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Buckwheat

The flavor is sweet, the nature is neutral and cold. It is non-toxic. Also known as "Wu Mai" (Black Wheat), it is sown in autumn and harvested in winter. After being sun-dried until the grains open, they are pounded to remove the husk, yielding cooked rice that can be steamed for meals. It can also be ground into flour for various dietary uses. It benefits qi and strength, sustains spirit, refines turbid waste (eliminating stagnation accumulated in the intestines and stomach over a year), and strengthens the gastrointestinal tract. When consumed by those taking mineral pills (Dan Shi), it resolves dryness and toxicity. Consumed with pork or mutton, it may cause hair loss from the beard and eyebrows. Long-term consumption should be avoided as it generates wind and causes dizziness. The leaves, when cooked as vegetables, benefit the ears and eyes and help descend qi; the stalks, when burned to ash and leached with water, are highly effective for washing sores on cattle and horses. Alchemists often harvest it to boil powder frost.

Foxtail Millet

Fresh millet tastes salty, while aged millet tastes bitter. Its nature is neutral and slightly cold. It is non-toxic. It is grown everywhere, especially abundant in northern regions. Daily pounding yields grain called "Xiao Mi" (Small Millet). Zhu Danxi stated it belongs to Water and Earth, thus used to nourish the Kidney and regulate the Spleen. One must distinguish between fresh and aged to achieve efficacy. Fresh millet nourishes Kidney Qi without depletion, removes Spleen Heat, and commonly benefits the Zhongwan point; aged millet stops diarrhea and dysentery through separation and infiltration, clears Stomach Heat, greatly resolves thirst, pounds into powder to regulate qi and stop food stagnation, still stops vomiting and nausea; steamed into dried rations for heat and thirst, further solidifies the Large Intestine. The wash water treats cholera with muscle spasms, drinking several cups at once leads to immediate recovery. Sour wash water removes irritability and thirst, drives out heat, and acid wash water cures sores and scabies, killing parasites. Glutinous millet is harvested slightly later, after planting Sorghum, which is essentially this. It resolves alternating chills and fever, benefits the intestines and stomach, kills scabies toxins, and treats lacquer poisoning. Cooking porridge or rice is very sticky, making maltose or wine is excellent. However, it generates wind and obstructs qi, so excessive consumption is strictly inadvisable. Another variety, Shu Mi (Sorghum), is sweet and warm, with stems resembling millet but not being millet. Planted during Great Heat, hence named Shu. Brewing wine and making maltose is similar to glutinous millet. Suitable for Lung diseases (Sun Simiao said: "It is the grain of the Lung"), it benefits qi and tonifies the middle. Excessive consumption dulls the five Zang organs, causing excessive sleepiness; long-term consumption relaxes sinews and bones, severing pulses. Children eating too much find walking difficult; cats and dogs eating it suffer sudden leg deviation. If used for sustenance, one must beware of these contraindications. Similar varieties include Qing Liang (Green Grain), Bai Liang (White Grain), and Huang Liang (Yellow Grain). Their flavors are all sweet and slightly warm, grains slightly larger than millet. Eaten in summer for refreshment, hence named "Liang". Ancient texts refer to families of "Gao Liang" (rich diet) due to delicious taste and rich nourishment. However, it depletes soil fertility and has low yield, so few people plant it. It regulates the stomach and harmonizes the spleen, with power double that of other grains. Green and white varieties are slightly inferior, only similar to Shu. Northerners call it Wu, Southerners call it [Name missing]. Farmers do not value it highly, planting only sparingly for famine years. Cooked rice is not sticky, yet benefits the spleen and stomach. (Mo) notes: Nature's five grains all nourish humans. None benefit the stomach and tonify the spleen more than Jing Rice and Millet. Daily consumption truly determines life and death. This is because they obtain the most balanced qi of heaven and earth, equal to the creative power of nature. Unlike other things, they cannot be fully described by words. Thus, southerners eat Jing Rice as a staple, northerners do not lack Millet. Although it is said that local planting suits the climate, it is fundamentally based on this principle.