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In cases of Stomach Cold (Wei Han), vomiting is common; however, in cases of contracting Central Cold Toxin (Zhong Han Du), vomiting must be accompanied by diarrhea.

While in the capital, I once treated a military officer surnamed Wu. Having seen fresh mushrooms that were plump and tender, he instructed his cook to prepare them as a soup, which resulted in severe vomiting and diarrhea.

He then consulted local physicians, who all believed that rapid detoxification was necessary. Consequently, they administered a continuous course of cold-natured herbs such as Huanglian (Coptidis Rhizoma), Heidou (Soybean), Jiegeng (Platycodonis Radix), Gancao (Glycyrrhizae Radix et Rhizoma), and Zhishi (Aurantii Fructus Immaturus). The condition worsened, leading to severe distension of the chest and abdomen, panting, and an inability to tolerate even water or fluids. The situation became critical and distressing, prompting him to seek my help.

I prescribed a decoction containing Renshen (Ginseng Radix et Rhizoma), Baizhu (Atractylodis Macrocephalae Rhizoma), Gancao (Glycyrrhizae Radix et Rhizoma), Ganjiang (Zingiberis Rhizoma), Fuzi (Aconiti Lateralis Radix Praeparata), and Fuling (Poria). However, he doubted and refused to take it, saying, "With abdominal distension,急促 breathing, and such severe dry mouth, how can I dare to take these hot medicines?"

He stopped medication for one day, after which his condition deteriorated further, becoming as fleeting as morning dew (life hanging by a thread). He then earnestly requested treatment again. I maintained the previous prescription. Although he remained suspicious and fearful, he bid farewell to his wife in the inner chambers, stating, "If this is true, these medicines will either save me or kill me; my life depends entirely on this decision." Reluctantly, he swallowed the medicine with tears. After one dose, the vomiting subsided slightly; after two doses, the distension decreased slightly. Subsequently, I significantly increased the dosage of Shudihuang (Rehmanniae Radix Praeparata) to simultaneously rescue the Yin fluid lost through diarrhea. In total, he took more than twenty doses, and his health returned to normal.

He then asked, "My illness was caused by toxin ingestion. The local doctors' attempt to detoxify made it worse, yet your method of not explicitly detoxifying led to recovery. Why is this so?"

I replied, "Toxins vary in nature; does one always need cold herbs like Huanglian, Gancao, and Jiegeng to detoxify? Take mushrooms, for instance. They grow in deep pits, dry wells, or places of extreme cold and Yin. This is because they absorb the most intense Yin Qi (Vital Energy), resulting in their plump, white, and tender appearance. You have contracted this Yin-Cold toxin, yet you use the cold property of Huanglian to treat it. What kind of logic is this? Now, using Ganjiang and Fuzi is precisely the method to resolve cold toxins. Using Renshen and Shudihuang is precisely the method to protect the Yuan Qi (Original Qi) damaged by the toxin. Therefore, what they call 'detoxification' actually assists the toxin, while what I call 'not detoxifying' is the true detoxification. The principle is clear, but people fail to distinguish it. All instances of misdiagnosis and mistreatment of diseases are essentially of this category."

He bowed deeply and sighed sorrowfully, saying, "Truly so! If not for you, I would have died as a wronged spirit. Please have this engraved and published as a warning for future generations."