🌿 Folk Prescriptions

Clamshell and Rush Wine—Original name “Clamshell Wine”
[Drug Composition] Clamshell (sealed with mud, fired, ground into powder) 1–2 pieces Rush 30 stems Honey 1 big spoon Loquat 1 piece
[Function and Indications] Treat back abscesses and carbuncles.
[Dosage and Administration] Drink as needed, do not get drunk.
[Preparation Method] Chop herbs, split loquat, use one sheng of wine, simmer the last three ingredients until slightly cooked, mix in clamshell powder 2 big spoons.
[Source] Ming Dynasty, "Comprehensive Prescriptions for Universal Relief"
Clamshell Wine
[Drug Composition] Clamshell (purple, thick, sealed with yellow mud, fired red, cooled, ground into powder) 3 qiān Bitter Powder 1 qiān Licorice Powder 2 qiān Loquat Fruit (chopped) 1 piece
[Function and Indications] Back abscess with chills and fever.
[Dosage and Administration] Drink as needed, do not chew.
[Preparation Method] Mix first three ingredients evenly, then use two bowls of wine to boil loquat until one bowl remains, strain and mix with previous powder 3 qiān.
Golden Star Wine Formula
[Drug Composition] Golden Star Grass (whole plant including roots, cleaned, slow-fired until dry) 4 liang Licorice 1 qiān
[Function and Indications] Treat five types of toxins causing back abscesses.
[Dosage and Administration] Drink at any time.
[Preparation Method] Grind herbs into fine powder, divide into four portions, each portion uses one sheng of wine, boil until three boils, then mix with two sheng of cold wine, store in bottle.
[Source] Song Dynasty, "Shengji Zonglu"
Comment: Golden Star Grass is also known as Feather Fern, the whole herb of the plant *Davallia denticulata* (family Polypodiaceae), bitter taste, cold nature, clears heat, cools blood, detoxifies, treats abscesses, swellings, lymph node tuberculosis, and sores. Licorice harmonizes and detoxifies; combined, they enhance detoxifying effects.
Divine Efficacy Supporting Internal Wine—Original name “Divine Efficacy Supporting Powder”
[Drug Composition] Astragalus (salt-steamed) 5 qiān Honeysuckle Leaf 5 qiān Angelica 5 qiān Powdered Fleeceflower 2 qiān
[Function and Indications] All types of carbuncles, back abscesses, intestinal abscesses.
[Dosage and Administration] Drink wine as needed, use leftover residue to apply on affected area.
[Preparation Method] Boil herbs with wine.
[Source] Ming Dynasty, "Chishui Xuangzhu"
Comment: Astragalus tonifies qi, nourishes spleen, supports wound healing and tissue growth. Angelica nourishes blood and promotes circulation. Used for deficiency of qi and blood, where sores fail to rupture or heal slowly. Honeysuckle leaf and licorice clear heat and detoxify. Combined, they localize the lesion, prevent deep invasion, promote pus discharge and toxin elimination, reducing swelling and pain.
Yanghe Resolving Stagnation Wine
[Drug Composition] Aconite Root 30g Prepared Aconite Root 30g Cinnamon 30g Dried Ginger 30g Horse Money Seed 30g Papaya Seed 30g White Mustard Seed 30g Five Spirit Resin 30g Dragon’s Eye Rhizome 30g Soap Pod 30g Raw Wolf Poison 120g Great Euphorbia 15g Hemp 15g
[Function and Indications] Detoxify, expel cold, remove dampness, dissolve phlegm, unblock meridians. Suitable for gangrene due to cold-dampness, phlegm stagnation, and yin toxicity.
[Dosage and Administration] For unruptured yin carbuncles, mix wine with other drugs and apply externally. For ruptured yin carbuncles, soak sterilized gauze strips in wine and insert into wound.
[Preparation Method] Soak herbs in white wine for one month.
[Source] Shanghai Journal of Traditional Chinese Medicine, 1984, (6): 30
Japanese Honeysuckle Wine
[Drug Composition] Japanese Honeysuckle 5 liang Licorice 1 liang
[Function and Indications] All types of carbuncles and malignant sores, regardless of location, including lung abscess and intestinal abscess; highly effective if taken early.
[Dosage and Administration] For early stages, consume entire dose within one day, divided into three doses. For severe cases, take two doses per day until bowel movements become loose, indicating drug action. Apply crushed fresh herbs mixed with wine to the surrounding area of the sore.
[Preparation Method] Boil two bowls of water down to one bowl, then add one bowl of wine and briefly re-boil.
[Source] Qing Dynasty, "Collection of Medical Formulas"
Wintergreen Wine
[Drug Composition] Wintergreen Vine Fresh Large Licorice Knot
[Function and Indications] Treat carbuncles and back abscesses, regardless of location—on forehead, cheek, head, neck, back, waist, ribs, breast, hands, feet—with remarkable efficacy.
[Dosage and Administration] Consume entirely within one day and night. For severe cases, take two doses per day. Continue until bowel movements become loose, indicating drug action.
[Preparation Method] Take one handful of fresh wintergreen vine (use dried if fresh unavailable, though potency is lower), crush leaves in mortar, mix with a little wine to form a paste of proper consistency, spread around the wound, leaving a central opening for gas release. Use only five liang of vine, crush with wooden mallet (avoid iron), combine with one liang of fresh large licorice knot, place in a sand jar, add two bowls of water, simmer gently until one bowl remains. Add one large bowl of good alcohol, boil for ten to fifteen cycles, strain and divide into three doses.
[Source] Ming Dynasty, "Compendium of Materia Medica"
Vine Flower Wine
[Drug Composition] Heron Vine (stem, leaves, flowers attached) 1/2 catty Astragalus 1/2 catty Licorice (raw) 1/2 catty Loquat Root 1/2 catty
[Function and Indications] Tonify deficiency, support toxin expulsion, regulate qi, activate blood circulation; treat carbuncles and sores, internal attachment to tendons and bones.
[Dosage and Administration] Warm and drink, three times daily.
[Preparation Method] Coarsely grind herbs, each dose 5 qian, use two bowls of wine, boil down to one bowl, strain through gauze to obtain clear liquid.
[Source] Ming Dynasty, "Comprehensive Prescriptions for Universal Relief"
Comment: Heron Vine is actually Wintergreen Vine; Loquat Root is also known as Tian Hua Fen. Hence the name Vine Flower Wine. Both herbs clear heat, drain pus, reduce swelling. Combined with Astragalus and licorice to tonify and expel toxins, suitable for deficient-type carbuncles.
Tenghuang Boiled Wine
[Drug Composition] Heron Vine (dry stem and leaves, flowers best) 2 liang Fresh Rehmannia (dried)
[Function and Indications] Treat carbuncles, abscesses, malignant sores, deep-seated bone sores, even if skin is not hot, face looks dangerous, or fistulae, childhood sores, female breast abscesses, all conditions involving blood and qi imbalance; chronic nodules adhering to tendons and bones, preventing walking.
[Dosage and Administration] One bowl each time, four times daily.
[Preparation Method] Coarsely grind herbs, place in a large bottle with four sheng of wine, seal bottle mouth tightly with oil paper and bamboo leaves, suspend in a pot, boil for 200–300 cycles until fragrant and cooked, cool, then filter through gauze directly from bottle.
[Source] Ming Dynasty, "Comprehensive Prescriptions for Universal Relief"