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Medicines are suitable for pills or powders, for decoction in water, for soaking in wine, for making into pastes, and some single herbs may be suitable for multiple forms. Others cannot be used in decoctions or wines. These should follow the nature of the medicine and not deviate excessively. Decoctions (Tangji) mean to sweep away pathogens; they are clear juices obtained after boiling, used for serious diseases. Powders (Sanji) mean to disperse; they are finely ground herbal powders. Pills (Wanji) mean to act slowly; formed into pill granules, they do not produce rapid effects but treat conditions gradually and gently.

"Soaking" (Zi) refers to soaking herbs in wine. Some herbs are suitable for wine soaking to enhance their efficacy, such as Danggui (Radix Angelicae Sinensis), Dihuang (Radix Rehmanniae Preparata), Zhimu (Cortex Anemarrhenae), and Huangbai (Cortex Phellodendri). These have yin-cold flavors and rely on the power of wine to promote qi and blood circulation. Some methods involve chopping herbs finely, boiling them in wine according to regulations, sealing tightly, and drinking frequently morning and evening to unblock meridians, tonify or attack pathogenic factors, and gradually achieve therapeutic effects.

For fine powders, if they do not circulate through meridians but only remove accumulations in the stomach and zang-fu organs, or treat lung diseases with coughing, they are appropriate. Herbs with strong flavors are mixed with plain water; those with weak flavors are boiled and taken with dregs. For treating lower jiao diseases, pills should be large, smooth, and round; for middle jiao, smaller; for upper jiao, very small. Using flour paste for pills aims at slow dissolution to reach the lower jiao; using wine aims at dispersion; using vinegar aims at astringency. For Banxia (Rhizoma Pinelliae), Nanxing (Rhizoma Arisaematis), and damp-draining herbs, ginger juice thin paste is used for easy digestion; steamed bread soaked in soup digests even more easily; dropping water also works. Honey-processed pills aim at slow dissolution and meridian circulation. Wax pills aim at reaching the lower jiao to treat intestinal diseases.

When preparing pills, use only honey if using honey, or only maltose if using maltose; do not mix them. Wax is used in pills to protect the medicinal qi, ensuring potency remains over time and allowing passage through the diaphragm gate to take effect. If honey is added now, although it makes pill-making easier, it dissolves immediately upon swallowing, failing to reach the intestines. If toxic drugs are involved, which should not dissolve in the upper body, this would not only be useless but harmful, completely contrary to the original intent of using wax.

When refining honey, skim off foam first, boil until slightly yellow, test by dropping into water without dispersing, then boil one or two more times before making pills. This prevents moisture absorption and clumping. In winter, adding two cups of water during honey refining is advisable. "Yanyi" states: one jin of honey yields twelve liang after refining, indicating the ratio. Mix herb powder while extremely hot, pound thousands of times in a mortar until soft and ripe, easy to roll into strips, resulting in good pills.

To make powder, cut finely first, dry in sun, cool down, then pound. Some should be pounded together; moistening herbs like Taidong (Radix Ophiopogonis), Maidong (Radix Ophiopogonis), Shengdihuang (Radix Rehmanniae Recens), Shudihuang (Radix Rehmanniae Preparata), and Danggui (Radix Angelicae Sinensis) should be cut, dried, and pounded separately. Or bake slowly over paper, cool, then pound into fine powder. If mixed with other herbs and left to regain moisture, mixing will be uneven. Wet herbs lose significant weight when dried; increase dosage initially, weigh after drying for accuracy. This is not necessary for decoctions or wines.

For pill-making with honey, sieve through fine silk cloth; powders require even finer processing. Pounding pills must be done in stone mortars thousands of times until color and texture are uniform and harmonious.

For wine infusion, cut herbs finely, place in silk bags, submerge in wine, seal tightly. Depending on cold or heat days, observe concentration strength, then strain out; no need to wait until wine is exhausted. Dregs can be dried, lightly pounded, re-infused for drinking, or used as powder.

For paste preparation, materials with less paste content should be soaked first, their juice extracted, then add paste-rich materials. Stir up and down three times with a stick to release fire energy, avoid boiling, extract juice as needed. Boil dregs again until potency is exhausted. Slowly reduce with low heat to syrup consistency, add refined honey, store in porcelain jars, eliminate fire energy for seven or fourteen days before use.

For external rubbing/plaster pastes using vinegar, wine, or oil, soak first, then boil. Use stick stirring up and down three times to release heat and extract flavor. Bring to a gentle boil, let settle, repeat. If containing scallion white or ginger, cook until slightly charred. If containing Fuzi (Radix Aconiti Lateralis Preparata) or Mugua (Semen Momordicae), cook until yellow-brown, not blackened. Filter paste with new cloth.

If internal paste, dregs can be boiled in wine for drinking; if external paste, dregs can be applied externally, utilizing full medicinal power.

For decoctions and pastes, mineral drugs must be finely ground and wrapped in new silk cloth before adding. "Yanyi" notes: mineral drugs like Zhusha (Cinnabaris) and Zhongru (Concretio Silicosa) require water grinding for two to three days until extremely fine, washed and settled thoroughly before consumption. Merely grinding fine is insufficient; wrapping in silk is essential.

Herbal leaves like Baiye (Folium Platycladi), Heye (Folium Nelumbinis), Maogen (Rhizoma Imperatae), Jigen (Radix Cirsii), and Shihui San (Ten Ash Powder) must be carbonized. Cover vessels on the ground to remove fire nature while preserving intrinsic nature; otherwise, they become like dead ash and ineffective.

Oily seeds like Taoren (Semen Persicae), Xingren (Semen Armeniacae Amarum), and Haren (Semen Cannabis) must be ground separately first, then gradually mixed with other ingredients for uniformity.

Whole items in decoctions, such as Doukou (Fructus Cardamomi), Suzi (Fructus Perillae), Yizhi (Fructus Alpiniae Oxyphyllae), and Guzhi (Rhizoma Drynariae), must be cracked and ground. Otherwise, like rice in husk, boiling all day won't cook the grain inside. This is the reason.

Aromatic-dry herbs like Muxiang (Radix Aucklandiae), Chenxiang (Lignum Aquilariae Resinatum), Sharen (Fructus Amomi Rotundus), and Doukou (Fructus Cardamomi) should not be boiled long; steeping in hot water is superior.