Nipple discharge belongs to the category of

rǔ qì

(nipple dripping) and

rǔ zhī zì chū

(spontaneous secretion of milk) in traditional Chinese medicine

while bloody discharge is referred to as

rǔ nǜ

(thelorrhagia). The Fang’s School of Surgery has rich experience in the diagnosis and treatment of various surgical diseases such as breast diseases. This paper summarizes the experience of the Fang’s School of Surgery in treating nipple discharge from the perspective of the liver and spleen. Syndrome differentiation is the priority in the clinical diagnosis and treatment of the disease. The pathogenesis is believed to lie in the liver and spleen

and it is suggested that nipple discharge is closely related to liver constraint transforming into fire and spleen deficiency causing it to lose control of the blood. In terms of treatment

the method of soothing liver and clearing heat

cooling blood and stanching bleeding is adopted for liver constraint transforming into fire and frenetic flow of the blood caused by blood heat

and in the case of spleen deficiency and the result ant loss of its function to control the blood

phlegm coagulation

and blood stasis

it is needed to invigorate the spleen and promote the flow of qi

invigorate blood and dissolve phlegm. The Fang’s school believes that one herb can have different medical efficacy based on how it is processed

when it is picked

and which part of the plant is used

etc. In the treatment of nipple discharge

Radix Scrophulariae and Herba Agrimoniae are the key ingredients.