Wind-Deficiency Deafness and Medicinal Processing

After his two older brothers left, Su Ziyang glanced at Fairy Li beside him.

"Alright, okay? They both have scars on their faces, why are you so scared? Come on, let's go home. I've been tired these past few days, so I'm just saying nice things to you. Your mouth is tired, you need some good food. You need snacks, dried fruit, nuts, milk tea..."

Su Ziyang pinched Fairy Li's slender waist and invited Fairy Li into the car.

"Eat, eat, eat! We bought you lots of nuts. There are walnuts, almonds, peach kernels, pecans..."

Su Ziyang happily drove Fairy Li home.

He happily peeled walnuts for Fairy Li when he got home, but the next second his smile vanished.

"Xiao Xiao Su, when are you going to meet my mom? She's heard about you from my older brother and has been wanting to meet you ever since!"

"Huh?" Su Ziyang exclaimed, "Um, um... what should I bring when I meet Auntie? Is Auntie fierce?"

"It's not like I'm asking you to see me right now, look at you! Come here and give me a leg massage."

Fairy Li lay on the sofa eating nuts, holding a yogurt in her hand, her legs crossed and bouncing back and forth, looking just like a nouveau riche exploiting a poor peasant.

"Alright, I'll give you a massage right away!"

Su Ziyang, like a lackey, massaged Fairy Li's calves.

"Since you've been so obedient, I'll happily tell you something: my mother really likes you."

Fairy Li wiggled her little feet and said happily.

"Okay, I got it. Haha, gotta go now, time to rest."

Upon hearing what Fairy Li said, Su Ziyang immediately got up and ran away, refusing to peel the nuts or massage his legs.

"Su Ziyang, you heartless bastard! You've used me and then discarded me! No, I'm not a donkey! Take this girl's iron fist!"

Su Ziyang was afraid that Fairy Li would clench her fist. This girl was reckless and might knock him to the ground without warning.

The two joked around for a while, then washed up, and went downstairs for a walk like an old married couple before going back to rest.

Today, Su Ziyang was on call and did acupuncture the whole time without a moment's rest.

Near the end of the workday, a middle-aged male patient came in.

After Su Ziyang asked the man to sit down, he stared at him for a while.

The person's face had some redness, making them look a bit off, and they seemed dazed and confused, like they weren't very bright.

"Hello, what's your name?"

Su Ziyang spoke slowly, using as gentle a tone as possible when speaking to this person.

As expected, when Su Ziyang asked him the question, the middle-aged man thought for a moment before saying, "My Liu Sen. I'm 53 years old."

Su Ziyang watched the man speak, pondered for a while, and realized that the man didn't seem to have problems with reaction time or intelligence, but rather with hearing.

"Are you hard of hearing?"

Su Ziyang spoke his second sentence much louder, and sure enough, Liu Sen listened more with his right ear, while his left ear seemed to be less effective.

"Yes, doctor. My ears aren't doing well. It started with tinnitus, and now my hearing has deteriorated significantly. I can't hear in my left ear at all, which is a bit annoying!"

Su Ziyang nodded, understanding that Liu Sen's main concern was undoubtedly the treatment of his ear condition.

"Your facial redness isn't from the hormone injections, is it?"

Judging from Liu Sen's condition, Su Ziyang knew this was definitely not his first time seeing a doctor; he had most likely used hormone medications.

"I've been getting IV drips, I don't know what kind of medication they're using, it seems to contain some hormones. The drips aren't very effective, I felt a little better at first, but now it's getting worse!"

He was sharp of hearing and sight, but his hearing was impaired, which slightly affected his intelligence. So when Liu Sen spoke, he just kept talking to himself without stopping.

Su Ziyang wasn't in a hurry and let Liu Sen tell him about his experience of getting sick.

Liu Sen said that he didn't initially think there was anything wrong with his ears; his first symptom was back pain.

The reason for the back pain was quite coincidental. Liu Sen was quite strong and had never had back pain before, but that day the water pipe in his house broke, so Liu Sen squatted down to fix it.

While the water pipes were being repaired, his wife opened the door and came in. As soon as she opened the door, Liu Sen suddenly felt a gust of wind blowing from behind, which made his lower back itch terribly.

My back started hurting after that.

Initially, I was treated for my back pain at the hospital, receiving IV drips, acupuncture, and massage.

After his back pain subsided considerably, Liu Sen was discharged from the hospital.

But as soon as I got home, I suddenly felt a bit uncomfortable in my head. It felt like a pain, but not quite, just general discomfort.

Liu Sen assumed he hadn't rested well during his hospital stay, so he didn't pay much attention. He washed up, washed off the disinfectant smell, and went to sleep.

After sleeping with his head covered for a long time, Liu Sen was awakened by a headache, followed by a dizzying sensation as if the world was spinning around him. It felt as if a plastic bag was covering his head, making it feel stuffy and suffocating.

Along with the dizziness, I also experienced tinnitus. My left ear was ringing loudly, and nothing I did could relieve it.

Liu Sen, who had just returned from the hospital, went back to the hospital the following night.

The hospital's diagnosis was microthrombus.

It means there was a small blood clot in my ear or something related to hearing. I had hyperbaric oxygen therapy done, and afterwards I received intravenous fluids and IV drips.

Later, they used hormones, but Liu Sen said the symptoms didn't improve much; he just felt dizzy and lightheaded, which became more severe.

"May I check your pulse first, please?"

Su Ziyang gestured for Liu Sen to calm down and placed his hand on the pulse diagnosis kit.

The pulses of both hands were examined and found to be wiry.

Does your mouth usually taste bitter?

Su Ziyang withdrew his hands from taking the pulse and then asked loudly.

"I don't know if it's because it's bitter, but my mouth feels uncomfortable. My throat is mainly dry."

Liu Sen cleared his throat as he spoke.

In the Treatise on Cold Damage, there is the following description regarding Shaoyang disease:

The symptoms of Shaoyang disease include bitter taste in the mouth, dry throat, dizziness, and a wiry pulse.

Furthermore, there is another saying that in Shaoyang disease, the onset of a single symptom is sufficient, without the need for all symptoms to be present.

In other words, based on the points mentioned above, if we see a particularly obvious symptom, we can understand it as Shao Yang disease.

Liu Sen now exhibits all four symptoms, so Su Ziyang initially diagnosed Liu Sen's illness as Shao Yang disease.

The word "dazzle" is very interesting. First of all, it means that the eyes are dim and cannot see clearly. It also means to be confused and confused.

At this moment, Liu Sen's condition perfectly matched the word "dizzy".

Therefore, the medicine prescribed by Su Ziyang was the classic formula for treating Shaoyang disease: Minor Bupleurum Decoction.

Bupleurum 38g

Scutellaria baicalensis 15g

15g of Codonopsis pilosula

21g of ginger and Pinellia

15g of roasted licorice root

15g of fresh ginger (chopped by yourself)

Four jujubes (split)

7 pay.

Minor Bupleurum Decoction is not primarily used to treat tinnitus and deafness. However, what Su Ziyang is doing now is to examine the pulse and symptoms, address Liu Sen's most uncomfortable symptom first, and then address the other symptom.

After giving Liu Sen his instructions, Liu Sen went downstairs to pay for and get his medicine.

Tinnitus and hearing loss are difficult to treat, a problem worldwide. The key is early detection and early treatment.

The earlier it is detected and the earlier it is treated, the greater the chance of recovery.

Even with traditional Chinese medicine, Su Ziyang wasn't entirely confident he could completely cure the condition.

"Sigh, Su Ziyang."

The long-unseen Daoist Master Xiao Yang in the consultation room.

"Greetings, Daoist Master."

Su Ziyang greeted the Daoist Master Xiao Yang.

"Hey Su Ziyang, I need to discuss something with you. Our clinic received a batch of raw aconite, and we specifically hired an experienced pharmacist to process it. We need an assistant now."

Daoist Master Xiao Yang seemed a little embarrassed when he said this.

"Oh. Shall I go help?"

Su Ziyang didn't think there was anything wrong with it.

"Yes, that's what I mean. It seems like only you and Daoist Master Liu downstairs use aconite in this clinic. Daoist Master Liu getting old, and we can't very well ask him to help, so we're troubling you. But you'll be paid; the clinic will give you a subsidy of five hundred yuan per day!"

As if afraid that Su Ziyang would not agree, Daoist Master Xiao Yang rattled off his conditions in one breath.

"Okay. I can go even without the subsidy."

Su Ziyang readily agreed with a smile, much to the surprise of Daoist Master Xiao Yang, who was surprised by how easily Su Ziyang accepted the offer.

However, Su Ziyang had his own ideas. Now that doctors and pharmacists are separated, it would be a great blessing in life to be able to see an old pharmacist prepare medicine.

If one could learn even a little more, it would definitely greatly enrich one's knowledge level.

Not long after Daoist Master Xiao Yang left, Mr. Mengfei came in. "Ziyang, a veteran pharmacist has come to your clinic. It's said he's quite skilled at processing aconite. You should try to learn from him."

"I just agreed. I'll go help with the gunpowder processing."

Mr. Mengfei was taken aback when Su Ziyang said that.

"Good grief, I've become redundant. You've gotten quite cunning lately, I'm not going to bother with you anymore, just know your own limits. You've really gotten to the top, you little rascal!"

Mr. Mengfei left, chatting and laughing.

It wasn't until the afternoon that Su Ziyang finally met the old pharmacist. The old man was seventy-eight years old, with gray hair, but he looked quite energetic.

"Hello, Teacher Wei." Su Ziyang greeted him with a smile.

The old pharmacist's surname was Wei, and his given name was Wei Boyan.

"Hello, you must be Xiao Su. Old Xiao and I are old acquaintances. He said he got a batch of raw aconite and wanted me to come and help him. Haha, Lao Old Xiao always finds me work."

Wei Boyan has a very cheerful personality and is not the serious and stubborn old-fashioned craftsman that Su Ziyang had imagined.

"I'll do whatever you say. It's energetic, but I know absolutely nothing about food preparation."

Su Ziyang smiled sheepishly and explained his situation to Wei Boyan.

Wei Boyan waved his hand. "No problem, no problem. Then this old man will do his best to boss you around. Hahaha!"

Wei Boyan made a joke.

Before meeting Wei Boyan, Su Ziyang had done some research, specifically looking up information about the processing of aconite.

There are roughly three types of modern processed aconite: the first is salted aconite, the second is black aconite slices, and the third is lightly processed aconite slices.

Salted Aconitum: Select larger aconite roots, wash off the mud, and soak them in a mixture of brine and salt. Take them out and dry them in the sun every day, gradually extending the drying time until a large number of salt crystals appear on the surface of the aconite roots and the roots harden.

This is salt-processed aconite.

Black aconite slices: Select medium-sized aconite roots, wash them, soak them in brine for several days, boil them together with the brine, remove them, rinse them in water, cut them into thick slices, soak them in diluted brine again, and add a coloring agent made of brown sugar and vegetable oil to dye the aconite slices a dark tea color. Rinse them in water until they no longer have a numbing or spicy taste, take them out, steam them until cooked, bake them until half-dry, and then sun-dry them.

This is black aconite slices; light aconite slices are processed from salted aconite.

Prepared Aconite Root Slices: Take clean, salted aconite root, soak it in water, changing the water 2-3 times daily until all the salt is removed. Boil it together with licorice root and black beans until thoroughly cooked. When no numbness is felt on the tongue after slicing, remove the aconite root, discard the licorice root and black beans, slice thinly, and dry. Sift out any debris. For every 100 kg of salted aconite root, use 5 kg of licorice root and 10 kg of black beans.

Of course, processing is one thing, but after processing, it still needs to be cut. So knife skills are sometimes a specialty of pharmacists.

Methods for processing aconite have existed since ancient times, with the artillery method first appearing in the Han Dynasty.

The book "Handbook of Prescriptions for Emergencies" from the Jin Dynasty contains a method for charcoal frying.

During the Liu Song dynasty of the Northern and Southern Dynasties period, a method was used to soak and boil black beans in flowing water.

In the Tang Dynasty, Sun Simiao, the "Medicine King," wrote a book called "Essential Prescriptions Worth a Thousand Gold," which described methods of applying honey and roasting, as well as wrapping in paper and baking.

The Song Dynasty medical text * Imperial Grace Formulary of the Taiping Era * mentions methods such as soaking in water and boiling with ginger. Later, methods such as quenching with ginger juice, soaking in vinegar, and soaking in vinegar made with barley and wheat koji were developed.

Finally, there are methods such as burning to ash and retaining properties, soaking and stir-frying in salt water, stir-frying with Coptis chinensis, and boiling in ginger juice;

Black beans are boiled, soaked in salt water, then roasted and quenched in vinegar;

Soak in children's urine, then simmer. Make a small hole, put cinnabar in it, wrap it in wet dough, and simmer.

Preparation methods include boiling in children's urine; boiling in red beans; soaking in rice water with ginger; and stir-frying with ginger.

By the Ming Dynasty, boiling had been added to the recipes: boiling in honey water, boiling with croton seeds, and stir-frying with saposhnikovia root, salt, and black beans.

Stir-fry with salt and fry in lard;

Soak in children's urine and then fry;

Boil ginger juice, salt, licorice root, and children's urine together;

Boil with salt, ginger juice, Coptis chinensis, licorice, and children's urine;

Soaking in children's urine (from Jin Fang); boiling in salt and rice water (from Zhun Sheng); stir-frying with wheat bran (from Bao Yuan); stir-frying and stir-frying with licorice decoction (from Jing Yue); roasting with vinegar (from Ji Yin); boiling in children's urine and licorice decoction (from Bi Du). In the Qing Dynasty, additional methods were added, including steaming alone (from Wo Ling), boiling licorice and saposhnikovia together and then boiling in children's urine (from Shuo Yue), soaking in ginger juice and then simmering (from Da Cheng), soaking in licorice decoction (from Xin Bian), processing with Coptis chinensis and licorice (from Feng Yuan), soaking in wine (from Liang Peng), boiling in children's urine and licorice decoction (from Bi Yong), boiling licorice, Euphorbia kansui, and wine (from * Chuanya Wai*), decocting in licorice decoction (from Huo Luan), soaking in licorice decoction and then simmering (from Zeng Guang), and salting (from Wen Da).

By this time, there were more than forty methods for processing aconite.

Learning from books is never enough; true understanding comes from practice.

Even though Su Ziyang had done his homework, Su Ziyang still didn't quite understand the specific procedures.

There's a joke that goes something like this: the eyes say, "I understand," the brain says, "I've learned it," and the hands say, "You two, get out of here!"

Another point is that even if you've done a lot of homework, or know a lot, when you meet a teacher you want to learn from, you'll definitely need to make time.

At this point, a person is like a cup; you must empty yourself before you can receive what others pour in.

If you're always full, new things won't come in.

Sure enough, something surprising happened: the method Teacher Wei used to process aconite was almost completely different from the method Su Ziyang Su Ziyang investigated.

In the Treatise on Treatise on Cold Damage, there is a saying about aconite, "Pao ling chai".

Che (che) means to split.

That is, to process aconite root by making it crack open.

Su Ziyang had never really understood how to make him crack, and after thinking about it for a long time, he himself was almost cracking open.

The elderly man, Wei Boyan, first removed all the raw aconite roots, then poured them into a large basin and washed them with water. After washing, he let them air dry, and then washed them again.

After washing for three days straight, Su Ziyang was tired of it, but Wei Boyan was very patient and instructed Su Ziyang to wash it as much as he could.

Su Ziyang had promised the old man beforehand that he would follow his instructions, so as soon as the old man spoke, Su Ziyang would immediately do it.

After three days of washing, it's finally time to start preparing it.

Wei Boyan directed Su Ziyang to dig a shallow pit in the ground, then surround it with bricks and build a very, very simple stove.

Finally, the stove was covered layer by layer with rice husks and straw, then the washed aconite was placed on top, and then it was lit.

After a busy day, the fire is lit, and now it's just a matter of waiting.

The fire can burn for a day and a night. The aconite can be taken out when the fire goes out and the ashes cool on the second day.

Su Ziyang and Wei Boyan sat around the fire, staring blankly at the red flashes inside.

"Elder Wei, I have a question, may I ask it?"

Su Ziyang figured sitting around was boring anyway, so he might as well talk to someone or chat for a bit.

Through these three days of interaction, Wei Boyan gave Su Ziyang the impression of being very amiable, and he was also quite ruthless, almost entirely directing Su Ziyang to handle various details...

"Just say it, Xiao Su," Wei Boyan said with a smile.

"To be honest, before you came, I looked up some information about processing aconite, and this is what the * Lord Lei's Treatise on Drug Processing * says."

The "Lord Lei's Treatise on Roasting and Baking" states, "For processing (acupuncture), roast it over a moderate heat until it cracks. Scrape off the seeds with a knife, removing the tip and small parts. Split it open, dig a pit about one foot deep, place it in the pit overnight, and take it out the next morning to dry it. When processing, use ash fire, not mixed wood fire; willow wood is best. If processing in the shade, remove the tip and bottom of the raw aconite, slice it thinly, soak it in east-flowing water with black beans for five days and nights, then drain it and dry it in the sun."

This passage describes three processing methods. The first method involves burning the aconite root over a low flame, then breaking it apart, scraping off the surface with a knife, and burying it in the soil overnight to remove its harshness.

The second one is processed aconite root, which is prepared by burning willow wood.

The third method differs from the first two, which involve directly using fire. Instead, the ingredients are soaked in water before being cut. Black beans are also used as an auxiliary ingredient.

"Haha. This method was taught to me by my teacher. My processing method effectively removes the toxicity of aconite while preserving its medicinal properties."

Wei Boyan chuckled and continued, "Those two methods you mentioned are acceptable, but they're not as good as this method of preparation. You could learn it! Nowadays, people are afraid of being prescribed strong medicine. Old Xiao said that there aren't many people in your area who can prescribe this kind of medicine; you're the youngest and the one who uses it the most!"

"You flatter me. I just used it when I needed to; there's nothing to brag about."

Su Ziyang's humble attitude earned him even more respect from Wei Boyan.

"Excellent! You're a promising young man. Actually, in today's society, drug quality is one issue, and processing is another. So these two issues can sometimes affect the efficacy of your prescriptions!"

Wei Boyan then gave an example. "Take the herb Pinellia ternata for example. There's raw Pinellia ternata, processed Pinellia ternata, ginger-processed Pinellia ternata, and prepared Pinellia ternata, right?"

Su Ziyang nodded; he knew that.

Raw Pinellia ternata is simply Pinellia ternata in its raw form; this is easy to understand.

Pinellia ternata is processed using alum.

Ginger-processed Pinellia ternata is prepared using alum and ginger juice.

Prepared Pinellia ternata is made by processing licorice and lime.

Different processing methods result in different medicinal properties. Prepared Pinellia ternata is more effective at resolving phlegm, ginger-processed Pinellia ternata is much better at stopping vomiting, while processed Pinellia ternata is better at dispelling cold and phlegm.

Therefore, it is inevitable that different processing methods will result in different effects.

After Su Ziyang gave a general explanation of the processing methods and effects of several types of Pinellia ternata, Wei Boyan was quite satisfied. Then he slowly said, "Do you know that there is another processing method for Pinellia ternata called Immortal Pinellia ternata?"

"Immortal Pinellia!?" Su Ziyang was taken aback; he had never heard of this before.

"This Xianbanxia (a type of medicinal herb) is exceptionally potent in clearing phlegm; it combines the effects of many other herbs. However, it's too complicated and expensive to process now, so it's rarely prepared anymore!"

Wei Boyan chuckled and kept everyone in suspense, so Su Ziyang quickly pressed, "Teacher Wei, I'd love to hear more. Could you please tell me?"

"Ahem, it's like this. Generally, for every 100 kg of processed Pinellia ternata slices, use 2.5 kg of licorice root, 0.19 kg of stir-fried Citrus aurantium, 0.31 kg of dried tangerine peel, 0.31 kg of Schisandra chinensis, 0.25 kg of stir-fried Citrus aurantium shell, 2.5 kg of mint, 0.19 kg of Ligusticum chuanxiong, and 0.31 kg of Citrus reticulata peel, and decoct them together to make a concentrated juice."

Powder: 0.31 kg clove powder, 0.31 kg costus root powder, 0.19 kg cardamom powder, 0.06 kg agarwood powder, 0.19 kg cinnamon powder, 0.31 kg amomum villosum powder.

Su Ziyang fell silent after hearing this. The medicinal herbs here seemed excessively comprehensive; if the medicine wasn't potent, wouldn't that be against all reason?

"Sounds good, but it'll be a bit troublesome," Su Ziyang remarked.

"Yes. That's why good medicinal herbs are rare, and good medicinal herbs that have been processed are even rarer."

Wei Boyan sighed, "Alright, Xiao Su. Go back and rest. We can come back to see it tomorrow. I'm going back to rest too."

"Okay, goodbye Teacher Wei!"

The old man was getting on in years and couldn't stay up any longer, so he went back to rest.

Su Ziyang sat on the bench, staring at the dim firelight, pondering Wei Boyan's words.

At this moment, Su Ziyang suddenly remembered something a classmate had said when he was a graduate student. A teacher had asked him, "Why did you study acupuncture instead of internal medicine?"

This student said that he was studying internal medicine, and the effectiveness of his prescriptions would be affected by the quality of the herbs. However, acupuncture was different; it was all about acupuncture, relying entirely on his own skills.

Looking back now, I realize that classmate was really insightful.

Now, Su Ziyang realizes that he still has a long way to go. Jingchengdao Medical Clinic has professionals overseeing its operations; if he opened his own clinic, wouldn't he be able to handle everything himself?

Whether I can handle everything properly is a question...