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[Chenyuan / Citri Fructus]
Bitter in taste, warm in nature, non-toxic. Enters the Lung and Spleen meridians. The older it is stored, the better; use after removing the white pith.
Citri Fructus regulates Qi and stops vomiting, strengthens the Spleen and promotes appetite. Although its nature is neutral and balanced, using it alone or in large doses can damage healthy Qi. For patients with Spleen deficiency, it must be used concurrently with Ginseng Radix (Renshen) and Atractylodis Macrocephalae Rhizoma (Baizhu) to achieve synergistic benefits.

[Tao Ren / Persicae Semen]
Endowed with the Earth's second Qi and generated by combining Heaven's fifth Qi, its taste is bitter with a heavy, slightly sweet quality, its nature is neutral, and it is non-toxic. Sun Simiao stated it is pungent, and Meng Shen stated it is warm; both views have merit. It enters the Foot Jueyin Liver meridian and Hand Jueyin Pericardium meridian. Blood belongs to Yin and is substantial. It circulates throughout the body; if stagnation occurs, it forms masses (Jia), leading to blood stasis and amenorrhea, or women's menstrual obstruction, or accumulated blood from blows and falls, as well as hard and painful retained blood under the heart. These conditions all originate from the Foot Jueyin meridian because the Liver stores blood. Bitterness can drain stagnation, pungency can dissipate knots, and sweet-warmness can promote circulation and soothe the Liver. Therefore, it treats all these conditions and is an essential herb for treating blood accumulation syndromes. Moreover, the peach is considered the essence of Wood among the Five Elements, capable of suppressing and warding off inauspiciousness, thus treating pathogenic factors. Its bitter and pungent taste allows it to kill small insects. Although it is said that "bitterness removes stagnation and sweetness generates new tissue," Tao Ren has a heavy bitter and light sweet taste, thin Qi, strong flavor, and sinking/descending action. Thus, its purgative effect outweighs its tonifying effect; it scatters but does not retain. Improper use, or excessive/long-term use, may cause continuous downward bleeding and damage True Yin; this must be handled with caution. Taonao is another name for Tao Ren, referring to peach fruits that remain on the tree through winter. They possess complete Qi and are harvested in the first lunar month. Since the peach tree is regarded as an immortal wood and the essence of Wood among the Five Elements, it is best at warding off evil, thus used to kill various spirits and ghosts, treat sudden severe abdominal pain due to evil invasion, five poisons, and inauspicious signs. Due to its bitter-warm nature, it also promotes stagnation resolution and evil dispersion, so its efficacy in treating blood disorders is similar to that of Persicae Semen. It is considered essential for treating hematemesis caused by ghost strikes.

Persicae Semen primarily treats blood stasis, amenorrhea, blood clots, and dryness of blood, promoting bowel lubrication. It promotes menstruation, relieves pain, treats masses and pathogenic factors, kills parasites, and wards off evil. Bitterness breaks stagnant blood, while sweetness nourishes new blood. Peach blossoms are bitter in taste; collected and shade-dried on the third day of the third lunar month, they kill infectious diseases (Zhuzhong), beautify complexion, eliminate edema and stone strangury, benefit urination and defecation, and expel three types of intestinal worms. Taken after soaking in wine, they eliminate hundred diseases. However, the nature of Persicae Semen is moving, purgative, and descending, acting very quickly on the Large Intestine. In cases of dry fecal impaction causing bloating, pain, and obstruction, use one tael of moist peach hairs (Mao Taohua) mixed with three taels of flour, formed into wontons, boiled until cooked, and eaten on an empty stomach. By noon, the abdomen will rumble like thunder, and foul matter will be discharged. Peach leaves are bitter and pungent; they extract worms from sores and corpse worms. Drinking their juice helps when worms enter the ears, treats female yin sores, and pain from insect bites; the leaves can be wrapped and inserted into the affected area. Decocted peach branches taken with wine treat heart pain. Bathing in decoction prevents contracting epidemic fevers. Consuming peach fruits excessively generates phlegm and heat. Taofu (likely a specific part or parasite of the peach tree) wards off evil and kills pathogens; used for hematemesis, burned to ash and taken with rice water stops bleeding immediately. Taojiao (peach gum), the sap flowing from the tree, treats strangury, breaks blood stasis and evil qi, and is effective when refined and taken. Worms inside peach pits also kill evil spirits. Peach hair further breaks down hard accumulations. White bark of the peach tree treats polyps growing between teeth. Taojiseng (parasite on peach tree) treats internal abdominal diseases caused by gu poison.

Main Indications (Integration with Smallpox): Persicae Semen should be selected to remove those with double kernels, soaked in hot water, skin and tips removed, then ground. Its function in moistening the Large Intestine is similar to Apricot Seed (Xingren). However, Xingren treats constipation due to Qi stagnation, whereas Persicae Semen treats constipation due to Blood stasis. Although it is said that bitterness removes stagnation and sweetness generates new tissue, ultimately Persicae Semen has more blood-breaking power and less blood-nourishing strength. It moves within the Blood level and has a slippery, moist nature. When combined with Hemp Seed (Hemamu) and Angelica Sinensis Radix (Danggui) to treat dryness and obstruction, the effect is miraculous. Dew-covered peach blossoms are bitter and ward off evil, eliminating hundred toxins and smallpox toxin vapors/rashes. They should be picked early in the morning with dew, steamed over rice, dried by baking, and used. Do not use in large amounts, as excess causes diarrhea. Ancient formulas used it for smallpox on the first or second day when lesions became dark purple or appeared as red rashes, likely because its nature is Yin and harmonizes Yang.