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(Compendium of Materia Medica)
[Collected Explanations] Li Shizhen said: According to Tao Zongyi's *Chuo Geng Lu* (Records of Stopping the Plough), in the Tianfang Kingdom (Arabian region), there were people aged seventy or eighty who wished to sacrifice their bodies to benefit the public. They completely abstained from food and drink, only bathing and consuming honey. After a month, their urine and feces became honey. Upon death, the locals buried them in stone coffins, still filling them with honey for immersion, inscribing the year on the coffin, and interring them. After waiting a hundred years before opening the seal, they would become honey-preserved agents. When encountering someone with fractured limbs, taking a small amount would lead to immediate recovery. Although not common even in that region, they are also called "Honey Men." This is what Mr. Tao recorded; it is unknown if this is true. It is tentatively attached to the end of the volume to await verification by learned scholars.

(Compendium of Materia Medica)
Li Shizhen said: Humans inherit nature from Heaven and Earth, and their forms are confined by Qi. Having two eyes facing forward and two feet, although generally similar; the local climate and customs naturally differ. Therefore, lice living on heads are black, while pigs residing in Liaodong are white. Those who consume aquatic food have a fishy smell, while those who eat grass-eating animals have a muttony smell. Those eating rich foods versus coarse vegetables have intestines and stomachs worlds apart; those wearing coarse cloth versus silk have skin textures like jade and stone. Residence and nurturing shift the body; the inability to be uniform is also a natural trend. Thus, across the Nine Provinces, water and soil differ, and the people growing up there have distinct Qi and breath. Therefore, collecting information on people from various regions is attached at the end of the section for medical diagnosis reference. The East: Coastal and near waters, a land of fish and salt. The people eat fish and love salty flavors, having black skin and loose pores. Diseases are mostly sores and ulcers; treatment is suitable with Bian stones (stone needles). The West: Mountainous with much wind, water and soil are rigid and strong. The people do not wear fine clothes but coarse hemp and straw mats, eating luxurious food and being fat. Diseases arise internally; treatment is suitable with Du Yao (medicinal substances with strong properties/toxins). The North: High ground and hills, cold wind and ice. The people live in the wild and eat dairy. Diseases are coldness in the zang organs causing fullness; treatment is suitable with Moxibustion (Jiu Zhuo). The South: Low ground, weak water and soil, gathering fog and dew. The people love sour flavors and eat fermented foods, having dense skin texture and reddish color. Diseases are mostly spasms and bi-syndrome (obstruction); treatment is suitable with Micro-needles (Wei Zhen). The Central Plains: Flat and damp. The people eat mixed diets and do not labor. Diseases are mostly flaccidity syndrome (Wu Zheng); treatment is suitable with Daoyin Anqiao (guiding and pulling exercises and massage).

(The Yellow Emperor's Inner Canon: Su Wen)
The nine provinces have different names and springs; winds and climates differ in rigidity and softness. Qingzhou: Its musical pitch is Jue and Yu, its springs taste salty and sour, its air is slow and leisurely, and its people's voices are slow. Jingyang: Its musical pitch is Jue and Zhi, its springs taste sour and bitter, its air is swift and light, and its people's voices are urgent. Liangzhou: Its musical pitch is Shang and Zhi, its springs taste bitter and pungent, its air is brave and rigid, and its people's voices are blocked/heavy. Yanyu: Its musical pitch is Gong and Zhi, its springs taste sweet and bitter, its air is calm, and its people's voices are dignified. Yongji: Its musical pitch is Shang and Yu, its springs taste pungent and salty, its air is fierce and violent, and its people's voices are quick. Xuzhou: Its musical pitch is Jue and Gong, its springs taste sour and sweet, its air is harsh and strong, and its people's voices are heroic. (From *Hetu Kuo Di Xiang*)

People in hard soil are rigid, people in weak soil are flexible, people in ruin soil are large, people in sandy soil are fine/delicate, people in fertile soil are beautiful, people in barren soil are ugly. (From *Kongzi Jiayu*) People in mountain forests are hairy and thin, obtaining more Wood Qi. People in rivers and marshes are dark and moist, obtaining more Water Qi. People in hills are round and tall, obtaining more Fire Qi. People in high plains are fair and square, obtaining more Metal Qi. People in low wetlands are plump and prone to Bi-syndrome, obtaining more Earth Qi. (From *Song Taishi Ji*) Jingzhou has one man for two women, Yangzhou has two men for five women, Qingzhou has two men for two women, Yanzhou has two men for three women, Youzhou has one man for three women, Bingshou has two men for three women, Yuzhou has two men for three women, Yongzhou has three men for two women, Jizhou has five men for three women. (From *Rites of Zhou*) Land generates humans, each responding to its type. Therefore, mountain Qi produces more men, marsh Qi produces more women, water Qi causes muteness, wind Qi causes deafness, forest Qi causes strangury, Wood Qi causes hunchback, Stone Qi gives strength, lower bank Qi causes edema, dangerous terrain Qi causes goiter, valley Qi causes Bi-syndrome, hill Qi causes madness, broad Qi causes benevolence, ridge Qi causes greed, summer heat Qi causes premature death, cold Qi causes longevity, light soil makes people agile, heavy soil makes people slow, clear water results in small voices, turbid water results in loud voices, rapid water makes people light/agile, sluggish water makes people heavy/steady, central earth produces many sages. (From *Huainanzi: Honglie Jie*)