典藏书目

There are five types of Gan syndrome (childhood malnutrition), all caused by the consumption of rich and fatty foods, hence the name. The pathogenic influence differs among the Zang organs: in the Liver it is Wind Gan; in the Heart, Startled Gan; in the Spleen, Food Gan; in the Lung, Qi Gan; and in the Kidney, Urgent Gan. Beyond these five, the changes in Qi and Blood of the twelve meridians vary, leading to conditions such as Jingjue Gan, Dry Gan, Leaking Gan, Brain Gan, Jueji Gan, Innocent Gan, Dental Gan, Turbid Gan, Dysentery Gan, Concealed Gan, and manifestations of worms emerging from the Five Gans, among others. Although hundreds of prescriptions exist employing purgative or tonifying methods, there lacks a clear principle regarding the sequence of treatment, the combination of therapies, and the differentiation of severity. Furthermore, treatments for the Five Gans rarely distinguish between tonifying and draining specific Zang organs, and some herbs suitable for the Metal organ are unsuitable for the Wood organ, while those suitable for the Fire organ are unsuitable for the Earth organ. Regarding the ascending, descending, floating, and sinking Qi of the Zang organs, and their cold, hot, warm, and cool natures, if deficient, one should harmonize according to the trend; if excessive, one should treat against the trend.

Eating yellow earth occurs due to Damp-Heat in the Spleen Meridian, resulting in loss of taste. It is appropriate to use a small amount of dry yellow earth, finely ground and stir-fried, then taken with a strong decoction of Huanglian Tang (Coptis Decoction), or formulated into pills, which is also effective.

For urinary retention, moxibustion on Neiguan (PC6) for three moxa cones will immediately restore urination.

Bianzheng (developmental fever) serves to grow Qi and Blood. "Bian" refers to the rising of upper Qi; "Zheng" refers to body heat. There are mild and severe forms: In mild cases, there is slight body heat with minor startle, cold ears, and cold hips; white granules resembling fish eyes appear on the upper lip, with slight sweating. Symptoms cease in five days for early maturers, or eight to nine days for late maturers. In severe cases, there is high body heat with chaotic pulse, sweating or no sweating, anorexia, and vomiting upon eating, though without other distress. After ten cycles of Bianzheng, the whites of the eyes become slightly red, and the pupils slightly white, yet without discomfort; vision clears naturally after the process concludes. The "Bian" phase lasts five days, followed by the "Zheng" phase for five days, with heat subsiding after ten months. During Bianzheng, avoid startling disturbances and keep bystanders to a minimum. The timing of Bianzheng varies, and few adhere strictly to the seasonal laws. At the initial stage of Bian, if fever persists throughout the day, use Ganhei San (Liver Black Powder); if fever continues with profuse sweating, administer Zishuang Wan (Purple Frost Pill), stopping once symptoms improve slightly. If cold pathogens invade during Bianzheng, causing alternating chills and fever, abdominal pain, and incessant crying, soothing the child will lead to recovery. Bianzheng resembles Warm-Thermal Typhoid Fever; however, if there is heat in the body, ears, and hips simultaneously, this indicates another pathology, not Bianzheng. The timeline of Bianzheng begins at birth: the first change occurs at 32 days, the second at 64 days, completing ten changes by 320 days. These include five minor steams (Xiao Zheng). Subsequently, six-four-day intervals constitute the Major Steam (Tai Zheng), occurring four times. The total duration is 576 days, at which point Bianzheng is complete, and Qi and Blood are fully established. The minimal fire (Shao Huo) moving within Yin and Yang drives this process; its movement generates new tissue and eliminates old waste. Once new Qi and Blood are generated, how can fetal toxins remain undispersed?