From the differences of words and usage, we can see that the wine used in Treatise on Febrile Diseases can be divided into three types: wine, sake and bitter wine. In the above information, there are two questions that need to be explained: First, why the rhubarb in Sanchengqi decoction is washed with wine, while the rhubarb in Tiaowei Chengqi decoction is washed with sake. Second, why Danggui Sini decoction is decocted in water, while Danggui Sini decoction plus Evodia rutaecarpa ginger soup is decocted in water and sake.
Then, what do the words "wine", "sake" and "bitter wine" in Treatise on Febrile Diseases mean?
"Wine" is yellow rice wine.
"Wine" refers to "turbid wine", that is, modern "yellow rice wine". High-alcohol liquor, that is, liquor brewed by distillation technology, appeared only after the Ming Dynasty, and the liquor-making technology in the Han Dynasty was far from reaching the level of producing high-alcohol liquor. Therefore, most of the "wine" mentioned in Bai Bai's "Hundred Wars of Wine Classic" and Song Wu's "Water Margin Eighteen Bowls of Drink" are this kind of "yellow wine" with an alcohol content of about 15 degrees, which is why "yellow wine" is directly called "wine", while others have different names such as sake and white wine.
Yellow rice wine, as its name implies, is yellow rice wine. But this statement is not appropriate. In ancient times, when the filtration technology of wine was not mature, wine was turbid, which was called "turbid wine" at that time. The color of yellow rice wine is black and red even now, which can't be understood literally.
Yellow rice wine is a specialty of Han nationality in China, which belongs to brewing wine. It is one of the oldest wines in the world and originated in China. About 3000 years ago, in the Shang and Zhou Dynasties, China people invented the double fermentation method of distiller's yeast and began to brew a large number of yellow rice wine. Yellow rice wine takes rice, millet and millet as raw materials and belongs to low-alcohol brewing wine.
There are three places where "wine" is used in Treatise on Febrile Diseases, namely, the rhubarb in the big and small Chengqi decoction and the resistance decoction is washed with "wine". Washing rhubarb with wine and modern rhubarb wine (also known as "wine army") are not the same concept.
The main functions of rhubarb are purgation, clearing heat and purging fire, cooling blood and detoxicating, removing blood stasis and dredging menstruation. There are usually three kinds of rhubarb, namely raw rhubarb, wine rhubarb and rhubarb charcoal. Wine rhubarb, commonly known as wine army, takes raw rhubarb, sprays it with yellow wine and mixes it evenly. It is slightly stuffy, and decocts it with low fire until the color deepens. Take it out and let it cool. Yellow rice wine is warm and pungent, which can dredge blood vessels, keep out cold and replenish qi. Clinically, it is often used to treat hematemesis and nosebleed caused by blood-heat rash, headache, head swelling, red eyes and sore throat, swollen gums, sores on the mouth and tongue, blood stasis and swelling caused by traumatic injury, etc. Radix et Rhizoma Rhei processed with wine has weak purgative power and good effect of promoting blood circulation, and is suitable for blood stasis syndrome.
Rhubarb is washed with wine, which is different from wine rhubarb. The processing method of wine rhubarb was developed in later generations. In Treatise on Febrile Diseases, Daxiaochengqi Decoction and Kangtang rhubarb were made with wine, which was a processing method of using rhubarb in the early days. Its purpose is to increase the function of rhubarb in purgation, removing blood stasis and dredging collaterals, so that it can play a faster and stronger role in dredging menstruation. At the same time, it also has the effects of promoting blood circulation of leeches and scale insects and removing blood stasis of anti-decoction.
Sake is the clear part of the upper layer of glutinous rice wine.
The custom of brewing glutinous rice wine at home is still circulating in most parts of China. After this wine is made, it is put into a vessel, and the upper part is slightly transparent and thin, which is called sake. The lower part is thick and turbid, and the color is white and opaque, which is the so-called "white wine", also known as turbid wine. Modern liquor is colorless, not white, as opposed to colored fruit wine and yellow wine.
In some parts of Guangdong, women have the habit of adding raw eggs to glutinous rice wine to nourish weakness after delivery, which is probably the same as the method of mixing water and wine with roasted licorice soup to treat symptoms of qi deficiency and blood deficiency, palpitation and shortness of breath.
The sake used in the fried licorice soup in Treatise on Febrile Diseases is the sake part of the upper layer of glutinous rice wine, and the white wine in the garlic wine soup in the Golden Chamber should be the thick wine part of the lower layer of glutinous rice wine.
The wine is warm, sake is only slightly warm, slightly sour and slightly sweet, and the degree is low. Zhigancao decoction is decocted with "sake" and water, which warms and tonifies qi and blood, helps to dredge blood, and even has the function of tonifying deficiency and helping the weak. Zhigancao Decoction, on the basis of drugs for invigorating qi and blood, activating yang and restoring pulse, also uses the warming effect of sake to promote qi and blood circulation, replenish deficiency and help the weak, so that qi and blood can be enriched, meridians can be unblocked, mind can be nourished, palpitations can be stopped and pulse conditions can be restored, so it is also called Fumai Decoction. Sake in the fried licorice soup is not today's liquor. If it is mistaken for today's liquor, it will be unbearable to mix water with wine.
The syndrome type of Danggui Sini decoction plus Evodia rutaecarpa ginger decoction is that there is a chronic cold on the basis of limb syncope. Judging from the drugs of Evodia rutaecarpa and ginger, they are the main drugs for treating stomach cold and vomiting. It can be inferred that the chronic cold here refers to stomach cold, so adding sake to the decoction will further increase the efficacy of warming and nourishing the stomach. The reason why Danggui Sini Decoction doesn't need sake is that Danggui Sini Decoction syndrome is not obvious, mainly manifested as blood deficiency and cold coagulation, and cold limbs, while Danggui Sini Decoction plus Evodia rutaecarpa and ginger decoction syndrome is more obvious. Therefore, in addition to adding Evodia rutaecarpa and ginger to warm stomach and dispel cold, we also add sake decoction, which not only enhances its stomach warming power, but also enhances its blood circulation function.
The syndrome of Tiaowei Chengqi Decoction is that pathogenic heat is in gastrointestinal tract. The function of Tiaowei Chengqi Decoction is to clear excess heat in the gastrointestinal tract, transmit stomach qi, restore the replacement of excess and deficiency in the gastrointestinal tract, and dredge the downward function. The rhubarb in Tiaowei Chengqi decoction is made with sake, not with wine like big and small Chengqi decoction. Its purpose is not to remove excess in the body, but to remove invisible heat. Taking it with sake can not only increase the purgative function of rhubarb, but also protect and nourish stomach qi, so as to eliminate heat evil without hurting stomach qi.
Bitter wine is vinegar.
"Bitter wine" has been mentioned many times in the documents of Han Dynasty. "Explanation of Names and Diet" says: "Bitter wine, pure and poisonous, is bitter. It is incorrect to regard bitter wine as inferior wine. First of all, the "pure poison" mentioned in "Shi Shiming Diet" refers to the description of mellow and heavy taste, not inferior; Bitterness is the characteristic of vinegar. Second, Liu Fang's "official peddling bitter wine" in Wei Zou competes with the people for profit. Since it is for profit, we will not use inferior products, otherwise we will not get profits. Thirdly, in the Han Tomb of Fenghuang Mountain in Jiangling 168, the tableware of Bitter Wine in ink, Salt and Sauce in ink appeared simultaneously. Obviously, "bitter wine" and "salt" and "sauce" are all condiments, so there is no doubt that "bitter wine" should be vinegar, one of the condiments such as oil, salt, sauce and vinegar.
There are two places where "bitter wine" is used in Treatise on Febrile Diseases. One is article 3 12, "shaoyin disease, throat injury, sore, speechless, silent." Bitter soup is the master. Bitter wine soup consists of fourteen pieces of Pinellia ternata (washed and broken like jujube stones) and one piece of chicken (yellow-removed, bitter wine inside and egg shell inside). The above two flavors, bitter wine in Pinellia ternata, knife ring in egg shell and fire to make them boil, belong to me. Swallow less; No, three more doses. The decocting method of bitter wine soup is quite special. Pinellia ternata was used as the main medicine, bitter wine and egg white were used as the decocting solvents, and the eggshell was fried on the knife ring for three times. It can be seen that it is cooked very lightly, and it has the functions of resolving phlegm, healing sores and relieving sore throat. Bitter wine is also vinegar, and its main function here is to heal sores. The prescription is named after bitter wine soup, which shows that bitter wine exists.
One more thing, in the processing method of Article 338, "Mume is soaked in bitter wine for one night", it is recorded in the Book of Qi Yao Min Zuo Shu by Jia Sixie in the Northern Wei Dynasty that Mume is soaked in bitter wine to make solid vinegar, which is convenient for storage and carrying. Mume is sour, and it is more sour in the later stage after soaking in bitter wine. Wumei Pill is a drug for treating syncope and controlling long-term benefits. After soaking in bitter wine, the sour taste of dark plum can calm the astringency and stop the intestines for a long time.