Category: Traditional Medical Texts
(chapter89)Leg Ulcer as External Manifestation
Chronic Leg Ulcer (Lianchuang) is an extremely stubborn external condition. When I was young, I witnessed patients with this disease suffering from foul-smelling pus, spreading infections, and non-healing wounds that persisted for years. Though many treatments exist, achieving real results is notoriously difficult. In the Xinhai year (a traditional Chinese calendar year), my father contracted…
(chapter88)Qi Stagnation with Phlegm: Wheezing, Cough and Anorexia
In my hometown lived Yang Lezhai, a martial scholar. His second sister-in-law, widowed in her twenties, raised a son alone. Though highly capable—managing all household affairs better than other female relatives—she suffered chronic depression from solitude. This caused recurrent “liver qi stagnation” (emotional blockage in TCM), manifesting as wheezing, coughing, groaning, and loss of appetite…
(chapter87)Flaring Deficiency Fire Causing Deafness
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Official Zhang Yiduan of the Zhili Provincial Treasury, a straightforward man from a prominent family, was awaiting an official appointment in Zhili. After returning home to observe mourning for his mother, he often attended banquets with me, displaying an elegant demeanor. As his nephew, Sima (a historical official title) Zhang Wenquan, shared the same scholarly rank…
(chapter86)Liver Wood Overacting on Spleen Earth (Liver Qi Invading Spleen)
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In Maru Village east of Jiexiu City, there was a candle merchant named Guo. He was known for his rigid and anxious personality. During one summer, he traveled frequently between Jiexiu and Qi County. Due to his hurried schedule and irritable mood, he developed chest tightness and loss of appetite. At the time, an epidemic…
(chapter85)Liver Qi constriction Breeding Fire
A man named Zhang Qing from the same village had a sister who returned to her parents’ home for a visit. After staying for several days, she suddenly developed chest tightness, loss of appetite, vomiting, and coughing. Her mother suspected pregnancy (a common cultural assumption for such symptoms) and requested my medical evaluation. Upon diagnosis:…
(chapter84)Two Formulas: Fetus Protection and Lactation Promotion
Miscarriage at three months of pregnancy is typically not due to physical injury but rather stems from prolonged emotional depression in women. This leads to liver heat accumulation (liver Qi stagnation with heat), which adversely affects fetal development. The Fetus-Protecting Powder (Baotai Wuyou San) from the medical classic Guidelines for Easy Childbirth (Dasheng Pian) has (studied in traditional…
(chapter83)Stomach Retention Causing Limb Swelling
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Mr. Li Gengtang was a military scholar-official equivalent who served as a regional military commander in Wenzhou and later rose to become a mid-level military officer in Jiangxi. Due to the low income of his position, he retired to his hometown. His eldest son, Dongqiao, worked as an official in the Ministry of Revenue in the…
(chapter82)Qi Stagnation with Fluid Retention and Phlegm Obstructing Lungs
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When phlegm accumulates pathologically in the body, severe cases may manifest as sudden fainting spells. Patients collapse without warning, and improper (used in traditional contexts) can lead to fatality, making this a critical condition. The root cause is often qi stagnation (stagnation of vital energy), which allows phlegm to congest the stomach region, impairing consciousness. Traditional…
(chapter81)Spleen Deficiency with Food Stagnation Causing Menstrual Disorder
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Several months later, while escorting my nephew to take the prefectural imperial examinations, I met daily with a local official (guanchashi). He described his concubine’s condition: irregular menstruation, frequent lower abdominal pain, lethargy, loss of appetite, and recurrent miscarriages around 3-4 months of pregnancy. Despite numerous treatments in Guo County, including prescriptions from Professor Qi…
(chapter80)Excess Damp-Heat Syndrome Causing Hematemesis
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Mr. Wu Zhitian, a native of Guoxian County in Shanxi Province, was appointed as a local magistrate in Shaanxi after achieving the prestigious jinshi (imperial scholar) rank. He later rose to become the administrative supervisor of Yulin. Due to Yulin’s poor soil conditions, he managed his duties remotely from the provincial capital, Xi’an. A habitual heavy drinker,…
