C14 Chinese medication chart: Rashes etc.

Medication chart: Rashes, unconscious murmuring, vomiting stagnant blood, abdominal pain, contraction of the yin and yang channels. From a manuscript copy of Shanghan diandian jin shu (The Gold-dust Book of Cold Damage) dated '1st year of the Zhengyuan reign period of the Yuan dynasty' (1341), section entitled Shanghan diandian jin yongyao muji (Cold Damage Gold-Dust Repertory of Medication).

The text states: To treat rashes, sweating therapies may not be used. Common treatments are Figwort Root (xuanshen, radix scrophulariae), cohosh decoction (shengma tang), indigo Four Agents decoction (qingdai siwu tang), pork lard and Cape jasmine seed decoction (zhuzhi zhizi ren tang), etc.

Unconscious murmuring (zhengsheng) illness is classed as a deficiency syndrome (xuzheng). It is generally treated with scallion Yang-Freeing decoction (bai tong tang), White Tiger decoction (baihu tang), etc.

Vomiting of stagnant blood, if severe, is generally treated with Collateral decoction (didang tang). Mild cases are generally treated with peach-stone Qi Supporting decoction (taoren cheng qi tang) or Three Yellows golden flower pills (san huang jinhua wan).

Abdominal pain is generally treated with cassia twig decoction with peony (guizhi jia shaoyao tang), minor Centre-Fortifying decoction (xiao jianzhong tang), coptis decoction (huanglian tang), liquorice and ginseng decoction, etc.

With conditions of contraction of the Yin and Yang channels (lianggan), the external syndrome is treated with cassia twig decoction (guizhi tang) and the internal syndrome with Four Retrograde/Cold Extremities Decoction (sini tang).

The table summarises the information given under 'Description of image content'