Mr. Luo, who has always had a penchant for tea, drinks it daily from a pot, making it a habitual practice. He is corpulent with a radiant complexion and often takes pride in his robust health. After being affected by wind-cold in winter, he self-administered Qingning Pills and Jiuku Dan, but his illness did not improve. Instead, he experienced hard pain in his chest, difficulty breathing, spasms of the nape and back, and difficulty in bending and stretching. Upon recommendation, he sought my consultation. His pulse was wiry and forceful, with a tongue coating that was white, thick, and greasy. I diagnosed it as recurrent fluid retention lodged in the chest and diaphragm, with the wind-cold pathogen transforming into heat and entering the interior, leading to heat and water binding in the upper body, a condition indicative of Major Chest Bind Pill. The prescription was:
Rhubarb Rhizoma 6g, Mirabilite 6g, Pepperweed Seed, Bitter Apricot Seed, each 9g
Two bowls of water and half a bowl of honey were boiled down to slightly more than half a bowl, to be decocted later with 1g of Gansui Root powder. After taking one dose, he had two bowel movements and felt immediate relief in his chest. After another dose, he had four bowel movements, and from then on, his illness was cured, and his craving for tea also diminished.