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It is stated: The *Neijing* (Inner Canon) records that there is a condition characterized by fullness in the heart and abdomen, where one can eat in the morning but cannot eat in the evening, named "Gu Zhang" (Drum Distension). When food and water enter the mouth, the Stomach becomes full while the Intestines are empty. After swallowing food, the Intestines become full while the Stomach becomes empty. If dietary habits are irregular, or cold and heat are not regulated properly, it leads to Qi stagnation and reversal in the Stomach, gathering without dispersing. Consequently, the Large Intestine fails to transmit and transform, resulting in rebellious fullness in the heart and abdomen, with Qi bubbling causing distension. This manifests as the ability to eat in the morning but inability to eat in the evening. This occurs because the Extreme Yin resides in the center, preventing the distribution of the Five Yangs, leading to slow transformation of food and fluids.

Treatment for Gu Zhang presenting with the inability to eat in the evening after eating in the morning: Jishi Li Formula (Chicken Dropping Sweet Wine Decoction)
Jishi (Dried Chicken Droppings)
Take the above single herb, grind into powder. Each time, mix one Qianbi (approx. 2-3 grams) with high-quality wine. Take after meals before retiring.

Chai Hu Tang (Bupleurum Decoction) for treating Gu Zhang with hard masses:
Chai Hu (Remove seedlings), Biejia (Remove skirt, vinegar-fried and crushed), Yuliren (Soak in hot water, remove skin and tips, crush), Shaoyao (White Peony Root), Dahuang (Crush and stir-fry, each 1 liang).
The above eight ingredients (Note: Text lists fewer than eight distinct items explicitly, but states "eight"), excluding Yuliren, crush the remaining herbs to the size of hemp seeds. Mix evenly. Take 4 Qianbi per dose. Add 1.5 cups of water, decoct until reduced to 0.7 cups. Strain, add a small amount of Puxiao (Mirabilite), take warm on an empty stomach. After walking for the distance covered in four to five Li, take another dose.

Mudan Tang (Moutan Decoction) for treating Gu Zhang:
Mudanhpi (1.5 liang), Taoren (Soak in hot water, remove skin and tips, use 21 double-kernel almonds, stir-fry), Binglang (Crush), Sanggenbaipi (Crush, each 2 liang), Liren (Soak in hot water...).
The above nine ingredients, crush to the size of hemp seeds. Take 5 Qianbi per dose. Add 1.5 cups of water, add 0.5 parts of sliced Shengjiang (Fresh Ginger), decoct until reduced to 0.8 cups. Strain, take warm on an empty stomach. After walking for the distance covered in four to five Li, take another dose.

Baizhu Tang (Atractylodes Macrocephala Decoction) for treating Gu Zhang caused by Cold Qi in the Stomach and Intestines, accompanied by anorexia:
Baizhu (1.5 liang), Muxiang (Costus Root), Chenjupi (Tangerine Peel soaked in hot water, white part removed, dried, each 1 liang), Shaoyao (1.5 liang), Sanggenbaipi (Crush), Mutong (Crush, each 2 liang), Qianniuzi (1.5 liang, pounded to extract powder, 1 liang added as needed).
The above seven ingredients, excluding Qiannifen (Powder of Semen Kochiae), crush the rest to the size of hemp seeds. Take 5 Qianbi per dose. Add 1.5 cups of water, decoct until reduced to 0.8 cups. Strain, add half a Qianbi of Qiannifen, take warm on an empty stomach.

Hai Ge Wan (Clam Pill) for treating Gu Zhang with emaciated limbs, panting, shortness of breath, gradual reduction in food and fluid intake, scanty and difficult urination, and lower abdominal oppression:
Haige (Pounded, 2 liang), Muxiang (1.1 liang), Gui (Remove coarse bark, 0.5 liang), Fangji (Stephania Root), Helilepi (Pericarpium Terminaliae Chebulae), Houpo (Remove coarse bark... [text incomplete]), Yuliren (Soak in hot water...).
The above ten ingredients, pound and grind into fine powder. Mix with refined honey to form pills the size of Sophora japonica seeds. Take 15 to 20 pills per dose, washed down with a strong decoction of Mutong. Take on an empty stomach before meals.

Zige Fen Wan (Polygonum Multiflorum Powder Pill) for treating Zheng Jia (masses), abdominal distension and fullness, hardness like stone, and floating blue veins on the abdomen:
Zigefen (2 liang), Chishaoyao (Red Peony Root), Jiegeng (Crush and stir-fry, each 1.5 liang), Ziwan (Remove soil, 0.5 liang), Muxiang, Helilepi (Each ... [dose missing]).
The above nine ingredients, pound and grind into fine powder. Mix with refined honey to form pills the size of Sophora japonica seeds. Take 20 pills per dose, washed down with a strong decoction of Mutong and Dazao (Jujube). Adjust dosage according to age and condition for adults and children.

Jiegeng Tang (Platycodon Decoction) for treating Gu Zhang:
Jiegeng (Crush and stir-fry, 2 liang), Fangkui (0.5 liang), Dahuang (Crush and stir-fry, 1.5 liang), Taoren (Soak in hot water, remove skin and tips, use 49 double-kernel almonds, bran-stir-fried...).
The above four ingredients, crush to the size of hemp seeds. Take 3 Qianbi per dose. Add 1 cup of water, decoct until reduced to 0.6 cups. Strain, add half a Qianbi of Mangxiao (Natrii Sulfas) powder, take warm on an empty stomach. After walking for the distance covered in five to six Li, take another dose. Three times daily.

Fuling Tang (Poria Decoction) for treating Gu Zhang with anorexia:
Chifuling (Remove black skin), Mutong (Crush, each 2 liang), Shaoyao (1.5 liang), Wuzhuyu (Wash in hot water, dry, stir-fry), Yuliren (Soak in hot water...).
The above seven ingredients, crush to the size of hemp seeds. Take 5 Qianbi per dose. Add 1.5 cups of water, decoct until reduced to 0.8 cups. Strain, take warm on an empty stomach. Twice daily.