邪客/Xie Ke

(Retention of the Evil)

黄帝问于伯高曰:夫邪气之客人也，或令人目不瞑，不卧出者[不卧出者:周学海曰:“不卧出者”，疑当作“不汗出者”]，何气使然?伯高曰:五谷入于胃也，其糟粕、津液、宗气分为三隧。故宗气积于胸中，出于喉咙，以贯心脉，而行呼吸焉。营气者，泌其津液，注之于脉，化以为血，以荣四末内注五脏六府，以应刻数焉。冲气者，出其悍气之懔疾，而先行于四末分肉皮肤之间而不休者也。昼日[日:《甲乙》卷十二第三并无此字]行于阳，夜行于阴[夜行于阴:此后应据《太素》、《甲乙》、《外台》补“其入于阴也”五字]，常从足少阴之分[分:《病沅》卷三《虚劳不得眠候》“分”下有“肉”字]间，行于五藏六府。今厥[厥:《甲乙》巻十二第三作“邪”]气客于五藏六府，则卫气独卫其外，行于阳，不得入于藏[行干阳，不得入于藏:《太素》卷十二《营卫气行》无此八字]。行于阳则阳气盛，阳气盛则阳骄陷[陷:《甲乙》卷十二第三并作“满”]；不得入于阴，阴虚[阴虚:《太素》卷十二第三“阴”下有“气”字]，故目不瞑。

Yellow Emperor asked Bogao and said: "When the evil invades the body, one can not sleep with his eyes closed and he has no perspiration, what energy causes it?" Bogao said:"After the five-cereal enters into the stomach, it divides into dross, body fluid and initial energy, which flow to the lower, middle and upper warmers respectively in three routes. The initial energy accumulates in the chest, comes out from the throat, links up the heart and carries out the respiration. The Ying-energy secretes the body fluid and pours into the channels it turns into blood to nourish the four extremities outside, and pours into the solid and hollow organs inside in the speed of fifty cycles a day and night or one hundred graduations of the clepsydra.  The Wei-energy has the disposition of being valiant and swift, it moves along the muscle and the skin unceasingly. In day time, it runs in the Yang portion, in night time, it runs in the Yin portion, it often starts from the muscle of the Foot Shaoyin Channel of Kidney first, then, runs to reach the five solid organs and the six hollow organs. When the evil energy invades the internal organs, the Wei-energy will guard against the exterior of the body solely, when the exterior of the body is guarded, the Yang energy will be over-abundant, when the Yang energy is over-abundant, the channel energy of Yangqiao Channel will be full, causing the Yang energy fails to enter into the Yin portion. Since the Yin energy is debilitative, the patient will not be able to sleep with his eyes closed."

黄帝日:善。治之奈何?伯高日:补其不足，泻其有余，调其虚实，以通其道而去其邪，饮以半夏汤一剂，阴阳已通，其卧立至。黄帝日:善。此所谓决渎壅塞，经络大通，阴阳和得[和得:二字误倒，应据《甲乙》乙正]者也。愿闻其方。伯高日:其汤方以流水千里以外者八升，扬之万遍，取其清五升煮之，炊以苇薪火[火:《太素》卷十二《营卫气行》作“大”“大沸”自为句]，沸置秫米一升，治半夏五合，徐炊，令竭为一升半，去其滓，饮汁一小杯，日三稍益，以知为度。故其病新发者，复杯则卧，汗出则已矣。久者，三饮而已也。

Yellow Emperor asked: "How to treat the disease of insomnia?" Bogao said: "Invigorate the Yin which is insufficient and purge the Yang which is having a surplus, adjust the partial asthenia and partial sthenia, in this way, it will cause the passage of the Wei energy to become unimpeded, and the disturbing evil energy removed. At the same time, the patient should take the decoction of pinelliae (tuber), so as the Yin and Yang energies can be dredged and the patient can fall into sleep immediately." Yellow Emperor said: "Good. This therapy is like the dredging of the block of the water course, to cause the channels and collaterals to have a good circulation and the Yin and Yang to become harmonious. I hope to hear about the prescription of pinellia." Bogao said: “In forming the prescription of pinellia, take eight litres of flowing water, stir for ten thousand times, after the preciptation of dust, take five litres of clear water from it and boil it with burning reeds, after the great boiling, put in one litre of husked sorghum, half litre of processed pinelliae and boil slowly, when the decoction water being condensed into one and half litres, remove the dregs of the decoction. Administer the patient with the decoction of a small cup each time and three times a day, the dose may be a little bit larger to attain the curative efficacy. If the disease is in the initial stage, the patient can sleep after the administration, and after perspiration, the disease will be recovered; in the protracted disease, it will be recovered after taking three decoctions."