Synopsis of the Golden Chamber, Volume One — Chapter 8: Pulse, Patterns, and Treatment of Running Piglet Qi Disease

Synopsis of the Golden Chamber, Volume One — Chapter 8: Pulse, Patterns, and Treatment of Running Piglet Qi Disease

Overall Paraphrase

This chapter discusses the pulse presentations and treatments for Running Piglet Qi disease (bēn tún qì bìng). The original text records "two discourses and three formulas."

The teacher said: Among diseases, there are four types—Running Piglet (the subjective sensation of qi rushing upward from the lower abdomen, like a small pig darting about), vomiting pus, fright palpitations, and fire pathogen—all of which can be triggered by fright or shock. The characteristic feature of Running Piglet disease is: during an episode, the patient feels a surge of qi rushing upward from the lesser abdomen (lower abdominal region), all the way to the throat, causing suffering as if about to die; then the qi returns and the attack subsides. This disease mostly arises from fright or fear.

If the running piglet qi surges upward into the chest, accompanied by abdominal pain and alternating chills and fever, the ancients advocated treating it primarily with Running Piglet Decoction (Bēn Tún Tāng).

Running Piglet Decoction formula (recorded in the original text; for study purposes only, not to be used as medication guidance): Licorice, Chuanxiong (Ligusticum), and Dongquai (Angelica sinensis), 2 liang each; Pinellia, 4 liang; Scutellaria (Baical skullcap root), 2 liang; Fresh Pueraria root, 5 liang; Peony root, 2 liang; Fresh ginger, 4 liang; Root bark of the plum-leaved crabapple (Ganli root white bark), 1 sheng. The ancient method: boil with 2 dou of water, reduce to 5 sheng, take 1 sheng warm, once in the daytime and once at night, three doses daily.

After inducing sweating, if heated needling (burning the needle red-hot before insertion) is again used to force sweat, and the needle site is invaded by cold pathogen, producing red nodules locally, Running Piglet will develop, with qi surging from the lesser abdomen upward to the heart. The ancients would apply one moxa cone to each nodule and treat primarily with Cinnamon Twig Plus Cinnamon Decoction (Guì Zhī Jiā Guì Tāng).

Cinnamon Twig Plus Cinnamon Decoction formula (recorded in the original text; for study purposes only, not to be used as medication guidance): Cinnamon twig (Cassia twig), 5 liang; Peony root, 3 liang; Honey-fried licorice, 2 liang; Fresh ginger, 3 liang; Red dates (Jujube), 12 pieces. The ancient method: boil with 7 sheng of water over gentle fire, reduce to 3 sheng, remove the dregs, and take 1 sheng warm.

After sweating, the presence of palpitations below the navel (jì dòng beneath the umbilicus) is a sign that Running Piglet is about to manifest. The ancients advocated treating it primarily with Poria, Cinnamon Twig, Licorice, and Jujube Decoction (Fú Líng Guì Zhī Gān Cǎo Dà Zǎo Tāng).

Poria, Cinnamon Twig, Licorice, and Jujube Decoction formula (recorded in the original text; for study purposes only, not to be used as medication guidance): Poria (Hoelen), half a catty; Honey-fried licorice, 2 liang; Red dates, 15 pieces; Cinnamon twig, 4 liang. The ancient method: use 1 dou of sweet-splash water (gān lán shuǐ); first decoct the Poria, reducing the volume by 2 sheng, then add the remaining herbs and decoct to 3 sheng. Remove the dregs and take 1 sheng warm, three times daily. Preparation of sweet-splash water: take 2 dou of water, place in a large basin, and repeatedly ladle the water upward so that five to six thousand water droplets form and chase one another across the surface; then use it.

🧠 Deep Comprehension

Core Principles and Methods 💡

• The core of Running Piglet is qi rushing upward, closely related to emotional trauma and fear. The ancients held that "fright agitates qi" and "fear sends qi downward," yet Running Piglet manifests as rebellious qi surging upward, involving mechanisms such as liver qi depression transforming into heat, insufficient heart yang, and cold fluid stirring within the lower burner.
• The three formulas represent three distinct patterns, exemplifying same disease, different treatments:
  • Running Piglet Decoction pattern: Liver depression transforming into heat; qi-fire combined with surging qi rushing upward, accompanied by abdominal pain and alternating chills and fever. The treatment principle is clearing the liver and draining heat, harmonizing the stomach and descending rebellious qi. In the formula, Ganli root bark clears the liver and descends rebellious qi; Scutellaria and fresh Pueraria root resolve depressed heat; Pinellia and fresh ginger harmonize the stomach and descend rebellious qi; Dongquai, Peony, and Chuanxiong nourish the blood and regulate the liver.
  • Cinnamon Twig Plus Cinnamon Decoction pattern: After sweating, re-exposure to cold damages heart yang; cold qi from the lower burner takes advantage of the deficiency to surge upward. The treatment principle is warming yang and dispersing cold, calming the surging and descending rebellious qi. The heavy use of cinnamon twig warms and unblocks heart yang and calms the surging upward qi, combined with Peony, Licorice, Ginger, and Jujube to harmonize the nutritive and defensive; moxibustion on the nodules serves to warm and dissipate local cold pathogen.
  • Poria, Cinnamon Twig, Licorice, and Jujube Decoction pattern: After sweating, heart yang deficiency allows water-fluid to stir internally, with Running Piglet about to occur. The treatment principle is warming yang and resolving fluid, fortifying the earth to restrain water. The large dose of Poria promotes diuresis and calms the heart; Cinnamon twig warms yang and transforms qi to calm the surging; Jujube and Licorice tonify the spleen and fortify the earth to restrain water.
• Thus, although all are called "Running Piglet," because of differences in cold, heat, and water-fluid, the treatments differ completely—this is a classic example of pattern differentiation and treatment in Chinese medicine.

Modern Understanding 🌟

• The symptoms of Running Piglet—such as paroxysmal sensations of qi rushing upward, chest oppression, palpitations, throat blockage, and abdominal discomfort—bear resemblance to conditions in modern medicine like panic attacks, somatic symptom disorder, gastrointestinal neurosis, and globus hystericus, though they cannot be directly equated.
• Emotional stress can trigger autonomic nervous system dysfunction, producing a "sensation of qi rushing upward," which parallels the ancient observation that the disease arises from fright and fear. This shows that early physicians recognized the connection between emotions and somatic symptoms.
• However, the heated needling, moxibustion on nodules, and sweet-splash water in the original text reflect the technological limitations and cognitive framework of that era. Modern acupuncture requires strict sterilization, and heated needling is no longer practiced; sweet-splash water is merely a physical water-agitation method without modern pharmacological significance. The formulas and dosages are historical documents; some ingredients, such as Ganli root bark, have limited sources and research in modern times and must not be self-administered according to the original text.

Health and Lifestyle Insights ⚡

• Emotional regulation: Avoid prolonged fright and anxiety; cultivate emotional stability through meditation, breathing exercises, regular physical activity, and other stress-relief methods.
• Protection against cold in daily life: Do not immediately expose yourself to wind or cold after sweating; keep warm; do not blindly pursue "induced sweating."
• Moderation in diet: Limit raw, cold, and greasy foods to protect spleen-stomach digestive function.
• Seek medical attention promptly: If recurrent episodes of qi rushing upward, chest oppression, or abdominal pain occur, consult a proper medical facility. Do not self-medicate based on ancient formulas from classical texts.

📚 Related Knowledge

• Associated concepts: The Thoroughfare Vessel (Chong Mai), liver qi surging upward, insufficiency of heart yang, internal retention of water-fluid, emotional causation of disease, same disease different treatments, heated needling, sweet-splash water.
• Further reading: Shang Han Lun (Treatise on Cold Damage), items 65 and 117; Huangdi Neijing · Suwen · Ju Tong Lun — "Fright agitates qi; fear sends qi downward"; Nanjing (Classic of Difficult Issues), difficulty 56 — the accumulation of the kidney is called Running Piglet.

Researched and compiled by Bu Gua This content is based on classical Chinese medical texts and is provided solely for traditional cultural study and research. It does not constitute any medical diagnosis, medication guidance, or treatment advice. If you feel unwell, please seek medical attention promptly.