🌿 Folk Prescriptions

Thlaspi Wine
[Drug Composition] Thlaspi one sheng
[Function and Indications] Promotes urination, treats abdominal edema.
[Dosage and Administration] Two doses daily, until urination becomes easy.
[Preparation Method] Soak one sheng of herb in five sheng of wine for three nights.
[Source] Song Dynasty · "Complete Collection of Medical Benefits from the Sacred and General Registry"
Morus and Celtis Wine
[Drug Composition] Morus fruit, Celtis bark
[Function and Indications] Specifically treats edema.
[Dosage and Administration] Take one sheng each time.
[Preparation Method] First finely chop the Celtis bark, boil with two dou of water until reduced to one dou, remove residue, add Morus fruit, reboil to five sheng, then ferment with five sheng of good glutinous rice to make wine.
[Source] Ming Dynasty · "Comprehensive Prescriptions for Universal Relief"
Fresh Morus Wine
[Drug Composition] Fresh Morus fruit 100g, white wine 500ml
[Function and Indications] Consolidates kidney yin, promotes diuresis and reduces swelling. Treats edema caused by internal heat and fluid retention, lower limb swelling, poor urination, joint pain, tinnitus, dizziness, thirst, premature graying hair, etc.
[Dosage and Administration] Drink freely, each time a small cup.
[Preparation Method] Wash fresh Morus fruit, crush into juice, place in a gauze bag, tie tightly, put the bag and white wine into a wine bottle, seal well, soak for three days.
[Source] Ming Dynasty · "Compendium of Materia Medica", "Popular Medicinal Cuisine"
Silk Mulberry Branch Wine — Original name "Mulberry Wine"
[Drug Composition] Silk mulberry branches (with heart and bark, crushed fine)
[Function and Indications] Treats edema and diarrhea. Without diarrhea, abdomen becomes distended and swollen; with diarrhea, physical weakness results.
[Dosage and Administration] Take one sheng at once.
[Preparation Method] Boil with eight sheng of water until reduced to four sheng, then use four sheng of rice to brew wine.
[Source] Tang Dynasty · "Secret Essentials from the Outer Platform"
Plum Bark Wine
[Drug Composition] Plum bark (remove outer black layer, keep inner yellow layer) three catties, wheat yeast one sheng
[Function and Indications] Promotes urination.
[Dosage and Administration] Take one he each time, three times daily. For those who tolerate alcohol, increase dosage; best when body feels warm.
[Preparation Method] Boil plum bark with three dou of water until reduced to one dou, use five sheng of juice to soak five sheng of wheat yeast, then ferment the rice according to standard wine-making methods, strain while hot.
[Precautions] Avoid raw, cold, and toxic foods.
[Source] Tang Dynasty · "Secret Essentials from the Outer Platform", Ming Dynasty · "Compendium of Materia Medica"
Male Duck Wine
[Drug Composition] One male duck (green-headed male, cleaned and prepared), southern Atractylodes macrocephala three taels, angelica root one tael, schizonepeta five qian, cardamom three qian, magnolia wood three qian, coix seed three taels
[Function and Indications] Swelling.
[Dosage and Administration] Warmly take, divided into eight to nine doses, judged by passing gas.
[Preparation Method] Powder all herbs, mix with wine, stuff inside the duck, sew closed, place in a ceramic jar, cover with three to four hu of aged non-ash wine, seal, steam over boiling water for four incense sticks’ duration, then remove residue.
[Precautions] Avoid salt, anger, raw/cold food for 100 days.
[Source] "Rare Medical Books Integrated Collection"
White Quartz Wine
[Drug Composition] White quartz
[Function and Indications] Treats hard abdomen, bloating, historically known as "stone water."
[Dosage and Administration] Three times daily, one medium bowl each time, warm consumption. If not drinking alcohol, observe swelling below the navel, hard like stone, flank distension and pain, deep pulse, no shortness of breath. Often caused by liver-kidney yin cold and fluid accumulation in the lower jiao. Two fingers indicate single-sided abdominal distension. "Medical Gate Law: Discussion on Distension": "Any mass, tumor, or lump is the root of distension disease. Accumulating over time, the belly becomes as wide as a basket or barrel. This is called single-sided distension... The 'stone water' mentioned by Zhang Zhongjing refers precisely to this." Should eat sparingly.
[Preparation Method] Use ten taels of clean white quartz, crush to the size of soybeans, place in a porcelain bottle, soak in two dou of good wine, seal the bottle mouth with clay, burn with horse manure and bran until the wine simmers slightly (about six hours), then stop heating.
[Precautions] "Essentials of Herbal Analysis": "Avoid mustard greens, turnips, wormwood, amaranth, shepherd’s purse." "Companion to Herbs": "Long-term or excessive use leads to depletion of vital energy."
[Source] Ming Dynasty · "Comprehensive Prescriptions for Universal Relief"
Sapindus Wine
[Drug Composition] Sapindus
[Function and Indications] Treats edema invading the abdomen with severe fullness, affecting appetite, coughing with hemoptysis and hematochezia, chest and rib fullness, excessive phlegm, worm toxins.
[Dosage and Administration] Take one sheng empty stomach, three times daily.
[Preparation Method] Remove skin and veins of sapindus, roast until yellow, crush into three sheng, soak in one dou of wine in a stone vessel, boil, remove residue, take the wine.
[Source] Jin Dynasty · "Emergency Backup Manual", Tang Dynasty · "Thousand Gold Prescriptions", Song Dynasty · "Complete Collection of Medical Benefits from the Sacred and General Registry", Ming Dynasty · "Comprehensive Prescriptions for Universal Relief"
Note: The expectorant effect of sapindus has been clinically confirmed (slightly inferior to platycodon and peucedanum, but shorter duration). However, its treatment of edema is rarely discussed in historical records; this formula deserves further research.
Sapindus and Black Syrup Wine
[Drug Composition] Sapindus (skin and seeds removed, baked) one piece, black syrup five taels
[Function and Indications] Treats edema.
[Dosage and Administration] Take all at once.
[Preparation Method] Boil with two sheng of wine until six boils, then strain out residue.
[Precautions] Avoid meat, flour, raw/cold food, salty and sour dishes for one year.
[Source] Tang Dynasty · "Secret Essentials from the Outer Platform"