Rebirth 1977 Great Era

Chapter 914 Liquid Gold Agarwood Oil, they're just talking nonsense!!! (Two chapters combined)
(P.S.: Happy Labor Day everyone!)

Fang Yan also noticed the reactions of these two people.

Under what circumstances would patients and their families feel embarrassed to say that they were upset?
Then there's only one possibility: the patient and their family had a fight, and the reason for the fight is something they can't easily explain to outsiders.

Given that the patient's husband, Mr. Huang, is a businessman, the couple may have been separated for long periods due to his business trips, or business pressures may have caused family conflicts.

For example, a husband who is busy with work and neglects his family, and a wife who has been suppressing her emotions for a long time, eventually suffers from qi stagnation and blood stasis due to a fierce argument, which leads to vascular lesions in the eyes.

Fang Yan had just pointed out this private conflict to their faces, and both of them felt embarrassed because it involved their privacy.

Of course, an even more dramatic reason might be that it started with a misunderstanding, and after the patient overthought things, he got so angry that he had problems, and then the couple came back to see a doctor.

However, that's not important. Their dialect-based judgment was correct; the patient did indeed develop problems due to anger.

The patient said:
"I have indeed been in a bad mood these past few months, mostly because of some trivial troubles around me."

"I just didn't expect this to make me this angry?"

The dialect responded:
"Of course, if you're in a good mood, even a terminal illness can be cured. If you're in a bad mood, even if you're usually healthy, exercise regularly, and pay attention to your diet, you might suddenly get sick."

"Ancient Chinese medicine summarized the organs corresponding to emotions."

"You are often in a bad mood and easily angered. Anger damages the liver, which is responsible for regulating emotions."

"When a person is extremely angry, it can easily cause liver qi to rise in reverse, and blood to rise with the qi, resulting in symptoms such as flushed face and red eyes, dizziness, headache, and even fainting. Long-term anger can also cause liver qi stagnation, leading to symptoms such as chest and rib pain and breast hyperplasia."

Upon hearing this in dialect, the patient suddenly understood.

Now everything matches up.

She glanced at her husband, and after a brief exchange of glances, her husband asked in dialect:

"Dr. Fang, my wife is so angry right now, what treatment is available?"

Instead of answering his question, Fang Yan addressed the patient, saying:
"Don't rush, stick out your tongue so I can see it, and let me feel your pulse."

Upon hearing this, the latter immediately did as instructed.

Fang Yan noticed that her entire tongue was a dark purple color, with black bruises on the edges.

After examining the pulses of both hands, it was found that the pulses were choppy.

Fang Yan then examined the area under the patient's right eyelid and indeed found retinal hemorrhage.

Fang Yan then spoke to the patient and her husband:
"Sudden blindness is when the eyes look perfectly fine from the outside, without redness, swelling, or wounds, but suddenly one or both eyes lose their vision. In severe cases, one may become completely blind. Although there may be no visible problems with the eyes from the outside, there are many issues inside the eyes, and the causes of this disease are particularly complex."

"Because this disease comes on suddenly and violently, it must be treated immediately once it is discovered. In Western medicine, it is believed that many problems with the fundus can lead to sudden blindness. The most common of these are blockage of the central retinal blood vessels and acute optic neuritis."

"Mrs. Huang's condition is due to persistent unhappiness and frustration in her heart. Her liver is unable to properly regulate emotions and release qi, leading to poor qi circulation in her body and blood stagnation. Ultimately, this causes blockages in the blood vessels and meridians in her eyes. Therefore, the treatment should focus on helping to soothe the liver qi, relieve emotional distress, and clear the blocked blood vessels and meridians to allow qi and blood to flow smoothly again."

He spoke in dialect while writing medical records.

Based on the local dialect, this is a case of sudden blindness caused by liver qi stagnation and blood stasis.

The liver governs the free flow of Qi and opens to the eyes. If the liver Qi is not flowing smoothly and the meridians are not clear, the eyes will not be clear. Since her liver Qi is stagnant and her meridians are blocked, she should be treated with methods to soothe the liver and clear the meridians, so that the liver Qi can flow smoothly, the meridians can be clear, and her eyes can be restored.

Fang Yan plans to prescribe his own treatment.

After thinking for a moment, Fang Yan offered a prescription:
柴胡10g、枳壳10g、白芍10g、赤芍10g、香附10g、川芎6g、郁金10g、丹参20g、当归10g、茯苓20g、栀子12g、甘草 5g。

After finishing the prescription, Fang Yan glanced at the prescription doctor; this guy is a professional.

The latter carefully examined his prescription, nodded, and that was considered an acceptance of the dialect.

This behavior was also observed by the other four students.

They looked at the prescription written in dialect and found it somewhat familiar.

Then I discovered that it was an improved version of Si Ni San from the Treatise on Cold Damage.

Si Ni San was originally composed of four herbs: Bupleurum, Fructus Aurantii Immaturus, Radix Paeoniae Alba, and Radix Glycyrrhizae.

In addition to this, Fang Yan added Cyperus rotundus and Ligusticum chuanxiong. Cyperus rotundus can soothe the liver and regulate qi, while Ligusticum chuanxiong can promote blood circulation and remove blood stasis. With these two herbs added, the effect of soothing the liver and promoting blood circulation is even stronger.

At the same time, the prescription also draws on the medication approach of Xuefu Zhuyu Decoction in "Yilin Gaicuo".

Xuefu Zhuyu Decoction excels at promoting blood circulation and removing blood stasis. This prescription captures its essence and is specifically tailored to address the problem of blood stasis in the eye's meridians.

This prescription looks quite simple, but if you ask them to think of it, they might not be able to come up with it as quickly as Fang Yan.

If it were them, they might be more inclined to use methods that soothe the liver and improve eyesight, and then promote blood circulation and unblock the meridians.

The dialect method is more like a combination of two approaches.

It emphasizes both soothing the liver and promoting blood circulation, following the classic formulas Si Ni San and Xue Fu Zhu Yu Tang while also making flexible modifications.

After it was all set up, Fang Yan said to them:

"The prescription is ready. Go and complete the admission procedures. The Chinese medicine will be delivered to your ward after it's decocted."

Upon hearing this, the couple quickly expressed their gratitude in their local dialect.

Then the patient's husband took out a wooden box about the size of a palm and placed it in front of Fang Yan.

The box had intricate patterns and some pictographs, but it looked very new, as if it was deliberately designed to look mysterious.

"Dr. Fang, I don't know what you like. I just bought some Chinese medicine that can regulate qi, relieve pain, clear the orifices, and refresh the mind. Please take a look..."

"Traditional Chinese medicine?" Fang Yan was momentarily confused.

Having received so many gifts, this was truly the first time he had ever received traditional Chinese medicine from an overseas Chinese businessman in his clinic.

The last overseas Chinese businessmen who delivered Chinese medicine were Lao Hu and Lao Zhou.

And all of this happened at their home.

Looking at the box, Fang Yan thought of the bezoar her brother-in-law had given her.

Promoting qi circulation, relieving pain, clearing the orifices, and refreshing the mind—isn't that exactly what bezoar is all about?
Of course, musk, styrax, and benzoin are also acceptable.

They are all valuable Chinese medicinal herbs.

"Please open it and take a look," the patient's husband, Mr. Huang, said in a dialect.

Some overseas Chinese have this problem: they like to have gifts opened and seen in front of others.

Fang Yan didn't want to offend him after hearing this.

After being cured, the box, about half the size of a palm, was opened.

As soon as I opened it, I saw a small glass bottle about the size of a thumb inside.

It contained mostly a pale yellow liquid.

It looks like some kind of oily secretion.

The people around looked at the bottle of "Chinese medicine" with curiosity.

Fang Yaozhong couldn't help but ask:

"What is this?"

Others also gathered around, unaware of the situation.

Even the dialect was a bit confused.

It feels like I've seen it before.

At this moment, Mr. Huang asked in dialect:

"I wonder if Dr. Fang has heard of 'The Tale of Heavenly Fragrance' written by Ding Wei of the Song Dynasty."

Fang Yan was taken aback. He had indeed read this book before, and it was the first book he had ever read in his life.

In his book, Ding Wei categorizes and introduces various incense products, including agarwood, sandalwood, frankincense, and borneol.

Some of the things in it are closely related to traditional Chinese medicine.

He said in dialect:

"This is... agarwood oil?"

Upon hearing the dialect, Mr. Huang paused for a moment, then immediately gave a thumbs up:
"Dr. Fang is indeed very knowledgeable and understands things very quickly."

He originally wanted to put on an act.

However, even now, maintaining his composure, he addressed the dialect:

"Agarwood is divided into several grades, and 'Qinan' has always been considered the top grade of agarwood."

"This Qinan is rich in oil and has a unique fragrance. There are literature records about Qinan in the Ming and Qing dynasties. In ancient books, it is also called Ganan or Qinan."

"It's not just Chinese people who collect this stuff; Middle Eastern royalty also commissions the production of agarwood oil in Vietnam. High-quality agarwood oil is mostly treasured by foreign collectors and high-end consumers, and there are very few high-quality products circulating in the market. At auctions, high-quality agarwood oil and related products often fetch high prices, becoming popular for collection and investment."

"However, they are reluctant to use it themselves and keep it as a collection. In my opinion, it would be better to give it to real masters of traditional Chinese medicine so that it can play its value, instead of keeping it as a collection in a glass cabinet."

This was clearly a veiled attempt to flatter Fang Yan, which Fang Yan naturally recognized, and he said to Mr. Huang:
"You flatter me. This bottle must be worth quite a bit of money."

Mr. Huang said:
"It would be vulgar to talk to you about money! I hope that resources can be used to their fullest potential."

What else is there to say? Fang Yan stood up and cupped his hands in a respectful gesture:
"grateful!"

Mr. Huang was very satisfied with Fang Yan's attitude. He smiled and bowed, then said goodbye to Fang Yan and took his wife to the hospital.

After they left, Fang Yaozhong said:

"This is the first time I've ever seen this kind of agarwood oil."

The others behind him echoed this sentiment:

"Me too……"

"me too."

Then someone asked the person in the dialect who was unscrewing the bottle cap:

"Brother Fang, how do I use this oil? Is it for external application or internal use?"

"For internal use," Fang Yan said.

He said to the crowd:

"Qinan oil has the effects of regulating qi and relieving pain, clearing the orifices and refreshing the mind, and enhancing immunity. It can be used to relieve abdominal pain, improve insomnia, and treat respiratory diseases." Hearing this explanation, Fang Yaozhong asked him curiously:

"You know so much about such obscure things?"

He said in dialect:

"It's alright, not too obscure. I saw information about it when I was researching musk and ambergris."

"Generally, agarwood trees are invaded and parasitized by fungi after suffering external injuries. During the continuous infection process, the trees secrete resin for self-protection, and after a long period of aging, agarwood is formed. However, the formation conditions of Qinan are even more demanding, requiring special fungi, a specific environment, and a longer time. Its yield is only about one-thousandth of that of agarwood. Qinan oil is extracted from Qinan agarwood through processes such as distillation and extraction. Few people in our country produce this, but neighboring Vietnam produces it more often. This stuff is known as liquid gold."

"Agarwood is actually a world-renowned fragrance, ranking first among the four famous ancient fragrances of China, namely 'agarwood, sandalwood, dragon's blood, and musk,' and is known as the king of all fragrances. It has been used as a traditional and precious medicinal material and natural fragrance since ancient times. Influenced by our cultural sphere, it is widely used in Japan, India, Middle Eastern countries, and Southeast Asian countries."

Upon hearing the introduction of the dialect, someone asked curiously:
"Why is the Middle East also affected?"

Before Fang Yan could answer, Fang Yaozhong turned around and said:
"Do you know about the Silk Road? How did you study geography and history?"

Then the students behind them nodded in agreement:
"Oh, yes!"

At this moment, Fang Yan also unscrewed the lid.

I carefully opened the lid, and a smell wafted out.

The dialect is closest, and the first thing you smell is a refreshing coolness, like being by a stream in the mountains, with a cool breeze. This coolness can instantly refresh you, as if your sense of smell has been awakened.

This smells completely different from the agarwood I had before.

After the coolness subsides, a rich and layered aroma emerges, starting with floral notes reminiscent of gardenia and jasmine, followed by a sweet fruity scent, and then the mellow woody aroma of agarwood and a subtle milky fragrance.

Like perfume, the initial scent is not long-lasting; the real fragrance only comes out at the end.

Overall, it still retains the scent of agarwood.

"You're not thinking of chugging it all in one go, are you?" Fang Yaozhong, who was standing to the side, was really afraid that Fang Yan would drink the small bottle in one gulp.

Not to mention that this stuff is rare, the key point is... we don't even know if it will have the desired effect after we take it. It's like how a traditional Chinese medicine practitioner treats finished herbal medicine slices versus crushed powdered medicine. It's always better to be safe than sorry.

Without witnessing the agarwood oil extraction process, Fang Yaozhong would never dare to test the medicine directly on himself.

Fang Yan smiled and said:
"Of course not, I just opened it for everyone to smell. Come on, smell it, I'll go call the next person."

As he spoke, he handed the glass bottle to Fang Yaozhong.

Then I went to open the door and call for help.

Looking at the agarwood oil in his hand and smelling its fragrance, Fang Yaozhong felt that the word "exotic fragrance" had become a tangible reality at this moment.

Others also curiously gathered around.

"Next, please come in," Fang Yan called out to the patient outside as he opened the door.

When they saw that it was a dialect address, the people outside were stunned for a moment before those in line came in.

The people who came in this time were also a couple in their fifties.

The couple runs a business in the UK, mainly in the clothing industry.

It's the kind of very expensive custom-made clothing. Right now, their industry isn't very well understood in China, where everyone wears similar clothes.

She's a tailor from Shanghai, which is considered cutting-edge fashion even abroad.

I saw the woman at the last dialect banquet.

At the banquet, everyone was in good health. Now it's obvious that the sick person must be a man.

And indeed, that was the case when I asked.

This gentleman's surname is Lian, and he is 52 years old.

After exchanging brief greetings with Fang Yan, he began to recount his illness to her.

"More than two months ago, I found a lump on my right chest. The lump was not red, it was slightly painful, and it kept getting bigger, eventually growing to the size of a tonsil."

"Since then, I have had a low-grade fever every afternoon, feel weak all over, and have no appetite."

"The Western doctors in the UK diagnosed me with chest wall tuberculosis and recommended surgery."

Upon hearing this, the students who were still taking turns smelling the bottle of Qinan oil behind the dialect immediately perked up.

After putting away the Qinan oil, they all looked at the patient in front of them.

Mr. Lian, the patient, spoke in dialect:

“I was scared and wondered if I could be treated with traditional Chinese medicine. Then I heard about your advertisement, so I came back with my family.”

Fang Yan nodded upon hearing this.

Then Mr. Lian continued:

"Speaking of which, I had tuberculosis in 1952, and in 1961, I also had my second and third ribs on the left side removed because of tuberculosis of the chest wall."

"When the doctor examined me this time, he found a lump on my right side near the second or third rib, close to the manubrium of the sternum. It was about 4 centimeters wide and 5 centimeters long."

"The surface of the bump is not red, and it doesn't feel soft and wobbly when pressed. There is only a slight tenderness."

After saying that, he immediately lifted his shirt to show Fang Yan and the others the scars from his previous surgery:
"Look, I still have a scar on my left chest from a previous surgery, about 6 centimeters long."

Fang Yan looked at it and confirmed that it was indeed the same as what he had said.

It was on the left before, but now the illness is on the right.

In traditional Chinese medicine, this place is called rib carbuncle or chest carbuncle.

The *Surgical Orthodox Manual* records in its section on rib carbuncles: "Rib carbuncles, commonly known as 'intercostal carbuncles,' grow between the ribs. Initially, they resemble plums or apricots, gradually enlarging to the size of bowls or basins, becoming dark purple and hard, with pain radiating to the shoulder and back. This condition is often caused by anger damaging the liver, leading to the stagnation of qi and blood." (Volume 3, Treatise on Rib Carbuncles)
The *Medical Mirror* also records the differentiation of Yin carbuncles: "In the early stages of Yin carbuncles, the lesions are like millet grains, neither red nor hot, and the pain penetrates to the bones and muscles. This indicates that the Yin cold poison is deeply lurking. Yanghe Decoction should be used to warm and disperse the toxicity, and cold and cooling herbs should be strictly avoided." (Essentials of Surgical Heart Methods - Flow and Circulation)

When this disease first occurs, the skin surface is neither red nor hot, and looks the same as usual, except for a large area that is swollen and hard, and has a dull pain.

From the perspective of traditional Chinese medicine, this condition is entirely classified as a Yin syndrome.

What's particularly troublesome about this disease is that its roots are deeply embedded, clinging tightly to the muscles and bones, impossible to move by hand. It's also incredibly stubborn, refusing to subside and rarely rupturing and draining pus on its own, making treatment extremely time-consuming. Sometimes, just as symptoms begin to ease in one area, another flare up, a recurring cycle that is incredibly torturous.

He spoke to the patient in a dialect:
"Please stick out your tongue so I can see it."

The patient sticks out his tongue, and then it is seen that the tongue coating is thin and white.

Then Fang Yan asked him to extend his hands so he could take his pulse on both hands.

After taking the pulses on both the left and right sides, the pulses were found to be deep and thready.

His own performance confirms that the carbuncle on his ribs was indeed caused by stagnation of qi and blood and obstruction of meridians.

As Fang Yan just mentioned, if this disease is not treated properly, it is prone to recurrence, and this has indeed proven to be true.

The patient developed this growth on his upper left chest in 1961, seventeen years ago, and underwent surgery to cure it. However, after all these years, the growth has reappeared on his upper right chest.

According to the secretary, this illness is mostly caused by insufficient qi and blood in the body, and an imbalance of yin and yang.

Like someone who has been ill for a long time, their Qi and Yin are both deficient; or someone who is usually too tired, whose physical constitution has deteriorated and whose vital energy is insufficient. At this time, if they are then attacked by cold and dampness, or if they accidentally fall or twist their body, injuring their tendons and veins, their Qi and blood will be blocked in their body and their meridians will not be smooth, and such lumps will slowly grow.

Ancient books record that if this disease is discovered late and not treated in time, or if it is treated incorrectly, over time, the original cold evil will turn into heat evil, and the lump will ulcerate and rot.

At that time, the patient's skin will become faintly red, and in severe cases, it will ulcerate and ooze pus.

The pus that comes out is thin and smelly, and it also contains things that look like cheese or rotten cotton.

The wound was extremely difficult to heal and just wouldn't heal, causing the person a lot of suffering.

The mechanism of recurrence described in the "Complete Works of Surgery" is: "After the disease, residual toxins may not be completely eliminated, or the vital energy may be damaged by overexertion, causing the toxins to take advantage of the weakness and recur." (Volume 2, Scrofula)
What should I do in this situation?
It is also written in the book:
"It is advisable to replenish qi and blood, and supplement with antitoxins."

At this time, Mr. Lian was still in the early acute phase.

Therefore, it is essential to seize the opportunity and begin treatment before the condition progresses to the stage of ulceration and decay.

On the one hand, we need to replenish qi and blood to strengthen the body's foundation. On the other hand, we need to use warm methods and blood-activating medicines to dispel the cold in the body and resolve the phlegm, dampness, and stagnant qi and blood.

"Dr. Fang, how is my condition?" Mr. Lian asked cautiously.

He said in dialect:

"I believe it is related to the last surgery. Although the surgery was performed seventeen years ago, my body was not properly treated, so the root of the problem has always been there. This time, it should be due to some trigger that caused the recurrence."

At this moment, the patient's wife said:

"But their doctor said that it's only a relapse if it's in the same place, and not a relapse if it's not in the same place."

No sooner had she finished speaking than Fang Yaozhong, who was standing nearby, cursed:

"Bullshit on him!"

Whenever Lao Fang encounters a conflict between Western and Traditional Chinese Medicine theories, he loses his temper.

He said:
"From the perspective of the Foot Jueyin Liver Meridian, both the left and right ribs are governed by the Liver Meridian. As stated in the Ling Shu·Jingmai: The Foot Jueyin Liver Meridian ascends through the diaphragm and distributes to the ribs. In terms of meridian theory, the left and right ribs are actually one entity."

In his "Complete Works of Jingyue" during the Ming Dynasty, Zhang Jingyue emphasized that all diseases originate from qi stagnation, and qi stagnation inevitably leads to blood stasis. In other words, if phlegm, blood stasis, and toxins in the primary site are not completely cleared, they will inevitably flow to other places along with the flow of qi and blood.

"Wu Jutong of the Qing Dynasty pointed out in his book 'Treatise on Febrile Diseases': If diseases of the upper jiao are not treated, they will spread to the middle jiao; if diseases of the middle jiao are not treated, they will spread to the lower jiao. This pattern of transmission is particularly evident in chronic infectious diseases."

"This is called residual toxins and the spread of pathogenic toxins. Western medicine only knows how to focus on the mechanical localization of lesions, and doesn't know how to emphasize the dynamic balance of the body as a whole! It's complete nonsense!"

"..." Everyone present looked at Fang Yaozhong.

The patient's wife, who had just spoken, was dumbfounded.

Finally, he spoke in dialect:

"Ahem... What my teacher meant was that the doctor who said that wasn't skilled enough. His only goal was to get Mr. Lian to have surgery; he didn't care at all about how to get rid of the root of the disease."

"Western medicine under capital is more concerned with the profitability of hospitals."

"This is determined by the constitution of the British people."

Mr. Lian nodded upon hearing this:
"Yes! The hospitals in their country really only care about making money!"

P.S.: Here's a progress update. I gained 1200 more monthly votes last month, so I still owe you 24000 words. (9700 monthly votes by midnight.)
After finishing this chapter, I currently owe everyone 131000 words.

The basic chapter of 6000 words has been updated.

There will be an extra chapter later.

(End of this chapter)