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Treatment for spleen and stomach deficiency damage and epigastric pain caused by excessive intake of cold-natured medicines:
Renshen (Ginseng Radix), Gancao (Licorice Root), Suosharen (Amomi Fructus), Nongpo (Magnoliae Officinalis Cortex) (each 2 qian), Baidoukou (Cardamomi Fructus), Jianghuang (Curcumae Longae Rhizoma), Ganshengjiang (Zingiberis Rhizoma Recens), Zexie (Alismatis Rhizoma) (each 3 qian), Yizhiren (Alpiniae Oxyphyllae Semen) (6 qian), Huangqi (Astragali Membranacei Radix), Chenpi (Citri Reticulatae Pericarpium) (each 7 qian).
The above herbs are ground into a coarse powder. Each dose is 3 qian, boiled with two zhan of water and five slices of fresh ginger until reduced to one zhan. Strain the dregs and take warm before meals.

Mr. Zhang from the Yishui School often warned against using harsh purgative medicines. After swallowing the medicine, before it has fully dissolved, its superficial efficacy just begins to act, and the patient says they feel relieved. At this moment, although the injured food has been expelled, if one waits another one or two hours for the medicine to fully dissolve, its harsh purgative effect will inevitably manifest. This will cause the pathogenic factors of emotional nature to be removed, but the spleen and stomach will already be damaged, leading to the deterioration of True Qi (Zhen Qi) and Yuan Qi (Primordial Qi), shortening the person's lifespan. At that time, I prescribed a formula: Zhishi (Immature Bitter Orange Fruit) 1 liang (stir-fried with bran until yellow), Baizhu (Atractylodis Macrocephalae Rhizoma) 2 liang. Only these two herbs were used, wrapped in lotus leaves and mixed with cooked rice to form pills. Because Baizhu is sweet and warm; sweet and warm can tonify the primordial Qi of the spleen and stomach. Zhishi is bitter; it can clear damp-heat in the stomach and promote blood circulation in the waist and umbilical region. Therefore, first tonify the weakness of the spleen and stomach; its efficacy exceeds that of Zhishi's attacking and digesting properties by double. Zhishi is bitter and cold; it can drain the fullness and oppression in the heart region and digest the food injured in the stomach. When this medicine is taken, the injured food in the stomach cannot be removed immediately; one must wait one or two hours for the food to digest. This is first tonifying the deficiency, then resolving the injury, so it will not be harshly purgative. At that time, I did not understand the principle of using lotus leaves and cooked rice to form pills. It was only when I reflected on it in old age that I grasped it, which can be called wonderful. The lotus leaf grows below the water and soil, emerges from filth without being stained, stands tall and independent, is green in color, and hollow in shape, symbolizing the Wind-Wood element. For those who have ingested harmful substances, feeling this qi transformation, how can the Stomach Qi not ascend? Using this single herb as a guiding agent shows profound foresight and harmony with the Dao. Furthermore, mixing it with cooked rice cooperates with Baizhu to nourish Gu Qi (Grain Qi) and tonify the Stomach Qi to prevent internal injury, bringing great benefits. If there is internal injury to the spleen and stomach from spicy foods, alcohol, or meat, and one feels uncomfortable, seeking medical help, doctors often do not ask about the specific injury but apply Ji Xiang Wan (Collection of Fragrant Pills), Xiao Dingxiang Wan (Small Clove Pills), or large amounts of hot medicines like Badou (Croton Seed) to purge. Although the food is expelled through bowel movements, the residual heat of the food and the heat of the medicine severely damage the Yuan Qi, causing the Seven Spirits (Shen Hun Po Yi Zhi Yi) to become weak. The *Neijing* states: "Heat injures Qi," which refers precisely to this. Such a person will certainly lack Qi to move, suffer from heat trapping the limbs, inability to raise them, and countless transmitted diseases, causing their True Qi to decline from this point. If injured by raw, cold, or hard foods, some physicians use Dahuang (Rhei Radix et Rhizoma) and Qianniu (Pharbitidis Semen), two large cold medicines. The injured food is expelled with the medicine, but the residual cold of the food and the cold of the medicine heavily purge Yang Qi. With Yang Qi gone, the skin, muscles, tendons, and blood vessels lose their foundation, resulting in deficiency and damage syndromes. Discussing this makes one shudder. Spicy and bland medicines should not be taken indiscriminately without cause, not just Qianniu. The *Suwen: Zhizhen Yao Lun* states: "When the five flavors enter the mouth, they first go to their preferred organs." Attacking means overcoming and purging. When pungent flavor enters, it first attacks and purges the Five Qi of the Lung. Qi refers to True Qi and Yuan Qi. The pungency and ferocity of Qianniu harm people especially severely. For injuries caused by diet, the pathogenic factors in the intestines and stomach should be drained using bitter flavors to benefit the intestines and stomach. What crime have the Lung and Yuan Qi committed? Using Qianniu has five major sins, this is the first. Moreover, the Stomach governs Blood, and diseases caused by foreign objects involve有形 (tangible) matter, which are all Blood disorders. Purging Qi is the second sin. Furthermore, dietary injuries occur in the Middle Jiao; it is appropriate to overcome, transform, and guide the food. Heavily purging the already deficient Qi of the Upper Jiao Lung is the third sin. Food injuring the intestines and stomach should be treated with "treating obstruction with obstruction" (Sai Yin Sai Yong). It is also said "treating obstruction with obstruction," referring to using bitter-cold substances like Zhishi and Dahuang to drain tangible pathogens. Instead, using pungent Qianniu to scatter and purge True Qi is a major prohibition, the fourth sin. One fails to realize that the *Zhenjing* states: "When external guest pathogens like wind and cold injure the five zang organs, mistakenly purging Stomach Qi leads to death; mistakenly tonifying also leads to death. Death occurs because there is no Qi to move, hence stillness." If internal injury to the intestines and stomach is treated by purging the five zang organs, it leads to death; mistakenly tonifying also leads to death. Death occurs because Yin Qi is in excess, hence restlessness. Now, internal injury to the intestines and stomach is a disease of insufficiency of the six fu organs, yet we mistakenly purge the empty Lung Qi of the Upper Jiao. The Lung is one of the five zang organs. Although death may not be immediate, within ten days, it will secretly shorten the person's lifespan. For example, if a person's natural lifespan should be one hundred years, daily damage from Qianniu consumes Yuan Qi, preventing them from completing their natural years, though people are unaware, thinking their time has come. This is secretly shortening the human lifespan, a major prohibition, the fifth sin. Therefore, I specially wrote this treatise and prescription, hoping that people everywhere will hear and practice it, avoiding premature death. This is my intention. Stomach Qi must not fail to be nurtured; let us reclarify the principle of nurturing the Stomach. The *Neijing* states: "Those who can digest grain prosper; those who cannot digest grain perish. When water goes, Ying Qi (Nutritive Qi) scatters; when grain disappears, Wei Qi (Defensive Qi) perishes. When Ying and Wei Qi scatter and perish, Shen (Spirit) has no basis." Zhang Zhongjing stated: "When water enters the meridians, blood is formed; when grain enters the stomach, the pulse channels flow." Therefore, blood must not fail to be nourished, and the Stomach must not fail to be warmed. Blood nourishes the Stomach; warming Ying and Wei Qi ensures their proper movement, aligning with Heavenly Mandate. Grain is the great handle of the body. Both the *Shangshu* and *Zhouli* state: "Metal, Wood, Water, Fire, Earth, Grain is cultivated to nourish the five zang organs." Internal injury from diet is indeed no small matter; recklessly taking medicines and endangering life—is this acceptable? The *Huangdi Zhenjing* says: The Stomach dislikes heat and likes coolness; the Large Intestine dislikes coolness and likes heat. When the two are discordant, how to regulate them? Qibo said: "To regulate this, food, drink, clothing, and living conditions should also suit the cold and heat. Do not be chilling in the cold; do not sweat excessively in the heat. Food and drink should not be scorching hot nor chillingly cold. Cold and heat should be moderate, so Qi will be maintained, and evil deviations will not arise." This must have reasons; how can one use uniformly cold or hot medicines hastily causing damage? How is this different from killing someone with a blade? The *Neijing* states that for internal injuries, the Qi Kou pulse is larger than the Ren Ying pulse by one, two, or three times; prescribe according to the meridian. It also says: "If there is pulse in the upper part but none in the lower part, the person should vomit; if they do not vomit, they die." If they eat but do not accept it, feel nauseous and want to vomit, regardless of whether the pulse difference is one or two times, do not directly give Guiti San (Melon Twig Powder) to induce vomiting; instead, use fingers or objects to stimulate vomiting. If the injured food is not completely expelled, re-examine the pulse, ask about the injury, and use food or medicine to remove it, responding to "treating obstruction with obstruction." Also referred to as "treating cold with cold," draining and descending corresponds to the function of Taiyin. Add ascending and dispersing herbs to make Yuan Qi ascend. "Treating obstruction universally," turning the crooked into straight. What is crooked? Internal injury to Stomach Qi. What is straight? Ascending and dispersing Stomach Qi accordingly. Due to internal injury from diet, Sheng Qi (Vital Qi) increases, and Stomach Qi recovers completely; this is turning the crooked into straight. If prescribing by meridian, the injured substances vary in cold, heat, warmth, coolness, hardness, and softness, making it difficult to establish a fixed method. One should establish different treatment methods based on the specific injury and adjust temporarily. When prescribing, one must ask about the patient's innate constitution strength or weakness, whether the cold or hot food was consumed due to preference, and avoid Qi-breaking medicines. Was it consumed while hungry? Then tonify Stomach Qi. Was it forced by others? Then reduce Blood and tonify Qi. Examine the pulse to determine which zang organ is injured and prescribe corresponding medicines. How can one recklessly purge Tianzhen Yuan Qi (Innate Primordial Qi) and lightly sacrifice the treasure of the body? For example, if one eats hot food without injury, followed by cold food, causing the previous food to not digest due to the latter, one should ask which was more abundant, hot or cold food, and carefully prescribe medication accordingly. For instance, if injured by two parts hot food and one part cold food, use two parts cold medicine and one part hot medicine, combined and given, so that Ying and Wei Qi will surely circulate. Similarly, if one drinks alcohol first and then injures themselves with cold food, or eats hot food with cold water or ice, such cases should be verified by the sequence of injury, and the proportions of cold and hot agents should be measured and prescribed correspondingly, achieving effectiveness without exception. Regarding the prescriptions I have determined, I dare not claim to fully understand the principles of drug properties; I merely use this to guide the lost and resolve confusion.