I Can Talk to the Internal Organs-Chapter 43 - 38: Five Gold Decoction

Hmm?

Something in the gallbladder?

Lu Jiu couldn’t help but frown.

This is not a good sign.

Lu Jiu stood up and moved to Huang Xia’s side, then pressed an inch below the back of her calf, behind Zusanli.

"Ouch~~ What’s this for?" Huang Xia looked at Lu Jiu strangely.

"Auntie, it’s quite painful, right?" Lu Jiu asked.

"It’s definitely painful if you press so hard." Huang Xia frowned.

Lu Jiu laughed and said, "I didn’t use much force. Try pressing it yourself if you don’t believe me."

Huang Xia, seeing this, tried pressing the same spot that Lu Jiu had just pressed. As soon as she touched it lightly, a sharp pain shot through, identical to the feeling earlier. She looked at Lu Jiu, "Why is it like this? I usually don’t feel anything, why does it hurt so much when pressed?"

Lu Jiu explained, "This is a gallstone point in our body. If pressing here causes pain, it likely indicates gallstones. However, a single symptom can’t confirm it 100%; other symptoms are needed for verification..."

Before Lu Jiu could finish, Huang Xia immediately retorted, "That’s impossible. I just had a CT and ultrasound last week, and the hospital doctors said I might have cholecystitis. They specifically checked my liver and gallbladder and said there was no problem."

Lu Jiu smiled, "As I mentioned, it’s just a likelihood, not a certainty. Also, if the stones are small, some tests might not detect them."

When Lu Jiu was in university, a teacher who taught them about Western medical equipment once told them.

All medical equipment wasn’t initially designed for disease diagnosis; it was only later that the medical field adopted them, with very good results.

But all imaging-based medical equipment has a drawback, which is that many very small things in the body aren’t accurately detected.

It was something like stones; they have to reach a certain millimeter size to be visible. The exact number Lu Jiu forgot.

Huang Xia said, "If the equipment can’t detect it, doesn’t that mean there’s nothing there?"

Lu Jiu found it both funny and exasperating, that’s just because no obvious pathological changes have occurred yet, "You can think of it that way, but before it forms into larger stones, there’s room to intervene to prevent the stones from becoming too large, which would lead to having to remove the gallbladder."

Huang Xia nodded, indeed, don’t let a small illness turn big, "So is it gallstones or not?"

Lu Jiu asked, "What color is your stool recently?"

Huang Xia replied without hesitation, "Green. I’ve been puzzled; it’s the first time I’ve seen it that color. Even when I eat vegetables, it usually isn’t like this. I thought it might be poorly digested food due to a bad stomach."

That’s not undigested food.

The gallbladder is the issue!

In terms of Traditional Chinese Medicine, it’s called gall congestion. 𝕗𝗿𝕖𝐞𝐰𝗲𝕓𝐧𝕠𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝐨𝚖

Moreover, from hospital examinations, Huang Xia’s gall congestion is still in its early stages.

It indicates that the "substances" in her gallbladder might only be gravel-sized, not yet accumulated into stones.

But even gravel demands sufficient attention.

That’s because the bile excreted from the gall helps digest food by entering the small intestine, but the gallbladder itself doesn’t have the function to hold and transfer water and grains. The gallbladder stores bile, which is transformed from life essence, known as "essence juice", similar to how the Five Viscera store life essence, distinct from the Six Bowels, which "leak but do not store", thus the gallbladder is classified as an Extraordinary Organ.

Once gall congestion occurs, it means the place for storing bile in the gallbladder decreases, like clear lake water accumulating a lot of silt at the bottom. The surface might still appear fine, but the silt causes siltation, manifesting as inflammation symptoms, and in severe cases, can lead to lesions inside organs, followed by bile duct proliferation, and the silt further occupies the space, causing the lake water to overflow.

Where does the overflowing water go?

Naturally, it shows up near the duodenum!

That leads to discomfort in the stomach.

At night, the liver begins secreting bile at a fixed rate because it’s a normal physiological reaction.

But now, the space in the gallbladder is insufficient, meaning that when no food enters the duodenum, bile automatically spills out.

Because it’s difficult for the bile to move downward, it goes up the digestive tract, entering the stomach after passing through the pylorus.

But bile and stomach acid have different pH levels, and when bile enters the stomach, it can damage it directly.

Thus, in Western medicine, there’s a condition called bile reflux gastritis, which can develop into chronic gastritis and then Helicobacter pylori proliferation, for this reason.

Bile reaches the stomach and alters its pH level, changing the environment. Normally, the stomach’s acidity inhibits Helicobacter pylori growth, but the intrusion of bile provides a conducive environment for its growth, leading to proliferation.

This actually corresponds to "Wood overcomes Earth" in Traditional Chinese Medicine, namely, the liver overcomes the spleen.

When there’s an issue with the liver and gallbladder, inevitably, it affects the spleen and stomach.

Earlier, Huang Xia said her liver and gall were examined in the hospital, suggesting that her doctor was competent, knowing it wasn’t just a spleen and stomach issue.

Their hesitance was due to the limitations of medical equipment in confirming their diagnosis.

"Do you experience a bitter taste in your mouth when you wake up in the morning?" Lu Jiu asked.

"Yes, yes, even after brushing my teeth, nothing seems appetizing," Huang Xia nodded repeatedly.

"Stick out your tongue and let me see." Lu Jiu instructed.

"Ah~~ꈊ~" Huang Xia opened her mouth and stuck out her tongue.

"And in terms of sleep, do you find yourself waking up and taking a while to fall back asleep?" Lu Jiu continued.

"Yes, I wake up around one or so every night, and it’s tough to fall back asleep. By about four, I wake up again, and by then, I usually can’t sleep anymore," Huang Xia explained.

Confirmed.

There’s gall congestion and a bit of liver qi stagnation.

For these symptoms, acupuncture isn’t effective; only herbal medicine can help.

In classical prescriptions, there’s one specifically for clearing the liver, promoting bile flow, dissolving stones, and expelling gravel.

The prescription is called the Five Metals Decoction.

Money grass, Golden Sea Herb, Chicken Gallbladder, Golden Bell, Sichuan Turmeric, corn silk.

The money grass in the prescription is large money grass, bitter, sour, and cool, entering the liver, gallbladder, kidney, and Bladder Meridian, clearing heat, promoting urination, facilitating urine flow, and expelling stones.

Golden Sea Herb is sweet, bland, and cold, entering the small intestine and Bladder Meridian, clearing heat, promoting urination, and facilitating urine flow.

Chicken Gallbladder enters the spleen, stomach, small intestine, and Bladder Meridian, strengthening the spleen and stomach, aiding digestion, stopping bedwetting, and dissolving stones.

Sichuan Turmeric is acrid, bitter, and cold, entering the heart, liver, and lung meridians, promoting qi and blood circulation, soothing the liver, and promoting bile flow.

Golden Bell clears heat and dampness, regulates qi, and relieves pain.

Corn silk is sweet and mild, promoting bile flow and urination. When used together, these herbs clear heat, promote bile flow, reduce inflammation, and expel stones.

But it has a fatal flaw.

It’s hard to drink!!

It’s not ordinarily hard to drink!

Even Eighth Brother would likely shake his head upon smelling it.

But there’s no choice; enduring hardship is the way to cure serious illness.

However, Lu Jiu couldn’t guarantee this Auntie would stick to drinking it, especially since she doesn’t yet believe she has gallstones, which is another problem.

"I’m certain there’s something in your gallbladder, though it’s not too serious yet. If you want to treat it now, I can prescribe you some medicine," Lu Jiu suggested.

"Of course, I want to treat it, but I’ve been scanned, and there’s nothing there. How can it be gallstones? Can it be a misdiagnosis?" Huang Xia frowned.