Wang, male, 28 years old, first consultation in the summer of 1977. The patient experienced nausea, general fatigue, bitter taste in the mouth, poor appetite, abdominal distension, yellow and difficult urination, yellowing of the sclera, dry and scanty stools, and the liver was enlarged by two fingers below the rib with tenderness. After liver function tests, the diagnosis was acute jaundice hepatitis. The tongue was red with a slightly greasy coating, indicating yang jaundice syndrome. According to Article 260 of the "Treatise on Cold Damage Diseases": "In cold damage diseases, after seven or eight days, if the body is yellow like the color of an orange, with difficult urination and slight abdominal fullness, Virgate Wormwood Decoction is prescribed." The following decoction was applied:
Virgate Wormwood 30g, Gardenia 9g, Rhubarb Rhizoma 6g
. After taking 5 doses of the above formula, the nausea disappeared, appetite slightly increased, stools became regular, once a day. The original formula was modified by adding Patrinia 15g and lalang grass rhizome 15g, and after taking another 12 doses, the jaundice basically subsided, hypochondriac pain disappeared, the mouth no longer tasted bitter, urine was no longer yellow, food intake increased, and spirits improved. However, there was still slight abdominal distension. The original formula was further modified by adding Dried Tangerine Peel and Medicated Leaven, 9g each, and after taking another 12 doses, all symptoms disappeared, and the patient felt no discomfort. Liver function tests were normal, and the disease was cured.