Rebirth 1977 Great Era

Chapter 1342 "Can the Eighteen Incompatibilities of Traditional Chinese Medicine Be Used?" "Yes, and we can use them frequently!" (Bonus Chapter for Monthly Tickets)

"Shouldn't we start thinking about medication for goiter in advance? We can't keep putting off the lump problem forever," He Puren asked Fang Yan.

Fang Yan nodded and said:

"Actually, during the emergency, I remembered a prescription, Mr. Dong Jing'an's 'Seaweed and Licorice Decoction' from Lanzhou. I think with a slight modification, it should be able to be used to treat this disease."

"Dong Jing'an? Who is that?" Old Tao, standing to the side, looked at Fang Yan with a blank expression. He, from a rural area in Hebei, had never heard of the famous doctor from Lanzhou.

He said in dialect:

"He passed away five years ago. He was a master acupuncturist from Gansu Province. In 59, when he went to Beijing to attend the National Conference of Outstanding Individuals, he was received by many leaders."

He Puren, who was standing to the side, said:
“I’ve met him. He’s very skilled in acupuncture, but this seaweed and licorice soup… I’ve never heard of it.”

He asked in dialect:

Can a treatment for scrofula be used to treat cancer?

He said in dialect:

"This is a prescription based on Mr. Dong Jing'an's experience, specifically used to treat scrofula. It consists of 10 grams of seaweed and licorice, 12 whole scorpions, and one centipede."

“Of course, you can’t just use the original formula to treat cancer; you need to add some things to it. But I think the treatment approach is sound.”

Li Ke hasn't finished the complete version yet, so Fang Yan can't say how many people Li Ke has saved with this prescription over the past forty years; he can only say it's his own idea.

Fang Yan said to them:

"The beauty of this prescription lies in the idea of ​​'treating different diseases with the same method'."

“Scrofula is caused by phlegm and blood stasis accumulating in the neck, and ‘stone goiter’ (cervical metastasis of thyroid cancer) is also caused by phlegm, blood stasis, and heat toxins entangled in the throat. The root cause of the disease is ‘obstruction of the meridians and internal accumulation of phlegm and toxins’, only the degree is deeper and the toxicity is more intense.”

"To give an analogy, they are both a pile of sludge clogging a water pipe. Scrofula is soft sludge that has just accumulated, while 'goiter' is an old sludge that has been accumulated for five years and hardened by radiotherapy. But the approach to clearing sludge is the same: first soften it, then unclog it, and finally drain it. Mr. Dong's seaweed and licorice decoction is the 'key' to softening sludge."

He Puren nodded, a thoughtful expression on his face.

Old Tao was different. After pausing for a moment, he said:

"Wait, wait, remember the Eighteen Incompatibilities? Licorice is incompatible with Euphorbia pekinensis, Daphne genkwa, Euphorbia kansui, and Sargassum!"

"Aren't seaweed and licorice considered incompatible according to the Eighteen Incompatibilities? Using them together would cause toxicity, so how can you dare to use them to treat cancer?"

Upon hearing this, He Puren slapped his forehead:

"Yeah, that's right!"

He looked at Fang Yan, not believing he could be mistaken, and quickly asked:
What's the explanation for this?

The concept of "Eighteen Incompatibilities" was first proposed by Han Baosheng of the Later Shu Dynasty in his book "Shu Materia Medica". He counted "eighteen kinds of incompatibilities" in the "Shennong Materia Medica" and clearly defined the name "Eighteen Incompatibilities" for the first time.

However, its theory can be traced back to the "opposites" theory in the "Seven Emotions and Harmony" of the Shennong Materia Medica in the Eastern Han Dynasty. Tao Hongjing of the Liang Dynasty further listed many pairs of opposite drugs in his "Collected Annotations on Materia Medica".

Later, Zhang Congzheng of the Jin Dynasty compiled it into the catchy "Eighteen Reversal Rhymes" in his book "Confucian Family Matters", which made it widely circulated and still in use today.

It was later modified by some people.

For example, the most famous example is the future appearance of aconite and pinellia.

If we calculate it that way, the dialect has been used more than once.

Therefore, the Eighteen Anti-Dialects dialect believes that the original version has been completely altered, and the version that has been passed down may not be accurate.

Of course, he wouldn't say that right now; he would only say:
"This is precisely where Mr. Dong's brilliance lies. The Eighteen Incompatibilities are an ancient precept, but clinical practice is never a rigid rule. Mr. Dong discovered that seaweed can soften hardness and disperse nodules, and can break up phlegm and turbidity, while licorice can harmonize the effects of other medicines and moderate their purging power. The two seem to be opposites, but in fact they are 'mutually restraining and complementing' each other. Licorice can restrain the harshness of seaweed, and seaweed can penetrate deeper with the help of the medicinal power of licorice, making it ten times more effective than using seaweed alone."

"Mr. Dong used this prescription to treat scrofula and never experienced any toxic side effects in his entire life; on the contrary, he saved countless lives."

"Facts speak louder than words. These can all be verified. We even have people from Gansu in our research institute who should know this formula."

After listening, Lao Tao and Lao He nodded. Since Fang Yan dared to say that, it must not be made up.

"So how do you plan to change it?" He Puren asked Fang Yan.

He said in dialect:

"The original prescription was increased by 3 times, and the insect medicine was ground into powder and swallowed to enhance the efficacy. In addition, turtle shell, scrofula pills (scrophularia, oyster shell, and fritillaria), prunella vulgaris, raw pinellia, and fresh ginger were added, which greatly enhanced the ability to nourish yin, resolve phlegm, and dissipate nodules."

This direction was actually something Li Ke summarized over forty years. He didn't dare to do it at first, mainly because it was too aggressive.

As expected, He Puren asked in surprise, "Twice the amount?"

That's too harsh, adding so much right from the start?

He glanced at the people beside him before speaking:

“Insect medicine is ground into powder and swallowed… His body is as weak as paper. Could it be that he’s overdoing it? Whole insects and centipedes are inherently potent. When ground into powder, the medicinal power rushes directly into the meridians. If it depletes his vital energy, it’s no laughing matter.”

Old Tao nodded in agreement: "Turtle shell and prunella vulgaris are effective at breaking down and dispersing lumps, but these herbs are all on the cooling side, aren't they? His soles are as cold as ice, and he has a constitution of upper body heat and lower body cold. With so many cooling herbs, won't it completely freeze his spleen and stomach? We were just saying before that we should protect his acquired constitution."

The two men's concerns hit the nail on the head, and even the secretary, who had been silent all along, couldn't help but peek out: "The foreign doctor said that our boss's intestinal absorption function is already very poor. Won't such strong medicine damage his stomach and intestines?"

Fang Yan waved his hand and said:
"I had already considered your concerns about 'aggressive attacks damaging the body'. The increased dosage was to break up the five-year-old stagnation. This lump had been hardened by radiotherapy to the point that it was harder than a rock. The original dosage of ten grams was like trying to pry open a brick with a toothpick—completely ineffective. But strong medicine needs padding. The added turtle shell not only breaks up the hard mass but also nourishes yin and subdues yang, which perfectly suppresses any potential surge of deficiency fire after the dosage was increased. The oyster shell in the scrofula pill is salty, astringent, and slightly cold. It can both soften the hard mass and restrain the body's vital energy, preventing the medicine from dissipating too strongly."

He paused, his gaze sweeping over the group: "As for grinding insect-based medicines into powder, it's to 'enhance efficacy and reduce harm.' When whole insects and centipedes are decocted, the active ingredients are released slowly and still rely on the spleen and stomach for digestion; when ground into powder and swallowed, they directly enter the blood to attack blood stasis, taking effect quickly, and the dosage is actually half that of decoction, putting less burden on the spleen and stomach. Finally, taking it with warm yellow wine can both guide the medicine into the meridians on the side of the neck and warm and dissolve cold stagnation, which perfectly counteracts the cooling nature of the medicine."

These words suddenly enlightened He Puren. He stroked his chin and said, "Oh, right! Yellow wine is used to guide the medicine! How could I forget about that! When I was treating bone tuberculosis in Africa, I used yellow wine to take the insect medicine. The medicine could penetrate directly into the bones and muscles without harming the spleen and stomach."

"And raw pinellia and fresh ginger," Fang Yan added.

"Raw Pinellia ternata is ten times stronger than processed Pinellia ternata in resolving phlegm and dispersing nodules. It is specifically designed to deal with hard lumps caused by the mutual binding of phlegm and blood stasis. However, it is toxic, so it must be paired with an equal amount of fresh ginger. Ginger can not only detoxify Pinellia ternata but also warm the stomach and dispel cold, which can protect the spleen and stomach that have been damaged by cold and raw ingredients. It achieves two benefits at once."

Old Tao finally caught up with the train of thought and said, "Hey, you know what, if you explain it this way, the combination is indeed strong yet restrained. Turtle shell nourishes yin, ginger warms the stomach, and oyster astringes qi, which is like putting three layers of 'insurance' on the strong medicine, both breaking up blood stasis and protecting the body's vital energy, which is just right for his 'deficiency with excess' constitution."

“It’s not just three floors,” Fang Yan said.

"Don't forget, the 'Fire-Inducing Decoction' is still being used in conjunction. Once his kidney yin is replenished, his qi flows smoothly, and his spleen and stomach can handle half a bowl of porridge, then we can use this modified formula. It's like securing the roof beams of a rotten house before dismantling it."

The stubborn rocks on the wall are guaranteed to be stable.

As they were talking, the fire-starting soup arrived.

Fang Yan glanced at the time; it was time to remove the needle.

He invited everyone into the room.

While they were removing the needle, the family members were already asking the secretary if they had come up with a solution.

The secretary nodded and said, "Director Fang and his team have finalized the follow-up plan, which will proceed in two steps: first stabilize the situation, then launch an attack. It's a very prudent approach."

He didn't go into details, since even if he did, the family members might not understand, and he himself didn't quite understand it either. However, he knew that Fang Yan was confident in his prescription.

After the acupuncture needles were removed, the patient's complexion improved slightly.

Fang Yan then took the medicine and fed it to him.

This prescription was recorded by Chen Shiduo, a famous physician of the Qing Dynasty, in his book "Bianzheng Lu".

The prescription is very simple: Rehmannia glutinosa, Morinda officinalis, Poria cocos, Ophiopogon japonicus, and Schisandra chinensis.

When He Puren prescribed the medicine before, he also added Fritillaria thunbergii to soften hard masses, dissipate nodules, clear heat and resolve phlegm. Considering the patient's irritability and qi stagnation, he also added a small amount of Bupleurum chinense to soothe the liver, relieve depression, and regulate qi.

The medicine flowed slowly into Mr. Sima's mouth through the small celadon spoon. At first, his Adam's apple bobbed laboriously, but by the third spoonful, he was able to swallow on his own. His cloudy eyes were half-open, and he even moved slightly toward Fang Yan's direction. Seeing this, his family rushed forward, their voices filled with barely suppressed joy: "Director Fang, he seems to recognize people! He was just staring blankly a moment ago!"

Fang Yan put down the medicine bowl, placed his hand on the patient's wrist pulse again, and released his hand after a while:
"The pulse is deeper and slower than before the acupuncture was removed. The warming effect of Morinda officinalis has come in, and the liver-soothing effect of Bupleurum chinense has also taken effect. This is a sign that the Qi is flowing smoothly."

After saying that, he turned to the nurse beside him and said:

"The pharmacy told him to add five grams of Ophiopogon japonicus to the dosage of Yin Huo Tang for tomorrow. The dryness in his lungs hasn't completely subsided, and his voice is still hoarse when he speaks."

The nurse nodded. At that moment, Mr. Sima coughed lightly twice. Just as the family was about to hand him water, Fang Yan quickly waved her hand and said, "Don't give him water. Let him recover on his own. This is phlegm rising from his lungs. The Fritillaria thunbergii in the decoction is helping to clear the phlegm. Drinking water will only dilute the medicine's effectiveness."

Sure enough, Mr. Sima coughed up phlegm after a short while. Although he was still weak, the bellows-like sound of his breathing had weakened considerably and he was noticeably more lucid.

The family members praised from the sidelines:
"Dr. Fang is truly amazing. He can even predict coughs. This medicine is really the right treatment."

Director Liao, who was standing to the side, said:
"This is no joke, Fang Yan is our star doctor."

The patient's family nodded repeatedly and said:

"Of course we believe you! We will cooperate with whatever treatment you undergo."

P.S.: The accounts are balanced again. That's all for today. Please come early tomorrow.

(End of this chapter)