The Menghe medical school is a famous regional medical school originated in Changzhou, Jiangsu and spread throughout the country. The late national master of traditional Chinese medicine, Deng Tietao, pointed out in his book "General History of Chinese Medicine: Modern Volume" that "the Menghe medical school is one of the major traditional schools in China. The most representative ones are the four major families of Fei, Ma, Chao, and Ding. This medical school has a profound influence, and many famous experts in traditional Chinese medicine today are disciples of the Menghe medical school. In the late Qing Dynasty, this medical school had already become famous in the north and south of the Yangtze River."
The Menghe medical school is known for its clear lineage, academic promotion, and numerous disciples. Its clinical pulse diagnosis is precise, medication is flexible, and the therapeutic effects are remarkable, producing many renowned physicians who are well-known both domestically and internationally. However, there is limited research on the academic thoughts and technical characteristics of the Menghe medical school's prescription preparation methods. Therefore, we will provide a brief introduction based on recent excavations and research.
Diverse Prescription Preparation Methods, Including Exclusive Techniques
Classified by prescription preparation methods, the Menghe medical school has as many as 17 different methods, with each method having hundreds of variations. Regarding specific medicinal herbs, each herb has multiple preparation methods, ranging from four or five to more than twenty.
Take rhubarb as an example. The preparation methods include stir-frying, carbonizing, simmering, washing with alcohol, soaking in alcohol, alcohol stir-frying, alcohol boiling, nine steamings and nine sunnings, and stir-frying with licorice. Among them, the methods of nine steamings and nine sunnings and stir-frying with licorice have distinctive characteristics of the Menghe medical school. After nine steamings and nine sunnings, rhubarb's purgative effect is weakened, as it is believed that "if you want it to work quickly, make it raw; if you want it to work gently, make it ripe." Additionally, its blood-activating and stasis-removing, purging fire, and detoxifying effects are enhanced, as described in the saying "raw rhubarb treats gastrointestinal obstruction caused by heat, while ripe rhubarb treats various ulcers and toxins and purges heart fire."
Atractylodes rhizome has 12 different preparation methods, including soaking and roasting, soaking and stir-frying, soaking and stir-frying to charred, soaking and carbonizing, soaking and soaking in alcohol, soaking and stir-frying in alcohol, soaking and stir-frying in salt, soaking and sunning with earth, soaking and steaming with earth, soaking and stir-frying with sesame oil, soaking and stir-frying with black sesame, and soaking and steaming with black sesame. The method of using black sesame is unique to the Menghe medical school. Black sesame has a sweet and mild taste and is slightly warm. It has the functions of nourishing the liver and kidneys, nourishing blood and essence, and lubricating the intestines for smooth bowel movements. Black sesame's moist quality can counteract dryness. When combined with atractylodes rhizome, which has a dry nature, the black sesame can alleviate the dryness of atractylodes rhizome and enhance its therapeutic effect.
Tangerine peel has multiple preparation methods, including salt preparation, child's feces preparation, stir-frying with ginger water, and tangerine peel with snake gallbladder. The method of using snake gallbladder in the preparation is not recorded in ancient or modern texts, only mentioned by Menghe medical practitioners. Tangerine peel has a bitter and pungent taste and a warm nature. It enters the lung, spleen, and stomach meridians and has the functions of stopping cough, relieving vomiting, and clearing phlegm. However, tangerine peel's bitter and dry nature may cause concerns of damaging the body fluids and exacerbating heat. Snake gallbladder has a cooling and slightly bitter taste. It enters the heart and liver meridians and has the effects of dispelling wind, clearing heat, transforming phlegm, and improving vision. The warm and cool properties of tangerine peel and snake gallbladder complement each other, providing a harmonious combination of clearing qi, transforming phlegm, clearing heat, and stopping cough.
Tree peony bark has preparation methods such as steaming with alcohol, stir-frying, and wrapping with dough before simmering to ripeness. The methods of "steaming with alcohol" and "wrapping with dough before simmering to ripeness" are not included in the existing preparation standards. Ma Peizhi of the Menghe medical school pointed out that tree peony bark "steamed with alcohol is used for postpartum medicine to treat bone steaming; wrapping with dough and simmering to ripeness is used for thick intestines." As tree peony bark has a pungent and cool nature, it is not suitable for use in its raw form for those with weak digestion. After being wrapped in dough and simmered, tree peony bark can enhance its function of invigorating the spleen.
Unique Auxiliary Materials, Skilled in Preparing Medicine with Medicine
The auxiliary materials used in the Menghe medical school's prescription preparation can be divided into three categories.
The first category is liquid materials, commonly including alcohol, vinegar, ginger juice, child's feces, honey water, milk, rice washing water, and sesame oil. For example, Cyperus rotundus is used raw to ascend to the chest and carry to the skin; when cooked, it descends to the liver and kidneys, reaching the waist and knees. Stir-frying it with child's feces supplements the kidneys with qi. Stir-frying it with yellow wine promotes the circulation of the meridians and relieves pain. Stir-frying it with vinegar dissipates accumulations. Stir-frying it with ginger juice helps to transform phlegm and fluids. Similarly, Achyranthes root has preparation methods such as salt water stir-frying, steaming with wine, and steaming with the same amount of Shouwu. Practitioners of the Menghe medical school believe that "steaming with wine supplements the kidneys, strengthens the four limbs and waist, and relieves pain."
The second category is solid materials, commonly including rice, flour, tofu, Scirpus maritimus, clam powder, paper, sugar, and green salt. For example, Arctium lappa is "stir-fried with glutinous rice." Arctium lappa has a pungent, bitter, and cool nature, with the effects of dispersing wind-heat, venting the lungs, penetrating rashes, and relieving swelling and detoxification. However, it can cause loose stools in those with weak qi. Glutinous rice has a sweet and slightly bitter taste and a warm nature. It enters the spleen, stomach, and lung meridians, with the effects of tonifying the middle, invigorating the qi of the spleen and stomach, relieving annoyance and thirst, and stopping diarrhea and dysentery. After being stir-fried with glutinous rice, Arctium lappa can benefit the spleen and stop diarrhea due to the sweet and warm nature of glutinous rice and the aroma produced during stir-frying, which can regulate the bitter, cool, and slippery nature of Arctium lappa.
The third category is medicinal materials, commonly including bamboo liquor, amomum fruit, safflower, agarwood, cassia twig, indigo naturalis, and evodia fruit. For example, Peucedani radix is soaked in bamboo liquor to dry, and then it is cut and used. It is stated that "it is slightly cold and treats wind-phlegm in the liver and gallbladder, which cannot be treated by other means." Another example is when preparing white atractylodes, Fructus aurantii is used to stir-fry the herb, enhancing its function of regulating qi and invigorating the spleen according to the clinical needs of the patients. Additionally, white peony is often prepared by stir-frying with warm herbs such as cassia twig, cinnamon, evodia fruit, safflower, and agarwood. This not only restrains the astringent and cold nature of white peony but also changes its properties. It can also utilize the characteristics of warm herbs to disperse cold, regulate qi, and activate blood.
From this, it can be seen that preparing medicine with medicine is a major characteristic of the Menghe medical school's prescription preparation.
Emphasis on Preparation Techniques, Demonstrating the Art of Prescription Preparation
Some of the prescription preparation techniques in traditional Chinese medicine are quite unique, with each step being meticulous and cannot be casually expedited.
Frankincense is "fried with four ounces of cotton wick per kilogram until it becomes crispy and can be powdered. Remove the wicks and grind it into powder." It is used to treat suppuration, pain relief, and protection of the heart, as well as difficulty in giving birth and emissions. "Wine-steamed Ophiopogon" requires placing Ophiopogon in a steaming basket, heating it over water until fully steamed, removing it, sprinkling wine while stirring, and then returning it to the steaming basket to steam thoroughly. After that, it is spread out and dried before being used in medicine. For example, aconite is soaked in water for one to two nights, changing the water daily to remove salt. Then it is wrapped in dough and simmered on fire, sliced, and dried daily. It is used to tonify the spleen and kidney yang deficiency, treat wind stroke paralysis, and treat yin-yang hernia. Another example is the preparation of Datura. It is soaked in water for half a month, boiled in a pot for several rolls, soaked in hot soup for several days, scraped to remove the skin and heart, then cooked in sesame oil until the oil foam disappears, and boiled again for one hundred rolls until it is thoroughly black and crispy. It is then sieved with an iron wire, mixed with fine soil, and fried in a pot. It is then mixed in a basin, covered overnight, and the soil is removed. After grinding, it is used in medicine. The preparation of Datura is meticulous and involves steps such as soaking, oil frying, and soil frying. Only after these steps can it exert its effects of dispelling wind and dampness in the tendons and bones, and dissipating external phlegm and toxins.
As Menghe medical school master Ma Peizhi said, "Using medicine is similar to using troops. Troops have bravery, and medicine has dryness and fierceness. When medicines are prepared, they become pure, just like troops become refined through training. With refined troops, defeating enemies is not difficult, and with well-prepared medicines, treating diseases becomes easier. If the preparation is not appropriate, it is like unprepared troops."
The Menghe medical school's prescription preparation emphasizes "refined and pure preparation." It excels in preparing medicine with medicine, pursuing the pure nature of medicines and precise medicinal effects in high-quality Chinese herbal pieces. This approach aims to meet the needs of clinical medication, expand the scope of clinical application, and improve clinical efficacy. The academic characteristics and technical features of the Menghe medical school's prescription preparation will play a positive role in further developing China's traditional Chinese medicine prescription preparation theory system and enriching the techniques of Chinese herbal medicine preparation.
