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The Stomach belongs to Earth, and Stomach Qi (Wei Qi) is the Qi of Earth. Earth is the source of all things, and the Stomach is the foundation of nourishing life. When Stomach Qi is strong, the person is strong; when Stomach Qi is weak, the person is weak. With Stomach Qi present, the Heart (Xin) pours essence into the vessels, vessel Qi flows through the meridians, meridian Qi converges in the Lungs, the Lungs direct the hundred vessels, and transmit essence to the skin and hair. The essence of skin and vessels combines, circulating Qi in the Fu organs, clarifying spirit and mind, and retaining it in the Zang organs. From this, it can be known that no Zang or Fu organ, nor any body form, exists without Stomach Qi. Whenever symptoms manifest as the Five Goods (Wu Shan) or Seven Evils (Qi E), are these not clear signs of the existence or extinction of Stomach Qi in the Zang and Fu organs? Once Stomach Qi is lost, it becomes a ominous prognosis. Therefore, those skilled in treating external disorders must always first protect the Stomach Qi, regardless of the severity or lightness of the condition, verifying it by observing whether the patient can eat. If the patient can eat, Stomach Qi is strong, there is no internal worry, and one can focus solely on treating the external disorder. If the patient cannot eat, Stomach Qi is weak, the Middle Jiao (Zhong Zhou) is in distress, and disaster arises from within. One must first resolve the internal trouble, enable eating, wait for Qi and Blood to have sufficient support, and then treat the external disorder. This is what is meant by "when the root is established, the Dao arises." However, regarding methods to regulate the Spleen and Stomach, people only know that herbs such as Ginseng Radix (Renshen), Poria (Fuling), Atractylodis Rhizoma (Baizhu), Licorice Root (Gancao), Hawthorn Fruit (Shanzha), Magnolia Bark (Houpo), and Malt (Maiya) are medicines for the Spleen and Stomach, but do not realize that Wind, Cold, Damp-Heat, dietary irregularities, and fatigue can all injure the Spleen. For injuries caused by Wind pathogen, dispersion is appropriate; for Cold, warming is appropriate; for Dampness, drying is appropriate; for Heat, clearing is appropriate; for dietary injury, promoting movement/digestion is appropriate; for fatigue injury, tonification is appropriate. Merely removing the pathogenic factors that injure the Spleen and Stomach constitutes the correct method for regulating them. Alas, nowadays, practitioners of surgery blindly adhere to one or two fixed formulas, immediately claiming toxicity and indiscriminately using cold-cooling herbs, arbitrarily applying purgative/attacking methods, resulting in countless victims who suffer and die. Is it that ancient formulas are unsuitable for today, or that the medicine and syndrome are greatly contradictory? It is likely due to failing to examine the strength of Stomach Qi and the deficiency/excess nature of the etiology. Moreover, ancients had simple constitutions, were less affected by the Seven Emotions (Qi Qing), and more often affected by external stagnation from Wind, Cold, Damp, and Heat. Thus, at the onset of disease, they often used potent/herbaceous-strong drugs (Ba Yao) to achieve efficacy. Today, people are overly pedantic, heavily disturbed by the Seven Emotions and Six Desires, with Yin-Yang, Qi, and Blood invariably damaged, yet they stubbornly use potent/fixed formulas to test treatments. This is like throwing someone into a well and adding stones. I know that for those with slight Stomach Qi deficiency, adjustments can still be made flexibly, but for those with severe Stomach Qi deficiency, borrowing such potent drugs is absolutely difficult. Therefore, some say: "External manifestations of carbuncles and sores are diseases of the muscles; the medicines used are accepted by the diseased area, what does this have to do with the Spleen and Stomach?" They do not realize that muscles are governed by the Spleen and Stomach, treatment relies on Stomach Qi operation, muscles cannot get sick by themselves (it is Spleen/Stomach dysfunction causing illness), and various medicines cannot move by themselves (they are moved by Stomach Qi). All medicines enter the mouth, must first enter the Stomach, and then circulate to the various meridians to treat the disease. There has never been a case where damaging the Spleen and Stomach with medicine could cure the disease, nor a Spleen and Stomach unable to transform food and drink that could instead transform various medicines. Only those with clear insight can understand this.