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Watermelon and melon both belong to raw and cold substances; excessive consumption damages the Spleen and promotes dampness. The *Song of Health Preservation* states: "Fruits, peaches, and other raw/cold foods should be eaten in moderation to avoid contracting malaria or dysentery in autumn." Melons have a cold nature, and their roots become even colder when exposed to the sun. Ji She's fu (rhapsody) says: "Melons become colder when dried by the sun, and colder still when fried in oil; this is due to the difference in their intrinsic natures."

Ripe watermelon has a warm nature and is not cold; it effectively resolves summer heat and toxic heat, earning the title "Natural Baihu Decoction" (White Tiger Decoction). It also treats throat obstruction (sore throat with swelling and blockage). It further quenches thirst, clears summer heat, relieves irritability, promotes urination, and detoxifies alcohol. However, seeking only momentary relief through overconsumption carries the risk of damaging the Spleen and promoting dampness.

It inherits the Yin-earth Qi internally and is externally invaded by frost and dew, hence its sweet taste. Its Qi is slightly cold and its nature is cold and purgative, non-toxic. Water belongs to Yin, and melon's nature also belongs to Yin; since their Qi categories correspond, they can promote urination and eliminate abdominal distension due to fluid retention. The sweet-cold nature clears heat in the Stomach, thus treating polydipsia (wasting-thirst syndrome) and sores/abscesses caused by toxic heat, suppressing heat toxins from cinnabar-stone drugs. However, due to its cold and purgative nature, it is suitable for those with heat in the Zang-Fu organs. Those with deficiency-cold, cold kidneys, or chronic loose stools should avoid it. *Yang's Family Prescriptions* records: For ten types of edema and fullness/panting due to water qi, take one large winter melon, cut off the lid, remove the pulp, fill it with Adzuki beans (*Vigna angularis*), replace the lid, and secure it. Seal tightly with paper and mud, dry in the sun, place inside two large baskets filled with glutinous rice bran, and bake until the fire burns out. Remove, slice, and dry-roast together with the Adzuki beans, then grind into powder. Make pills using water paste, taking 70 pills per dose, washed down with decoction of winter melon seeds, three times daily, stopping when urination becomes smooth.

White winter melon is suitable for those wishing to become lean and agile, but should be avoided by those wishing to gain weight or become robust. It is especially contraindicated for those with Yin deficiency and chronic illness. This is because once it enters the intestines and stomach, its nature acts swiftly and urgently. It suppresses cinnabar-stone toxicity, promotes bowel and urinary movements, eliminates stranguria caused by fluid accumulation below the umbilicus, stops chest stuffiness and thirst, and when applied thinly to sores and changed frequently, it greatly dissipates heat and toxins, leading to rapid recovery. Feeding pigs winter melon leaves mixed with tung tree leaves for a whole winter results in significantly better weight gain than feeding them chaff. Do not eat it in the ninth lunar month, as it causes regurgitation.

Bitter vegetable (*Sonchus oleraceus*) is the same species as bitter lettuce but differs slightly in shape, while having identical functions. It inherits the Yin Qi of Heaven and Earth, hence its bitter taste, cold nature, and non-toxicity. It enters the Heart, Spleen, and Kidney meridians. It treats evil Qi in the five Zang organs because evil heat resides in the Heart; gastric thirst and heat disorders occur because heat is in the Stomach; intestinal dysentery occurs because heat is in the Large Intestine; foul sores occur because heat stagnation injures flesh and blood. The bitter-cold nature generally eliminates various heats, thus treating these conditions. When heat is removed, the Spirit naturally clarifies; therefore, long-term use calms the mind, benefits Qi, enhances mental acuity, and reduces sleep needs. Enduring hunger and cold, lightening the body, and preventing aging are all general descriptions of the mechanism where heat recedes and Yin grows, which is the dynamic process of calming the mind and benefiting Qi.

Bitter vegetable: Bitter in taste, cold in nature, non-toxic. Treats evil Qi in the five Zang organs, anorexia, gastric obstruction, intestinal dysentery, internal heat with thirst, and foul sores. Long-term use calms the mind, benefits Qi, enhances mental acuity, reduces sleep needs, enables endurance of hunger and cold, lightens the body, and prevents aging.