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Internal injury from diet, those responsible for prescribing medicine and those taking it, all regard it as a trivial matter, thereby treating what should be important as light, and the consequences are significant. They fail to consider that stomach qi is Ying qi (nutritive qi), Wei qi (defensive qi), Gu qi (grain qi), and Qing qi (clear qi); it is the foundation that supports the generating and ascending qi of Shaoyang. The prosperity or decline of human Zhen qi (true qi) depends entirely on food entering the stomach; when the stomach functions harmoniously, Gu qi rises. Gu qi is the ascending qi; it is the initial generation and growth of Yuan qi (original qi) in the Foot-Shaoyang Gallbladder meridian and Hand-Shaoyang Sanjiao meridian, also known as the alias of the transformation of all things. Once diet causes injury, if one uses medicines for digestion and guiding out stagnation targeting the injured substance, then Stomach qi becomes even more vigorous, the essence of the five grains ascends upward, resembling clear qi returning to heaven; Jing qi (essence qi) and Shen qi (spirit qi) become strong, the Seven Spirits are protected, Sheng qi (generating qi) is not lacking, increasing greatly and prospering, blood and qi circulate smoothly, then hundred diseases cannot invade, and even severe wind and toxic pathogens cannot harm. The effect of this single medicine is truly beneficial!

Mr. Zhang from Yishui (Li Gao) once warned against using harsh and purgative foods and medicines. After swallowing such medicine, before the pill dissolves and acts, its action on the superficial skin layer begins to open, and the patient feels empty and comfortable, believing the injured food has been removed; but if one waits another hour or two, when the medicine fully dissolves, the harsh purgative drugs inevitably have their nature; after the disease is gone, how can the Spleen and Stomach not be damaged? Since the Spleen and Stomach are damaged, Zhen qi and Yuan qi will be ruined, shortening life. At that time, he prescribed a formula: Zhi Shi (Immature Bitter Orange) 1 liang, stir-fried with bran until yellow, Bai Zhu (Atractylodes Macrocephala Rhizome) 2 liang, only these two ingredients, wrapped in He Ye (Lotus Leaf) and roasted rice to make pills. Because Bai Zhu is bitter, sweet, and warm; its sweet-warm nature tonifies the Yuan qi of the Spleen and Stomach, its bitter nature clears damp-heat in the stomach, and promotes blood flow in the waist and umbilicus area; thus, it first tonifies the weakness of the Spleen and Stomach, exceeding the effect of Zhi Shi, a drug that attacks and digests, by double. Zhi Shi is bitter and cold, draining epigastric fullness and digesting injured food in the stomach. When this formula enters the stomach, the injured substance cannot be immediately removed; it must wait an hour or two for the food to digest. This is first tonifying deficiency, then resolving the injury, so it is not overly harsh. At that time, I did not understand the principle of using lotus leaf and roasted rice for pills; only in old age did I taste and realize it, which can be called magical. He Ye (Lotus Leaf) has an empty center, symbolizing the form of the Zhen trigram. Zhen means movement; humans receive it to generate the Qi of the Foot-Shaoyang Jia-Gallbladder. Jia-Gallbladder belongs to Wind, which is the root of generating all things. The *Zuo Zhuan* says: "Begin at the start," so order will not err. When human food enters the stomach, Ying qi ascends, which is the Qi of the Shaoyang Jia-Gallbladder; the Hand-Shaoyang Sanjiao meridian is human Yuan qi; hand and foot meridians follow the same law, which is the generation of Shaoyang Yuan qi. Stomach qi, Gu qi, Yuan qi, and the ascending Qi of Jia-Gallbladder are essentially the same; although names differ, they refer only to the ascending of Stomach qi. The form of He Ye grows under water and soil, emerges from filth, yet is not stained by filth, standing tall and independent. Its color is green, shape is hollow, clear and symbolizing Wind-Wood. Food and medicine sensing this qi's transformation, how can Stomach qi not ascend? Using this single herb as a guiding agent shows foresight and deep thought, conforming to the Dao. Adding roasted rice to mix with medicine cooperates with Bai Zhu to nourish Gu qi and thicken Stomach qi, preventing internal injury again, its benefit is vast!

If there is internal injury to the Spleen and Stomach, due to consuming spicy-hot items like wine and meat, feeling uncomfortable, seeking medicine from a doctor, this custom is common; doctors do not ask about the injury, but prescribe Ji Xiang Wan (Ji Xiang Pill) or Da Huang (Rhubarb Root and Rhizome) and Ba Dou (Croton Seed), large hot purgatives. When stool passes, the substance leaves, but the heat nature of the food and the heat nature of the medicine remain, severely damaging Yuan qi, the Seven Spirits are not vigorous. The classic says: "Heat damages Qi," referring precisely to this. Such a person will certainly lack Qi to move, feel trapped by heat, limbs unable to lift, transmitting various diseases, countless, causing true Qi to decline from then on. If injured by raw, cold, hard substances, worldly doctors sometimes use Da Huang (Rhubarb Root and Rhizome) and Qian Niu (Morning Glory Seed), two large cold drugs. The substance goes down with the medicine, the injury is gone, but the cold nature of the food and the cold nature of the medicine remain, heavily purging Yang qi. When Yang qi departs, skin, sinews, bones, flesh, and blood vessels have no support, becoming deficiency and damage syndromes. Discussing this makes one's heart chill.

Medicines with pungent and thin qi should not be taken randomly without cause, not just Qian Niu. The *Treatise on the Great Truth and Essential Principles* says: Five flavors enter the stomach, each first attacks what it prefers. Attack means attacking, depleting, and purging. Pungent flavor, upon swallowing, first attacks the five Qi of the Lung. Qi refers to Zhen qi and Yuan qi. The pungency and ferocity of Qian Niu deprive people especially severely. Diet injury affects the intestines and stomach, which should be treated with bitter flavors to drain the intestines and stomach; what crime have the Lungs and Yuan qi committed? There are five reasons why Qian Niu should not be used; this is the first. Moreover, the Stomach governs diseases related to blood; injured by substances, substances are tangible forms, all are Blood diseases. Treating Blood disease by purging Qi is the second reason. Furthermore, diet injury occurs in the Middle Jiao, one should only attack and digest the food; heavily purging the already deficient Qi of the Upper Jiao Lung is the third reason. Food injury to intestines and stomach should use "treating obstruction with obstruction" and "treating cold with cold." Zhi Shi and Da Huang are bitter-cold substances used to drain tangible evil; instead, using pungent Qian Niu to scatter and purge true Qi violates the fourth major prohibition. Little does one know that the first volume, first chapter of the *Classic of Acupuncture* states: External pathogenic factors, wind and cold injuring the five Zang organs, if one mistakenly purges Stomach qi, death is certain; mistaken tonification also leads to death. Death occurs because there is no Qi to move, hence stillness; if internal injury to Spleen and Stomach, and one mistakenly purges the five Zang organs, death is certain; mistaken tonification also leads to death. Death occurs because Yin qi is excessive, hence restlessness. Now, internal injury to intestines and stomach is a disease of insufficiency of the six Fu organs, yet one mistakenly purges the empty Lung qi of the Upper Jiao; the Lung is one of the five Zang organs, damaged morning and evening by Qian Niu-like substances, Yuan qi is consumed, this secretly reduces lifespan, violating the fifth major prohibition. Truly lamentable! Therefore, I specially wrote this treatise and formula, hoping the world hears and practices it, avoiding premature death! This is the intention of this old man.

How can Stomach qi not be nurtured? Again clarifying the principle of nurturing Stomach qi, the classic says: Abundant grain leads to prosperity, absence of grain leads to demise. Water departs, Ying qi scatters; grain disappears, Wei qi perishes. Ying qi scatters, Wei qi perishes, Shen has no basis. Zhang Zhongjing said: Water enters the meridians, blood is formed; grain enters the stomach, pulse channels flow. Thus, blood must be nurtured, Stomach must be warmed. Warm blood and harmonious Stomach, Ying and Wei will flow, maintaining natural destiny. Grain is the great handle of the body. The *Book of Documents* and *Rites of Zhou* both say: Metal, Wood, Water, Fire, Earth, and Grain, only through cultivation to nourish the five Zang organs. Internal injury from diet is indeed not a small matter; if one recklessly takes food-medicines and lightly harms life, how can this be allowed! The *Yellow Emperor's Classic of Acupuncture* 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? Boqi said: To regulate this, diet and clothing should adapt to cold and heat; in cold, avoid shivering; in heat, avoid sweating. In diet, avoid scalding heat, avoid freezing cold; keep cold and heat moderate, so Qi will be maintained, and deviation will not occur (detailed explanation seen in the main text section). There must be a reason; how can one use uniformly cold or uniformly hot food-medicines causing damage?!

The *Inner Canon* says: In internal injury, the Qi Kou pulse is unexpectedly larger than the Ren Ying pulse, by one, two, or three times; prescribe medicine according to the meridian. It also says: Pulse present in the upper part, absent in the lower part, the person should vomit; if not vomiting, death. If one eats but cannot retain, feels nauseous and wants to vomit, regardless of one, two, or three times, one should not strictly give Gua Di San (Melon Tip Powder) to induce vomiting, but use fingers or objects to probe and remove it. If the injured substance is not completely removed, re-examine the pulse, ask about the injury, use food-medicine to remove it, responding to "treating obstruction with obstruction," also called "treating cold with cold." Draining and descending responds to the function of the Taiyin; among them, add generating medicines to make Yuan qi ascend. "Treating obstruction with obstruction," making the crooked straight. What is crooked? It is injuring Stomach qi. What is straight? It is therefore generating Stomach qi. By treating internal injury from diet, generating qi is increased, Stomach qi is restored, this is making the crooked straight.

If prescribing according to meridians, the injured substances vary in cold, heat, warmth, coolness, rawness, hardness, softness; injuries are not uniform, difficult to establish a fixed method. Only follow the different injured substances, establish respective treatments, adjust temporarily. When prescribing, one must ask about the patient's innate constitution strength or weakness. Regarding the cold or hot substances injured, was it eaten because desired? Do not take Qi-breaking medicines. Was it eaten while hungry and fatigued? Tonify Stomach qi. Was it forced by others? Benefit Qi and reduce Blood burden. Examine the pulse, determine which Zang organ is injured, then give medicine corresponding to the disease. How can one recklessly leak Tian Zhen Sheng Qi (innate generating qi) and lightly lose the treasure of the body? For example, eating hot food first without injury, followed by cold food, causing the previous food not to digest and resulting in injury; one must ask whether hot or cold food was more abundant, weigh and prescribe medicine, nothing inappropriate. Suppose injury from two parts hot food, one part cold food; then use two parts cold medicine, one part hot medicine, combine and give, then Ying and Wei Qi will surely circulate. Or drinking alcohol first, then injuring with cold food, or injuring with hot food, cold water and ice, etc., all such cases require verifying the sequence of injured substances, estimating the proportion of cold and hot agents, giving each corresponding to the syndrome, all effective. Reflecting on the formulas determined, I dare not claim to fully understand the principles of medicinal properties, merely using this to guide the lost and resolve confusion. Formulas based on syndromes are prepared below.