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Chestnut (Castanea mollissima)
Taste: salty. Nature: warm. Category: Water and Earth. Non-toxic. The chestnuts from Fan Yang in Puyang are the most unique, while those from Yanzhou and Xuanzhou are particularly superior. Although produced elsewhere, their taste is generally inferior. Harvested in autumn for storage; both dried and fresh forms can be used as desired.
To prepare dried chestnuts, sun-dry them until all moisture is eliminated; (stored in bags and dried by wind, this method is especially excellent.) To preserve fresh chestnuts, store them in sand to maintain freshness continuously. Steamed and cooked chestnuts obstruct Qi flow and cause stagnation in the chest and diaphragm; raw consumption generates Qi depletion and parasites. Dried chestnuts consumed promote Qi descent and provide nourishment. Excessive consumption by children may inhibit tooth eruption. It specifically enters the Kidney Meridian and is capable of treating Kidney diseases. It strengthens the waist and limbs, enhances strength, thickens the stomach and intestines, and increases endurance against hunger. Chewing raw and applying it to fractured or painful bones and tendons (effective for fractures and breaks) reduces swelling and eliminates blood stasis with miraculous efficacy. Those suffering from Wind-Water edema must strictly avoid contact with the lips. For medicinal use, only the kernel inside a husk containing three seeds is valid; split open to take the single central kernel. Applied externally for scrofula (lymph node tuberculosis) masses to dissipate blood stasis, and regulates bone-tendon Wind pathologies to stop pain.
The hairy shell (spiny outer husk) treated with fire ash is applied externally for carbuncles, sores, and erysipelas. The red shell treats regurgitation and thirst when decocted and drunk. Grinding the thin skin near the flesh and mixing with honey and applying to the face yields miraculous results for sudden cold contraction of facial muscles. Decoction of the white inner bark treats poison from sand leeches and stream toxins. Several smaller varieties are also listed with their names. True Chestnuts are common in river and lake regions, with round seeds resembling pea grains. Shen Chestnuts originate from Guiyang, with fruits as large as apricot kernels. ("As stated in the *Classic of Poetry*: 'Planting Shen and Chestnut trees' refers to this.") Maoli Chestnuts grow throughout Jiangnan, resembling chestnuts but rounder and finer. Xuanli Chestnuts are produced only north of the Yangtze River, with a round apex and pointed tip. Gouli is commonly known as Sweet Chu (Sweet Castanopsis), (also called Chaogouzi), which thickens the stomach and intestines and fleshes the body. Zhu Chestnut is often bitterly referred to as Chu by people, stopping diarrhea and dysentery while promoting mobility. Making powder from it is also excellent, cooling the Heart and benefiting the Stomach. Decoction of skins and leaves in water can be tasted/taken to treat persistent postpartum hemorrhage.

Pomegranate (Punica granatum)
Taste: sweet, sour. Non-toxic. The original species originated from the Western Regions, brought back by Zhang Qian during his diplomatic missions. Planted in gardens everywhere as ornamentation. Flowers that are red yield fruits with a sweet taste, suitable as fruit accompaniment for wine; flowers that are white yield fruits with a sour taste, suitable for medicinal rescue. Consuming the arils generates body fluids and greatly relieves thirst. Overconsumption damages teeth causing blackening, and also harms the Lungs, so prevention is necessary. The peel is also a single-herb prescription capable of securing essence and stopping leakage. It treats pain caused by Wind pathogens in bones and tendons, and is suitable for decoction for inability to walk due to foot and knee issues; it is suitable for washing to treat red eyes and flowing cold tears. It can also dye hair white/black and still treats dental caries caused by worms. Powdered petals blown into the nose immediately stop epistaxis (nosebleeds) with miraculous efficacy. If metal weapon wounds are not healed, mix with calcined alum (Duan Shi) and apply externally. Additionally, the root growing eastward, taking the bark and decocting it strongly, kills tapeworms (Inermicapsifer) and roundworms (Ascaris) excellently.
(Chen Jiamo) Commentary: Zhu Danxi said: "Liu" (Pomegranate) implies "staying/retaining". Taste is sour, nature is stagnant/cloying. The juice can linger in the chest and diaphragm forming phlegm, so patients should indeed abstain. However, observing the claims of damaging teeth and harming the Lungs, even ordinary people suffer harm from excessive consumption, let alone patients?