Zheng Qian'an Medical Book Interpretation

Author: Zheng Qin'an
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2004-04-01
Features: Wu Yao - Sheng Ren Shen 3 liang, Jiang Jiang 6 liang, Da Zao 12 pieces
Medication Explanation According to Wu Yao Tang formula, it is a remedy for warming the center, lowering rebellious Qi, and tonifying the liver. Wu Yao is pungent and warm, making it suitable for lowering rebellious Qi and tonifying the liver. When rebellious Qi is lowered, vomiting naturally stops. It can also tonify the center. When the liver is tonified, wood Qi is unimpeded, preventing it from overacting on the earth. It also resonates with Jiang Jiang's pungent and warm properties, combined with Da Zao's sweetness to regulate stomach Yang. With Ren Shen's sweet and cold properties, it specializes in nourishing spleen Yin. When both earth Qi are tonified, they regain vitality, transportation resumes, and restlessness naturally subsides. This formula primarily focuses on tonifying the liver and lowering rebellious Qi to calm the center. When the center is calm, the upper and lower parts stabilize. The key principle is similar to Li Zhong Tang but with different herbs. Li Zhong Tang is a superficial approach, suitable for patients with vomiting and diarrhea but not yet restlessness, hence focusing on Tai Yin. This formula is deeper, as patients with vomiting and diarrhea may become restless to the point of death. Restlessness belongs to the heart, while restlessness (disturbance) belongs to the kidney, indicating a Sha Yin condition. The root cause is severe vomiting and diarrhea, leading to the center's dysfunction and inability to connect the upper and lower parts. The source of vomiting is the liver wood overacting on the earth, hence Zhang Jing prescribed Wu Yao Tang to warm the liver and lower rebellious Qi, which is indeed an effective and key approach. [Explanation] In the "Treatise on Cold Damage," some commentators doubt this section, believing that vomiting, (reversal of Yang), and restlessness to the point of death indicate a severe condition of Yin excess and Yang depletion, requiring Zheng Qi, Bai Tong as the primary treatment, while Wu Yao Tang is not suitable for the symptoms, leading to some modifications like changing vomiting and diarrhea to severe vomiting. Zheng Qin'an uniquely argues that the spleen and stomach, as the central earth Qi, are the pivotal points connecting the upper and lower parts. Severe vomiting and diarrhea suddenly weaken the spleen and stomach, preventing the transport of essential fluids and connecting the heart and kidney, leading to restlessness and restlessness to the point of death. Restlessness belongs to the heart, while restlessness (disturbance) belongs to the kidney, hence Zhang Jing classified it under Sha Yin and treated it with Wu Yao Tang instead of Zheng Qi or Bai Tong. This is because the condition primarily involves severe vomiting with mild diarrhea, mainly due to the liver wood overacting on the earth and affecting Yang Ming. Therefore, Wu Yao Tang, which tonifies the liver and lowers rebellious Qi to calm the center, is used. Wu Yao and Jiang Jiang, with their pungent and warm properties, tonify the liver, lower rebellious Qi, and dispel cold. Ren Shen and Da Zao, with their sweet and gentle properties, tonify the spleen and stomach, support Zheng Qi, and stabilize the root, alleviating vomiting and diarrhea, (reversal of Yang), and calming restlessness. This is an effective treatment for the primary condition. Generally, this formula is believed to treat Yang Ming's food-induced vomiting, Sha Yin's vomiting and diarrhea with (reversal of Yang) and restlessness, and Jue Yin's dry vomiting with saliva and headache because the pathogenesis of all these conditions is virtual cold. The formula can tonify deficiency, dispel cold, and address both root and symptoms, hence treating all conditions. Modern practitioners use this formula with modifications to treat gastric ulcers, gastroenteritis, heart disease, hypertension, hepatitis, and eye conditions, all with symptom relief and even recovery. Zheng Qin'an's understanding a century ago is truly remarkable. I have used this formula to treat Jue Yin's dry vomiting with saliva and headache with excellent results, proving its effectiveness.
27. Question: A patient has swollen and painful teeth for two or three days, suddenly develops intense skin heat, yet feels cold internally, and strongly desires to cover the body with thick blankets. Sometimes, when the external heat subsides, they no longer feel cold. Why?
Answer: This is because the original Qi is externalized and cannot be stored. When a patient has swollen and painful teeth for two or three days without any Yang symptoms, it is already known that Yin is excessive and the original Qi is floating. Later, when the skin is intensely hot but internally very cold, it is clear that the original Qi has completely escaped to the exterior, ten times worse than tooth pain. When external heat subsides, and the patient no longer feels cold, it is because Yang has returned to the interior. If the patient has mild aversion to cold and fever with body aches, it is a clear symptom of Tai Yin's cold injuring the (defensive Qi). If aversion to cold is severe, leading to covering the body with thick blankets and intense external heat, it should not be treated as cold damage but rather the original Qi's externalization. Medication must be precise. This condition is also similar to upper heat and lower cold, but it involves the upper, lower, and interior...