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People know that diet is used for nourishing life, but they do not realize that dietary imbalance can also harm life. Therefore, being able to regulate diet to make it suitable is how sages and wise men prevent disease before it occurs.

Regarding diet, whether in the four seasons or daily life, one should always keep it warm; in summer, when Yin is latent within the body, consuming warm food is especially appropriate. One should not eat until excessively full, as overeating leads to laxity of tendons and vessels, intestinal disorders, and hemorrhoids; if one drinks heavily immediately after becoming very full, it causes severe rebellion of Qi.

The principle of nourishing life dictates: one should not lie down immediately after eating, nor sit still for the whole day, as these behaviors cause Qi and Blood to coagulate, damaging longevity over time. After eating, one should massage the abdomen with hands hundreds of times, exhale deeply facing upward hundreds of times, and walk slowly for hundreds of steps; this is called "digesting food." Lying down immediately after eating makes one prone to diseases such as Lung Qi deficiency, head wind (Tou Feng), and chest stagnation, because Ying and Wei Qi are blocked and Qi and Blood stagnate. Therefore, after finishing a meal, one should stroll and walk; if one can engage in some Daoist exercises (Xiuwei), it is even better. As the saying goes, "Flowing water does not rot, a door hinge does not get worm-eaten," because they move. After eating until full, one must not walk fast, ride horses, climb heights, or venture into danger, lest the abundant Qi agitate and damage the Zang-Fu organs.

It is inadvisable to eat at night because the Spleen likes sound; upon hearing sound, it moves to grind food. After sunset, when all noises cease, the Spleen stops grinding, and food becomes hard to digest. Indigestion damages the Stomach; if the Stomach is damaged, it cannot receive Grain Qi; if Grain Qi is not received, it leads to frequent vomiting, which eventually becomes Fan Wei disease (vomiting disorder).

Appetite should be small but frequent, not large and few. It is best to maintain a state where one feels slightly hungry when half-full, and slightly full when hungry. After eating hot foods, one should not eat cold foods; after eating cold foods, one should not eat hot foods. The clash between cold and heat will inevitably cause toothache. Melons, fruits, animals that died naturally, raw/fried/baked items, greasy and hard-to-digest foods, flour porridges, and cold noodles can all generate Phlegm and stir Fire; patients with sores, ulcers, and accumulations (Pi) should avoid them.

When the Five Flavors enter the mouth, one should not favor any single one excessively, as excess harms its corresponding Zang organ. Thus, excessive salt harms the Heart, excessive sweet harms the Kidney, excessive pungent harms the Liver, excessive bitter harms the Lung, and excessive sour harms the Spleen. The *Nei Jing* states: Eating too much sour causes pulses to become stagnant and changes complexion; eating too much bitter causes skin to wither and hair to fall out; eating too much pungent causes tendons to contract and nails to wither; eating too much sour [Note: Text repeats 'sour', likely a textual error for another flavor like sweet or pungent in original context, but translated literally] causes flesh to thicken and wrinkle and lips to peel; eating too much sweet causes bone and muscle pain and hair loss. The harm of partiality is thus. Therefore, superior practitioners practice blandness and moderation; this is the major principle of diet.

Drinking alcohol in small amounts is beneficial, in excess it is harmful; stop when Qi flows freely. Small amounts guide stagnant Qi, assist medicinal power, harmonize skin and muscles, benefit complexion, unblock Ying and Wei, and dispel filth. However, getting drunk causes Liver Qi to float and Gallbladder Qi to surge, agitating all pulses, thereby damaging the Kidneys, destroying tendons, corroding bones, and injuring the Stomach. Over time, Spirit scatters and Hun/Po dissipate; one can only drink alcohol and cannot eat other things, nearing death. After a full meal, drinking is especially taboo. If one feels one has drunk too much, vomiting is excellent. After drinking, one must not drink cold water or cold tea, otherwise the alcohol qi enters the Kidneys, stagnates as Cold Toxicity, and over time causes heavy waist and knees, cold bladder pain, edema, Xiao Ke (wasting-thirst), and spasms. After drinking, one must not sit or lie in the wind, nor expose flesh and fan oneself, as pores open fully, allowing Wind Evil to enter easily, causing paralysis of limbs.

Do not eat only when extremely hungry, and do not drink excessively when hungry; do not eat until full only when extremely thirsty, and do not drink excessively when thirsty. Eating too much causes accumulation; drinking too much creates Phlegm and Pi. Thus, it is said: Do not drink heavily when extremely thirsty, do not eat heavily when extremely hungry, lest Qi and Blood become abnormal and sudden collapse occur without rescue.

Alas! Those who are good at nourishing life cultivate the interior; those who are bad at it cultivate the exterior. Those who cultivate the interior are tranquil and empty, their Zang-Fu are harmonious, and Qi and Blood flow smoothly, keeping the body's Qi balanced and peaceful, preventing all diseases. Those who cultivate the exterior indulge their appetite, pursue delicious tastes, and exhaust the joys of diet; although their bodies are plump and complexion lustrous, harsh internal energies erode the Zang-Fu, leaving form and spirit deficient. How can they preserve Tai He (Great Harmony) to reach old age? Zhuangzi said, "What people should fear is not knowing moderation in dining; indeed, this is true." This refers to exactly this.

Zhizhu Wan (Immature Bitter Orange and Atractylodes Macrocephala Pill)

The *Nei Jing* posits that strong Spleen Earth generates all things. Dongyuan, a former sage, used this formula based on the method of the Earth supporting life, employing one tonifying and one reducing aspect to restrain excess and support deficiency.

Zhi Shi (Immature Bitter Orange Fruit, 1 liang, pith removed, bran-fried) Bai Zhu (Atractylodes Macrocephala Rhizome, 2 liang, fried with soil from old walls)

Grind the above into powder. Use thick decoction of Lotus Leaves to make a paste with aged rice flour, form into pills. Take 70 pills with warm water, at any time. In humid-hot regions like Min-Guang, Wu-Zhe, add Shan Zha (Hawthorn Fruit) and Shen Qu (Medicated Leaven), 1 liang each. For heat signs, add Huang Qin (Scutellaria Root), Huang Lian (Coptis Rhizome), Dang Gui (Angelica Sinensis Root), Di Gu Pi (Lycium Bark), and Jiu Chao Da Huang (Rhubarb Root wine-processed), 5 qian each.