A neighbor named Liu Xiqing had a sister who married three times but remained widowed. Approaching her fifties, she suddenly developed severe uterine bleeding (known in Traditional Chinese Medicine as xuebeng). Local village doctors thought it was caused by physical trauma and used treatments like burnt hair ash and sanguisorba root (diyu) to stop the bleeding, but these failed. After a month, they invited me to examine her.
Her face was as pale as ash, her breathing barely detectable, and her condition critical. Her pulse felt deep, thin, slow, and weak—all signs of extreme physical depletion. I warned, “This illness is as fragile as morning dew. If untreated, she likely won’t survive another fortnight.” Considering her poverty and inability to afford medicine, I prepared to leave. But her son-in-law stopped me, saying, “If there’s hope to save her, I’ll cover the costs. If not, we’ll accept fate.”
Touched by his sincerity, I agreed: “Your devotion moves me. I’ll do my best. Though progress may be slow, her life might still be preserved.” I prescribed a high-dose Six-Ingredient Yang-Restoring Decoction (Formula: Aconite Root fuzi, Baked Ginger paojiang, Licorice Root gancao, Chinese Angelica danggui, Codonopsis Root dangshen, Cinnamon Bark rougui). After two days, her energy improved, but the bleeding continued.
Her son-in-law anxiously asked, “Her life seems spared, but why won’t the bleeding stop?” I explained: “Stopping bleeding is simple, but her yin and yang energies are both depleted. Without stabilizing her vital energy (qi), the bleeding cannot be controlled. The Yang-Restoring Decoction rebuilds her foundation. Next, we’ll apply lifting and tonifying methods.”
I then prescribed Ginseng Nourishing Pill (renshen yangrong wan), adding Bupleurum Root (chaihu) and Cimicifuga Rhizome (shengma) to lift qi, along with Euryale Seed (qianshi) and Dragon Bone (longgu) to consolidate fluids. After five treatments, the bleeding ceased. I instructed her to continue taking Ginseng Nourishing Pill exclusively.
Two months later, she returned with her son-in-law to bow in gratitude. She also borrowed sewing tools from my wife. Days later, she delivered a meticulously stitched pouch containing the returned tools, saying, “We’re poor, but I offer this handiwork to repay your life-saving kindness.”
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