Guo, male, 40 years old, initial consultation in early summer 1942. The patient was affected by wind-cold and did not recover for twenty days, so he invited me for treatment. The person was emaciated and weak, with cold limbs, fever, diarrhea, flushed face, thirst with a desire to drink, occasional restlessness, faint pulse, and a black, moist tongue coating. The "Treatise on Cold Damage Diseases" states: "Shaoyin disease, diarrhea with undigested food, internal cold with external heat, reversal cold of hands and feet, faint pulse on the verge of disappearing, body not averse to cold, and a red complexion... Vessel-Unblocking Cold-Extremities Decoction is the main treatment." This is a syndrome of true cold with false heat due to severe internal pudendal coldness and declining yang qi. I prescribed Vessel-Unblocking Cold-Extremities Decoction, heavily using Aconite Lateral Root up to 30g to break the yin and restore yang.

The patient doubted the heavy dosage and sought another doctor for a second opinion. That doctor prescribed Major Purgative Decoction, heavily using Rhubarb Rhizoma up to 30g. One used Aconite Lateral Root, the other used Rhubarb Rhizoma, as different as ice and fire. This seasonal disease left the patient unsure of whom to follow, so he returned to consult me again. I carefully reviewed the condition and concluded that it was indeed true cold with false heat. It was urgent to restore yang to save from collapse and unblock yang to restore the pulse, ensuring the treatment matched the syndrome. I reassured the patient to take the medicine with confidence. After one dose, the symptoms significantly improved. After another dose, the cold limbs and diarrhea ceased, and the dysphoria disappeared. However, the pulse remained weak, so I doubled the dosage of Tangshen and green onion, and continued with two more doses. The pulse became gentle, the tongue coating turned grayish-white, the fever subsided, and the thirst ceased. Later, I adjusted the prescription based on the original formula, and the patient recovered after further treatment.