本事方云肺虫如蚕能杀人居肺叶之内蚀人肺系故成瘵疾由是咳嗽咯血声嘶药所不到治之
为难
道藏经中载诸虫头皆向下唯自初一至初五以前虫头向上故用药多取效者此也又姚宽西溪丛话
云五脏虫皆上行唯有肺虫下行最难治用獭爪为末调药于初四初六日治之此日肺虫上行也二说
小异姑两存之以备参考
北方有虫名蚰蜒状类蜈蚣而细甚好入人耳往往食人脑髓髓尽人死一人书卧蚰蜒忽入其耳
初无
所苦久之觉脑痛疑其食脑甚苦之莫能为计也一日将午饭就案而睡适有鸡肉一盘在傍梦中忽喷
嚏觉有物出鼻中视之乃蚰蜒在鸡肉上自此脑痛不复作(菽园杂记)
蚰蜒入耳用猫儿屎灌在耳中立出取猫屎用生姜擦猫牙即得之(张子和十形三疗方)
虫之类能入耳者不独蚰蜒凡虫皆然有人患脑痛为虫所食或教以桃叶枕一夕虫自鼻出形如
鹰嘴人莫能识其名(陈正敏遁斋闲览)
木火属春夏湿土属季夏水从土化故多虫又云蛲虫至微形如菜虫居肠胃中多则为痔极则为
癞(儒门事亲)
唐时京城医人吴元祯治一妇人从夫南中还曾误食一虫常疑之由是致疾频治不减请吴医治
之吴
揣知其所患乃请主人姨奶中谨密者一人预戒之曰今以药探吐但以盆盂盛之当吐之时但言有一
小虾蟆走去然切不可令病患知之是诳 也其奶仆如约此疾顿除(北梦琐言)
《本事方》记载：肺虫形如蚕，能侵蚀人体肺叶内部及肺系（呼吸通道），从而导致痨瘵疾病。因此出现咳嗽、咯血、声音嘶哑等症状，药物难以到达病灶，治疗颇为困难。
《道藏经》中记载：各种寄生虫的头通常都朝下，唯独从农历每月初一至初五之前，虫头朝上，所以此时用药多能取得疗效，原因即在于此。另外，姚宽在《西溪丛话》中说：五脏中的寄生虫大多上行，唯有肺虫下行最难治疗。使用獭爪研成粉末调制药剂，在农历初四、初六日进行治疗，因为这两天肺虫会上行。这两种说法略有差异，姑且同时保留以供参考。
北方有一种虫名叫蚰蜒，形状像蜈蚣但细小得多，喜欢钻入人的耳朵，往往以人的脑髓为食，脑髓被吃尽人就会死亡。有一人在书房躺着睡觉时，蚰蜒突然钻入其耳中，起初并无不适，许久之后感到脑部疼痛，怀疑是虫子在吃脑髓，非常痛苦却无可奈何。一天中午，他伏在案子上小睡，旁边恰好放着一盘鸡肉，他在梦中忽然打了个喷嚏，觉得有东西从鼻子里喷出，一看原来是蚰蜒落在鸡肉上，从此脑部疼痛不再发作。（出自《菽园杂记》）
蚰蜒钻入耳朵，用猫粪灌入耳中，它便会立刻爬出。获取猫粪的方法是用生姜擦拭猫的牙齿即可得到。（出自张子和《十形三疗方》）
能够进入耳朵的虫子不只有蚰蜒，凡是虫子都是如此。有人患脑部疼痛，是因为被虫子啃食，有人教他用桃树叶做枕头，一夜之间虫子从鼻子出来，形状像鹰嘴，人们不知道它的名字。（出自陈正敏《遁斋闲览》）
木和火属于春夏季节，湿土属于季夏（夏季最后一个月），水由土转化而来，所以容易产生虫子。又说蛲虫极其微小，形状像菜虫，居住在肠胃中，多了会导致痔疮，极严重时会变成癞病。（出自《儒门事亲》）
唐代京城有一位医生叫吴元祯，治疗一位妇人。她随丈夫从南方回来，曾误食了一只虫子，心里一直怀疑此事，因此致病，频繁治疗也不见好转。于是请吴元祯医治。吴元祯揣测出她的病因，便请主人的一位姨妈中谨慎保密的人预先约定说：“现在我用药物催吐，请用盆盂接住呕吐物。当她呕吐的时候，你只需说看到一只小蛤蟆跑掉了。但是千万不要让病人知道这是欺骗。”那位女仆按照约定行事，这个病顿时就除去了。（出自《北梦琐言》）
The *Ben Shi Fang* (Handy Prescriptions) records: The lung parasite resembles a silkworm; it can kill its host by eroding the interior of the pulmonary lobes and the lung system (respiratory passages), thereby causing consumption disease (tuberculosis). Consequently, symptoms such as coughing, hemoptysis (coughing up blood), and hoarseness occur. Because medicinal substances cannot reach the lesion, treatment is difficult.
The *Daozang Jing* (Canon of the Daoist Canon) states that the heads of various parasites generally point downward. However, from the first to the fifth day of the lunar month, the heads of these worms point upward. Therefore, administering medication during this period often yields effective results, which is the reason for this efficacy. Additionally, Yao Kuan in his *Xi Xi Cong Hua* (Conversations from West Creek) stated that parasites within the five zang organs mostly move upward, but the lung parasite moves downward and is the most difficult to treat. Using dried otter claws ground into powder mixed with medicine for treatment on the fourth and sixth days of the lunar month is effective because, on these days, the lung parasite moves upward. These two theories differ slightly; both are preserved here for reference.
In the north, there is a worm called the house centipede (*Youyan*), which resembles a centipede but is much finer. It likes to enter human ears and often feeds on brain marrow; if the marrow is exhausted, the person dies. One individual was sleeping in his study when a house centipede suddenly entered his ear. Initially, he felt no discomfort, but after a long time, he experienced severe headache, suspecting the worm was eating his brain. He suffered greatly but could do nothing about it. One day at noon, while napping over his desk with a plate of chicken nearby, he suddenly sneezed in his dream and felt something exit through his nose. Upon inspection, he found the house centipede on the chicken plate. Since then, his headache ceased completely. (From *Shu Yuan Za Ji*)
To expel a house centipede from the ear, pour cat feces into the ear, and it will immediately come out. To obtain cat feces, rub a cat's teeth with fresh ginger root. (From Zhang Zihe's *Shi Xing San Liao Fang*)
Worms capable of entering the ear are not limited to house centipedes; all insects behave similarly. A patient suffered from headache due to being eaten by worms. Someone advised him to use peach leaves as a pillow. Overnight, a worm emerged from his nose, shaped like an eagle's beak, but people did not know its name. (From Chen Zhengmin's *Dun Zhai Xian Lan*)
Wood and Fire correspond to Spring and Summer; damp Earth corresponds to the late summer season. Water transforms from Earth, thus many worms arise. It is also said that pinworms are extremely minute, resembling vegetable worms, residing in the intestines and stomach. An abundance leads to hemorrhoids, and in extreme cases, leprosy-like conditions. (From *Ru Men Shi Qin*)
During the Tang Dynasty, a physician named Wu Yuanzhen in the capital treated a woman who had returned south with her husband. She had accidentally ingested a worm and harbored constant suspicion regarding this incident, which caused her illness. Frequent treatments failed to reduce her condition, so she requested Wu Yuanzhen's medical care. Wu Yuanzhen deduced her ailment and instructed one of the master's aunts, known for being cautious and discreet, beforehand: "I will now use medication to induce vomiting. Please hold a basin or bowl to catch the vomit. When she vomits, simply state that you saw a small toad run away. However, under no circumstances should the patient know this is a deception." The aunt followed the agreement, and the illness was instantly cured. (From *Bei Meng Suo Yan*)