The notes I compiled are based on the textbook "Prescriptions" of the University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, and some prescriptions that I think are good. The prescriptions written are all my personal experience, and the analysis methods are mainly based on the six meridians and the viscera. I am not a medical professional, studying medicine is purely a hobby. It is normal if there are mistakes in the text.
(58) Qinghao Biejia Soup
[Source] "Triple Discrimination of Febrile Diseases"
【Category】Qingxu hot medicine
[Composition] Qinghao two coins (6g), turtle shell five coins (15g), habitat four coins (12g), Anemarrhena two coins (6g), paeonol three coins (9g)
[Usage] Take the medicine with five cups of water, boil two cups, and then take it daily (modern usage: decoct in water).
【Function】Nourishes yin and penetrates heat.
[Indications] In the late stage of febrile disease, the syndrome of evil and yin syndrome. Hot at night and cool in the morning, the heat subsides without sweating, red tongue with little moss, thready and rapid pulse.
As an amateur of Chinese medicine, I always come across a certain prescription that "touches" my heart, or makes me enlightened, or opens up the pattern, or changes the three views... For me, Qinghao Biejia Decoction is this prescription, which has changed my understanding of the history of Chinese medicine development and Chinese medicine prescriptions.
In the past, Zhang Zhongjing was my only idol in Chinese medicine. Only classic prescriptions could catch my eyes. The so-called "febrile disease science" was the source of trouble, and most of the prescriptions were rubbish. I once sighed: "If all the doctors in the world study "Treatise on Febrile Diseases" and "Golden Chamber" intensively, how can there be any intractable diseases in the world?" Even after seeing Shifang's medical records, I would still think about which prescription should be used if it is treated with classic prescriptions?
One summer a few years ago, my father fell ill and had a low-grade fever that persisted, worse at night and lighter during the day, and even had a normal body temperature. Sweating, thirst, insomnia, yellow urine. Red tongue with peeling moss, less fluid, thready and weak pulse, deep and weak left chi. I treated it with Guizhi Decoction plus Ophiopogon japonicus and Shengdi, but it didn't work. Addition and subtraction of Bupleurum Guizhi Decoction are invalid. Addition and subtraction of bamboo leaf gypsum decoction is invalid. I also used a prescription, but I forgot what it was, and it didn't work. A total of four prescriptions were tried, none of which worked.
It took 12 days to try the four prescriptions. In addition to the repeated low-grade fever for several days before, my father's illness has been dragging on for more than half a month, and his physical condition is getting worse and worse. Reluctantly, he was sent to the Western Hospital and was hospitalized. The test results showed that the lymph nodes were swollen, the immunity was low, and there was Epstein-Barr virus in the blood (we don't know what kind of virus it is). After infusion for nearly ten days, he was discharged from the hospital due to fever.
After my father returned home, his body was very weak, and his tongue was as bright as a mirror. He followed the doctor's advice and took western medicine on time, but he didn't get sick again. Not long after the western medicine was finished, my father had a low-grade fever again and again, with symptoms of poor appetite and hiccups. The pulse is counted and counted, the left Guan sinks slightly strong, the right Guan and two feet deep and weak, the tongue is red and uncoated.
My father didn't want to go to the hospital anymore, lamenting that he might be dying. The ancients said: "If you don't study medicine, you are not filial." I have studied Chinese medicine for so many years, and I can't even solve my father's fever. The feeling of shame, self-blame, and helplessness can be imagined.
At this time, a doctor surnamed Chai pointed out to me, let me try adding and subtracting Qinghao Biejia Decoction. Father drank three doses and the fever went down, and he drank three more doses to strengthen it, and he never repeated it again. This shocked me greatly. It turns out that febrile disease science is not a lie! It turns out that the prescriptions of febrile diseases also have clinical value!
It was at that time that I began to study medical works other than classic prescriptions, especially the medical books of the Ming and Qing Dynasties, and began to study the composition principles and clinical applications of prescriptions. Since then, I no longer have the distinction between classics and prescriptions and time prescriptions in my heart. Every famous Chinese medicine master in history is worthy of my humbly learning. Although there are still preferences, but in general, they can basically be treated equally.
The book returns to the main story, let me introduce this recipe below.
First of all, this prescription is mainly for the late stage of febrile disease, and the syndrome of evil and yin. What is febrile disease? Febrile disease cannot be regarded as a simple wind-heat exogenous pathogenesis, its essence is suffocating heat. Whether it is a new sense, subduing evils, warm epidemics, dampness and heat, or Weiqi Yingxue, Sanjiao, etc., as long as there are heat evils, all the heat belongs to stagnant heat.
The yin syndrome is actually the blood syndrome, but not the blood syndrome in the Weiqiying-blood syndrome differentiation method. The two have the same name and disagree. This evil is not the "virtual fire" caused by yin deficiency and yang hyperactivity. I personally object to Qinghao Biejia Decoction being classified as a heat-clearing medicine in the textbook. This kind of evil spirit is a real "real fire", but it is relatively weak. This kind of fire does not have a special name, it is trapped in the blood and cannot come out, but it is different from the yin fire mentioned by Li Dongyuan and the phase fire mentioned by Zhu Danxi. I personally named it "Yinfen Yuhuo". The noun is just a synonym. There is actually no difference between calling it Yinfen Yuhuo and calling it Dabing or Steamed Bun. Readers don’t need to compare the truth with me. However, if any teacher knows the academic name of this fire, please be sure to tell me, thank you very much.
The Yang Qi of the human body goes out during the day and enters at night. It is Yang during the day and Yin at night. After the yang qi returns to the yin part at night, it is found that there is evil energy in the yin part, and the two sides will inevitably fight. If yang qi wins in one fell swoop, there will be no subsequent plot. It is precisely because yang qi cannot win, and the good and evil sides are evenly matched in the yin division, so the human body will have a fever, which is the pathogenesis of twilight fever. And in the morning, when the yang qi is on the surface, it can no longer meet with the yin and smoldering fire. Naturally, there is no conflict between the two sides. Of course, the body temperature is normal, which is the reason for the early cool.
Therefore, the essence of Xie Fu Yin syndrome is that "Yin points stagnate fire" that stays in the Yin points and does not go away, which requires doctors to send it out with medicine.
Artemisia annua is good at treating stagnant fire, but the disease location it is good at is the yang part rather than the yin part, which requires the use of turtle shells as a priming drug to introduce Artemisia annua into the yin part. Many books quote the original words of "Tiao Bian of Febrile Diseases": "This formula has the magic of first entering and then exiting. Artemisia annua can't go straight to the yin point, but the turtle shell leads it in; the turtle shell can't come out of the yang point alone, it has the Artemisia annua leading it out." This sentence is purely Wu Ju's literary talent. You lead the turtle to Yangfen, what do you want to do? What is the purpose? Turtle shell guides Artemisia annua into the yin, replenishes the depleted yin and blood, and after the artemisia enters the yin, gets rid of stagnant heat. This combination is simple, and the explanation is easy to understand. Professor Chen Chaozu said: "One eliminates the evil, the other supports the righteousness, and the two medicines each have their own side. The relationship is very clear. Ju Tongzhi's theory is unavoidable."
Let’s look at the other three medicines: Anemarrhena anemarrhenae clears the heat of the qi, Danpi clears the heat of the blood, and Rehmannia glutinosa not only clears the heat of the blood but also helps the turtle shell nourish the yin, and can also introduce the medicine into the yin, killing three birds with one stone.
In addition to nourishing yin, turtle shell also has a very powerful effect-softening and resolving hard masses. Qinghao Biejia Decoction enters the liver meridian as a whole. In this way, this special effect of Biejia can be used to treat a very difficult disease-hepatitis and cirrhosis. Doctors used this formula to treat 34 cases of hepatitis and liver cirrhosis. 21 cases were cured without recurrence, 8 cases were effective, and 5 cases were ineffective. The total effective rate was over 85%.
Similarly, Qinghao Biejia Decoction can be considered to treat other diseases caused by yin stagnation and fire, such as systemic lupus erythematosus and infectious mononucleosis.
