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Xie (Allium macrostemon)
Taste: Pungent, Bitter. Temperature: Warm. Non-toxic. Red and white varieties are distinct species, commonly cultivated in gardens. The white variety is pungent but not considered "meaty" or strong; the red variety is both bitter and tasteless. Its leaves resemble those of Chinese chives (Jiucai), being slightly broader and smoother. Hence, the ancient saying about "Xie dew" implies that its surface is too smooth to retain moisture/dew easily. *Qianjin Fang* treats pulmonary asthma with urgency by utilizing its slippery and purgative properties. It enters the Yangming Hand-Fu organ (Large Intestine). It is quite beneficial for patients, though it should be consumed sparingly after cooking. It dispels cold and heat, harmonizes the middle jiao, removes fluid retention, and dissipates nodules. It enhances cold resistance, stops coldness, reduces fat, and strengthens the body. It primarily treats chronic leukorrhea in women, and dysentery with tenesmus in the elderly and children. For sores affected by wind-cold and edema, applying freshly crushed hot poultice brings immediate recovery. It also treats burns, scalds, and metal wounds; mixing with honey and crushing for application leads to healing. It is suitable to eat during the New Year to ward off pestilence and drive away evil qi. Consuming it with beef may lead to the formation of masses and accumulations. Eating it raw induces rhinorrhea and salivation; excessive consumption risks heat invasion. If fish bones are stuck in the throat, eating it cooked helps them pass.

(Garlic)
Taste: Pungent. Temperature: Very Warm. Element: Fire. Toxic. The larger ones are called Hu, mostly grown in gardens; the smaller ones are named Suan, naturally produced in mountains. Harvested at the Dragon Boat Festival, they have a very pungent and foul odor. As a vegetable, it affects the five zang organs; for medicinal use, single-clove garlic is selected. Combined with Huanglian Wan, it treats intestinal wind; added to Pingwei San, it treats hiccups/qi stagnation. Inserted into both nostrils, it extracts fish bones stuck in the throat; placed on foul meat, it masks the rotten smell so it cannot be smelled. It disperses warts and sores, eliminates chronic malaria and abdominal masses. It wards off plague miasma and pestilence, and counters snake and dog bites. For sudden cold pain in the Zhongwan region, chewing it provides relief; for sudden heat toxicity during travel, it can dispel it. For early-stage carbuncles and ulcers, apply thick slices urgently. If painful, moxa until pain ceases; if painless, moxa until pain arises. Continuous burning of moxa cones is better in greater amounts. For uncontrolled epistaxis, crush quickly into a paste. Apply to the left sole if bleeding from the left nostril, to the right sole if from the right. If both nostrils bleed, apply to both soles. It also resolves gu poison, kills parasites, transforms meat accumulations, and aids digestion. Eating it raw damages liver qi and eyesight; long-term consumption harms spleen and lung qi and induces phlegm.
Suan (Garlic)
Also Pungent and Warm, effectively treats chicken accumulation (ji jia). Removes stream toxins and harmful sand lice, halts cholera-like vomiting, diarrhea, and muscle cramps.
(Chen Jiamo) Commentary: Danxi stated: Hu and Suan belong to Fire, with a Hot nature. They effectively disperse and relieve chest fullness, hence people enjoy eating them, especially in summer months. The disaster of damaging spleen and qi will manifest over time. The claim that it transforms meat accumulations is not credible. Those interested in health preservation should be alert to this.