“In the village, the wife of Zhang Shimei had long been depressed due to her husband’s lack of ambition and inability to stand on his own. She possessed a stubborn temperament, and whenever clothing or food failed to meet her expectations, she would immediately start arguments out of sheer defiance. During the summer of Renxu year (1922), their second son developed throat swelling caused by food stagnation and stomach heat. They sought (used in traditional contexts) from a neighbor named Zhang Baoyu, who, despite having no proper medical training, attempted (used in traditional contexts) by needling the child’s throat and scrubbing it with new white cloth. The next day, the child couldn’t even swallow water, and passed away on the third day.
The mother’s condition worsened due to grief over losing her child. She developed chest and diaphragm pain, lost all appetite, remained in a constant drowsy state, and suffered from dizziness. When I happened to visit their household, they requested my examination. Upon checking her six pulse positions (traditional Chinese medicine diagnostic method), I found deep and stagnant qi flow, particularly severe in the liver system. I explained to her: ‘This is qi stagnation. It can be cured with several doses of medicine. However, you must abstain from anger – otherwise even if cured, it will recur.’
I prescribed Xiangsha Siqi Decoction (a traditional formula for regulating qi and relieving stagnation). After three doses, she made a full recovery.”
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