Esoteric Meanings of the Grotto Heavens, Vol. 5

The following ingredients conclude the prescription from the previous page for the mother of a child with congenital sores.

Safflower 0.5 mace approx. 1.8 grams
Motherwort 1 mace approx. 3.7 grams
Decoct in water and take twenty doses. After more than a month has passed, one may take dozens of doses of Tonify the Middle and Augment the Qi Decoction original: 補中益氣湯 (Bǔzhōng Yìqì Tāng); a classic formula used to strengthen the Spleen and elevate the body's vital energy..

Damp-Poison Sores

Damp-poison sores original: 濕毒瘡 (Shīdú chuāng). This likely refers to conditions such as eczema, fungal infections, or ulcerations caused by poor circulation and moisture. mostly occur on both feet. If they are not on the shins, they are on the ankles; if not on the top of the foot, they are on the heel. What is the reason for this? It is because dampness is received from below, and since the two feet are closest to the ground, they are the first to be affected by it.

Now, the energy of water-dampness is mostly cold in nature. However, once it enters the interior of the human body, the person's own vital energy Qi steams and cooks it, and it must inevitably transform into heat. When dampness and heat combine, "lice" original: 蝨 (Shī). While literally "lice," in this medical context it refers to microscopic pathogens or the sensation of parasites "crawling" caused by damp-heat infections. will surely be generated within.

Therefore, when the condition first begins, the slight itching is precisely the work of these "lice" causing trouble; it is not merely a disharmony of the vital energy Qi and blood. In treating this, one must prioritize the removal of dampness. By adding a small amount of ingredients that "kill the lice," the disease will resolve with even greater speed. There is no need to exhaust oneself trying to clear the heat, for once the dampness is resolved, the heat...