodon (Jiegeng; remove the root crown), psoralea fruit (Buguzhi; remove the hairs and stir-fry), atractylodes (Cangzhu; boil seven times in vinegar), fleeceflower root (He Shouwu; boil seven times with black beans and wine), and Chinese teasel root (Niuxi; soak in wine for seven days, then bake dry), two jin each; anemarrhena and myrrh, half a jin each.

Grind the ingredients above into a fine powder. Take two qian per dose, mixed with salted wine. For illness in the upper body, take it after eating; for illness in the lower body, take it on an empty stomach. For injuries affecting the whole body, take it before going to bed. Pregnant women must not take it.

Baiyao Powder is used to treat injuries from falls and blows: torn or crushed skin and flesh, broken tendons or bones, obstructed stagnant blood, lumps that will not subside, and severe pain when these develop into abscesses (painful, swollen areas of pus beneath the skin). It is also used for stroke-like symptoms after an injury, such as numbness and weakness in the hands and feet, inability to move, and tendons and bones that are slack or contracted and cannot be extended. It is suitable for pain in the shoulders, back, arms, and legs caused by strain or injury. The medicine is especially recommended for rejoining tendons and setting bones, and is said to show results within a short time. It can also be used to treat various blood disorders in women after childbirth.

Platycodon (Jiegeng; remove the shoots), white angelica (Baizhi), and licorice (Gancao; toasted), ten liang each; Sichuan lovage (Chuanxiong; soak seven times in hot water), mountain cinnamon (Shan Gui; remove the rough bark), and Asarum (Xixin; remove the shoots), half a jin each; prepared Sichuan aconite (Chuanwu), teasel root (Xuduan; soak in rice water), Chinese teasel root (Niuxi; remove the shoots and soak in wine overnight), Chinese angelica (Danggui), and cyperus rhizome (Xiangfu; stir-fry), six liang each; Sichuan pepper, five liang (remove the seeds and discard the closed pods); red peony root (Chishao; soak in wine overnight) and Chinese motherwort leaves (Zelan; remove the forked branches), nine liang each; and white poplar bark, twelve liang (soak overnight in rice water).

Grind the medicinal ingredients described above into a fine powder. Take two qian at a time, mixed with wine, using the same method as before. It can be used to treat various illnesses in women caused by disorders of the blood, pathogenic wind, and impeded circulation of Qi and blood.

Black Pills: Used for injuries from falls and blows, broken bones or torn sinews, stagnant blood, and various wind disorders, including weakness of the sinews and vessels, fatigue, hemiplegia, and sluggish, weak hands and feet, as well as other injuries caused by pathogenic wind. They are also used for women’s blood disorders and for swelling of the face and eyes caused by postpartum stagnant blood that has not dispersed and has flowed into the limbs. Pregnant women must not take them.

Adzuki beans, stir-fried Bai Lian, Asarum with the shoots removed, red peony root, fleeceflower root boiled in vinegar, Bletilla warmed in embers, kusnezoff monkshood boiled seven times in vinegar, cinnamon bark with the coarse outer bark removed, Sichuan lovage rhizome, arisaema wrapped in bran and warmed in embers, Chinese angelica soaked in wine overnight, Sichuan teasel root with the shoots removed, soot from burned herbs soaked in wine overnight, drynaria rhizome with the hairs removed and stir-fried, Tian Tai lindera root, and black beans boiled in wine and then baked dry—one and a half liang of each.

Grind the ingredients above into a fine powder. Mix flour with the wine used to boil the black beans to make a paste, then shape the medicinal powder into pills the size of a parasol tree seed. Take fifty pills at a time, swallowed with wine containing scallions warmed in embers, or with tea containing scallions warmed in embers.

Red Pills: Used for injuries from falls and blows, broken bones or torn sinews, pain, numbness, and coldness, as well as internal and external injuries, stagnant blood, external swelling and internal pain, and aching, weakness, and fatigue in the joints and limbs. They may be taken regardless of how long ago the injury occurred. The scripture states that regular use can replenish injuries, strengthen bones and sinews, nourish the blood, and increase strength. Pregnant women must not take them.

Achyranthes root soaked in wine overnight, processed Sichuan aconite, arisaema boiled three times in vinegar, Asarum with the shoots removed and washed clean, fleeceflower root boiled in water, platycodon root with the rootlets removed, cinnamon bark with the coarse outer bark removed, Chinese angelica, Bai Lian, red peony root, myrrh ground separately, drynaria rhizome with the hairs removed, notopterygium root with the rootlets removed, adzuki beans left untreated by fire, and pyrite calcined, quenched in vinegar seven times, and ground separately.

Except for the ingredients that need to be ground into a fine powder, pound and mix the remaining ingredients together. Stir-fry until dry, then grind them into powder. Use dough cooked in wine to form pills. Take fifty pills each time, according to whether the illness is in the upper or lower part of the body.

The “Mazi Pills” are used to treat injuries such as sprains and fractures, including broken skin, exposed bone, crushed or severed hands and feet, rotting flesh, and severe pain. They are also used for misaligned tendons and bones and restricted movement caused by old injuries, as well as joint contractures and paralysis of the limbs after invasion by wind-damp. They may also be used for strain and injury to the tendons and bones, pain in the shoulders and back, weakness in the limbs, and difficulty moving. Regular use is said to strengthen the tendons and bones, open the channels, and nourish Qi and blood. The pills are also used for women’s blood and Qi disorders. Pregnant women must not take them.

The ingredients and processing methods are as follows: Sichuan angelica, Platycodon root, “ming buluo fu,” and Achyranthes root, half a liang each; do not soak the Achyranthes root in wine. Drynaria root, two liang, with the hairs removed; Sichuan lovage rhizome, soot from burned herbs, Sichuan aconite, “zhou,” and alum ash liquor for soaking, one jin each; oil-pressed and shelled Malabar nut, and red peony root, half a jin each; black-tailed dogbane root, with the tail removed; one sheng of black beans, boiled in wine and then baked dry; and Sichuan aconite, not stir-fried over heat, sliced and boiled in vinegar.

Grind all the ingredients into a fine powder and use dough cooked in wine to make pills the size of parasol tree seeds. Take fifty pills each time with warm wine. Women should take them with a decoction of mugwort and vinegar.

Huoxue Dan is used for injuries caused by falls or blows, and for pain and swelling after fractures or torn tendons. It is also used for stagnant blood in the abdomen, and for distress and agitation when blood and Qi flow into the limbs. The original text further says it may be used for paralysis, ulcerated abscesses on the back, various wind disorders, numbness in the hands and feet, and women’s “blood-wind attacks,” a broad term for episodic conditions associated with disorders of the blood.

Take half a pill each time. Dissolve it by grinding it in ash-free wine (wine not treated with lime), then bring it briefly to a boil and drink it warm. There are no restrictions on when or how often to take it. The pills may be kept in a gauze bag and hung in a dry, quiet place for long-term storage and convenient use in an emergency. Pregnant women must not take it.

The ingredients and processing methods listed in the prescription are: two and a half liang of Jingjie; three liang each of Caowu, boiled in wine, and Chuanwu, processed by roasting; and one liang each of Fengxiang, ground separately; Tanxiang, left unheated; Jiangzhenjie; Ruxiang, ground separately; and Moyao, ground separately. The following ingredients are each half a liang: Shangu, with the coarse bark removed; Danggui, soaked in wine for a while; Chuanqianghuo, with the roots removed; Baiji, wrapped in flour, roasted, then sun-dried; Dilong, cleaned of soil; Shexiang, ground; Buguzhi, with the hairs removed, then stir-fried; Chuanniuxi, soaked in wine for a while; Xixin, with the shoots removed; mulberry wood burned to ash; Baizhi, selecting unwormed pieces; Chishaoyao, soaked in wine; Chuanqianniu, stir-fried with lime; Tianli-jian-wudou, yellow beans stir-fried with glutinous rice flour; Chuanxiong, washed three times in hot water; Nanxing, stir-fried with lime until yellow; Ziran Tong, calcined, quenched in wine, and ground separately; and Cangzhu, soaked in rice water and then stir-fried dry. The soaking time for Cangzhu varies by season: five days in spring, three in summer, seven in autumn, and ten in winter. The prescription also includes one and a half qian of Diqing, ground separately; one and a half liang of Wulingzhi, ground together with rush pith; and twenty Mubei seeds, with their oil and outer shells removed.

Grind the medicines listed above into a fine powder. Use wine to cook a flour paste and form it into pills, each about the size of a marble. Place them in a medicine mortar and pound them more than thirty times, then knead them into a mass. Weigh out one liang of the medicine and divide it into three pills. Once all the pills have been made, divide them into three batches: leave one in a cool place to dry in the shade, dry one in the sun for about half an hour, and warm one over heat for about half an hour. Then mix the three batches together so that the properties of the medicines dried in the shade, in the sun, and over heat are brought into balance. When a fine powder rises from the surface of the pills, brush away the loose dust, then coat them with a glossy black lacquer-like layer.

There is another formula, Xianzheng Powder, to use after washing the wound. For a more serious injury, first wash it with the washing medicine. Then combine one portion of the medicine dried in the sun for about half an hour and one portion warmed over heat for about half an hour with a portion dried in the shade, and mix them evenly. When a fine powder rises from the surface, brush away the loose dust and apply the glossy black lacquer-like coating.

There is another formula, Xianzheng Powder, to use after washing the wound. For a severe injury, first wash the wound, then apply the Wulongjiao medicated plaster. Use the same washing medicine as in the previous formula, or refer to the washing medicine in the Shanquan formula.

Mushu, zhaishi, nanye, bai zhi, baiyang bark, fresh scallion, he shou wu, tu dang gui, jing jie, gao ben, and shao yao.

Use any quantity of these ingredients. Simmer them in water and let the decoction cool until warm. Wash the injured area with it, then use silk cloth to absorb the moisture from the wound.

The Wulongjiao medicated plaster is used for injuries from falls and blows, broken tendons and bones, and dislocated joints. Use it as described earlier for Heilong Powder: first wash and wipe the injured area and set it in order; then prepare the medicine, apply it, and secure it with splints and a bandage. The medicine may also be sprinkled directly onto the wound in dry form.

Bai jiang can (silkworms, with silk threads and heads removed) and fried chi xiao dou, six liang each; chuan niu xi (with rootlets removed), six liang; shan gui (with bark removed), jie geng, bai ji (used raw, chopped and dried in the shade), and shan pi pa leaves (used raw, chopped and dried in the shade), one jin each; bai cao shuang, dang gui wei, bu gu zhi (with hairs removed and fried), and bei xi xin (with shoots removed), half a jin each; bai zhi, nan xing (roasted), chi shao yao, he shou wu, bai lian, zhi mu, and cao wu (boiled in ginger juice and then dried in the shade), three liang each.

Grind the medicines listed above into a fine powder. If the powder is somewhat damp, it may first be dried over a low flame and then ground. Take some of the powder each time and mix it evenly with ginger juice, cool water, or tea. Spread it on paper and apply it to the painful, swollen area. Every three days, wash the affected area and replace the dressing. If a bone has fractured, it must also be secured with a splint.

Taohong Powder: Used for wounds that have not healed for years and have become ulcerated and rotten, as well as wounds from knives, spears, and arrows, skin breaks caused by falls or blows, and bleeding that will not stop. Apply the dry powder directly to the wound. The next day, wash the wound with medicinal water and apply the powder again. This medicine disperses blood stasis and helps the wound close.

Two liang each of alum, processed by calcination, and dragon bone, ground separately into a fine powder; one liang of dragon’s blood, ground separately into a fine powder; three liang each of rosin, ground separately into a fine powder, Chinese galls, calomel, and minium, ground finely, with the medicinal ingredients processed by fire refining and water levigation; one jin of gypsum, sealed in yellow clay and calcined.

Grind all the ingredients into an extremely fine powder and store it in a jar for later use.

Zijin Powder: Used to join injured sinews and bones, promote flesh growth, and relieve pain. It is also used for injuries to the liver and lungs, persistent vomiting of blood, distension and pain in the chest and abdomen, weakness in the limbs, and hemiplegia.

Two liang each of purple gold vine bark, lignum dalbergiae, drynaria rhizome with its hairs removed, amber, Chinese angelica with the tail removed, and peach kernels with their skins removed; one liang each of cattail pollen and rhubarb, parched; five liang of teasel root, chosen for its fine, dense texture; three liang each of nameless mineral, heated until red and quenched in wine seven times, and achyranthes root with its shoots removed and soaked in wine overnight; half a liang of mirabilite, dissolved in hot water and filtered seven times through paper made from flower petals and leaves. Grind the ingredients into a powder and take it mixed with wine in which sappanwood has been decocted. Take it three times a day for noticeable results.

Seven Treasures Powder: Used for dampness descending into the feet due to “cold-water wind,” sores on the feet and knees, paralysis on either the left or right side, cramped sinews and vessels, dull pain in the soles of the feet, and inability to extend or bend the limbs or to put the feet down and walk.

One sheng each of late-season silkworm droppings, stir-fried, and cnidium seed, stir-fried; two liang each of cinnamon bark with the outer layer removed, dried lotus leaves, and Sichuan aconite, stir-fried; five liang of schizonepeta spikes and ligusticum root with the soil removed; three liang of coix seed.

Roughly chop the herbs described above. Take about two liang, add five sheng of water, peppercorns, and scallions with their roots, and boil them together until about seventy percent of the water remains. Strain out the herbs, then pour the liquid, while hot, over the painful area.

Pain-Relieving Pill is used to treat unbearable lower back pain and is suitable for men and women, adults and children.

Take half a liang of clematis, cleaned of soil, and one liang each of seedless Melia fruit, processed Sichuan aconite, and star anise. Grind them into a fine powder. Use a paste made by cooking flour in wine as a binder, and form pills the size of parasol tree seeds. Take fifty pills at a time with salted broth or wine.

Seven Qi Decoction is used when an old injury from many years ago has penetrated deep into the channels and has not responded to medicine, causing symptoms such as tightness in the lower back and shoulders, coughing with copious phlegm, bouts of wind-taxation illness, and progressive weight loss. The old injury often flares up again each autumn. The decoction may be taken by both men and women.

Take one liang each of green tangerine peel and aged tangerine peel, both with the white inner layer removed; sparganium wrapped in damp paper and roasted; platycodon root with the rootlets removed; cinnamon bark with the coarse outer bark removed; patchouli with the branches removed; roasted alpinia seed with the shell removed; roasted nutgrass rhizome; honey-prepared licorice root; pinellia prepared with hot water; red peony root; lindera root; angelica root and notopterygium root, both with the rootlets removed; and dalbergia wood. Roughly chop the ingredients. Take five qian at a time, add one and a half large cups of water, three slices of ginger, and one jujube. Boil until about seventy percent of the water remains, strain out the herbs, and take the decoction as needed for the location of the pain.

Immortal-Righteousness Powder Wash is used to wash the site of fractures in men and women. First boil the medicine in water and wash the injured area; then set the bones, and afterward apply Black Dragon Horn. If the wound is open, leave an opening and secure it with splints as described above.

Remove the outer bark from the cinnamon and take two qian; remove the tail ends from the Chinese angelica and take three qian; take four liang of schizonepeta; take one liang each of atractylodes and saposhnikovia; and take five qian each of corydalis, angelica dahurica, and red peony root.

Coarsely chop the herbs. For each dose, take five qian, add five sheng of water and two dried lotus leaves, and decoct until the liquid is reduced to seven-tenths of its original amount. Strain out the herbs. For injuries, fractures, and cases where exposure to cold and wind causes discomfort in the legs and feet, tightness of the sinews and vessels, inability to bend or straighten the limbs, or difficulty walking, heat the liquid and use its steam to fumigate the affected area, then cover it with a quilt to keep it warm. When the liquid has cooled somewhat, pour it over the affected area to wash it.

Formula for applying to wounds: For cuts to the flesh with bleeding, or a wound to the head that continues to bleed after exposure to wind, apply this medicine to the wound at once.

Take two and a half qian of dragon’s blood, ground separately; four qian of dragon’s-blood wood; one handful of rush pith; two qian each of dragon bone (the variety with five-colored markings, ground separately) and safflower (the “horse-head” variety, roasted dry). Grind five qian of frankincense together with the rush pith; grind five qian of myrrh separately. Add a little balloon flower root and three qian of Chinese angelica. Add a little sappanwood and grind it together with the dragon’s-blood wood. Separately, take a chicken, feathers and droppings included, boil it in vinegar, then pound it. Seal it in yellow clay and roast it over alternating low and high heat until dry. Finally, roast it and grind it into powder.

Grind the ingredients above into a fine powder. For each use, take a little and apply it dry to the wound. If the bleeding does not stop, apply more. When the powder is nearly dry, mix it with a little vegetable oil and spread it over the wound. A small quantity of the powder may be prepared in advance for urgent use.

Bone-setting powder: Used for broken bones in birds, falls from heights, or injuries to donkeys and horses, when the sinews are torn, the bones shattered, and the pain unbearable. This formula is intended to set bones, mend sinews, relieve pain, and invigorate the blood.

Take one and a half qian of borax, and one qian each of lead powder and Chinese angelica.

Grind the ingredients into powder. Take two qian per dose, decocted in sappanwood broth. The original text says that one may continue drinking sappanwood broth from time to time afterward and that this can bring results quickly.

To remove scars left after sores have healed—the marks remaining when wounds heal after what are called “injuries from the six desires”—this prescription may also be used:

Equal amounts of shepherd’s purse seeds, suifeng seeds (commonly called suizi), and Chinese chaste tree seeds.

Grind the ingredients into a fine powder and steam it over rice nine times. Then soak it overnight in a child’s urine and fry it dry. Wrap it in huaye paper and place it in a silk cloth; rub the affected area with it to remove the scar.

“Yinhong Decoction” is specifically for women whose blood has stagnated after an injury, causing abdominal fullness, inability to pass urine or stool, and stagnant blood surging up into the chest and abdomen. It is used for agitation, confusion, and even life-threatening crises. Administer this medicine at once to expel the stagnant blood downward, then take the medicines in the order described earlier.

One qian each of burnt ash from a postpartum woman’s hair and deer-horn glue; three qian of myrrh.

Mix the ingredients evenly into a large cup of wine and take.

“Jiao’ai Decoction” is specifically for women with chronic obstruction of the menstrual flow. Take this decoction first, followed by Biejia Powder.

Three qian of dried rehmannia root; two qian each of donkey-hide gelatin, Sichuan lovage rhizome, and mugwort.

Chop the ingredients. For each dose, take two qian and decoct them in one large cup of water and half a cup of wine, reducing the liquid to about eight tenths of its original volume. Take warm, at any time.

“Washing Medicine” is used for fractures in men and women. First decoct this prescription in water and wash the affected area. After setting the bone, apply Wulongjiao.

Five liang of eucommia bark, seven liang of fiveleaf gynostemma, and one handful of scallion roots.

Add five sheng of water to the three ingredients and decoct until about seven tenths remains. Strain out the herbs, then pour the liquid over the affected area. Use two and a half liang of medicine each time. If the wound is open, leave an opening when applying the medicine; for a fracture, secure it with splints. See the earlier text for detailed instructions.

Treatment of Ding Sores

When a ding sore first appears, people often do not notice it. It may develop on the head or face, hands or feet, either side of the abdomen, the waist, or the legs; its location is not fixed. After a day or two, the patient often develops alternating chills and fever like a malarial attack, along with headache and pain throughout the body so severe that it is difficult to bear. This pain differs somewhat from ordinary aches. At this point, examine the whole body carefully to find the sore. If a small sore looks different from an ordinary one, it may be a ding sore.

Ding sores have different causes and appearances. A pig ding is round and small, with oil inside the sore. A sheep ding is slender and pale. A cow ding is round and small, but has no oil inside. A dog ding is slender, sometimes pointed, and red. A donkey or horse ding is triangular, with a black spot at the top and a red root. The original text is missing after each of these descriptions of their shapes.

This illness is not caused only by the toxins of pigs, cows, dogs, sheep, donkeys, and horses. Drinking unclean water left overnight may also cause a water ding. Tofu contaminated with human sweat may cause a tofu ding if eaten. There are also qi dings, ghost dings, and others. Though their appearances differ, they are treated in the same way.

When the sore’s color changes slowly: on the first day, a small area at the top of the sore (the upper part of its opening) turns white. On the second day, the white area spreads. On the third day, the color takes on a faint purple tinge. On the fourth day, it turns deep purple.

When the color changes quickly: on the fifth day, it becomes slightly greenish and the sore feels somewhat taut. On the sixth day, it turns a deep green and the sore contracts noticeably. On the seventh day, it turns black, resembling a fish’s navel or a sore formed by a burn. This is the most critical sign of the illness.

A favorable sign in a sore condition is called “response”: after a single furuncle (a sore caused by furuncular toxin) appears, a small sore grows elsewhere on the skin or flesh. This counts as a response. It may be pierced with a needle, while the tissue around the sore should be protected. If the area around the sore is red and swollen and many sores have appeared, this is called “stars filling the sky.” The patient eats as usual; though they may have a headache and fever, their hands and feet remain warm.

An unfavorable sign is called “no response”: no sore appears elsewhere on the skin or flesh, and there is no redness or swelling around the original sore. In the case of an “internal furuncle” (furuncular toxin arising internally), symptoms include thirst and a desire to drink, inability to eat, dizziness and blurred vision, being bedridden, fixed and unresponsive whites of the eyes, bluish lips and tongue, and severe abdominal pain. Swelling in the five centers (both palms, both soles, and the area over the heart), cold hands and feet, labored breathing, loss of appetite, dizziness and blurred vision, being bedridden, fixed and unresponsive whites of the eyes, bluish lips and tongue, severe abdominal pain, and a pulse that cannot be felt are also critical signs of an internal furuncle.

Peach Blossom Red Powder: used to treat various furuncles. The formula states that it can still treat them even when dangerous signs appear one after another and none of the six pulses can be felt. The ingredients are small amounts of toad venom and arsenic, three cicadas with their legs and wings removed, three blister beetles with their legs and wings removed, one centipede head, five qian of lead red, and one liang of weathered lime. Put the ingredients in an earthenware pot, cover it with a tile, and calcine them over a charcoal fire for a period of time, then remove them.

After processing each of the ingredients described above, grind them together into a very fine powder. Use a fingernail to scrape the mucilage from the inner layer of a scallion stalk and mix it with the powder. First, puncture the sore with a grain-leaf needle—a needle made from the leaf of a grass-family plant—to a depth of about half an inch. Boils of this kind usually show a red line; insert the needle at an angle, following its direction. If the sore is above the chest, angle the needle downward; if it is below the chest, angle it upward. The original text says that the poison in the sore tends to spread toward the heart, so the needle should follow the direction in which the poison is moving.

After withdrawing the needle, foul blood may flow from the opening; let as much of it as possible drain out. Take a grain-sized piece of toad venom, a medicinal substance made from toad secretions, place it in the opening, and use the needle to push it inside. Then apply the powder mixed with scallion mucilage to the sore, taking care not to spread it onto the surrounding healthy flesh. Soak paper in cold water, fold it into twenty or thirty layers, place it over the medicine, and seal the sore.

If the sore was sealed in the morning and feels hot by evening, remove the paper, wash the area with water, and apply Yuhong Powder, a medicine for external use. The opening may swell and hurt for several days. At this point, continue applying Yuhong Powder and wash the sore each day with scallion broth. The original text says that although these boils are dangerous, they can be treated by puncturing the sore, inserting toad venom, and sealing it with Taohong Powder.

If the swelling and pain become unbearable, the original text says there is no need for undue concern: it regards this as a reaction to the toad venom, which causes the sore to break down and helps expel its poison. Gather hibiscus leaves, or use mulberry leaves, crush them, and apply them around the sore to disperse local blood stasis and prevent blood from stagnating. Replace the dressing once during the day and once at night, washing the sore before each change. The original text says that recovery will follow soon.

When a ding boil first appears, it is often accompanied by chills, fever, and pain throughout the body. This means the toxic Qi is still at the body’s surface, so it should be dispersed by inducing perspiration. Zifei Decoction may be used. Older people, those who are weak, and pregnant women should not be made to sweat or given purgatives; use only Taohong Powder to draw out the toxin.

Zifei Decoction

Five qian of alum, three qian of indigo, and three qian of dry lime taken from the back of a stone in a cemetery.

Grind the ingredients together into a fine powder, until no sound can be heard while grinding, then mix thoroughly. For each dose, take three qian, dissolve it in half a bowl of well water, and stir it a thousand or more times with a willow twig until evenly mixed; drink it all at once. Put on thick clothes, cover yourself well, and wait a while. Then add a little vinegar to scallion and fermented-soybean soup and drink it while very hot to strengthen the medicine’s effect. Once perspiration breaks out, the condition should ease.

If the boil is not recognized at first and perspiration is not induced as described above, it may only be noticed several days later. By then, the chills, fever, and body aches will have subsided, and the toxin will have entered the body. A medicine that promotes downward passage is then needed to expel the toxin from within. Xionghuang Pills may be used.

Xionghuang Pills

Five qian each of realgar and turmeric; half a qian of croton, with the kernel and shell removed and some of its oil pressed out.

One formula adds a small amount of arsenic mineral medicine, which must not be used in large quantities. First boil it in cooking oil for half a day, then remove it, dry it in the sun, and add it to the medicine.

Another formula adds seven blister beetles, with their wings and legs removed. Stir-fry them with glutinous rice until it changes color, then discard the rice and use only the beetles. This version is used to treat scrofula, a condition involving swollen lymph nodes in the neck.

Yet another formula adds three qian of Xuanming Powder. It is used for sore or swollen throats, throat obstruction, and similar conditions.

Grind the ingredients being used separately into fine powders, then use flour paste to form pills the size of mung beans. Take seven pills at a time with cold tea, continuing until the bowels move. If there is no bowel movement, take another dose.

Yuhong Powder

One liang of calcined gypsum; a little each of calomel that has been heated in fire and red lead.

Grind the medicines mentioned above into a fine powder and apply it to the wound. Wash the wound and change the dressing twice daily, once in the daytime and once at night. Toad Venom Paste and Peach Blossom Red Powder are both toxic medicines, so they cause pain at the wound site. Use Jade Red Powder to counteract the toxicity of these two medicines, then use them to disperse blood stasis. The wound should gradually settle down.

If you cannot readily identify the medicines mentioned earlier, such as toad venom and Peach Blossom Red Powder, you can use Li Shi’an’s treatment regimen, which is especially quick to take effect.

Li Shi’an’s Treatment: Angelica Powder

Prescription: two liang of the tail of Chinese angelica; one liang each of Sichuan lovage, dried kudzu root, fine-pointed schizonepeta, lindera root, angelica dahurica, Sichuan pubescent angelica, red peony root, and cimicifuga; half a liang each of notopterygium, licorice, fangfeng (with the reed head removed), and bitter orange; and two and a half qian each of safflower and sappanwood.

For pain at the wound site, add five qian each of frankincense, myrrh, and angelica dahurica.

If heat at the wound site does not subside, add a little green bamboo leaf and gardenia seed.

For constipation, add one liang of bitter orange.

For restlessness and dry mouth, add ten rush pith stems and one piece of bamboo shavings.

For thirst, add one liang of trichosanthes root.

For swelling at the wound site, add half a liang each of licorice nodes and sappanwood nodes.

For dizziness and blurred vision, add Sichuan lovage, angelica dahurica, schizonepeta, and fangfeng.

For thirst accompanied by difficulty urinating, add one liang of talc.

Cut the medicines above into small pieces. For each dose, take five qian, add more than ten rush pith stems, ten black beans, and one and a half bowls of water. Simmer until about four-fifths of the liquid remains. If the illness is in the upper part of the body, take it after meals; if it is in the lower part, take it before meals. Continue taking it until it takes effect.

If a person develops a furuncle but does not notice it at first and has not induced sweating by the method described earlier, a few days may pass and the surface symptoms may subside, while lumps appear in the abdomen, flanks, below the chest, or under the arms. This indicates that toxic Qi has entered the body and should be treated with the “Thunderclap Fire Method,” which uses steam produced when hot stones meet vinegar to induce sweating. If the surface symptoms persist after taking the Danggui Powder, the method should also be used promptly to disperse the pathogenic influence.

The Thunderclap Fire Method

Place rounded stones in a charcoal fire and heat them until red-hot. Prepare a large wooden tub for holding water or for steam treatment. Put a bamboo chair inside the tub, then place a ladle beneath the chair. Have the patient remove their clothes and sit on the chair. Grind Schizonepeta into powder and mix it with a vessel of sour rice vinegar. Place a red-hot stone in the ladle, then pour the Schizonepeta and vinegar mixture over it. The heat must not be too intense, lest it burn the patient or become unbearable. If the heat fades before sweating is complete, heat another stone and pour on more vinegar.

As the vinegar is poured, cover the mouth of the tub with a quilt, then cover the patient with another quilt, leaving only the nose and mouth exposed. The whole body, including the head and face, should sweat; once sweating occurs, the condition will ease. The elderly, people who are weak, and pregnant women should not undergo methods that induce sweating or purging. Instead, open the furuncle with a lancet, apply Seahorse Toxin-Removing Powder to the wound, and take Cang’er decocted in wine.

If the toxic Qi has already entered the body, the patient need not sit inside the tub when using the Thunderclap Fire Method. Simply prepare a small bucket, heat a stone until red-hot, place it in a ladle as described above, and pour vinegar over it. Have the patient lie on their side with the swollen area facing the mouth of the bucket, and surround the area with bedding to keep the steam from escaping. After a while, the swollen area will begin to sweat. If the sweating is not yet complete, heat another stone and pour on more vinegar. It is enough for the swollen area to sweat thoroughly; there is no need to induce sweating over the whole body.

If the hands and feet are cold and none of the six pulse positions—the sites examined when taking the pulse in Chinese medicine—can be felt, this means the poisonous influence has penetrated deeply. It has obstructed the flow of Qi and blood, leaving the body cold and the pulse imperceptible. Several doses of Muxiang Liqi Decoction must be taken in succession to restore the circulation of Qi and blood; the pulse will then return naturally. After that, treatment can proceed by the appropriate method, ensuring a cure.

Hippocampus Toxin-Expelling Powder is highly effective for treating ding sores. It is also used for various malignant sores and back carbuncles, severe sores that develop on the back.

Formula: one hippocampus; two qian each of roasted pangolin scales, mercury stir-fried with yellow earth, and cinnabar; three qian of realgar; one qian of calomel; and a little borneol and musk.

Grind all the ingredients except the mercury separately into a fine powder. Mix them together, add the mercury, and grind until no mercury particles are visible. Prick open the sore with a needle and apply the powder inside once a day. The text says the treatment is highly effective.

The symptoms of an internal ding are like those of an external ding: chills and fever, headache, and pain throughout the body, but no visible sore on the surface. After several days, a swelling may appear somewhere on the chest, back, abdomen, sides, head or face, or hands or feet. The site of the swelling is where the internal ding has developed. Immediately apply the “Thunderbolt Fire” method described earlier and use the “unprotected sweating method” to make the swollen area sweat. If chills and fever affect the whole body and severe abdominal pain occurs before any swelling appears, the condition should still be treated as an internal ding without delay.

Take one pellet of toad venom, or two in a severe case, and let the patient dissolve it on the tongue. After it has dissolved, wait a little, rinse the mouth with well water drawn at dawn, then take seven Realgar Pills with cold tea. The scripture says that if several bowel movements follow, the illness will soon improve.

When treating an internal ding, the toad venom may also be mixed with a mulberry leaf about the size of a copper coin and rolled into a bead-sized pill, then dried in a cool place.

Immortal Methods for Emergency Aid, scroll nine

Immortal Methods for Emergency Aid, scroll eight

Secretly Transmitted Section on the Five Types of Hemorrhoids

Anyone can suffer from hemorrhoids, regardless of wealth, poverty, or sex. The wealthy may develop them because of drinking, sexual excess, or the effects of greed for wealth and pride. The poor may develop them from carrying heavy loads, going hungry and cold, or setting out before dawn. According to physicians of the past, such conditions damage the Qi and blood of the Heart and Liver channels: excessive joy harms the Heart, and anger harms the Liver. When emotions are repeatedly unsettled, pathogenic Wind and Qi and blood may invade the Large Intestine and gather around the anus, forming lumps, bleeding, or growths of various shapes.

Women may be affected by exposure to cold after menstruation, or by pathogenic Wind during their period, causing residual blood to stagnate in the Heart vessels and then flow into the Large Intestine. Children may develop the condition after diarrhea or from heat in the womb. The treatments are as follows.

Water-Settled Paste to Protect the Healthy Flesh

Take one liang each of turmeric root and Bletilla rhizome; one version of the formula also includes Coptis root. Grind the ingredients into a fine powder. When an internal hemorrhoid protrudes from the anus during a bowel movement, wash it with warm water and do not push it back in. Lie on your side against the edge of the bed. Mix the powder with clear water and honey until it has a moderately thick consistency. Use a fine-toothed comb to pick up the paste, then gently apply it to the healthy flesh around the anus, leaving only the tip of the hemorrhoid exposed. Cut a thin piece of paper into a circle and place it over the paste, then moisten the paper with warm water using a brush. The paper keeps the paste in place and prevents it from spreading. Whenever the paste dries, moisten it again with warm water. Afterward, use a drying medicine, which makes the affected area contract and dry:

Four liang of alum, two and a half qian of arsenic, and one qian of cinnabar. Use them raw and grind them as finely as possible.

First grind each ingredient separately into a fine powder. Put the arsenic trioxide in a Jian bowl (a porcelain bowl made in the Jian kiln), cover it with powdered alum, and heat it until the smoke disappears. The original text says that the arsenic trioxide disperses with the smoke, while the alum merely takes on its properties. Grind the alum as finely as possible.

According to the size of the protruding hemorrhoid, place an appropriate amount of powdered alum in your palm. Add a little raw cinnabar and saliva, and mix into a thin paste. Then use a comb to apply it around the hemorrhoid. Apply it three times a day, watching the hemorrhoid carefully; it should turn charred black. If yellow fluid flows out at night, there is no need for concern. The original text says it is best to let the yellow fluid drain completely. Apply the medicine again at midnight, and continue applying it three times the following day. Mild pain does not prevent use of the medicine.

When changing the medicine, put clean or warm water in a bowl and gently wash around the hemorrhoid with a brush handle. After removing the old medicine, apply fresh medicine and continue using the protective dressing. The original text says this medicine draws on the properties of arsenic trioxide, while the cinnabar provides a measure of detoxification. Then wash the area with an infusion of schizonepeta. After two or three days, when the yellow fluid is nearly drained, gradually increase the cinnabar and reduce the alum to make the medicine milder. Wait another two or three days before adjusting again, changing the proportions gradually to avoid too rapid a shift. The person using the medicine should judge the dosage and thickness of the application by the changing color of the hemorrhoid; this is the key to the method.

Schizonepeta Infusion

Chop the schizonepeta, boil it in three bowls of water, and set the infusion aside for washing the hemorrhoid. After washing, pour the infusion back into the bottle and warm it gently over a fire. It can be used three to five times.

Moistening the Intestines Pill

Wrap the rhubarb in damp paper and roast it, then chop it. Remove the pith from the bitter orange, and prepare the Chinese angelica with refined honey.

Grind the three ingredients mentioned earlier into a fine powder in equal proportions and form pills with honey. Take twenty or thirty pills at a time with a decoction. Adjust the dose according to the strength or weakness of the internal organs and the severity of the illness. After using medicine that causes the head of the hemorrhoid to shrivel, as it is about to dry up and fall off, the anus may feel strained, with concern that the stool will become hard and difficult to pass. Take this medicine beforehand to keep the bowels lubricated and make the stool easier to pass.

Dragon-Bone Powder

Dragon bone (use after calcining and removing its fire toxicity), top-grade white angelica, yellow lead, and soft gypsum (use after calcining and removing its fire toxicity).

Grind the ingredients into an extremely fine powder in equal proportions. Once the hemorrhoid has fallen off completely, sprinkle the powder over the affected area to help the wound close. Also prepare dragon’s blood powder in advance to stop bleeding or help the wound close, for use in an emergency.

Red-Guiding Powder

Two liang of raw rehmannia root and three liang of scutellaria root.

Cut the ingredients into small pieces. For each dose, take three qian, add one cup of water, and boil until about six or seven tenths remains. Drink warm. If, after taking the medicine, the urine is reddish and urination is painful or difficult, this formula may be taken with talc, licorice, and rush pith added.

Double-Gold Powder

Coptis root and turmeric, in equal proportions.

Grind the two ingredients into an extremely fine powder, mix evenly with honey water, and apply it to the head of the hemorrhoid. If a person with a weak constitution experiences sudden pain in the hemorrhoid after using a shriveling medicine, this formula can relieve the pain. A simpler method is to apply only borneol powder to the affected area.

Internal-Tonifying Powder

This medicine is used to harmonize Qi and blood, drain pus, and promote the growth of flesh. Take it when the hemorrhoid is about to close over, so the wound at the anus can heal and Qi and blood can be harmonized; the hemorrhoid will then naturally shrink.

Two liang each of ginseng, astragalus root, and angelica; one liang each of platycodon root, Sichuan lovage rhizome, magnolia bark, cassia bark, saposhnikovia root, white angelica, and licorice.

Grind the ingredients into a fine powder. Take it with a decoction of costus root or with warm wine, two or three times a day.

National-Elder Decoction

Decoct licorice into a broth, preparing it fresh each time, and use it to steam and wash the hemorrhoids. Licorice is itself a remedy for hemorrhoids and can also counter arsenic poisoning. When the hemorrhoids begin to close and heal, they often become especially itchy, so wash them with the licorice broth more often. The broth should be comfortably warm.