Formulas · Purge Downward 瀉下 · Seui Deukhyobang (世醫得效方)

External Application Medicine

Oebu-yak

한글 외부약 · Pinyin Wai Fu Yao

外敷藥

Given as 等分 with no absolute weights; grams entered at 40 each as a notional equal share.

Composition 構成

Daegeuk Da Ji
大戟 대극 · Peking Spurge (toxic)

40 g
Chief 君

equal parts (等分) · toxic
Wonhwa Yuan Hua
芫花 원화 · Genkwa (toxic)

40 g
Chief 君

toxic
Gamsu Gan Sui
甘遂 감수 · Kansui (toxic)

40 g
Chief 君

toxic
Haejo Hai Zao
海藻 해조 · Sargassum Seaweed

40 g
Deputy 臣

Total 160 g per packet (첩) · representative dosage — verify against source texts.

Received this formula from your practitioner? Amounts shown here are classical reference values — granule and prepared products differ. Always follow your prescribed dosage and directions.

Actions 效能

Applied externally to an abdomen distended and hard as stone

Indications 主治

Pattern-based

Abdominal distension hard as stone

Biomedical correlates

Tense ascites

Source text 原文

Donguibogam 東醫寶鑑

治腹脹, 硬如石. 先用熱水, 嚼甘草嚥下, 次用大戟ㆍ芫花ㆍ甘遂ㆍ海藻等分爲末, 醋調, 遍塗腹上, 神效. 《得效》

Translation

Treats abdominal distension hard as stone. First take hot water and chew licorice, swallowing it down; then take euphorbia, genkwa, kansui and sargassum in equal parts, powder them, mix with vinegar, and spread the whole over the abdomen. The effect is marvellous. — Seui Deukhyobang 得效 (Donguibogam · Changman)

Clinical commentary 臨床

This is Sipjo-tang's three purgatives applied to the skin, with sargassum added — and licorice swallowed first, deliberately. All four of the powders are among the eighteen medicinals held to be incompatible with licorice, and the instruction puts licorice inside and the four outside so that the antagonism is provoked across the abdominal wall rather than avoided. The same manoeuvre appears at 3.5.2.2 in this chapter, where kansui is smeared on the belly while licorice is drunk. Two formulas in one chapter built on deliberately breaking the incompatibility rule is worth noting as a position rather than an oversight. **Euphorbia, genkwa and kansui are all toxic and are absorbed through skin. This must not be prepared or applied, and the licorice pairing is specifically contraindicated.** — Eui Young (Justin) Chung, L.Ac., Dipl. O.M.