凡人能食而不能化者，乃胃不病而脾病也，当宜补脾。而补脾尤宜补肾中之火，盖肾火能生脾土也。
凡人不能食，食之而安然者，乃胃病而非脾病也，不可补肾中之火，当补心中之火，盖心火能生胃土也。
世人一见不饮食，动曰脾胃病，殊不知胃之虚寒责之心，脾之虚寒责之肾，不可不辨也。
凡人病气虚者，乃身体羸弱，饮食不进，或大便溏泄，小便艰涩。方用∶
人参（一两） 白术（五钱） 茯苓（三钱） 甘草（一钱） 陈皮（一钱） 泽泻（三钱） 车前子（一钱）
水煎服。
此方用人参为君者，开其胃气也。盖胃为肾之关，关门不开，则上之饮食不能进，下之糟粕不能化，必用人
参以养胃土，茯苓、车前以分消水气也。〔且胃之性最喜温和而不喜湿，湿者必上壅而呕、下积而泄矣。今顺土之
性而温补之，则饮食自进、而大小便安其位矣。〕
或服此方而未愈，兼服八味丸，最能实大肠而利膀胱也。
饮食入胃，必须胃气充足，始能化糟粕而生津液。今饮食不消，气虚故也。方用:
人参（二钱） 白术（三钱） 茯苓（三钱） 甘草（三钱） 陈皮（五分） 神曲（五分） 黄 （三钱）
麦芽（五分） 山楂（五粒） 炮姜（一钱）
水煎服。
伤面食，加萝卜子。有痰，加半夏、白芥子各一钱。咳嗽，加苏子一钱、桔梗二钱。伤风，加柴胡二钱。夜卧
不安，加炒枣仁二钱。胸中微痛，加枳壳五分。
方内纯是开胃之品，又恐消食难消，更加消导之味，则饮食化而津液生矣。
Those who can eat but cannot digest have a spleen disease rather than a stomach disease, and thus should tonify the Spleen. Tonifying the Spleen is particularly suited to supplementing the Fire of the Kidney (Mingmen), as the Kidney Fire generates Spleen Earth.
Those who cannot eat, or who eat without discomfort, have a Stomach disease rather than a Spleen disease. One should not supplement the Fire of the Kidney, but rather supplement the Fire of the Heart, as Heart Fire generates Stomach Earth.
People often see a lack of appetite and immediately attribute it to a Spleen-Stomach disease, unaware that deficiency-cold of the Stomach is attributed to the Heart, while deficiency-cold of the Spleen is attributed to the Kidney. This distinction must not be overlooked.
For those suffering from Qi Deficiency, symptoms include emaciation, poor appetite, loose stools, and difficult urination. The prescription is:
Ren Shen (Ginseng Radix) [1 liang], Bai Zhu (Atractylodis Macrocephalae Rhizoma) [5 qian], Fu Ling (Poria) [3 qian], Gan Cao (Licorice Root) [1 qian], Chen Pi (Citri Reticulatae Pericarpium) [1 qian], Ze Xie (Alismatis Rhizoma) [3 qian], Che Qian Zi (Plantaginis Semen) [1 qian].
Decoct in water and take orally.
Ren Shen is used as the Sovereign drug (Jun Yao) to open the Stomach Qi. The Stomach serves as the gate for the Kidney; if this gate is not open, food and drink cannot enter from above, and waste cannot be transformed below. Therefore, Ren Shen is necessary to nourish Stomach Earth, while Fu Ling and Che Qian Zi help to separate and eliminate dampness. (Furthermore, the nature of the Stomach prefers warmth and mildness and dislikes dampness. Dampness inevitably causes upward obstruction leading to vomiting and downward accumulation leading to diarrhea. By warming and tonifying in accordance with the nature of Earth, appetite will naturally return, and bowel and bladder functions will stabilize.)
If this prescription fails to cure the condition, one may concurrently take Ba Wei Wan (Eight-Ingredient Pill with Rehmannia), which is most effective in solidifying the Large Intestine and promoting the flow of the Bladder.
Food entering the Stomach requires sufficient Stomach Qi to transform waste and generate Body Fluids (Jin Ye). The current inability to digest food is due to Qi Deficiency. The prescription is:
Ren Shen (Ginseng Radix) [2 qian], Bai Zhu (Atractylodis Macrocephalae Rhizoma) [3 qian], Fu Ling (Poria) [3 qian], Gan Cao (Licorice Root) [3 qian], Chen Pi (Citri Reticulatae Pericarpium) [5 fen], Shen Qu (Massa Medicata Fermentata) [5 fen], Huang Qi (Astragali Radix) [3 qian], Mai Ya (Hordei Fructus Germinatus) [5 fen], Shan Zha (Crataegi Fructus) [5 pieces], Pao Jiang (Zingiberis Rhizoma Preparatum) [1 qian].
Decoct in water and take orally.
For rice/noodle stagnation, add Luo Bo Zi (Raphani Semen). For phlegm, add Ban Xia (Pinelliae Rhizoma) and Bai Jie Zi (Sinapis Semen), each 1 qian. For cough, add Su Zi (Perillae Fructus) 1 qian and Jie Geng (Platycodonis Radix) 2 qian. For wind-cold invasion, add Chai Hu (Bupleuri Radix) 2 qian. For restless sleep at night, add Chao Zao Ren (Ziziphi Spinosomi Semen Praeparatum) 2 qian. For slight chest pain, add Zhi Ke (Aurantii Fructus) 5 fen.
The ingredients in this formula are purely for opening the Stomach. Fearing that digestion may still be difficult, digestive aids are added so that food is transformed and Body Fluids are generated.