5. Plateau Water-Drawing Method

5. Plateau Water-Drawing Method

“The Plain Questions · On Decoctions and Fermented Liquors” states: “Maintain balance through regulation... open the ghost gate and cleanse the palace.” “The Golden Chamber · On Water Qi” says: “Swelling above the waist should be treated with sweating to heal.” This indicates that opening the lungs can promote diuresis. The lungs are the source of water, and if lung qi is not dispersed, kidney qi cannot descend. This method of promoting diuresis is called the “plateau water-drawing method” because it works like drawing water from a plateau. Clinical applications have shown that more severe edema is often accompanied by symptoms of lung qi not being dispersed, such as shortness of breath and coughing. If we ignore the need to disperse lung qi and only rely on strengthening the spleen and warming the kidney or simply promoting diuresis, the therapeutic effect is often far from ideal. However, the plateau water-drawing method can achieve better results. Commonly used formulas include Mahuang Lianqiao Chixiaodou Tang, Yuebi Tang, and Mahuang Fuzi Xixin Tang. In treating patients with severe edema due to chronic nephritis, I often add ephedra, gypsum, and asarum to formulas for warming the kidney and strengthening the spleen, and this approach often proves effective.