Mr. Xing, male, 33 years old, first consultation in early April 1975. He reported having abdominal pain for more than half a year, with the pain circling the navel, preferring pressure and warmth, often bending over to warm it. When the pain occurs, there is an immediate urge to defecate, but it is not relieved smoothly, with a heavy sensation like dysentery, often accompanied by mucus. The frequency of bowel movements ranges from seven or eight times a day to two or three times. Diagnosed with colitis and irritable colon. Western medicines for anti-inflammatory and antispasmodic purposes have been administered repeatedly, but the condition has not improved significantly. The Chinese medicinals he has taken are mostly for promoting qi circulation and warming the middle to resolve stagnation, but the effects are also not remarkable. The pulse is deep, thin, and wiry, the tongue texture is pale red with thin greasy coating. He had a history of acute dysentery two years ago, and chronic bronchitis, with occasional coughing and palpitations upon exertion. Otherwise, his sleep and appetite are acceptable, and his physical condition has not declined.
Bupleurum 15g, Peony Root 24g, Immature Orange Fruit 9g, Liquorice Root 6g, Longstamen Onion Bulb 18g, Aconite (to be decocted first) 6g, cuttlebone powder 4.5g
After taking 3 doses of the above prescription, the abdominal pain was immediately relieved, the frequency of bowel movements decreased, and the heavy sensation was also alleviated. The prescription was continued without changes, and after taking more than 10 doses, the abdominal pain was minimal, the mucus was cleared, and the symptoms of initially hard and then loose stools also improved. Note: The Cold-Limbs Powder syndrome focuses on cold limbs, but this disease does not involve reversal cold of limbs. Why was this prescription directly used? Reading the "Cold-Damage Disease Treatise" must be done flexibly. What the patient suffers from is abdominal pain and diarrhea, but he mentioned that after daily naps, he feels cold all over, with an aversion to cold, and the symptoms only stop after sweating. During the actual consultation, although the patient did not explicitly mention reversal cold of limbs, he inadvertently revealed the mechanism of the disease. Fortunately, the doctor did not overlook this. Upon examination, this is a sign of yang being depressed by yin, seeking yang to unblock, but the tendency of the disease is mild, not reaching the severity of reversal cold of limbs in the limbs.