《孫真人備急千金要方》Vol. 34

The symptoms of fox-confusion disease resemble those of Cold Damage. The patient appears dull and subdued, constantly wants to sleep but cannot close their eyes, and is restless whether lying down or getting up. When the toxic pathogen invades the throat, the condition is called “confusion disease”; when it invades the genital area and anus, it is called “fox disease.” Patients with fox-confusion disease usually dislike food and have no appetite; even the smell of food makes them feel unwell. Their complexion alternates between red, white, and black.

When the toxic pathogen affects the upper part of the body, the voice becomes hoarse (“he” is written as “ya” in some versions, with the same meaning of hoarseness). When it affects the lower part, the throat becomes dry. Medical texts attribute this to warm-toxic Qi. For toxicity in the upper part, treat with the Heart-Draining Decoction; for toxicity in the lower part, bathe the patient in a Sophora Decoction; if the toxicity is outside the anus, use fumigation. Also take three slices of realgar and place them briefly in an earthenware bottle. Burn charcoal beneath the bottle and direct the fumes toward the anus while the patient takes the decoction.

Decoction for Treating Fox-Confusion Disease

Four liang of coptis and four liang of sweet flag.

Cut the two ingredients into small pieces and soak them overnight in one dou of white sour rice liquid, a sour liquid made from rice gruel. Then boil until two sheng remain, and divide into three doses.

Red Adzuki Bean and Angelica Powder

If the patient has a rapid pulse without fever, feels slightly agitated and dull, wants only to lie down, and is sweating; if, on the third or fourth day of illness, the eyes are as red as a pigeon’s; and if, by the seventh or eighth day, the corners of the eyes have turned yellow and black, the formation of pus is indicated if the patient can still eat. The treatment is as follows:

Take three sheng of red adzuki beans, soak them until they sprout, then dry them in the sun. Add three liang of angelica and grind the ingredients together into a powder. Take it with rice liquid, one square-inch spoonful at a time, three times a day, and the patient will recover.

Heart-Draining Decoction

The affected area in this kind of illness must not be treated by attacking it with medicines or by acupuncture. If cauterization with fire causes the pathogen to enter the body, the blood will become disordered within the channels. Damage to the channels is relatively mild, but damage to the organs is more serious. The Jing-Well and Shu-Stream points, among others, become more swollen and ooze yellow fluid; the He-Sea points and the areas around them ulcerate, the flesh decays, and abscesses filled with pus form. This is a fire carbuncle caused by cauterization: in other words, it results from improper treatment.

People with a rapid pulse must not be cauterized. If cauterization drives the pathogen into the body, it will cause agitation. When the body’s upright Qi is weak, the pathogen takes advantage of the weakness, and blood runs recklessly through the channels. The fire may seem slight, yet it can cause severe internal damage, scorching the bones and injuring the sinews, while the blood is difficult to restore. The Heart-Draining Decoction should therefore be used. It also treats dysentery, or diarrhea.

A prescription for abdominal fullness and hardness accompanied by vomiting and intestinal rumbling. Zhongjing calls it “Pinellia Decoction to Drain the Epigastrium”; the Essentials calls it “Licorice Decoction to Drain the Epigastrium.”

Half a sheng of pinellia; three liang each of scutellaria, ginseng, dried ginger, and licorice; one liang of coptis; and twelve jujubes.

Chop the seven ingredients. Boil them in one dou of water until six sheng of decoction remain. Take in divided doses of one sheng each, three times a day.

On Cold Damage and Jaundice, Fifth Section (Discussion of Symptoms, Illnesses, Prescriptions, and Acupuncture Diagrams)

The treatise says there are five kinds of jaundice: yellow-sweat jaundice, yellow jaundice, grain jaundice, alcohol jaundice, and women’s-labor jaundice.

People with yellow-sweat jaundice have slight swelling of the body and limbs, and fullness in the chest, but are not thirsty. Their sweat stains their clothes yellow, like the juice made by boiling phellodendron bark. This usually results from entering water suddenly after sweating heavily.

People with yellow jaundice are yellow all over, including the face and eyes, with a color like that of an orange or pomelo. The illness comes on suddenly when someone washes their body with cold water while feverish, causing pathogenic heat to remain in the stomach; eating raw cucumber then causes the illness to steam upward. If it progresses to black jaundice, the person usually dies.

People with grain jaundice feel dizzy and have palpitations after eating; they feel restless and distressed, and their complexion turns yellow. This results from eating too much at once after being hungry, causing stomach Qi to surge upward and steam.

People with alcohol jaundice feel restless and have pain in the heart region. Their lower legs feel swollen and full, their urine turns yellow, and red patches appear on the face, which becomes yellow or black. This results from going out into the wind and then entering water after becoming very drunk.

People with women’s-labor jaundice are yellow all over, including the eyes, and have fever and chills. The lower abdomen is distended and tense, and urination is difficult. This results from overexertion, having sex while feverish, and then entering water. The prescriptions that follow may be used to treat these conditions.

Yellow-sweat jaundice presents with pronounced swelling of the body, fever, and sweating without thirst. Its symptoms resemble wind-water illness, in which wind and dampness cause swelling. Sweat stains clothes a vivid yellow, like phellodendron juice. The pulse is deep. How does this illness arise? It occurs when someone enters water to bathe after sweating: water enters the body through the pores, bringing on the illness.

Astragalus, Peony, and Cinnamon Wine Decoction: A prescription for treating yellow-sweat jaundice.

Five liang of astragalus, and three liang each of peony and cinnamon bark.

Chop the three ingredients. Add one sheng of bitter wine, a sour-tasting wine, and seven sheng of water. Boil them together until three sheng remain. Take one sheng at a time. After taking it, the person may feel restless and distressed; by the sixth or seventh day, this feeling will gradually subside on its own. The distress is caused by the bitter wine.

People with yellow jaundice who are thirsty are more difficult to treat; those who are not thirsty are easier to treat. When the illness affects the Yin region, the person will certainly vomit; when it affects the Yang region, the person…

A chill with a slight fever.

Cassia Twig and Astragalus Decoction: Used to treat various forms of jaundice. Jaundice should generally be treated by promoting urination. If the pulse is floating, it should be treated by inducing sweating. The prescription is as follows:

Three liang each of cassia twig, peony root, and fresh ginger; two liang of licorice root; five liang of astragalus; and twelve jujubes.

Cut the six ingredients into small pieces. Add eight sheng of water and simmer over low heat until three sheng remain. Strain out the dregs and drink one sheng warm, so that the body sweats slightly. If no sweat appears after a while, drink some thin, hot rice porridge to help the medicine take effect and disperse. If sweating still does not occur, the medicine may be taken again.

Ephedra and Pure Wine Decoction: Used to treat fever from cold damage when jaundice appears after the pathogenic influence has emerged from the body’s exterior. The prescription is as follows:

Three liang of ephedra. Boil it in five sheng of pure wine, undiluted with water, until one and a half sheng remain. Drink the entire amount, then keep the body warm. Recovery follows once sweating occurs. In the cold of winter, use clear wine; in spring, it is appropriate to decoct the medicine in water.

Prescription for Treating Jaundice

Twenty-one each of melon stalk, glutinous millet (a grain with strong adhesiveness), and red beans.

Grind the three ingredients into a fine powder and sift it. For a severe case, take an amount about the size of two soybeans and place it in the nostril. The nasal passage will feel painful and constricted. After a while, yellow fluid should be discharged, sometimes through the mouth as well. Discharge of more than one sheng brings recovery. For a mild case, use an amount the size of one soybean. If the illness does not resolve, repeat the treatment the next day. Another folk method uses a tube to blow the powder forcefully into the nose. This can be fatal, so use extreme caution.

The Shan Fan records that this prescription treats illnesses caused by epidemic toxin and heat penetrating the viscera and bowels and lying hidden between the bones and marrow. These may appear as yellow jaundice, black jaundice, red jaundice, white jaundice, grain jaundice, or horse jaundice, among other forms, and may involve unceasing panting.

Rhubarb Pill: Used to treat the same conditions described above.

Two liang each of rhubarb and field pennycress seed.

Grind the two ingredients into a fine powder, mix with honey, and form pills the size of Chinese parasol tree seeds. Take ten pills on an empty stomach three times a day. Stop as soon as the illness is cured.

Another Prescription

Two liang of rhubarb, three liang of Chinese goldthread, one liang each of Amur cork tree bark and baical skullcap root, and five he of the surface layer of fermented grain starter.

Grind the five ingredients into a fine powder, mix with honey, and form pills the size of Chinese parasol tree seeds. Take three pills before meals three times a day. If there is no clear effect, gradually increase the dose to five pills.

Wormwood Decoction: Used to treat jaundice in which the whole body and face turn yellow.

Three liang each of wormwood and Chinese goldthread; two liang of baical skullcap root; and one liang each of rhubarb, licorice root, and ginseng.

Gardenia (27 fruits).

Chop the seven ingredients above. Boil them in one dou of water and reduce the liquid to three sheng. Divide it into three doses and take three times a day. This prescription also treats alcohol-induced jaundice and alcohol-related stagnation.

Sanhuang Powder, for the same condition.

Rhubarb, coptis, and scutellaria, four liang each.

Grind the three ingredients above into a fine powder. Before meals, take one square-inch spoonful (an ancient measure for medicinal powder, approximately one spoonful), three times a day. The powder may also be made into pills.

Wuling Powder, a prescription for jaundice that promotes urination.

Polyporus, poria, alisma, atractylodes, and cinnamon bark, 30 zhu each.

Pound and sift the five ingredients above to make a powder. When thirsty, take one square-inch spoonful with water and drink as much water as possible. Urination will follow, and sweating may also occur; the illness should then be cured. (This prescription is the same as the one in Volume Nine, but the quantities differ, so it is listed again here.)

Qinjiao Powder, a prescription for jaundice accompanied by drinking little water and urinating frequently.

Qinjiao pepper, 6 zhu; melon stalk, half a liang.

Grind and sift the two ingredients above into a fine powder. Take one square-inch spoonful with water, three times a day.

Minor Pinellia Decoction, for cases of jaundice in which the urine is not unusually colored, the patient wants to have a bowel movement, and the abdomen is distended with labored breathing. If someone in this condition is forcibly treated to clear internal heat, the heat may be removed, but hiccups may result.

Pinellia and fresh ginger, half a jin each.

Chop the two ingredients above. Boil them in seven sheng of water and reduce the liquid to one sheng and five he. Divide it into two doses. One person had long suffered from severe Qi stagnation and was close to death, with only a little warmth remaining in the chest. A small amount of this decoction was poured into the person’s mouth, and they came back to life.

A prescription for treating jaundice:

Pound fresh wheat shoots and squeeze out the juice. Drink six or seven he at a time, three or four times over the course of a day. Continue for three or four days, and the illness should be cured. If wheat shoots are unavailable, barley shoots may be used instead.

A prescription for jaundice that has turned into black jaundice and cannot be cured even by physicians:

Pound trichosanthes root and squeeze out the juice. Take one small sheng in a single dose each morning. By mealtime, the pathogenic influence will be expelled in the urine. Before administering the medicine, assess the patient’s strength and do not give too much. If the medicine leaves the patient weak, they will be unable to get up.

A prescription for cases in which the whole body, face, and eyes turn golden yellow, the urine resembles a thick decoction of oaken sprouts, and no physician can cure the illness:

Artemisia capillaris and gardenia, four liang each; scutellaria, rhubarb, bupleurum, and cimicifuga, three liang each; gentian, two liang.

Chop the seven ingredients above. Boil them in eight sheng of water and reduce the liquid to two sheng and seven he. Divide into…

If, after taking it three times, the body becomes weak, remove the rhubarb and add five or six liang of gardenia and one sheng of fresh Rehmannia root. (The formula recorded in the Yan Nian Lu contains no capillary wormwood; it instead includes four liang of gardenia, three liang of snake gourd, and two liang of mirabilite. The Jin Xiao Fang adds another two liang of immature bitter orange.)

If jaundice has persisted for a long time and the skin has turned the color of peach bark, while there is a hard lump below the pit of the stomach, nausea and vomiting, inability to eat, scanty urine that is intensely red, cold limbs, and a deep, extremely fine and slow pulse, this formula should not be taken. If it causes purging, the condition will inevitably turn to rebellious vomiting. Use the Great Capillary Wormwood Decoction instead, remove the rhubarb, and add five liang of fresh Rehmannia root. After taking the decoction, observe the condition and the pulse: treatment is appropriate if the pulse rises slightly and becomes more apparent, no longer so deep, fine, and faint. As the pulse rises, the jaundice will gradually fade; the skin will lose its peach-bark color, and the area below the pit of the stomach will feel less constricted. (The formula for the Great Capillary Wormwood Decoction appears below; “the eleven ingredients that follow” refers to that formula.)

Bitter Sophora Powder is used when a person shows no clear warning signs but suddenly develops chills and shivering, yellow skin the color of fermented grain dust, scanty red urine, and frequent constipation. The person’s strength is not noticeably diminished, and eating is unaffected. If various decoctions and powders have already been taken but residual heat remains, and the jaundice persists without clearing, this formula may be used to induce vomiting and purge.

One liang each of bitter sophora root, coptis, cucumber, phellodendron bark, and rhubarb; two liang of field pennycress.

Grind the six ingredients into a coarse powder. Take one square-inch spoonful at a time, using the small medicinal measure of antiquity. The medicine should induce profuse vomiting. If it does, take it once a day; if it does not, it may be taken twice a day. On the fifth day, check whether the condition has improved. If the jaundice has not begun to fade, continue taking it. If the condition has eased somewhat, observe how it changes and adjust the treatment accordingly.

A formula for treating jaundice:

Three liang each of capillary wormwood, phellodendron bark, gardenia, and rhubarb; two liang of coptis.

Cut the five ingredients into pieces, add nine sheng of water, and boil until three sheng remain. Divide into three doses. Take the decoction first, then take the pills described below.

Five liang of rhubarb; three liang each of capillary wormwood and gardenia; two liang each of skullcap root, phellodendron bark, and coptis.

Grind the six ingredients into a fine powder and use honey to form pills the size of Chinese parasol tree seeds. Take twenty pills with plain boiled water to produce a mild bowel movement.

The Ephedra, Forsythia, and Red Adzuki Bean Decoction is used when, during cold damage, stagnant heat becomes congested within the body and the person inevitably turns yellow. The formula contains two liang each of ephedra, forsythia, and licorice.

Three liang of fresh ginger, twelve jujubes, and thirty apricot kernels; one sheng of red adzuki beans; and two sheng of fresh white bark from the catalpa tree, chopped into small pieces. Chop the ingredients and set them aside. First boil the ephedra in one dou of laoshui (a water with a specific ancient name; the source does not explain how it was prepared), skimming off the foam. Add the remaining ingredients and simmer until three sheng of liquid remain. Divide into three doses.

Artemisia Capillaris Decoction: Used seven or eight days after a cold damage illness, when internal heat has accumulated and become bound, urination is difficult, the abdomen is slightly distended, and the body has turned orange-yellow. At this stage, a purgative method is appropriate.

Six liang of capillary artemisia, three liang of rhubarb, and forty gardenia fruits. Chop the ingredients. First boil the artemisia in one dou and two sheng of water until five sheng of liquid remain, then strain out the herbs. Add the gardenia and rhubarb and simmer until three sheng of liquid remain. Divide into three doses of one sheng each. After taking it, urination should become free, and the urine should be bright red, possibly with bubbles on the surface resembling soapberry liquid. Abdominal distension should ease, and the jaundice should be expelled with the urine. Fan Wang’s prescription is also used to treat grain jaundice, which arises from food stagnation; the Xiaopin Fang instead uses one jin of gypsum.

Rhubarb and Phellodendron Decoction: Used for jaundice with abdominal distension, difficult urination with reddish urine, and spontaneous sweating. The exterior condition is considered to have eased while an excess has become bound internally, so purgation is indicated.

Three liang of rhubarb, four liang of phellodendron bark, four liang of mirabilite, and fifteen gardenia fruits. Chop the ingredients other than the mirabilite. Boil them in six sheng of water until two sheng remain, then strain out the herbs. Add the mirabilite and boil until one sheng remains. Take the entire dose before a meal.

Artemisia Capillaris Pills: Used for sudden jaundice caused by seasonal epidemics, as well as miasmatic epidemic Qi and intermittent malaria.

Three liang each of capillary artemisia, gardenia, mirabilite, and apricot kernels; one liang of croton; two liang each of dichroa and softshell turtle shell; and five liang each of fermented soybeans and rhubarb. Grind the nine ingredients into powder and form pills with maltose syrup, each about the size of a parasol tree seed. Swallow three pills with water; vomiting and diarrhea are considered desirable. If there is no reaction, take one more pill. Take it as soon as you first feel that something is wrong with your health; the source says its effects are remarkable.

Prescription for sudden jaundice, heat steaming in the bones, and red, bloodshot eyes:

One liang of mirabilite, one and a half liang of rhubarb powder, and eight he of fresh rehmannia juice. Mix the three ingredients. Take five he per dose, twice daily, until diarrhea occurs.

Take it twice daily.

Formula for treating wind jaundice: In patients with wind jaundice (jaundice caused by factors such as wind pathogen), the urine is sometimes yellow and sometimes pale. They often feel cold or feverish, prefer to lie down, and do not want to move about.

Take one bundle of mugwort gathered in the third lunar month. Pound it, then simmer it in a bronze vessel until it becomes as thick as lacquer. Seal and store it. Separately, take six zhu each (an ancient unit of weight) of rhubarb, Chinese goldthread, coagulated water stone, trichosanthes root, shrubby sophora root, and pepperweed seed. Grind them into a fine powder, mix with the mugwort paste, and form pills the size of firmiana seeds.

Take five pills before meals, twice daily, gradually increasing the dose to twenty pills. If there is fever, add shrubby sophora root; if there is thirst, add trichosanthes root; if urination is difficult, add pepperweed seed; if the volume of urine is excessive, add coagulated water stone; if the urine is pale, add Chinese goldthread; if the bowels are obstructed, add rhubarb.

Symptoms and formula for damp jaundice: At the onset of damp jaundice (jaundice caused by damp pathogen), the whole body aches, fever develops, and the complexion becomes dark yellow. After seven or eight days, a high fever appears, with heat pathogen lodged inside. If there is blood stasis in the body, it should be purged with medicine; the expelled blood will resemble pig’s liver. If the lower abdomen is distended and full, purge immediately. This formula is also used when the whole body and eyes turn yellow, the abdomen is distended, and urination is blocked.

Take five liang each of alum stone and talc, and grind them into a fine powder. Mix with barley porridge liquid and take one square-inch spoonful (an ancient measure for medicinal powders) three times daily, before meals. If urination becomes free after taking it, the discharge resembles blood, and the body then sweats, these are signs that the illness has been cured.

If the cun pulse at the wrist is floating and moderate, the floating quality indicates wind, while the moderate quality indicates impediment (obstructed movement of Qi and blood, causing numbness or pain in the limbs). This impediment syndrome is not wind-stroke. It commonly causes discomfort and restlessness in the limbs; the complexion, governed by the Spleen, turns yellow because stagnant heat is circulating. If the fuyang pulse on the top of the foot is tight and rapid, the rapid quality indicates heat, which speeds digestion; the tight quality indicates cold, which causes abdominal distention after eating.

A floating chi pulse indicates damage to the Kidneys, while a tight fuyang pulse indicates damage to the Spleen. Wind and cold bind together. After eating, the person becomes dizzy, the food cannot be digested, and turbid Qi accumulates in the Stomach. The turbid Qi descends and blocks urination. The lower body is also affected by cold and heat, and the pathogen flows into the Bladder, causing the whole body to turn yellow. This illness is called grain jaundice (jaundice resulting from food stagnation and disharmony of the Spleen and Stomach).

Pill formula for treating taxation jaundice and grain jaundice: Taxation jaundice (jaundice caused by factors such as overexertion) and grain jaundice can be treated with three liang of shrubby sophora root and one liang of gentian. Grind them into a fine powder, mix with ox gall, and form pills the size of firmiana seeds. Take five pills before meals with barley porridge liquid, three times daily. If there is no effect, gradually increase the dose. The Shanfan Fang adds thirty-seven gardenia seeds and makes the pills with pig bile.

In wine jaundice (jaundice caused by drinking alcohol), if the pulse is floating, first induce vomiting; if the pulse is deep and wiry, first purge with medicine. People with wine jaundice may not have a fever, and their minds and speech may remain clear and normal, but they develop abdominal distention and feel as though they are about to vomit, with nausea…

The previously listed Sophora Root Powder, which consists of seven ingredients, is suitable for inducing vomiting. Patients with alcohol jaundice, a type of jaundice caused by drinking alcohol, usually have difficulty urinating. Common symptoms include heat in the heart and heat on the soles of the feet.

If alcohol jaundice is treated with purgation, it may eventually develop into black jaundice, a type of jaundice in which the face and eyes turn dark. The patient’s eyes become bluish and the face darkens; they feel as though they have eaten crushed garlic. The stool is very dark, and the skin feels numb when pinched. The pulse is floating and weak. The complexion is dark with a little yellow, which makes the condition recognizable.

Immature Bitter Orange and Rhubarb Decoction: Used when drinking alcohol during an exterior cold illness, eating little but drinking a lot, and developing phlegm accumulation and jaundice. It is also used for alcohol jaundice accompanied by distress and discomfort in the heart, little or no fever, or dry retching.

Five immature bitter oranges, three liang of rhubarb, half a sheng of fermented soybean, and seven gardenia fruits.

Cut the four ingredients into pieces and decoct them in six sheng of water. Reduce the liquid to two sheng and take it in three doses. This formula treats heat, pain, and distress in the heart.

Coagulated Water Stone Powder: Used for patients with flesh jaundice, a type of jaundice, who drink little water and urinate frequently. The urine is pale and cloudy, like water used to wash rice. This illness is said to be caused by drinking alcohol.

Twenty zhu each of coagulated water stone, white stone fat, trichosanthes root, and cinnamon heart; eighteen zhu each of dodder seed and anemarrhena.

Grind the six ingredients into a fine powder and sift. Take five fen with a decoction of wheat porridge, three times a day. Improvement may appear in five days, and recovery may take ten.

Poria Pill: Used for alcohol jaundice with hard masses crossing and intersecting below the heart and reddish urine.

One liang each of poria, capillaris, and dried ginger; thirty zhu each of fried white atractylodes and immature bitter orange; eighteen zhu each of pinellia and apricot kernel; six zhu of kansui; twelve zhu each of Sichuan pepper and Chinese angelica.

Grind the ten ingredients into powder and mix with honey to make pills the size of parasol tree seeds. Take three pills on an empty stomach, three times a day, gradually increasing the dose until urination becomes free. The Qianjin Yifang adds one liang of coptis and eighteen zhu of rhubarb. It calls this Capillaris Pill and uses it to treat black jaundice, in which the body turns dark and urination is obstructed.

Pinellia Decoction: Used for alcohol accumulation, an illness that develops after prolonged drinking, with oppression in the chest, abdominal distension, heaviness in the bones and flesh, and impaired eating. Urine may even become reddish-yellow. The text attributes this illness to bodily weakness and exhaustion, compounded by exposure to wind and cold and by diet. Phlegm accumulates in the spleen and stomach, then surges upward into the heart and chest.

One sheng of pinellia, ginger, scutellaria…

One liang each of Yinchen (Artemisia capillaris) and Danggui (Chinese angelica), and Qianhu (Chinese thorowax); two liang each of Zhishi (immature bitter orange), Gancao (licorice), and Daji (kansui); three liang each of Fuling (poria) and Baizhu (white atractylodes).

Cut the eleven ingredients into pieces. Boil them in one dou of water until three sheng of decoction remain. Divide into three doses.

Ox Gallbladder Pills: A formula for alcohol-related jaundice, in which the body turns yellow with a color like the dust of fermented grain. “Alcohol-related jaundice” refers to jaundice associated with drinking alcohol.

One ox gallbladder, one sheng of Yuanhua (Daphne genkwa), half a sheng of Raohua (Daphne species), three liang of Guadi (melon stalk), and eight liang of Dahuang (rhubarb).

Cut the four ingredients other than the ox gallbladder into pieces. Soak them overnight in one dou of clear rice wine, then boil until half the original volume remains. Strain out the herbs, add the ox gallbladder, and simmer over low heat until the mixture can be formed into pills. Roll into pills the size of soybeans. Take one pill at a time. After a while, if the effect is not apparent, take another; increase the dose gradually, up to eight pills at most. If the illness is above the diaphragm, vomiting may follow; if it is below the diaphragm, diarrhea may occur. Some people neither vomit nor purge, yet recover on their own.

Major Yinchen Decoction: A formula for yellowing caused by intense excess heat within the body, with a golden-yellow color and a pulse that is floating, large, slippery, replete, tight, and rapid. Ancient texts state that jaundice often occurs in people who drink alcohol, become fatigued, eat less, and develop heat in the stomach, or in those whose internal heat is caused by warm toxins.

One and a half liang each of Yinchen (Artemisia capillaris) and Huangbai (Phellodendron bark); three liang each of Dahuang (rhubarb) and Baizhu (white atractylodes); two liang each of Huangqin (Scutellaria root), Gancao (licorice), Fuling (poria), Gualougen (trichosanthes root), Qianhu (Chinese thorowax), and Zhishi (immature bitter orange); and twenty Zhizi (gardenia fruit).

Cut the eleven ingredients into pieces. Boil them in nine sheng of water until three sheng of decoction remain. Divide into three doses. If pronounced purging occurs after taking it, observe and adjust treatment as appropriate, then resume treatment after three or four days.

Yinchen Pills: A formula for Qi strangury, abdominal distension, and yellowing of the whole body and face; also used for shortness of breath and difficulty breathing caused by alcohol-related jaundice. “Qi strangury” is a type of strangury, a term commonly used in ancient medical texts for symptoms such as difficulty urinating.

Four liang each of Yinchen (Artemisia capillaris), Tianmendong (asparagus tuber), and Zhizi (gardenia fruit); three liang each of Dahuang (rhubarb) and Guixin (cinnamon bark); two liang each of Tongcao (rice-paper plant pith) and Shigao (gypsum); and half a sheng of Banxia (pinellia tuber).

Steam the Dahuang, Tongcao, Tianmendong, Banxia, and Zhizi, then dry them in the sun. Pound and sift them together with the remaining ingredients, and use honey to make pills the size of soybeans. Take three pills at a time, three times daily. Avoid raw fish. Take with a bean broth, not with alcohol. Another version of the formula omits Shigao and adds two liang of Huashi (talc). If it has no effect, gradually increase the dose to ten pills each time.

If a person with jaundice develops a fever around the time of day known as shenshi (roughly 3 to 5 p.m.) but feels cold instead, this is attributed to “female-labor” (nülao).

Symptoms include spasms and tightness of the bladder, distension and fullness in the lower abdomen, yellowing of the whole body, a darkened forehead, and heat in the soles of the feet. These are followed by the development of black jaundice, a form of jaundice. The abdomen becomes distended and full, as though fluid were accumulating; the stools also turn black and may sometimes be loose and watery. This is female-labor jaundice, caused by factors such as sexual overexertion, rather than edema. When abdominal fullness is present, the condition is comparatively difficult to treat.

Mirabilite and Alum Powder: for treating female-labor jaundice.

Mirabilite and alum, half a liang each.

Grind the two ingredients into a fine powder and sift it. Take it with the liquid from barley porridge, one level spoonful measured with a fangcunbi (an ancient implement for measuring powdered medicine), three times a day. Wear plenty of clothes and cover yourself with quilts to induce sweating. The pathogenic influence will be expelled through the urine and stool: the urine will return to its normal yellow color, and the stool will become its normal black color.

When jaundice flares up, symptoms often appear in the afternoon: fever, aversion to cold, spasms and tightness in the lower abdomen, yellowing of the whole body, a darkened forehead, loose black stools, and heat in the soles of the feet. This is female-labor jaundice. If the abdomen is distended and full, the condition is comparatively difficult to treat. The following prescription is used:

Talc and gypsum, in equal amounts.

Grind the two ingredients into a fine powder and sift it. Take it with the liquid from barley porridge, one fangcunbi measure at a time, three times a day. If the patient passes a large amount of urine, the illness will be cured.

Acupuncture and moxibustion treatments for jaundice

The first frontal acupoint diagram marks the following points: Yinmen, Shangyin, Shang’e, Shexia, Chunli, Taiyang, Jia Renzhong, Jia Chengjiang, Jueque, Shangguan, and Yinfeng.

Yinmen: Measure in a straight line from the tip of the nose to the hairline, and divide that distance into three equal parts using a cord. Measure inward from the hairline by one part; the point at the end of the cord is the acupoint. Needling this point treats diseases such as mǎhuáng and jaundice.

Shangyinli: On the inner side of the upper gums, opposite the philtrum and near the lips. Insert the needle three times to treat diseases such as mǎhuáng and jaundice.

Shang’e: Inside the mouth, on the upper palate, near the midline where the red and white vessels are visible. Insert the needle three times to treat mǎhuáng, jaundice, and seasonal illnesses.

Shexia: On either side of the tongue. Needling this point treats jaundice and related illnesses.

Chunli: Inside the lips, on the inner side of Chengjiang and near the gums. Insert the needle three times to treat mǎhuáng, jaundice, illnesses caused by cold or heat, and warm epidemics.

Taiyang: Between the end of the eyebrow and the outer corner of the eye, where vessels running vertically can be seen. Needling or applying moxibustion here treats illnesses caused by seasonal cold or heat, jaundice, and warm diseases.

Jia Renzhong: On either side of Renzhong. Treat with a fire needle for mǎhuáng, jaundice, epidemics, and illnesses in which the whole body turns yellow and the voice can no longer be modulated.

Jia Chengjiang: One cun to either side of Chengjiang. Used to treat mǎhuáng, acute epidemics, and related illnesses.

Jueque: One cun below the pit of the stomach. Apply seven moxibustion cones to treat mǎhuáng, jaundice, acute epidemics, and related illnesses.

The Shangguan point (also called the Shangwan point, below the pit of the stomach) lies two cun below the heart. Apply seven moxa cones (or moxa treatments) to treat diseases such as horse jaundice and jaundice.

Male genital cleft point: Lift the penis upward and apply moxibustion in the groove where the penis joins the scrotum. This treats diseases such as horse jaundice and jaundice. The corresponding point for women is at the Jade Gate, the external genital area. There are no fixed restrictions on needling or moxibustion for either men or women.

Second illustration, face down (Fengfu, Refu, Feishu, Xinshu, Ganshu, Pishu, Shenshu, heel)

The Fengfu point, at the back of the neck, lies one cun within the rear hairline and one cun below the upper bone. Needling this point treats various head disorders, as well as diseases such as horse jaundice and jaundice.

The Refu point lies below the second segment (the original text does not specify what this refers to), one cun and five fen to either side. It may be treated with either needling or moxibustion to treat diseases such as horse jaundice and jaundice.

The Feishu point lies beside the third vertebra below the Dazhui point, at the base of the back of the neck, one cun and five fen from the spine on each side. Moxibustion here primarily treats jaundice and may also be used for various toxin-related diseases.

The Xinshu point lies beside the second vertebra below the Feishu point, one cun and five fen from the spine on each side.

The Ganshu point lies beside the fourth vertebra below the Xinshu point, one cun and five fen from the spine on each side.

The Pishu point lies beside the second vertebra below the Ganshu point, one cun and five fen from the spine on each side.

The Shenshu point lies beside the third vertebra below the Pishu point, one cun and five fen from the spine on each side.

The heel point lies at the boundary between the skin and the white flesh at the back of the heel. It may be treated with either needling or moxibustion to treat horse jaundice, jaundice, illnesses caused by cold and heat, and various toxin-related diseases.

Third illustration, side view (Erzhong, Jiali, Shou Taiyang, Bishizitou, Qian Kong, Taichong)

The Erzhong point lies on the ridge above the ear opening. Needling or moxibustion here treats horse jaundice, jaundice, illnesses caused by cold and heat, and epidemic toxins.

The Jiali point is located inward from the corner of the mouth, on the inside of the cheek opposite the mouth corner, one cun away from it. Needling this point primarily treats horse jaundice, jaundice, illnesses caused by cold and heat, and warm epidemics. The point is located in the same way on both cheeks.

The Shou Taiyang point is at the tip of the little finger. Apply moxibustion according to the patient’s age.

The Bishizitou point is located by having the patient grasp their own arm with their hand. Measure one fu, a traditional unit for locating acupuncture points, upward from the wrist crease at Taize (the text’s “ze” is likely a mistake for “yuan,” making the name Taiyuan), to the boundary with the white flesh. Apply seven moxa cones to treat diseases such as horse jaundice and jaundice.

The Qian Kong point is located by measuring from the nipple to the center of the navel. Apply one hundred moxa cones at the end of the curved rib to treat jaundice.

Acupuncture or moxibustion at Taichong, an acupuncture point on the top of the foot, can be used to treat diseases such as mahuang and epidemics of warm disease.

Essential Prescriptions Worth a Thousand Gold Pieces for Emergencies by Master Sun, juan 34