In 1079, Qian Yi was invited to the Song Dynasty capital Bianjing to treat the Prince. Because of his remarkable medical skills, Qian Yi cured the Prince and in admiration, the Emperor appointed him to the position of Imperial Physician. At the time, however, the Imperial Physician was a hereditary position and Qian Yi was merely the son of a “local doctor”. so his admission to the imperial hospital caused envy and resentment among many of the other imperial physicians.

One day, one of the Imperial Physicians went to ask Qian Yi’s “advice” about a prescription that Qian Yi had used to treat a pediatric patient. The Imperial Physician asked, slightly mockingly, “Imperial Dr Qian, according to The Essential Prescription of the Golden Cabinet, the Eight Herbs with Rehmannia Pill consists of Prepared Rehmannia Root, Chinese Yam, Evodia Tuckahoe (Poria), Alisma Rhizome, Cortex Moutan, Aconite and Cinnamon, altogether eight ingredients. However, there were only six herbs in your prescription, did you forget the other two? ”

Qian Yi smiled and said, “Oh, that was because Zhang Zhongjing’s Eight Herbs with Rehmannia Pill is used to treat adults. Aconite and Cinnamon boost the source of fire and children already have sufficient yang qi. If they were to take these two herbs, it would result in too much yang, which could injure the yin. So I removed the two and created the Six Herbs with Rehmannia Pill”. Hearing the explanation, the physician felt ashamed and slipped away. Later, Qian Yi’s disciples recorded his words and the prescription for inclusion in the Key to Therapeutics for Children’s Diseases.

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