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Seeking the causes of disharmony in the generation of hundreds of diseases, the principles of urgency and slowness differ, and the methods of rescue vary. Those that are slow become severe only after months or years; those that are urgent become severe without delay. Slow conditions may heal themselves over time, while urgent conditions will lead to death if not rescued. There are cases where one sees a medicine and wishes to take it but fails to examine it carefully, leading to death within moments. Such cases are numerous. When seeking prescriptions, the essence of learning lies in valuing speed and verification of efficacy.

Those who wish to master medical arts should be adept at recognizing sudden (Bao Cu) disease patterns. When examining prescriptions, one should first address the urgent necessities for rescue, then master the harmonization of slow conditions, and finally detail auxiliary protection methods; this is the key. Therefore, government offices have pre-prepared medicines ready for emergencies. Large households should also maintain such preparations.

The roots of disease include wind, cold, chill, heat, dampness, labor, damage, injury, drunkenness, dietary issues, fright/fear/terror/sorrow/anger, postpartum/lactation/miscarriage/abortion with vomiting or bleeding, and greedily consuming Five Minerals Powder. These are all roots of disease, branching out into various symptoms. Without pulse diagnosis to understand the root, one cannot know the source. One can only ask about the patient's gender and age, and according to the prescription book, if half of the description matches the illness, it can be taken. Adjustments should be made.

When the illness is severe, the person is necessarily weak; weakness means they cannot withstand strong medication, so prescriptions should use single, reduced dosages. When the illness is mild, the person is strong and can withstand medication, so prescriptions should use doubled, repeated dosages.

For chronic illnesses accumulated over long periods, appetite and strength are inevitably damaged; since strength is weak, they cannot withstand medication, so prescriptions should use single, reduced dosages. For new illnesses with short duration, although appetite may be affected, the Grain Qi (Gu Qi) is not yet deficient and can still withstand medication, so prescriptions should also use doubled, repeated dosages.

Young and vigorous individuals, even with severe illness, are strong with abundant Qi and Blood, able to withstand medication, so prescriptions should use doubled, repeated dosages. Even for those living in leisure, if they suddenly fall ill, multiple doses may be hard to bear regarding the drug's momentum, so prescriptions should handle them similarly.

Elderly individuals, even with mild illness, have depleted Qi and Blood and cannot withstand medication, so prescriptions should use single, reduced dosages. Even for hardworking individuals who rarely get sick and are unaccustomed to taking medicine, they easily tolerate the drug's momentum, so prescriptions should handle them similarly.

If a robust person with mild illness uses a prescription with single, reduced dosages, their robustness will overpower the drug's effect; the reduced dosage cannot control the disease, and even with cumulative intake, the effect dissipates, ultimately failing to control the disease. Thus, doubled, repeated dosages are suitable.

If an elderly, weak person with chronic, severe illness uses a prescription with doubled, repeated dosages, their deficiency and weakness mean they cannot endure the medicine; the medicine fails to expel the disease before the person's strength collapses. Once collapsed, the disease prevails, and they dare not continue taking it, rendering it ineffective. Thus, single, reduced dosages are suitable.

Women have different treatment protocols. Women above sixteen experience menstrual disorders. On the days of menstruation, if exposed to wind, cold, heat, or dampness, mixing seasonal pathogens, they should report this themselves; otherwise, treatments may conflict and worsen the condition. Prescribers should inquire. If there are other ailments during menstruation, refer to the "Prescriptions for Women" volume. Otherwise, general illnesses follow standard prescriptions.

Jiangxi and Jiangbei regions are early cold, colder than Jiangdong, causing Yang Qi to settle early and nourish Kidney Qi internally. Spring thaw comes late, pores close tightly, resisting external pathogenic dampness, thus rarely suffering from lower limb weakness and asthma, nor severe insect bites.

Jiangdong and Lingnan regions have late, light cold, preventing Yang Qi from settling and weakening Kidney Qi. Winters are warm, steaming the skin, opening pores to pathogenic dampness. In spring, Yang Qi leaks outward, Yin Qi becomes doubly excessive internally, allowing pathogenic dampness to invade. Thus, they often suffer from asthma, flaccidity of limbs, warm malaria, jaundice, and various insect bites.

All prescriptions should adapt to local geography. For treating cold diseases using warming medicines: higher dosages suit Jiangxi/Jiangbei; lower dosages suit Jiangdong/Lingnan. This explains why some prescriptions share names but differ in ingredients.

"Jing Fang Duan Ju" has twelve volumes, covering all diseases comprehensively. The most secret and essential part is Volume Six, treating four-season diseases, completing the cycle endlessly, which is ultimately the most crucial.

Some severe illnesses do not hinder strength or diet, allowing normal walking; some self-proclaimed strong people find minor illnesses severely disrupt diet and sleep. Mild cases may heal through self-regulation, requiring no more than one or two doses of decoction. Slightly severe cases may heal in thirty days; without pulse diagnosis, knowing the onset is difficult, theoretically taking a month. Hope for healing in five or three days, but do not take decoctions daily.

Some have eliminated the disease source but lack restored strength; proper regulation allows recovery in five to three days, administering decoctions as appropriate.

Some slightly robust individuals ignore wind/chill, violate taboos, and exhaust Essence rapidly. Even with minor illness, do not lightly use purgatives (Li Yao); purging exhausts Essence, leading to prolonged bedridden states. Initially, use mild medicines; switch to purgatives only if indicated. Children are exceptions; this is the general rule.

For elderly patients needing purgative decoctions, do not necessarily finish one dose at once. Observe the degree of purging and regulate within a day. If the source remains, combine another dose tomorrow or the next day; do not force completion, just match the purging trend. If strength allows finishing a dose, do not restrict. After using purgative decoctions to remove sources, follow with pills/powders, using decoctions occasionally to assist.

After healing via purgative decoctions, strictly avoid tonic decoctions; tonics cause relapse. Re-purging will further weaken the patient. If newly healed with incomplete strength restoration, regulate. Use mild medicines to harmonize. If nearing recovery and wishing to use tonic pills/powders, judge by intuition.

Chronic patients walking normally with unimpaired strength wishing to use tonics (pills/powders matching hot/cold needs) should first take purgative decoctions to clear chest/abdominal stasis/phlegm, then use tonics. Weak patients chronically taking tonics who develop excess food stagnation should stop tonics and use purgatives to clear it. Robust patients suddenly becoming empty/deficient should use slight tonics to harmonize, not massive tonification. Sudden deficiency with slight tonification restores balance; over-tonification causes stagnation/harm.

Extremely weak/labor-induced illnesses needing tonics, or wind diseases needing wind-treating decoctions, cannot be determined in 3-5 doses. Some cases of stagnant wind/internal emptiness require dozens to hundreds of doses to heal, adjusting based on individual constitution's cold/warmth/astringency/purgation.

Volume One of Yao Fang treats the following:
Prescriptions for Regulating the Three Jiao
Prescriptions for Chest Bi Syndrome
Prescriptions for Phlegm-Cold Fullness in Chest/Hypochondrium
Prescriptions for Heart/Abdominal Fullness/Cold Pain
Prescriptions for Diarrhea
Prescriptions for Cough and Asthma
Prescriptions for Qi Reversal resembling Running Piglet and Other Decoctions
Prescriptions for Empty Fullness and Edema
Above seven items