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Yi Zhi (Alpinia oxyphylla), acrid in flavor, warm in nature, non-toxic. It enters the Lung, Spleen, and Kidney meridians. It can tonify the Ministerial Fire (Xiang Huo) and Sovereign Fire (Jun Huo), harmonize the Stomach Qi of the Middle Jiao, expel cold pathogens, prevent spermatorrhea and urinary incontinence, stop vomiting and hiccups, retain saliva, regulate various Qi movements, thereby calming the Three Jiao. For those with frequent urination at night, taking it with salt is most effective, but it should not be used in large doses, lest it disturb the Sovereign and Ministerial Fires; however, if used skillfully, its effects are very rapid. Generally speaking, when combined with Spleen-tonifying herbs, it strengthens the Spleen; when combined with Liver-tonifying herbs, it benefits the Liver; when combined with Kidney-tonifying herbs, it nourishes the Kidney.

Sha Ren (Amomi Fructus Rotundus), acrid and bitter in flavor, warm in nature, non-toxic. It enters the Spleen, Lung, Bladder, Large Intestine, and Small Intestine meridians. It stops hiccups and vomiting, eliminates cholera-like symptoms, relieves nausea, soothes abdominal pain, warms the Spleen and Stomach, treats deficiency-cold diarrhea, resolves retained food, stops chronic dysentery, and has a good effect on calming the fetus. However, it should only be used as an assistant herb to move stagnant Qi, and the dosage should not be excessive. It is excellent for use in deficiency-tonifying pills, as it assists other tonifying herbs in promoting the unobstructed flow of Qi and Blood.
One might ask: Sha Ren is a digestive herb; placing it in deficiency-tonifying formulas seems inappropriate. Why is it said to be excellent? One must understand that tonifying herbs have heavy flavors. Without the aid of digestive herbs, they may be too cloying, potentially hindering the opening of the stomach appetite. Adding Sha Ren revives the Qi of the Spleen and Stomach, allowing tonifying herbs to be digested more effectively, making the generation of Essence and Qi easier.
One might ask: The fragrance of Sha Ren enters the Spleen, and its acridity moistens the Kidney. When deficient Qi fails to return to its origin, it cannot be guided without this herb, arguably causing less harm than the heat toxicity of Gui Zhi (Cinnamon Twig) and Fu Zi (Aconite Root). The response is: This shows a lack of understanding of Sha Ren. Sha Ren enters only the Spleen, not the Kidney. It can guide Kidney-tonifying herbs into the Spleen, but it is incorrect to claim that all tonifying herbs must rely on Sha Ren to guide them from the Spleen to the Kidney. *Shennong Bencao Jing* does not state that it enters the Kidney; it merely states that it treats deficiency-cold diarrhea. Cold diarrhea can specifically belong to the Spleen; how can one say that all Spleen cold is Kidney cold?

Rou Dou Kou (Myristicae Semen), bitter and acrid in flavor, warm in nature, non-toxic. Also known as Rou Guo. It enters the Heart, Spleen, and Large Intestine meridians. It treats abdominal distension and pain, stops cholera-like symptoms, regulates Spleen and Stomach deficiency-cold, resolves retained food, and specifically warms the fire of the Pericardium (Xin Bao). Therefore, it also enters the Dan Zhong (Chest Center) and Stomach meridians. However, it can only stop diarrhea caused by lower-jiao cold, not dysentery caused by lower-jiao heat. Previous *Bencao* texts often believed it was effective for treating bloody dysentery but did not mention its ability to stop diarrhea and dysentery. Diarrhea varies: pain and diarrhea occurring five or six times during the early morning hours (Wu Geng), but no diarrhea during the day, is called Da Jia Xie (Great Mass Diarrhea). Da Jia Xie is also known as Kidney Diarrhea. Kidney Diarrhea occurs because the Ming Men (Gate of Life) lacks fire to generate Spleen Earth. During the Wu Geng period (Hai and Zi hours), which corresponds to the peak time of Kidney Qi, if Kidney fire is weak, it cannot generate Earth, leading to diarrhea. Therefore, for Da Jia disease, one must tonify the fire of the Ming Men; once the fire is strong, the Earth will naturally become firm. Rou Dou Kou is not a herb that tonifies the Ming Men. However, since the fire of the Ming Men connects upward, if the fire of the Pericardium is not strong, the Ming Men will become even weaker. Thus, to tonify the Ming Men, one must first tonify the Pericardium. Dan Zhong is the Pericardium; it is one substance with two names. By tonifying the fire of the Pericardium, Rou Dou Kou is essentially tonifying the Ming Men. Moreover, regulating Spleen and Stomach deficiency-cold is its specialty. When the Ming Men is strong and the Spleen and Stomach are freed from deficiency-cold, the Spleen and Stomach, aided by Kidney Qi, are sufficient to separate the clear from the turbid and eliminate dampness, preventing recurrence of diarrhea at dawn.
One might ask: You omit discussing Rou Dou Kou's ability to open the stomach and digest food, yet instead speak of its ability to stop Da Jia diarrhea. Is this not ignoring the near to discuss the far? The response is: The Da Jia diarrhea precisely illustrates Rou Dou Kou's ability to open the stomach and digest food. If the fire of the Ming Men is not strong, the Yin-cold of the Lower Jiao cannot steam and rot food and water. Since the lower part cannot digest, diarrhea results. Prolonged diarrhea leads to the loss of Yin. When Yin is lost, the Kidney cannot interact with the Pericardium, and the Pericardium becomes cold. When the Pericardium is cold, fire cannot generate the Stomach, and the Stomach becomes cold. When the Stomach is cold, Stomach Qi becomes feeble, and it cannot digest food. Rou Dou Kou warms and tonifies the Ming Men and unblocks the Pericardium. With the mutual generation of fire above and below, watery diarrhea stops, and Spleen and Stomach Qi naturally opens. Digestion occurs spontaneously without seeking it. By stating it stops Kidney diarrhea, the aspect of opening the stomach and digesting food is included; why need further explanation?
One might ask: Rou Dou Kou warms the Stomach and strengthens the Spleen, warms the Kidney and stops diarrhea, so it is included in Si Shen Wan (Four Spirits Pill) to treat diarrhea caused by Spleen and Kidney deficiency-cold. Yet, it is effective in some cases and ineffective in others. What is the reason? Generally, diarrhea due to Kidney deficiency involves cold of the Ming Men. However, there are cases where Kidney deficiency causes diarrhea not due to Ming Men cold. In such cases, taking Si Shen Wan may反而 cause a sensation of heaviness in the rectum (Hou Zhong). While Kidney deficiency invariably involves cold, and cold causes diarrhea, what causes diarrhea when there is no cold? It is due to excessive alcohol consumption combined with sexual excess, causing damp-heat/wetness to enter the Kidney, thus causing diarrhea. If Rou Dou Kou is used to treat this condition, how can it achieve rapid efficacy as it does for Kidney cold?