Commentary on Xiāoyáo sàn（逍遙散）from Yīfāng jíjiě 《医方集解》 1689 CE.

退熱調經《局方》

Abates heat and regulates menstruation, from the 《Júfang》 1151 CE.

治血虛肝燥，骨蒸勞熱，欬嗽潮熱，往來寒熱，口乾便澀，月經不調（骨蒸潮熱，肝血虛也。肝火乘肺故欬嗽，邪在少陽故往來寒熱，火盛爍金，不能生水，故口渴便秘，肝病故經水不調。）。

This treats blood deficiency and liver dryness, steaming bone taxation heat, cough with tidal fevers, alternating chills and fever, dry mouth with constipation, menstrual irregularities (steaming bone and tidal fevers, this is liver blood deficiency.  If the liver is hot then it will overwhelm the lung, therefore there is cough, the evil is located in shǎoyáng therefore there is alternating chills and fevers, if fire is exuberant then metal will be scorched, [metal] cannot generate water, therefore there is thirst and constipation, the liver is diseased therefore there is menstrual irregularities.).

此足少陽厥陰藥也。肝虛則血病，當歸芍藥養血而斂陰，木盛則土衰，甘草白朮和中而補土（補土生金，亦以平木）。柴胡升陽散熱，合芍藥以平肝，而使木得條達（木喜條達，故以瀉為補，取疏通之義）。茯苓清熱利溼，助甘朮以益土，而令心氣安寧（茯苓能通心腎。）。生薑暖胃祛痰，調中解鬱，薄荷搜肝瀉肺，理血消風，疏逆和中，諸證自已，所以有逍遙之名（ 有乾咳嗽者，丹溪曰：極為難治，此係火鬱之證，乃痰鬱其火邪在中，用逍遙散以開之，下用補陰之劑可愈，昂按：此即後條醫貫所言之旨也。）。

These are foot shǎoyáng and juéyīn medicinals. If the liver is deficient then there will be diseases of the blood, dāngguī and sháoyào nourish blood and constrain yīn, if wood is exuberant then earth will be debilitated, gāncǎo and báizhú harmonise the middle and tonify earth (tonify earth to generate metal, this will additionally help balance wood). Cháihú rises yang and disperses heat, combined with sháoyào it balances the liver, and this causes the liver to be orderly reaching (the liver prefers orderly reaching, therefore drain in order to tonify, this is the meaning of dredging (coursing and freeing)). Fúlíng clears heat and disinhibits dampness, assists gān[cǎo] and bái[zhú] in order to supplement earth, and orders the heart qì to be tranquil (fúlíng facilitates the communication of heart and kidney.). Shēng jiāng warms the stomach and dispels phlegm, regulates the middle and resolves depression, bòhé seeks the liver and drains the lung, regulates (rectifies) the blood and disperses wind, courses counterflow and harmonises the middle, all of these signs naturally cease, therefore it is given the name xiāoyáo (if dry cough is present, Dānxī says: this is extremely difficult to treat, this correlates to the pattern of depressed fire, also with phlegm depression and fire evil in the middle, use xiāoyáo sàn in order to open it, after use yīn tonifying formulas for the patient to recover, Wáng’àn says this statement is decreed in the 《Yīguàn》.).