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According to ancient texts: Those who are good at preserving health should drink before feeling thirsty, but the amount should not be excessive. Drinking too much in winter damages Qi (vital energy), and drinking excessively when thirsty injures Blood. One should eat before feeling hungry, but not to the point of fullness. Overeating injures the Shen (Spirit/Mind), while hunger (specifically prolonged fasting or irregular eating damaging stomach Qi) injures the Stomach. Diet should aim to benefit the body, with moderation being the best approach. If one eats too much, one will feel bloated and short of breath, leading to illness. If flying debris falls into food eaten outdoors, consuming it can cause blisters in the throat. Food stored in containers should be in vessels that are smaller at the bottom and larger at the top. If not covered tightly, insects and rodents may try to steal food and leave saliva around the vessel, contaminating the food. Accidental consumption of such contaminated food can cause symptoms resembling scorpion stings all over the body, which cannot be treated with acupuncture or herbs. If food is covered with copper vessels, sweat entering the food can cause malignant sores and flesh abscesses in the consumer. Eating raw and cold foods: Northerners have thick soil and rich water sources, and their constitutions are solid, so they do not damage the Spleen and Stomach; however, those living long-term in the South should avoid this. Southerners have thin soil and shallow water, and their constitutions are often deficient, making them unsuitable for raw/cold foods to protect the Spleen and Stomach; those living long-term in the North should also especially avoid this. One must avoid drinking tea on an empty stomach, abstain from drinking alcohol during the Mao hour (5-7 AM), and reduce food intake after the Shen hour (3-5 PM). Eating excessively when extremely hungry leads to accumulation disorders; drinking excessively when extremely thirsty leads to phlegm-pi disorders. Do not drink alcohol after sunset, as it causes dry retching.

Emperor Taizong said to his chancellors: "My daily activities follow a regular rhythm, and my diet is moderate. Having practiced this for a long time, I feel very energetic." Laozi said: "My fate is in my own hands, not in Heaven's; it depends entirely on human regulation." You should also pay attention and not neglect self-care.

Tao Hongjing said: "Why consume clouds and take great medicines, vainly hoping to extend life like turtles and cranes? As long as you remove excesses in diet and desires, you can live in peace and longevity. Those indulging in wine and sex often die young; those indulging in rich flavors develop strange diseases." Jiangshui (fermented grain water), according to *Bencao* (Materia Medica), has a sweet, sour, and slightly warm taste, is non-toxic, harmonizes the Middle Jiao, guides Qi movement, opens the appetite, quenches thirst, strengthens the body, unblocks collaterals, treats cholera and diarrhea, eliminates retained food, relieves vexation and drowsiness, regulates Zang-Fu organs, treats vomiting and hiccups, and makes the skin white like silk. Because it is commonly used, its merits are often overlooked. There are many types of "cooked water" (herbal teas/decoctions) used in the world. Expensive ones like Agarwood dry the Spleen, Osmanthus consumes Qi, Honey stagnates the Stomach, and Ophiopogon is cold in nature. Such substances all have detrimental effects. Drinking Perilla soup morning and night is of no benefit. Aromatic herbs can cause diseases in the wealthy; here is one example.

Emperor Renzong of Song ordered the Hanlin Academy to rank these herbal waters. They reported: Perilla is first, Agarwood second, Ophiopogon third, because Perilla can descend floating Qi in the chest and diaphragm. However, they did not realize that long-term use leaks Qi, causing unnoticed damage.

*Bencao* states: Wine makes the body soft and the spirit confused, indicating it has toxicity, offering both benefits and harms. Bian Que said: Long-term excessive drinking rots the intestines and stomach, ulcerates marrow, steams the sinews, injures the Spirit, and shortens lifespan. A guest visited Zhou, bringing two shi of fine wine. He drank eight dou, felt fine the next morning due to his tolerance, but the guest had already died. Upon examination, his intestines had prolapsed. Was this not due to exceeding capacity and violating Bian Que's warning?

Drinking white wine and eating beef generates parasites. Wine that does not reflect a person's shadow should not be drunk, nor mixed with milk, as it causes Qi stagnation. White turbid sacrificial wine is lethal. Eating spicy foods after drinking warms the sinews and bones. Sleeping on millet stalks and eating pork can lead to Feng disease (leprosy).

Poison from Chinese herbs, and toxins absorbed via wine from highly toxic substances, are difficult to treat. Wine circulates through the blood vessels throughout the body. Drinking cold water when extremely thirsty while still drunk from wine, combined with tea being drawn by the wine into the Kidneys, creates stagnant toxic water, causing heaviness in the waist, legs, and feet, cold pain in the bladder, edema, Xiao Ke (wasting-thirst syndrome), spasms, and bi-syndrome. Getting wind while drunk and fanning oneself induces Wind pathogen. Vomiting after drunkenness followed immediately by drinking water causes Xiao Ke.

Immortals do not forbid wine because it moves Qi and strengthens the Spirit, but they do not exceed moderation.

*Bencao* advises that tea should be drunk hot and in small amounts; abstaining is even better. Excessive consumption wastes body fat, causes emaciation, and leads to lower Jiao deficiency-cold. It is only acceptable to drink one or two cups after a full meal. It is particularly unsuitable for those with Xiao Ke or when hungry, as it causes insomnia. Consuming it with leeks is harmful to pregnant women. Adding salt to tea is like inviting thieves home, potentially damaging the Kidneys.

Dongpo on Tea: "Tea removes vexation and grease; the world indeed cannot do without tea, but it harms people unknowingly. I have a method I practice regularly: rinsing the mouth with strong tea after meals. This reduces vexation and grease, harmonizing the Spleen and Stomach naturally. Meat stuck in teeth is easily removed by tea rinsing, avoiding the need for toothpicks. Teeth become firmer due to this, and dental caries decrease daily. Drinking too much causes Lung Qi to disperse and rise reversely. Water from Yin pools and flowing springs should not be drunk in June while traveling, as it triggers Malaria. Dining near sacred statues unsettles the Hun and Po spirits. Drinking water should not be swallowed hastily; doing so long-term leads to Qi disorders. Cold exposure and cold drinks injure the Lungs, causing upper Qi rebellion, coughing, and nasal congestion. Drinking plain water after porridge leads to Lin syndrome and damp retention.

Tao Hongjing said: "Food should not be coarse or eaten quickly. Better to eat small meals frequently than to stuff oneself until full, which injures Qi and Heart Spirit and is not a blessing." He also said: "Wait for roasted and fried foods to cool down. Otherwise, they injure blood vessels and teeth." And: "Rinse your mouth several times after eating to prevent cavities and bad breath. Avoid rinsing with hot water, as it damages teeth." Moldy water dripping onto dried meat causes Jia masses (abdominal lumps) and malignant sores. Human sweat mixed into meat causes Ding sores (furuncles). Eating dead animals causes Ding sores. On Liu Jia days, avoid eating scaled or shelled meats.

Hongjing said: "Avoid raw, cold, sticky, tough foods, and meats from dead or freshly slaughtered animals. Mantou (steamed buns) obstruct Qi, so do not eat too many. Raw fish slices (Kuai) easily invite Spleen and Stomach diseases. Fresh sauces, embryos, and eggs are not greasy; old, smelly preserved items are Yin-type. For the elderly, alternating these is like lending weapons to bandits. (*Suosui Lu* says: Mantou obstructs Qi, resolved by sheep blood soup; Baozi obstructs Qi, resolved by good vinegar.)"

Ivory or silver spoons/chopsticks can test for poison in food.

*Rites of Zhou* states: Music aids digestion. The Spleen enjoys sound; if one eats at night, the Spleen fails to grind/transform food, requiring sound to counteract this state. Summer nights are short, so nighttime eating should be especially avoided.

Things that are harmful rather than beneficial should not be eaten in excess by ordinary people, let alone patients who must observe taboos. This book records only things with harm and no benefit, or those with equal pros and cons, recording only the harms and omitting the benefits.