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Question: Zhang Zhongjing's prescriptions contain few medicinal ingredients, whereas Li Dongyuan's prescriptions often contain more than twenty. Zhu Danxi said, "When I treat diseases using Li Dongyuan's formulas, the efficacy is comparable to that of Zhang Zhongjing's prescriptions. This is likely because fewer ingredients result in more focused medicinal power." Why did Zhu Danxi not emulate Li Dongyuan but instead emulate Zhang Zhongjing? The answer is: No one understands the properties of medicines better than Li Dongyuan; he can be considered a sage in medicine. Therefore, it is appropriate for him to use many ingredients, but if others emulate his extensive use, the prescription will become chaotic and disordered. Li Dongyuan is like Han Xin leading troops: the more, the better. Zhu Danxi, however, could only lead an army of a hundred thousand, so he dared not emulate his extensive use.

My commentary: The classics state that treating disease requires seeking its root, which lies in the origins of the four seasons and the five zang organs. Thus, Master Jiegu (Zhang Yuansu) said that regarding the deficiency and excess of the mother-son relationships among the five zang organs, as well as the subtle interplay between pathogenic factors (ghosts/evil) and healthy qi, without comprehending their purport, one cannot easily enter the realm of medical mastery. Mr. Xu Yongcheng said, "Whenever the heart suffers from disease, one must first regulate the liver and kidney zang organs. The kidney is the 'ghost' (the element that controls it) of the heart; when liver qi flows freely, heart qi harmonizes; when liver qi stagnates, heart qi becomes deficient." This illustrates that for heart disease, treatment begins with the liver to clear the source. When any of the five zang organs are diseased, the pathology inevitably transmits to the organ it controls. Water overcomes fire; thus, when the kidney receives pathogenic factors, they transmit to the heart. Therefore, one should first treat the kidney to expel the pathogens, hence the existence of two formulas: one to retreat kidney pathogens and another to benefit liver qi. Alternatively, upon pulse diagnosis, if both the liver and kidney zang organs are harmonious, yet the heart alone exhibits disease, then one examines the deficiency and excess of the heart before treating it. (The rest follows this pattern; see *Yuji Wei Yi · Pediatric Section* for details.)

Question: People say that in the southeast, where the climate is hot, cold-natured medicines can be taken; in the northwest, where the climate is cold, warm-natured medicines can be taken. However, people in the southeast today frequently consume pepper, ginger, and cinnamon without falling ill, while people in the northwest fear eating pungent and hot substances like Sichuan pepper and ginger. Why? The answer is: Although the southeast is hot, the land is low and damp; pungent-hot foods can also dispel dampness. Although the northwest is cold, the land is high and dry; pungent-hot foods can instead exacerbate dryness. Practitioners who prescribe medicines for treating diseases must understand this principle.

My commentary: The *Treatise on Different Methods and Appropriate Formulas* states: In the southeastern region, the terrain is low, and the climate is damp-heat. The people there have loose interstices (cou li), excessive sweating, internal deficiency of yang qi, and therefore it is suitable to consume pungent-hot items like Sichuan pepper and ginger to assist their yang qi. In the northwestern region, the terrain is high with wind-cold; the people there have dense interstices, retained sweat, and abundant yang qi. It is unsuitable for them to consume pungent-hot items like Sichuan pepper and ginger, as this would obstruct their yang qi. When Su Dongpo served as an official in Huangzhou, an epidemic swept through the area. He treated patients with Sheng San Zi (Holy Dispersion Powder), achieving excellent results. This was because the local terrain was low and damp, with stagnant heat throughout the four seasons, loose interstices, excessive sweating, and deficient-cold yang qi, making such treatment appropriate. Conversely, during epidemics in the northwest, many patients died after using this formula, a fact I witnessed personally.