As everyone knows, the medical saint Zhang Zhongjing prescribes medicines, all of which are "sage's handwriting", some prescriptions can be used exclusively for diseases, and some prescriptions can be cross-border integration. Among them, there is a very inconspicuous prescription, which can span the three meridians of Yangming, Shaoyin, and Yin, which can really be described as "one medicine and three diseases, one side to treat the symptoms of the three meridians", which can be called wonderful. And this prescription is the Evodia soup that many people may not know. Although Wu Zhuyu soup spans the three classics, there is only one core meaning, that is, deficiency and cold. As the saying goes, "ten diseases and nine colds", whether it is real cold or false cold, can consume the yang energy of the human body, but the Wu Zhuyu soup can sweep away the stomach cold, liver cold, kidney cold, warm the spleen, stomach and liver and kidney, help the yang energy of the human body, disperse the yin and cold of the human body, and lower the adverse qi of the human body.
Dogwood soup is a classic recipe in the "Treatise on Typhoid Fever", which is composed of 4 flavors of traditional Chinese medicine, such as "one liter of Dogwood (soup wash), three taels of ginseng, twelve jujubes (broken), and six taels of ginger (cut)". According to the decoction method of the original formula, decoction of these herbs with 7 liters of water until the water decoction reaches 2 liters, remove the residue, and let it be warmed before taking Qihe three times a day. It can be seen from the decoction method of the original recipe that this recipe needs to be decocted for a long time, which is also in line with the characteristics of the use of this flavor of Chinese medicine. As early as in the "Famous Doctor's Directory", it was recorded that Wu Zhu Yu "has a little poison", so it is mixed with ginger and fried for a long time, which is quite suitable for the use of Wu Zhu soup.
According to the record of "Treatise on Typhoid Fever", the basic formula of Dogwood soup has three major points, the first point is that the food grain is nauseated, cold and heat, stomach pain, acid swallowing and noisy. The second point is that I have a headache and dry vomiting and salivation. The third point is that there is less yin and no profit, the hands and feet are cold, and the irritability is to death. Although there are three main evidences in the prescription of Wu Zhu Yu Tang, there is only one core pathogenesis, that is, "liver and stomach deficiency and cold, turbidity and yin reversal". This also brings out the core idea of "treating different diseases at the same time" in traditional Chinese medicine.
Wu Zhu Yu Tang appears in the three articles of Yang Ming Disease, Shaoyin Disease, and Syncope Yin Disease in "Treatise on Typhoid Fever", but because the core pathogenesis is "liver and stomach deficiency and cold, turbidity and yin reversal", so although it is mainly used to treat the deficiency and cold syndrome of Yangming, Shaoyin, and Yin meridians, the role it plays is actually "warming up for deficiency and reducing stomach reversal". The symptoms of these three meridians seem to be very different, but in fact, they all have one thing in common, that is, vomiting. That is to say, the core evidence of Dogwood soup is actually vomiting, because this vomiting reflects the deficiency of cold in the stomach and the reversal of turbidity and yin, so the medical saint Zhang Zhongjing used Dogwood as the king's medicine, mainly playing three wonderful purposes, the first is to warm the stomach and stop vomiting, the second is to warm the liver and reduce inversion, and the third is to warm the kidney and stop vomiting and stop benefit.
Although there are only four flavors of Chinese medicine, its compatibility is also quite unique. The whole prescription uses Evodia as the king's medicine, which mainly plays the role of warming the liver and stomach, reducing the inversion of the lower qi, and stopping vomiting; ginger is used as the subordinate medicine, which mainly plays the role of warming and stopping vomiting and reducing stomach inversion; ginseng is used as the adjuvant medicine, which mainly plays the role of replenishing qi and strengthening the spleen, restoring the deficiency in the body, and soothing the nerves; and using jujube as the medicine, it mainly plays the role of warming the deficiency, reconciling the spleen and stomach, and harmonizing the medicinal properties. There are only four flavors in the whole prescription, and the monarchs and ministers make the outline open, and they play the role of replenishing deficiency in temperature, inhibiting yin and supporting yang, reducing adversity and relieving nausea.
In the process of clinical use, there are some ways to add or subtract with the syndrome. For example, if the vomiting is more severe, you can add traditional Chinese medicine such as tangerine peel, banxia, and sand kernel to enhance the effect of reducing inversion and relieving pain; if the headache is more severe, you can add traditional Chinese medicine such as Chuanxiong and Angelica sinensis to enhance the effect of nourishing blood and relieving pain; if the cold syndrome is more severe, you can add traditional Chinese medicine such as aconite and dry ginger to enhance the effect of warming and dissipating cold; if the acid swallowing is noisy, you can add traditional Chinese medicine such as squid bone and calcined corrugated seeds to enhance the effect of acid production and stomach.
The key points of the diagnosis and treatment of Evodia decoction are first to clarify its core typical symptoms, that is, retching or vomiting and salivation, and the typical characteristics of the tongue and veins are that the tongue is pale and slippery, and the pulse is thin or thin. This is the core of the evidence of Wu Zhu Yu soup, in addition, there should be cold signs, such as cold and heat, not thirsty, hands and feet cold and other cold signs. In other words, it is not possible to use Evodia soup as soon as you vomit. After all, the medicinal properties of Evodia decoction are warm and dry, and there is also a difference between cold and heat in the evidence of vomiting and acid swallowing, so if it is vomiting bitter water, acid swallowing, and stomach pain caused by depression and heat, it is not suitable to use Evodia decoction.
For the reuse of a large dose of ginger in the whole prescription, Zhang Xichun, a famous doctor in modern times, pointed out, "Take its warmth, can rise and fall, open the spleen and stomach to coagulation of the cold evil, so that the spleen and stomach qi can go up and down." That is to say, the main effect of a large dose of ginger in Evodia soup is actually three: the first point is to play the instinctive role of warming the stomach and dissipating cold, reducing inversion and relieving nausea; the second point is to assist Evodia to reduce inversion in temperature, sweep away the haze in the middle of the scorch, dispel cold and evil spirits, promote the decline of adverse qi, and smooth the flow of qi; the third point is to inhibit the adverse reactions of Evodia Wu. Therefore, the medical saint Zhang Zhongjing's prescription is really a "stroke of genius", which is wonderful.
[This graphic and text is exclusively and originally produced by "Shenxiyuan" new media. Author: Shen Xi Yuan (the spiritual home of global Chinese medicine practitioners, the museum of Chinese medicine life science), without authorization, please do not reprint or copy]