《孫真人備急千金要方》Vol. 45

Essential Prescriptions Worth a Thousand Gold Pieces for Emergencies by the True Man Sun (Sun Zhenren Beiji Qianjin Yaofang), Scroll 45, Needle 5

Formulas for the Small Intestine

Wind-Related Deficiency and Palpitations, Section Six (Formulas)

Polygala Decoction

This formula nourishes Heart Qi and treats palpitations, forgetfulness, and poor appetite caused by weak Heart Qi.

Polygala, dried ginger, atractylodes, cassia bark, astragalus, and purple stone, three liang each; saposhnikovia, Chinese angelica, ginseng, poria, licorice, Sichuan lovage, poria with hostwood, and notopterygium, two liang each; ophiopogon and pinellia, four liang each; twelve jujubes; and two ge of schisandra.

Cut the eighteen ingredients into small pieces. Boil them in one dou and three sheng of water until three sheng of liquid remain. Divide into five doses and take three times during the day and once at night.

Another Formula

This formula treats insufficient Heart Qi after a stroke, with symptoms including palpitations, confused speech, mental disorientation, a disturbed mind, vexation in the chest, and ringing in the ears.

Polygala, astragalus, poria, licorice, peony, Chinese angelica, cassia bark (omitted in some versions), ophiopogon, and ginseng, two liang each; pubescent angelica, four liang; fresh ginger, five liang; and aconite, one liang.

Cut the twelve ingredients into small pieces. Boil them in one dou and two sheng of water until four sheng of liquid remain. Take eight ge per dose, or five ge for someone who is weak. Take three times during the day and once at night.

Poria with Hostwood Decoction

This formula treats palpitations caused by pathogenic wind invading the five viscera and severe weakness of the organs and bowels. It also calms the spirit and steadies the mind.

Poria with hostwood and saposhnikovia, three liang each; ginseng, polygala, licorice, dragon bone, cassia bark, and pubescent angelica, two liang each; atractylodes, one liang; asarum and dried ginger, six liang each; and one sheng of sour jujube.

Cut the twelve ingredients into small pieces. Boil them in nine sheng of water until three sheng of liquid remain, then divide into three doses.

Another Formula

This formula treats distension in the neck, stiffness of the neck and nape, unsettled Heart Qi, and inability to eat caused by wind-related deficiency.

Poria with hostwood and ophiopogon, four liang each; ginseng, notopterygium, polygala, Chinese angelica, licorice, purple stone, and schisandra, two liang each.

Note: Dou, sheng, ge, and liang are ancient units of volume and weight; their modern equivalents vary by period and region. “Cut into small pieces” translates fuju, a term for chopping medicinal ingredients before decocting them.

Pinellia, saposhnikovia, and astragalus root, three liang each; fresh ginger, five liang; and sour jujubes, three sheng.

Chop the fourteen medicinal ingredients listed above. First boil the sour jujubes in one dou and three sheng of water until one dou remains, then remove the jujubes. Add the remaining ingredients and decoct until three sheng and five ge remain. Take seven ge per dose, three times during the day and twice at night.

Heart-Supplementing Decoction: Used to treat insufficiency of Heart Qi. The patient may be easily startled, experience palpitations and sweating, feel vexed and short of breath, and undergo frequent shifts among happiness, anger, sadness, and grief without being aware of them. The patient often has a sore throat, darkened lips, and vomits blood; the root of the tongue becomes stiff, making it difficult to swallow even water or broth.

Purple stone, poria, ginseng, polygala, Chinese angelica, poria spirit (written as “cinnamon” in the Shenshi Formula), licorice, and aster, two liang each; dwarf lilyturf, one sheng; red beans, three he; and thirty jujubes.

Chop the eleven ingredients listed above. Decoct them in one dou and two sheng of water until three sheng remain. Divide into three doses.

Another Formula: Used to treat insufficiency of Heart Qi, profuse sweating, vexation, a tendency to talk aloud when alone, and many dreams that the patient does not remember. The patient has a sore throat and sometimes vomits blood; the root of the tongue becomes stiff, making water and broth difficult to swallow.

Purple stone, ground to a fine powder, poria, ginseng, and cassia twig, two liang each; dwarf lilyturf, three liang; aster and licorice, one liang each; seven jujubes; and twenty-four red beans.

Chop the nine ingredients listed above. Decoct them in eight sheng of water until two sheng and five ge remain. Divide into three doses. This formula is more suitable for use in spring and summer.

Yet Another Formula: Used to treat mental confusion; symptoms that are somewhat better in the morning and worse toward evening; palpitations and unease; fullness in the chest; difficulty swallowing food; weakness of Yin and Yang Qi; impaired transformation and transportation by the Spleen and Stomach; and reluctance to hear others speak. This formula is used to calm the mind and regulate Qi.

Ginseng, poria, polygala, licorice, immature bitter orange, Chinese angelica, dragon bone, and platycodon, three liang each; pinellia and cassia twig, five liang each; astragalus root, four liang; fresh ginger, six liang; poria spirit, two liang; and twenty jujubes.

Chop the fourteen ingredients listed above. Use one dou and two sheng of water, and first boil the non-glutinous rice… (The original text ends here; the method for decocting and taking the formula is missing.)

…After simmering until the decoction is thoroughly prepared, strain out the dregs, then add the medicines and boil again. Take four sheng. Each dose is eight he. Take three doses during the day and two at night.

Another prescription: for deficiency of Heart Qi, heart pain, and fright or panic.

Yuanzhi, Puhuang (a different textual version uses Changpu), Renshen, and Fuling (four liang each).

Cut the four ingredients into small pieces. Boil them in one dou of water and reduce to three and a half sheng. Divide into three doses.

Another prescription: for deficiency of Heart Qi, with pain pulling between the abdomen and back so severe that the person cannot bend forward or lean back. (Some versions call this the “Shangxin Decoction.”)

Fushen, Huangqin, Yuanzhi, and dried Dihuang (three liang each); Maimendong and Shigao (four liang each); Banxia, Fuzi, Guixin, and Shengjiang (two liang each); Gancao, Ejiao, and sugar (one liang each); and thirty Dazao.

Cut twelve of the fourteen ingredients into small pieces. Boil them in one dou of water and reduce to three sheng. Strain out the dregs, then add the sugar and Ejiao and continue boiling until reduced to two sheng and two he. Divide into three doses. This prescription is the same as the “Great Heart-Tonifying Decoction” in the “Heart Deficiency and Excess” section of the previous volume, but the quantities of the ingredients differ.

Small Heart-Calming Decoction: for bodily weakness and emaciation, deficiency of Heart Qi, easy fright, and frequent nightmares.

Fuling, four liang; Guixin, three liang; Gancao, Shaoyao, Ganjiang, Yuanzhi, and Renshen, two liang each; and fifteen Dazao.

Cut the eight ingredients into small pieces. Boil them in eight sheng of water and reduce to three sheng. Divide into four doses: three during the day and one at night.

Great Heart-Calming Decoction: for weakness of Heart Qi, palpitations and unease, mental confusion, forgetfulness, waking in fright from dreams, frequent nightmares, and insufficiency of the will.

Renshen, Fuling, Fushen, Yuanzhi, Chishizhi, Longgu, Ganjiang, Danggui, Gancao, Baizhu, Shaoyao, Guixin, Ziwan, and Fangfeng (two liang each), and twenty Dazao.

Cut the fifteen ingredients into small pieces. Boil them in one dou and two sheng of water and reduce to three and a half sheng. Divide into five doses: three during the day and two at night.

A method for loss of will caused by fright and overexertion:

Gancao and Guixin (two liang each); Longgu, Fangfeng, Maimendong, and Muli.

The source text ends here; the quantities of the remaining ingredients and the instructions for preparation and use are missing.

Yuanzhi (one liang each), Fushen (five liang), and jujube (twenty pieces).

The above nine ingredients—only three are listed at this point in the original, so the preceding ingredients are presumably missing—are roughly chopped. Decoct them in eight sheng of water, take two sheng, and divide into two doses. The interval between the two doses should be about the time it takes to walk five li.

Jingli Decoction: a formula for weakness of heart Qi, palpitations with fright and restlessness, and emaciation.

Jingli (two sheng), Fushen and Baixianpi (three liang each), ginseng (two liang), silver (ten liang; decoct in one dou of water and take three sheng of silver liquid).

Of the five ingredients above, first roughly chop the three ingredients other than Jingli, put them into the Jingli and silver liquid, and decoct, taking one sheng and four ge, divided into three doses. The interval between doses should be about the time it takes to walk ten li.

Another formula: take two sheng of Jingli, simmer gently over low heat until reduced to one sheng and six ge, and take it warm. Take four ge each time, three times in the daytime and once at night.

Zhenxin Tang: a formula for insufficiency of heart Qi caused by wind-deficiency, strain and damage, and cold, as well as for proneness to forgetfulness, fright, and mental restlessness.

Fangfeng, Danggui, Dahuang, and Maimendong (five fen each; another edition records Maimendong as five liang); Zexie, Dadou juan, and Bailian (four fen each; another edition records Bailian as three liang); Changpu, ginseng, Jiegeng, Guixin, Yuanzhi, Shuyu, and Shigao (three fen each); Ziwan, Ganjiang, and Fuling (two fen each; another edition records three liang each); Baizhu and Gancao (ten fen each); Jingmi (five ge); jujube (five liang); Fuzi and Fushen (two liang each); Qinjiao (six fen).

Roughly chop the above twenty-four ingredients. Use one dou and two sheng of water to first cook the Jingmi; after it is cooked, strain out the rice residue, then add the medicinal ingredients and decoct, taking four sheng. Take eight ge each time, three times in the daytime and once at night. The method recorded in the Qianjin Yifang omits Jingmi and instead makes the ingredients into honey pills the size of wutong seeds; take ten pills with wine, gradually increasing to twenty pills.

Da Zhenxin San (Major Heart-Calming Powder): a formula for weakness of heart Qi, palpitations, waking suddenly from dreams, and fear and restlessness.

Zishiying (purple quartz), Fuling, Fangfeng, ginseng, Gancao, and Zexie (eight fen each); Huangqi, Qinjiao, Baizhu, Shuyu, and Bailian (six fen each); Maimendong is listed as well.

Chinese angelica root (five fen each), platycodon root, soybean sprouts, arborvitae seed, cinnamon heart (the bark of the cassia tree), polygala root, rhubarb, and gypsum (four fen each); Sichuan pepper, peony, dried ginger, and asarum (three fen each).

Grind the twenty-four ingredients into a fine powder and sift it. Take with wine, two square-inch spoonfuls at a time, three times a day. (A square-inch spoonful was an ancient measure for medicinal powders.)

Another formula omits purple stone, poria, alisma, and dried ginger, and adds four fen of jujube. Make honey pills the size of parasol-tree seeds. Take fifteen pills at a time with wine.

Another formula treats Wind vacuity and weakness of the heart’s Qi, with symptoms such as palpitations and fright, disorientation, sudden anger or sadness, and emotional unease:

Purple quartz, white quartz, dried rehmannia (one version omits this ingredient), cinnabar, dragon bone, ginseng, asarum, tianxiong, aconite, polygala root, dried ginger, poria, atractylodes, cinnamon heart, and saposhnikovia (two liang each).

Grind the fifteen ingredients into a fine powder and sift it. Take with wine, two square-inch spoonfuls at a time, three times a day.

Minor Heart-Calming Powder treats insufficiency of the heart’s Qi, palpitations, fear, sadness and anxious thoughts, disorientation, unsettled spirit, and frequent startle and alarm:

Ginseng, polygala root, atractylodes, aconite, dried rehmannia, red adzuki beans, cinnamon heart, astragalus, asarum, dried ginger, dragon bone, saposhnikovia, and sweetflag (two liang each); poria (four liang).

Grind the fourteen ingredients into a fine powder and sift it. Take with wine, two square-inch spoonfuls at a time, three times a day.

Heart-Calming Pills treat debility in men and women, waking in fright from dreams, palpitations, or seminal emission. They also treat vaginal discharge that is red or white, irregular menstruation, invasion by pathogenic Wind, alternating chills and fever, abdominal accumulations, and Qi stagnation caused by worry or anger:

Purple quartz, poria, sweetflag, cistanche, polygala root, ophiopogon, rhubarb, Chinese angelica root, asarum, selaginella, soybean sprouts, and dried ginger (five fen each); saposhnikovia, ginseng, alisma, gentian root, and salvia (six fen each); gypsum, peony, and arborvitae seed (three fen each); aconite, cinnamon heart, platycodon root, licorice, and Chinese yam (ten fen each); Chinese quince and iron essence.

The ingredient list for this passage’s Heart-Calming Pills breaks off at “Chinese quince and iron essence”; no subsequent dosages or preparation method are given.

Silver flakes, hogfennel root, and ox bezoar, two parts each; dried rehmannia root, twelve parts; white atractylodes and pinellia tuber, eight parts each; ground beetles, twelve; and Chinese dates, fifty.

Grind the thirty-five ingredients into a fine powder. Mix it with honey and the Chinese dates, then pound the mixture repeatedly, five thousand times, and form it into pills the size of parasol tree seeds. Take with wine, five pills per dose, three times a day. Gradually increase to twenty pills per dose. One transmitted version omits “soybean sprouts” and “Chinese dates.”

Great Mind-Calming Pills: The indications are broadly the same as for the preceding formula; this prescription can be used for all kinds of heart disorders.

Dried rehmannia root, six parts; ox bezoar, five parts (one version substitutes achyranthes root for ox bezoar); notopterygium root, cassia bark, ophiopogon root, large-leaved gentian root, Sichuan lovage rhizome, ginseng, polygala root, purple quartz, cinnabar, donkey-hide gelatin, licorice root, rhubarb, silver flakes, white peony root, Chinese angelica root, dried ginger, and saposhnikovia root, eight parts each; apricot kernels and Sichuan pepper, three parts each; alisma rhizome, astragalus root, poria, soybean sprouts, Chinese yam, poria spirit, hogfennel root, iron essence, and arborvitae seeds, five parts each; Chinese dates, forty; and mantis egg cases, eleven.

Grind the thirty-two ingredients into a fine powder. Mix with honey and Chinese dates to form pills. Take with wine, seven pills per dose, three times a day. Gradually increase to twenty pills per dose.

Small Mind-Calming Pills: Indicated for deficiency of heart Qi, being easily startled, a restless and trembling heart with palpitations, rebellious Qi in the chest, frightful nightmares and confused dreams, as well as confused memory and a dazed, unsettled spirit.

Purple quartz, cinnabar, poria spirit, silver flakes, realgar, sweet flag rhizome, ginseng, platycodon root, dried ginger, polygala root, licorice root, and Chinese angelica root, two parts each; cassia bark, saposhnikovia root, asarum, iron essence, and fourstamen dutchmanspipe root, one liang each.

Grind the seventeen ingredients into a fine powder and use honey to make pills the size of soybeans. Take with a drink, ten pills per dose, three times a day. Gradually increase to twenty pills per dose. Another version adds two parts of poria, bringing the total to eighteen ingredients.

Small Pill for Settling the Will: Indicated for unsettled heart Qi and weakness of the five viscera. In severe cases, it may cause worry and sorrow, low spirits, a dazed state and forgetfulness, with symptoms that wax and wane: improving in the morning and worsening in the evening, or improving in the evening and recurring in the morning. It is also used for mania, dizziness, vertigo, and related conditions.

Sweetflag and polygala, two liang each; poria and ginseng, three liang each.

Grind the four ingredients into a fine powder and mix with honey to make pills the size of parasol tree seeds. Take seven pills each time, three times a day. Fushen may also be added to make Fushen Pills; the ingredients can also be ground into a powder and taken.

Purple Stone Wine: Treats chronic wind disorders, bodily weakness and sensitivity to cold, and deficiency of Heart Qi, as well as occasional fright or fear.

Purple fluorite, one jin; stalactite, fangfeng, polygala, and cinnamon heartwood, four liang each; ephedra, poria, atractylodes, and licorice, three liang each.

Cut the nine ingredients into small pieces and steep them in three dou of wine. In spring, steep for five days, then take four ge each time, three times a day. Alternatively, drink until slightly intoxicated, so that the body continually carries the scent of wine.

Forgetfulness, Chapter Seven (Prescriptions)

Pillow Formula

Tortoise shell, dragon bone, polygala, and sweetflag, in equal parts.

Grind the ingredients into a fine powder and sift. Take one square-inch spoonful (an ancient measure for powdered medicine, approximately a spoonful) with wine, three times a day. Taken over a long period, it can make a person exceptionally intelligent. The Thousand Gold Pieces Formula says to take it with water after meals.

A Formula for Treating Forgetfulness and Helping One Remember

Sweetflag, two fen; poria, fushen, and ginseng, five fen each; polygala, seven fen.

Grind the five ingredients into a fine powder and sift. Take one square-inch spoonful with wine, three times a day, and once more at night. After five days, the mind and spirit will feel clear and alert. It is highly effective.

Another Formula

Cistanche and teasel root, one fen each; polygala, sweetflag, and poria, three fen each.

Grind the five ingredients into a fine powder and sift. Take one square-inch spoonful with wine, three times a day. It may be taken into old age to prevent forgetfulness.

Open the Heart Powder: Treats forgetfulness.

Polygala and ginseng, one fen each; sweetflag, one liang; poria, two liang.

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

Sweetflag and Wisdom Pills: Treats a tendency toward forgetfulness and mental distraction. It is also used to disperse accumulations, relieve pain, calm the spirit, settle the will, and help sharpen hearing and sight.

Sweetflag, polygala, ginseng, platycodon, and achyranthes, five fen each; aconite, five fen; poria, seven fen; cinnamon heartwood, three fen.

Grind the eight ingredients into a fine powder and mix with honey to make pills the size of parasol tree seeds. Take seven pills each time, gradually increasing the dose to…

Take twenty pills each time, twice during the day and once at night. Follow the restrictions specified for the medicine itself.

Formula for Nourishing Life, Opening the Heart, and Enhancing Wisdom

Prepared rehmannia, ginseng, and poria, two liang each; cistanche, dodder seed, and polygala, three liang each; cnidium seed, two fen.

Grind these seven ingredients into a fine powder and sift it. Take one square-inch spoonful each time, twice daily. Avoid rabbit meat; there are no other restrictions.

Eight-Ingredient Powder Formula

Asparagus tuber, six fen; cassia bark and poria, one liang each; prepared rehmannia, four fen; schisandra, sweet flag, polygala, and pyrrosia leaf, three fen each.

Grind these eight ingredients into a fine powder and sift it. Take one square-inch spoonful after meals, with wine or water. After thirty days, physical strength will double; after sixty days, Qi and strength will increase, and one’s resolve and intention will be strengthened.

Formula for Treating Forgetfulness

Asparagus tuber, polygala, poria, and prepared rehmannia, in equal parts. Grind them into a fine powder and mix with honey to make pills the size of parasol tree seeds. Take with wine, twenty pills each time, three times daily; gradually increase to thirty pills each time. Take regularly without interruption.

Formula for Treating Forgetfulness and, with Long-Term Use, Enhancing Intelligence and Wisdom

Dragon bone, tiger bone, and polygala, in equal parts.

Grind these three ingredients into a fine powder and sift it. Take one square-inch spoonful after meals, twice daily.

Another formula: Gather sweet flag on the seventh day of the seventh month. Take three square-inch spoonfuls with wine, but do not drink to the point of intoxication.

Another formula: On a jiazi day, regularly gather sweet flag growing on stone, one inch long and with nine nodes. Dry it in the shade for one hundred days, then grind it into a fine powder and sift it. Take one square-inch spoonful three times daily. It is said to make the ears keen and the eyes clear, and to prevent one from forgetting. (From Nanshan, south of Shiqiao Temple in Quzhou.)

Another formula: On the seventh day of the seventh month, take one sheng of hemp flowers and two liang of ginseng. Grind them into a fine powder and steam them until the medicinal vapor is evenly dispersed. Before going to bed, take one knife-tip measure. It is said to enable one to understand matters in all four directions.

Another formula: On a wuzi day, take fourteen branches from the eastern side of a peach tree and bind them inside the bed. Use them as a pillow. It is said to prevent forgetfulness.

Another formula: On the fifth day of the fifth month, before sunrise, regularly take a branch from the eastern side of a peach tree and carve it into a small wooden figure three inches long. Dress it and wear it on your person. It is said to prevent one from forgetting things.

Another formula: On a dingyou day, go to the market in person to buy polygala. Wrap the herb and carry it home tucked into the corner of your clothing. Grind it into a fine powder and take it. It is said that you will no longer suffer from forgetfulness.

Formula for Treating a Dull Mind, Unclear Thoughts, Frequent Forgetfulness, and a Tendency to Make Mistakes

On the seventh day of the seventh month, put a spiderweb inside your collar without letting anyone know. It is said that this can improve memory and make you less forgetful.

Essential Prescriptions Worth a Thousand Gold for Emergencies, juan 45.