治阳虚不能化阳，小便不利，或有湿热壅滞，以致小便不利，积成水肿。
白茅根（一斤，掘取鲜者去净皮与节间小根细切）
将茅根用水四大碗煮一沸，移其锅置炉旁，候十数分钟，视其茅根若不沉水底，再煮一沸，移其锅置炉旁，
须臾视其根皆沉水底，其汤即成。去渣温服多半杯，日服五六次，夜服两三次，使药力相继，周十二时，小便自利。
茅根鲜者煮稠汁饮之，则其性微凉，其味甘而且淡。为其凉也，故能去实火。为其甘也，故能清虚热。为
其淡也，故能利小便。又能宣通脏腑，畅达经络，兼治外感之热，而利周身之水也。然必须如此煮法，服之方
效。若久煎，其清凉之性及其宣通之力皆减，服之即无效矣。所煮之汤，历一昼夜即变绿色，若无发酵之味，
仍然可用。
一妇人，年四十余，得水肿证。其翁固诸生，而精于医者，自治不效，延他医延医亦不效。偶与愚遇，问
有何奇方，可救此危证。因细问病情，知系阴虚有热，小便不利。遂俾用鲜茅根煎浓汁，饮旬日全愈。
一媪，年六十余，得水肿证。医者用药，治愈三次皆反复，再服前药不效。其子商于梓匠，欲买棺木，梓
匠固其亲属，转为求治于愚。因思此证反复数次，后服药不效者，必是病久阴虚生热，致小便不利。细问病情，
果觉肌肤发热，心内作渴，小便甚少。俾单用鲜白茅根煎汤，频频饮之，五日而愈。
一妇人，年四十许，得水肿证。其脉象大致平和，而微有滑数之象。俾浓煎鲜茅根汤饮之，数日病愈强
半。其子来送信，愚因嘱之曰∶有要紧一言，前竟忘却。患此证者，终身须忌食牛肉。病愈数十年，食之可以
复发。孰意其子未返，已食牛肉。且自觉病愈，出坐庭中，又兼受风。其证陡然反复，一身尽肿，两目因肿甚
不能开视。愚用越婢汤发之，以滑石易石膏（用越婢汤原方，常有不汗者，若以滑石易石膏则易得汗），一剂
汗出，小便顿利，肿亦见消。再饮白茅根
汤，数日病遂全愈。
白茅根，拙拟二鲜饮与三鲜饮，用以治吐衄。此方又用以治水肿，而其功效又不止此也。愚治伤寒温病，
于大便通后，阳明之盛热已消，恒俾浓煮鲜茅根汤，渴则饮之，其人病愈必速，且愈后即能饮食，更无反复之
患。盖寒温愈后，其人不能饮食与屡次复病者，大抵因余热未尽，与胃中津液未复也。白茅根甘凉之性，既能
清外感余热，又能滋胃中津液。至内有郁热，外转觉凉者，其性又善宣通郁热使达于外也。
按∶凡膨胀，无论或气、或血、或水肿。治愈后，皆终身忌食牛肉。盖牛肉属土，食之能壅滞气血，且其
彭亨之形，有似腹胀，故忌之也。医者治此等证，宜切嘱病家，慎勿误食。
治疗因阳气虚弱无法化生阳气，导致小便不通畅；或因湿热邪气壅滞，致使小便不利，积聚而成水肿病证。
白茅根（一斤，挖掘新鲜者，去除干净外皮及节间的细小根须，切成细段）
用四碗水煎煮茅根，煮沸一次后，将锅移至炉火旁，等待十几分钟，观察若茅根未沉入水底，再煮沸一次，再次将锅移至炉火旁，片刻后观察若茅根全部沉入水底，药汤即制成。滤去药渣，温服大半杯，每日服用五六次，夜间服用两三次，使药力连续不断，覆盖十二个时辰，小便自然通畅。
鲜茅根煮成浓稠汁液饮用，其药性微凉，味道甘甜且淡。因其性凉，故能清除实火。因其味甘，故能清退虚热。因其味淡，故能通利小便。又能宣通脏腑，疏通经络，兼治外感发热，并通利周身水湿。然而必须采用这种煎煮方法，服用才有效。若长时间煎煮，其清凉之性及宣通之力都会减弱，服用便无效了。所煮的药汤，经过一昼夜会变成绿色，若无发酵气味，仍然可以使用。
有一位四十多岁的妇人，患上水肿病证。她的公公本是秀才，精通医术，自行治疗无效，请其他医生诊治也无效。偶然与我相遇，询问有何奇方可救治此危重证候。于是详细询问病情，得知是阴虚有热，小便不利。随即让她使用鲜茅根煎煮浓汁，饮用十日便完全痊愈。
有一位六十多岁的老妇，患上水肿病证。医生用药治疗，治愈三次都复发，再次服用前药无效。她的儿子向木匠商量，想购买棺木，木匠本是她的亲属，转而请求我诊治。我想此证反复发作数次，后来服药无效，必定是病程长久导致阴虚生热，致使小便不利。详细询问病情，果然感觉肌肤发热，心中作渴，小便很少。嘱咐单用鲜白茅根煎汤，频频饮用，五日便痊愈。
有一位四十岁左右的妇人，患上水肿病证。其脉象大致平和，但略微带有滑数之象。嘱咐浓煎鲜茅根汤饮用，数日后病情好转一半。她的儿子来送谢信，我因此叮嘱他说：有一件要紧的话，之前竟然忘记了。患此病证的人，终身必须忌食牛肉。病愈数十年后，若食用可以复发。没想到他儿子还没回去，就已经吃了牛肉。并且自觉得病已愈，出来坐在庭院中，又兼受风邪侵袭。病情陡然反复，全身尽肿，双眼因肿胀严重无法睁开视物。我使用越婢汤发汗，以滑石代替石膏（使用越婢汤原方，常有不出汗的情况，若以滑石代替石膏则容易得汗），一剂药后汗出，小便顿时通畅，肿胀也开始消退。再饮用白茅根汤，数日后便完全痊愈。
白茅根，我拟定的二鲜饮与三鲜饮，用来治疗吐血、衄血。此方又用来治疗水肿，而其功效还不止于此。我治疗伤寒和温病，在大便通畅后，阳明经的盛热已经消除，常常嘱咐患者浓煮鲜茅根汤，口渴时饮用，其人病愈必然迅速，且痊愈后就能进食，更没有复发的隐患。大概寒温病痊愈后，患者不能进食和屡次复发，大多是因为余热未尽，以及胃中津液未恢复。白茅根甘凉的药性，既能清解外感余热，又能滋养胃中津液。至于体内有郁热，体表反而觉得发凉的，其药性又善于宣通郁热使其达于体表。
按语：凡是胀满膨隆的病证，无论是由气、血还是水肿引起，治愈后，皆需终身忌食牛肉。因为牛肉属土，食用能壅滞气血，且其膨胀的形状，类似腹胀，所以忌讳食用。医生治疗此类病证，应当切实嘱咐病人家属，千万不要误食。
Treatment for conditions where Yang deficiency fails to transform Yang, resulting in difficult urination; or due to damp-heat stagnation causing difficult urination, accumulating into edema.
*Imperatae Rhizoma* (Bai Maogen) (One jin [approx. 500g], dig up fresh rhizomes, thoroughly remove the outer skin and small roots between nodes, cut into fine segments).
Boil the *Imperatae Rhizoma* in four bowls of water until it boils once. Move the pot off the fire and place it beside the stove. Wait for ten to fifteen minutes. Observe if the rhizome sinks to the bottom; if not, boil again once more, then move the pot off the fire and place it beside the stove. After a short while, observe if all the rhizomes have sunk to the bottom; the decoction is now ready. Strain the dregs and take half a cup warm. Take five or six times daily and two or three times at night, ensuring the medicinal effect is continuous throughout the twelve double-hours (24 hours), so that urination becomes smooth naturally.
Drinking the thick juice boiled from fresh *Imperatae Rhizoma*, its nature is slightly cool, and its taste is sweet and bland. Because it is cool, it can clear excess fire (Shi Huo). Because it is sweet, it can clear deficient heat (Xu Re). Because it is bland, it can promote diuresis. It can also unblock the Zang-Fu organs, smooth the meridians and collaterals, treat external contraction heat, and promote the flow of water throughout the body. However, this specific boiling method must be used for efficacy. If boiled for too long, its cooling property and unblocking power will diminish, rendering it ineffective. The boiled decoction will turn green after one day and night; if there is no fermented smell, it can still be used.
A woman in her forties suffered from edema. Her father-in-law was a scholar proficient in medicine, but his self-treatment failed, and other doctors' treatments were also ineffective. Upon meeting me by chance, he asked if I had any miraculous prescription to save this critical condition. After inquiring about the condition in detail, I learned it was Yin deficiency with heat and difficult urination. I prescribed decocting fresh *Imperatae Rhizoma* into a thick juice, which she drank for ten days and fully recovered.
An elderly woman in her sixties suffered from edema. A doctor treated her, but the condition recurred three times despite apparent cures, and subsequent doses of the previous medicine were ineffective. Her son consulted a carpenter to buy a coffin; the carpenter, being a relative, requested my treatment. I reasoned that since the condition had recurred several times and later medicines failed, it must be due to prolonged illness causing Yin deficiency and generating heat, leading to difficult urination. Detailed inquiry confirmed skin fever, internal thirst, and very little urine. I instructed her to drink frequently a decoction made solely of fresh *Imperatae Rhizoma*. She recovered in five days.
A woman around forty years old suffered from edema. Her pulse was generally peaceful but slightly slippery and rapid. I instructed her to drink a strongly boiled decoction of fresh *Imperatae Rhizoma*. After a few days, her condition improved by half. When her son came to send a letter of gratitude, I reminded him: "There is an important point I previously forgot to mention. Patients with this condition must avoid beef for life. Even decades after recovery, consuming beef may cause relapse." Unexpectedly, before his son returned home, he had already eaten beef. Moreover, feeling cured, he sat in the courtyard and was exposed to wind. The condition suddenly relapsed, with whole-body swelling so severe that both eyes could not open. I used *Yuebi Tang* (Cocklebur Decoction) to induce sweating, substituting Gypsum Fibrosum (Shigao) with Talcum (Huashi) (In the original *Yuebi Tang*, sweating is sometimes difficult to achieve; substituting Talcum for Gypsum facilitates sweating). After one dose, sweat appeared, urination became immediate and smooth, and swelling began to subside. He then drank *Imperatae Rhizoma* decoction, and after a few days, he fully recovered.
*Imperatae Rhizoma* is used in my formulated *Er Xian Yin* (Two Fresh Drinks) and *San Xian Yin* (Three Fresh Drinks) to treat hematemesis and epistaxis. This formula is also used to treat edema, and its efficacy extends beyond this. In treating Cold Damage (Shanghan) and Warm Diseases (Wenbing), after bowel movements are unblocked and the excessive heat of the Yangming channel has subsided, I often prescribe a strongly boiled decoction of fresh *Imperatae Rhizoma* for patients to drink when thirsty. Such patients recover quickly and can eat immediately after recovery, without recurrence. Generally, after recovery from Cold or Warm diseases, inability to eat and frequent relapses are mostly due to residual heat not yet cleared and stomach fluids not yet restored. The sweet and cool nature of *Imperatae Rhizoma* can both clear residual external heat and nourish stomach fluids. For cases where there is stagnant heat internally but the exterior feels cold, its nature is good at venting stagnant heat to the exterior.
Note: For all types of abdominal distension and swelling, whether caused by Qi, Blood, or Edema, beef must be avoided for life after cure. Beef belongs to Earth; consuming it can obstruct Qi and Blood. Furthermore, its bloated shape resembles abdominal distension, hence it is taboo. Physicians treating such conditions should earnestly instruct patients' families to strictly avoid accidental consumption.