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Xue Shilang said that within one to two hundred days after taking mineral drugs (Shiyao), one must consume fine diet, soups, porridge, and wine to ensure the smooth flow of blood vessels. The method for making soup is as follows:

Take meat from roe deer, sika deer, rabbit, pheasant, goose, or duck, wash it clean with water, cut it into pieces the size of a finger, and stir-fry in a pan until nearly cooked. Then add a large amount of white onion parts, a small amount of Sichuan pepper, and salt, cook until fragrant, then add a little water to boil. Next, add broken grains of japonica rice, followed by clear soybean paste sauce, adjusting the salty, sour, and sweet flavors to taste. Before each meal, drink about ten mouthfuls of the soup broth first to open the appetite and moisten the skin, then proceed to eat other foods. Even if consuming roasted meat, there is no need to worry. By following this regimen, eating more leads to better health.

If one feels bodily qi stagnating and the effect of the mineral drug is not circulating, avoid eating wheat noodles. If feeling weak, one may freely consume Dioscorea opposita (Shuyu, Chinese yam).

Take large Dioscorea opposita, peel it, slice thinly, and dry in the sun. Use moisture to soften it and make it into powder; if not fully powdered, dry again. After sieving the powder, mix with warm water and flour, cut finely into strips resembling meat. Prepare soup as described above, pour over the food, and eat as desired. This "meat" has tonifying effects, strengthens bones and muscles, and relieves thirst.

If one feels thirsty and heat is intense, avoid roasted meat, especially mutton and roe deer meat. Other meats with neutral or cool properties can be eaten generally, but do not eat them hot, lest they cause Xiao Ke disease (Wasting-Thirst syndrome).

To determine if the constitution is excess and obstructed, first examine whether the flesh around the toenails is full and red; this indicates an excess pattern. Those with excess patterns fear heat and should take medicine to induce mild purgation when symptoms arise.

If one feels stiffness in the limbs' sinews, heaviness in the back and spine, headache like piercing needles, or a sensation that the eyes are protruding, one should bathe in aromatic water. This must be done in a spacious, quiet room with appropriate temperature. First, pour hot water over the Dazhui point (GV14) and the anterior fontanelle area thirty to fifty times, then bathe. Avoid wind exposure. After bathing, cover with a blanket and lie quietly to induce sweating. At this time, also consume green onions.

Formula: Scallion roots (three large handfuls), Puerariae Radix (Lügen, 6 liang, sliced), Sojae Semen Praeparatum (Chidou, 3 he), White scallion parts (one large handful, split), Zingiberis Rhizoma (Shengjiang, Ginger, a little, sliced), Zanthoxyli Pericarpium (Huajiao, Sichuan pepper, 15 grains).

Boil the scallion roots in five sheng of water until reduced by half, remove dregs, add Puerariae Radix and Sojae Semen Praeparatum, and boil until two sheng remain. Remove dregs, grind a small amount of rice into thin porridge, and cook together with the white scallion parts. Drink while hot. Afterward, follow the previous method of covering with blankets to induce sweating. Once sweat occurs, have a woman apply powder and massage the whole body. Keep pores closed for about half a day before going outside. The illness will heal immediately. If not cured, repeat the process.

If one feels severe heat, one may take Zi Xue (Purple Snow), Jin Shi Ling, Jiang Xue, or... [text missing].

Formula: Scutellariae Radix (Huangqin, 2 da liang), Gardeniae Fructus (Zhizi Ren, 14 seeds), Puerariae Radix (Lügen, 2 da liang), Natrii Sulfas (Mangxiao, half da liang).

Cut the four ingredients, boil in three sheng of water until reduced to approximately one sheng, strain, add Natrii Sulfas, mix well, and divide into two warm doses. Stop when bowel movement becomes smooth.

If fever occurs, follow the regimen sequentially. After taking medicine, mild sweating and mild diarrhea are ideal. Do not cause excessive diarrhea, as this damages the mineral drug's effect and worsens deficiency.

If one feels bodily qi is dull, without pain or itching, and urine is red and scanty, crush and drink juice from Imperatae Rhizoma (Maogen). If feeling dry mouth, crush and drink juice from Saccharum officinarum (Zhegan, Sugarcane). [Sugarcane promotes urination and defecation; if already having diarrhea, do not eat sugarcane. See the Dry Mouth section in the lower volume.] If slightly losing appetite, use ginger juice and wine methods.

Formula: Zingiberis Juice (Shengjiang Zhi, 1 he), Apis Mellifica (Baimi, Honey, one spoon), Clear wine (Qingjiu, double the amount of ginger juice).

Mix the three ingredients, warm, and take at once. Effect seen within half a day; very good.

If unable to eat and vomiting occurs, take Maidong Yinzi (Ophiopogon Drink).

Formula: Ophiopogonis Tuber (Maidong, 1 da liang, heart removed), Lophatheri Herba (Tianzhuye, Sweet bamboo leaf, one handful), Zingiberis Rhizoma (Shengjiang, 0.5 da liang, sliced), Tritici Fructus (Xiaomai, Wheat, 4 he, washed to remove dirt and chaff).

Boil the four ingredients in three sheng of water until one and a half sheng remain, divide into two warm doses.

If unable to eat, with weak body and lack of energy, eat fresh crucian carp.

Take fresh crucian carp, scale and gut it, do not wash. Wipe clean with one or two feet of new cloth to sever blood vessels, a process called "Shang". Cook normally, served deliciously with garlic paste. Eat with melon and ginger sauces, which aids digestion and treats Qi Li (Qi dysentery) and Chi Li (Blood dysentery).

If sores or swellings occur, whether rooted or unrooted, take Wuxiang Liaoqiao Decoction or pills. Refer to the Abscess and Carbuncle section at the end of this volume.

Avoid pork, garlic, and raw vegetables. Only rabbit meat is suitable, and it must be thoroughly cooked.

If swelling is rooted, hard as iron or stone, and purple-red, after taking decoction, moxa on the swelling with small moxa cones, one to two cones per day is best. Regulate as usual.

If exposed to foul odors causing discomfort, trembling limbs, and loss of taste, chew Xiang Wan (Aromatic Pill). If not cured, take one cup of Wuxiang Tang (Five-Aromatic Decoction) to induce mild defecation once, avoiding the need for bathing.