Great Wall of China (5)

Author: Cao Bingzhang
Editor: Wu Shaozhen
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 1997-08-01
Features:
Preface to the Revised Edition of "The Ten Medicinal Books"
According to the biography of Ming Dynasty historian, Ge Qiansun, styled Kejiu, was from Changzhou. His father, Yinglei, was renowned for his medical skills and wrote Two Volumes of Medical Association. Ge Kejiu was of imposing stature and extraordinary strength, with profound expertise in medicine. The Comprehensive Medical Records states: Ge Kejiu, son of Zhenfu, surpassed others in medicine with a kind and benevolent heart. He treated patients without discrimination of status, dedicating himself to healing with unwavering effort, achieving remarkable results. He authored works such as Discourse on Medical Enlightenment, Twelve Discourses on Meridians, and The Ten Medicinal Books. Zhou Yuzai remarked: "I read these ten prescriptions, all surpassing ordinary expectations. Their order and urgency serve as a guide for generations. Even if not all ten are used, nothing falls outside their scope. Within a single prescription, grasping the key points allows one to deduce the reasoning even if not all herbs are employed." Yet today, physicians often prescribe modified Six-Flavor Rehmannia to treat blood disorders, relying on Medical Principles without reflecting on the Ten Medicinal Books. They claim that declining kidney yin leads to fire excess, and strengthening yin can subdue the sun. But many suffering from blood disorders have yin deficiency, while other causes abound. For instance, those who overexert may injure the spleen; those who worry excessively may harm the heart; those who indulge in drinking may damage the lungs; and those angered may suffer liver injury. All these lead to symptoms like hemoptysis, coughing blood, and spitting blood. Can simply strengthening yin suffice?
In summary, blood in the human body follows qi. If one organ is injured, qi becomes unbalanced, causing blood to overflow externally. Thus, it may ascend, descend, stagnate, congeal in cold, or disperse in heat—natural tendencies. Future practitioners, during diagnosis, should carefully assess the situation. If they grasp this, half the battle is won. They must identify which organ is affected, which part of the pulse is injured, and which season it occurs in.
Regarding the use of Ge Kejiu’s ten prescriptions, for vomiting, hemoptysis, and hemoptysis, first use Ten Ashes Powder to stop the bleeding. If severe, follow with Flower Buds Stone Powder. Generally, blood flows in heat and clots in cold; when black, it stops. This is the principle. After stopping bleeding, the patient’s condition improves. Use Single Ginseng Decoction to nourish, allowing restful sleep without waking. Upon waking, vitality recovers by two-thirds. Then, prescribe medications based on the condition: Baohe Decoction for calming cough and soothing the lungs; Baozhen Decoction for replenishing deficiency and clearing heat; Taiping Pills for moisturizing the lungs and supporting weakness; and Digestive Pills for expelling phlegm and regulating qi. Adjust according to symptoms.
Dosage: Take Baozhen Decoction before meals and Baohe Decoction after meals, alternating between the two. Also, daily, drink a strong decoction of mint to rinse the throat. Use Taiping Pills: chew one first, swallow slowly, then hold another in the mouth to dissolve gradually. Do the same before bed, as nighttime opens lung orifices, allowing the medicine to reach them.
If phlegm is severe, first mix Digestive Pills with rock sugar and swallow 100 pills. Then, follow with Taiping Pills and lie down with the head elevated. After the first seven medications, if dry cough persists, prepare Moistening Lung Paste and take it regularly. Later, take White Phoenix Paste to restore vitality and strengthen the foundation. After recovery, take Ten Precious Pills to conclude treatment.
This is Ge’s method for treating chronic cough. Initially appearing in Zhou Yangjun’s Annotations to the Golden Cabinet, the author further explained the principles behind the prescriptions, exploring causes and efficacy. Later, Cheng Yongpei included it in Six Liquor Studio, replacing Zhou’s annotations with his own. Chen Xiuyuan added explanations, which were included in Shanghan and Golden Cabinet. Lin Shouxuan composed a song for dosage adjustments, published in the Guangxu era. Wujiang Pan Xiang added detailed notes to Chen’s work. Jinhe Jin Dejian included Zhou’s version in an anthology. Cao Bingzhang, based on Zhou’s original edition, added Cheng’s comments, Chen’s annotations, Lin’s songs, and Pan’s marginal notes, compiling a comprehensive work preserving the essence of all schools.
Excerpt:
Flower Buds Stone Powder for severe blood loss from collapsed organs, causing gushing blood. Heat-baked flower buds stone, powdered, mixed with one cup of warm urine to dissolve three to five grams. Postpartum blood retention, delirium, retained placenta, rapid pulse, unconsciousness—administer immediately. Urine turns blood to yellow fluid, reviving the patient. Flower buds stone must be heat-baked and powdered, mixed with half wine for men, half vinegar for women, and taken with urine to transform blood into yellow fluid. Follow with subsequent medications.
Pan’s Note: A case of postpartum blood retention, delirium, retained placenta, rapid pulse, unconsciousness—administer one dose. Urine transforms blood to yellow fluid, reviving the patient. Flower buds stone must be heat-baked and powdered, mixed with wine/vinegar and urine to transform blood into yellow fluid, in doses of three to five grams.
Part A and B on Flower Buds Stone and Single Ginseng Decoction:
Zhou Yangjun praises Ge Kejiu for treating hemoptysis. Ge’s primary focus was Ten Ashes Powder and Flower Buds Stone Powder, unhesitatingly using strong measures. Pan reflects that Ge’s intent was profound. Yin supports yang; when yin declines, yang dominates, causing shortness of breath, coughing, fever, red face—all interconnected. Retaining blood reduces upward fire, making recovery easier. Yet modern physicians obsess over "guiding blood back to meridians," ignoring direct hemostasis. Blood overflowing harms more than helping, prolonging illness and worsening yin deficiency. Who is to blame? Pan suggests waiting a few days to replenish yin, but blood cannot regenerate quickly, and unbalanced yang cannot descend easily. Thus, Ge’s urgency in stopping bleeding is key.
Pan’s Note: Golden Cabinet treats consumptive disorders with three principles: replenishing deficiency, dispelling wind, and removing blood stasis. These are unchanging guidelines. Chen Xiuyuan notes: Golden Cabinet uses Cinnamon Twigs with Dragon Bone and Oyster Shell for kidney deficiency; Jianzhong Decoction for spleen deficiency; for dual qi-blood deficiency; and Eight-Taste Rehmannia and Heavenly for lower yang deficiency. Replenishing deficiency is one principle. Shuyou Pills treats wind-related disorders and deficiencies, another principle. Da Huang Mo Chen Wan treats dry blood consumption, the third principle. These three are equally important.
Ge’s Flower Buds Stone Powder follows Ten Ashes Powder, claiming to stop bleeding but actually transforming blood to yellow fluid. Pan questions: If blood flows like a spring, using this powder risks depleting all blood. Reading medicine requires broader understanding. Wind and blood stasis are often overlooked, except in Golden Cabinet’s Da Huang Mo Chen Wan and Small Golden Cabinet’s Bai Lao Wan. Shuyou Pills addresses wind, preventing qi exhaustion, while Mo Chen Wan targets blood stasis. Pan’s own success with Golden Cabinet’s Xie Xin Tang for hemoptysis proves’s power in removing stasis.
Appendix: Bai Lao Wan (from Shanghan)
Angelica, fragrant angelica, myrrh, each one qian; ginseng (amount unspecified); miasma, 14; Hirudo, 14; fried apricot seeds, 14 (pits removed); rhubarb, four qians. Honey-paste like, 100 pills per dose. Take at dawn with Bai lao water (stir 100 times to make Ganlan water), until purging, then 10 days of rice porridge. Bai lao water is stirred 100 times. Mo Chen is also called Dibie.
Pan’s Note: Shuyou Pills treats deficiencies and wind disorders. Mo Chen Wan treats dry blood consumption. Wind harms qi growth; Shuyou Pills is key. Dry blood harms blood circulation; Mo Chen Wan targets stasis.
Single Ginseng Decoction: After stopping bleeding, use this to replenish. Two liang ginseng (root removed), five jujubes, decoct one lian, sip slowly. After restful sleep, take other medications to root the issue. "Three talents build virtue, yin-blood depletion can be restored—two liang ginseng, five jujubes, take it to feel immense vitality."
Pan’s Note: Modern use of ginseng is often minimal or modified, weak and ineffective. Ancient use was in severe cases like excessive sweating, vomiting, or blood loss. Cough is an exception.
Single Ginseng Decoction: Zhou Yangjun notes blood loss leaves weakness and confusion. While previous prescriptions stop bleeding, they lack replenishment. Yin cannot recover instantly; qi must be secured. A single lian ginseng not only replenishes blood but balances yin and yang. The author notes: "A restful sleep calms spirit and qi, easing." Spirit and vitality are restored through stillness. Yet modern physicians view ginseng as toxic in hemoptysis cases.
Chen Xiuyuan notes: Shennong’s Herbal Classic describes ginseng as sweet, slightly cold, harmless, replenishing five organs, calming spirit, stabilizing soul, stopping fright, expelling evil, brightening eyes, opening heart, and improving memory. Long-term use benefits vitality and longevity. The text emphasizes replenishing five organs (yin) to balance yang excess. Evil here refers to internal fire consuming qi. Yin replenished, evil expelled. The text never mentions warming or restoring yang—why do later generations follow baseless Song-Yuan theories, doubting this ancient wisdom? For severe blood loss, two liang ginseng is used, as organ yin is depleted, and both yin and yang collapse. Two liang ginseng’s strong effect ensures quick recovery. However, ginseng is contraindicated in cough. After stopping bleeding, before coughing starts, take it immediately. A full night’s sleep allows blood to regenerate. Delaying it harms recovery.
Part D on Baohe Decoction:
For chronic cough and lung weakness:
Motherwort, Fritillaria, Asparagus, each three qian; Gypsum, Coix, Apricot Seeds, Schisandra, each two qian; Licorice, Aristolochia, Fritillaria, Lily Bulb, Angelica, Collinsonia, Ephedra, each one and a half qian. Boil two lians with three slices of ginger, reduce to one lian, add honey to drink, three times daily after meals, alternating with Baozhen Decoction. For severe blood, add Bai Huang, Qian Gen, Lotus Leaf, Greater Polygonum, Lesser Polygonum, Flos Carthami, Angelica. For severe phlegm, add Acorus, Pinellia, Tangerine Peel, Poria, Bitter Orange, Gallnut. For severe asthma, add Morus Bark, Tangerine Peel, Raphanus Seeds, Platycodon Seeds, Perilla Seeds. For high heat, add Gallnut, Coptis, Scutellaria, Phellodendron, Forsythia, Rhubarb. For severe wind, add Schizonepeta, Saposhnikovia, Chrysanthemum, Forsythia, Cinnamon Twigs, Inula.