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Olive (Canarium ovatum), with a sour and sweet taste, warm in nature, and non-toxic. It enters the Lung, Stomach, and Spleen meridians. It generates body fluids, opens the appetite, resolves alcohol intoxication, detoxifies fish, and dissolves fish bones stuck in the throat. It is also a necessity for emergency situations and an indispensable item in a medicine cabinet. Crush the fruit including the flesh and pit, and decoct it for oral administration. Calcine it to ash, mix with sesame oil, and apply topically; external injuries will heal without scarring.

Someone asked: "A spirit told me in a dream that olives can treat asthma. Is this credible or not?" I replied: "I too had a dream where my deceased father-in-law, Mr. E Rengzhang, told me: 'Olives are most effective in treating asthma, but one must use fresh ones, crush them to extract juice, and drink half a cup; the asthma will settle immediately. Dry olives cannot yield juice; if decocted and drunk, they are of no benefit.' I tested this and found it miraculously effective. Later, another person suffered from asthma but lacked fresh olives, so he took dry olives decocted in water, which indeed proved ineffective. This is also a curious incident. Therefore, I append this record."

Ginkgo nut (Bai Guo), with a sweet taste and slight astringency, slightly cold in nature. It enters the Heart meridian and unblocks the Ren Mai (Conception Vessel) and Du Mai (Governing Vowel), reaching the lips and mouth. It is toxic; consuming up to a thousand nuts can cause death. It treats leukorrhea (white turbid discharge), clears Heart fire, and although its nature cannot darken hair, it is necessary for darkening hair because it guides the blackening fluid to the lips and mouth to transform white hair. This was never mentioned in the classic *Shennong Bencao Jing* (Divine Farmer's Materia Medica).

Ginkgo nuts should not be used in large quantities, yet children are the most suitable consumers. Generally, if children overconsume fruits, they inevitably damage the Ren Mai and Du Mai. Within five days, giving ten cooked ginkgo nuts ensures they never suffer from overeating injuries nor develop aphthous stomatitis (mouth ulcers).

Some doubt that ginkgo nuts only harm and do not benefit, while you claim they tonify the Ren Mai and Du Mai. Previous commentators on *Materia Medica* did not mention this; what is the basis for such a novel theory? Alas! Shennong tasted hundreds of herbs, how could he have tasted all of them? Thus, how could commentators on *Materia Medica* annotate everything? There is much hope for later generations to elucidate further. Moreover, regarding ginkgo nuts tonifying the Ren and Du Mai, I heard this teaching from Lü Zu (Lü Dongbin, the Pure Yang Patriarch), and applied it to treat my brother Xuanzhi’s son, Bing Lang, with personal success. Bing Lang had overconsumed fruits, leading to dysfunction of both the Spleen and Stomach. Pediatricians in Yuezhou failed to cure him. Suddenly, Lü Du descended via spirit writing, instructing me to use Liujunzi Tang (Six Gentlemen Decoction) plus ten ginkgo nuts to treat him. Within ten days, he fully recovered. When asked why ginkgo nuts were used, Lü Du said: "Bing Lang injured his Ren and Du Mai; without ginkgo nuts, there would be no effect, hence their use." I record this to show that my arguments are not baseless.

Others say ginkgo nuts are least suitable for children, citing cases where consumption led to vomiting clear fluid and death. I say: No substance should be taken in excess; why blame only ginkgo nuts? In small doses, ginkgo nuts benefit the Ren and Du Mai; in large doses, they damage the Pericardium (Bao Luo). Vomiting clear fluid results from excessive clearing of the Heart. The Pericardium is the minister of the Heart; if the Pericardium is damaged, the Heart is also damaged. However, this disaster occurs only when Heart Qi is originally deficient AND hundreds of ginkgo nuts are consumed. Eating dozens does not lead to such consequences.

One might suspect that since ginkgo nuts clear the Heart, excessive consumption would overly clear the Heart, causing harm. Yet, the Heart does not fear clearing; rather, it is the excessive clearing of the Pericardium. If one has hyperactive Fire in the Pericardium, consuming hundreds of nuts is actually appropriate. Only those with inherent deficiency-cold in the Pericardium should strictly avoid them.

Ginkgo nuts are rarely used in prescriptions, except in formulas treating asthma, where they are used for their ability to wash away food stagnation in the Stomach.