Abstract
Objectives : 'Pi Wei Lun' is the principal medical work of Li Dongyuan's writings, which contains most of his medical theories. There are sixty-three prescriptions in 'Pi Wei Lun', and fifty-two of them were originated from him. This study was planned to present assistance to those who apply Dongyuan's theory clinically. Methods : We investigated those fifty-two prescriptions literary, and studied them from a viewpoint of the principle and method of treatment. Results : Dongyuan's fifty-two prescriptions can be classified into eight groups from the viewpoint of the principles and methods of treatment which are composed of 'tonify the spleen and stomach & elevate the spleen Yang', 'elevate the spleen Yang & expel fire', 'elevate the spleen Yang & relieve dampness', 'promote blood flow to eliminate blood stasis', 'invigorate the spleen', 'replenish Ki & and dispel phlegm', 'purgation with drugs warm in nature', and 'the other' eight methods. Conclusions : From above, we concluded that Dongyuan considered 'the primordial energy of the spleen and stomach' as the most important when making up prescriptions, but, at the same time, he used diverse methods of treatment on the ground of differentiation of syndromes.
