清代民間秘密宗教蓬發展，普遍流傳於下層社會，其緣由與其發揮諸多社會功能有密切關連，特別是為患者提供民俗醫療的管道，頗能得到平民百姓的注意與信服，成為其擴展教務主要的憑藉之一。這些秘密教派常用的醫療方式包括茶葉治病、念經誦咒、針灸按摩、飲用符水、燒香祈禱、坐功運氣等，尤以誦經療法廣被諸多教派師傅採行。彼時各教派所編寫寶卷名目甚多，又因內容淺顯、大量刊行，遂能四處流通，吸引民眾聽聞傳誦。由於各教派視經卷為神授信物，蘊含無限神力，故經常為患者舉辦法會上供活動、誦念經文，藉此向神明禱祝，祈福消災、希冀病癒。其治療疾病種類，包括皮膚病、身體四肢疼痛、傳染病、精神心理異常等病症，反映患者對於這類宗教療法的嘗試與期待。由於此療法具有求醫稱便、療程簡易、費用省簡的特性，故頗能吸引身處醫療環境欠佳、經濟收入微薄、未具識字能力的平民百姓前往求醫。而對於秘密教派師傅來說，他們藉由誦經治病方式不但可得來自患者的酬謝錢文，同時也可以做為傳播教派的途徑。患者基於求醫的必要而接觸秘密教派，經由師傅的勸誘或自身體驗，遂願意參與習教活動，甚至進而招收徒弟，對於教派的擴勢甚具影響。

The development of folk secret religious sects flourished in Ch’ing period. The sects were widely prevalent among the lower strata society. For the sects provided many kinds of social function (especially folk medical treatment), it was easier to attract common people to joint their religious activities. The medical methods of the sects included treatment by tea eaves, reciting scripture and incantation, massage, acupuncture, drinking charm water, burning joss sticks, meditation, circulation of breath, etc. In these medical methods, the masters of the sects especially performed reciting scripture widely. The sects wrote and compiled many kinds of Pao-Chuan(precious volumes), that their content was simple, published massively andcirculated widely, so they were received and recited by common people. Because the sects looked Pao- Chuan(precious volumes) as message of the deity, inclusive of unlimited mystery, the masters of the sects often hold ritual assembly to worship the deity for pursuing future and avoiding calamity. This treatment was used to cure some kinds of disease such as skin disease, the pain of body four limbs, infectious disease, mental disease etc. It ref lected the patients tried and anticipates the reciting scripture medical treatment deeply. The advantages of the cure of the sects were convenient, simple, easy, and cheap, so it attracted common people who were poor and illiterate to seek cure. For the masters of the sects who cured the patients by reciting scripture, they not only gained money from the patients, but also disseminated the sects. The patients often were willing to attend the activities of the sects by the urge of the masters or their personal experience, and further recruited pupils. Owing to the teacher-pupil relationship was established constantly by medical treatment, it would effect widely the expansion of the sects.