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The treatment of plague, although prioritizing the use of medicinal herbs, must also strictly observe dietary and behavioral taboos. Ignorance of what is appropriate prevents rapid recovery; ignorance of what is forbidden only serves to aggravate the disease. Herein, several specific items regarding what is appropriate and what is forbidden are listed below, so that patients' families and physicians may have guidelines to follow, ensuring that prescriptions are effective and care causes no harm.

Incense should not be burned in the bedroom; only Jiangxiang (Aquilaria sinensis) should be burned. (Various incenses are dry and acrid; Aquilaria sinensis dispels evil pathogens.) Exposure to sunlight should be avoided. (Sunlight represents true Yang fire.) Exposure to lamplight should be avoided. (Generally, due to the nature of fire.) Sleeping should take place close to the ground; in southern regions, one may sleep directly on floorboards with a mat spread out. (This follows the principle of aligning with Yin and distancing from heat.) Bedding should not be too warm; it is better to be slightly thin, but the feet should always be kept warm. Wearing a hat is unnecessary. Regarding wind, some should be avoided and some should not. (Wind can dissipate heat and provide cooling, possessing the function of cleansing epidemic toxins; it is an excellent remedy for plague patients. There is no need to hide behind curtains in a sealed room. If the patient expresses a desire not to see wind, avoiding it is acceptable.) One must avoid anger and indignation. (To be abstained from during illness and convalescence.) Food intake should not exceed satiety. (To be abstained from during illness and convalescence.) Consumption of meat and fish is particularly taboo. (During illness and convalescence.) Sexual intercourse is taboo. (After illness.) Mental and physical exertion is taboo. (After illness.) The tongue should be scraped with honey to disperse fire. (Moisten with honey before scraping.) For half a month after recovery, leeks (Allium tuberosum) must not be eaten. (Consumption triggers relapse.) Drinking distilled liquor (Baijiu) is taboo. Traveling by cart on land routes is prohibited. (Vibration exacerbates the condition, leading to untreatable deterioration. Stillness is preferred over movement.) Taking cold water baths after recovery damages the Pericardium (Xinbao).

I have heard that the origins of spiritual talismans stem from Hetu and Luoshu, and the meaning of divine spells resides in curses, as recorded in classics, shining brightly like the sun and stars. As for the immortals of Buddhism, they regard talismans and spells as their core essence. By mystically elucidating them, one can ascend to immortality; how much more so can they be used to expel disease? Herein, several tested and effective examples are respectfully recorded to supplement where herbal medicine falls short. These are all derived from Buddhist sutras and Daoist canon, and are not comparable to heretical doctrines.

Chi Ling Talisman (Red Spirit Talisman)
Baopuzi states: On the fifth day, write the Chi Ling Talisman with cinnabar and place it on the chest to dispel plague and hundred diseases. (Wear on the first day of the first lunar month.)
[Image: Form of Chi Ling Talisman]

Bi Wen Shen Zhou (Plague-Avoiding Divine Spell)
Mani (pronounced Hong) Pan Chi
When epidemic plagues prevail, write this spell with cinnabar on yellow paper, carry it on your person, and recite this divine spell occasionally to ward off evil pathogens and epidemics. For plague patients who, after sweating, hallucinate spirits and gods, speak deliriously, and cannot sleep, writing this spell with cinnabar and wearing it yields miraculous effects.

Yu Wen Fu Zhou (Plague-Defying Talisman and Spell)
The Outline of the Supreme Pure Way Plague-Defying Scripture states: Heaven and Earth are impartial, molding all things, originally having no good or evil; yet humans are selfish. Thus disasters arise. Dietary taboos are ignored, medication is taken at improper times, goodness is unheard of, and faults are numerous. The deities of punishment observe this and distribute toxic vapors. Once illness sets in, if one does not realize their transgressions and fails to protect themselves, instead blaming the Daoist priest, the illness worsens. Generally, seasonal regulation must be moderate. Medication and breathing exercises generate righteous Qi (Zhengqi). I possess divine talismans for you to wear and recite, which will help avoid such calamities, along with secret spells. If one can fast and recite daily, divine generals will guard day and night. The hundred spirits of plague toxin will know he is a disciple of the Supreme Elder, fearing and respecting him. Reciting up to one hundred times causes a hundred ghosts to shatter their heads and scatter. The spell says: HT (pronounced Na). Mu Hun (HT pronounced Ma. HT pronounced Lyu. HT . pronounced Xin.)
Jiu Tian Gao Ming Da Shi Shen Gong Miao Ji Zhen Jun Qu Wen Qian Wen Xiao Zai Zhen Fu (The True Talisman of the High Envoy of the Nine Heavens, Great Deity, Wonderful Salvation, True Lord, to Drive Away Plague, Dispatch Epidemic, and Eliminate Disaster). (Read the twenty characters as one sentence.)
Write the talisman with cinnabar on yellow silk. Form the Five Thunder Mudra (Wu Lei Jue) with the left hand, raise the brush with the right hand, and chant: Dongtian Chiwen, Danling Yaoxu, Quwen Shedou, Fengming Tianshu, Jinlu Yujian, Weigui Xi qu, Taishang Youchi, Yuanjun Anju, Jiji ru Taixu Ziqing Lüling Chi.
[Image: Form of Plague-Avoiding Talisman]

Poem on Auspicious and Inauspicious Days for Sending Off Plague Spirits
On Jiazi days, sending off the spirit allows it to depart; on Yichou days, sending brings loss and misfortune. On Guisi days, sending off the spirit does not cure the illness; on Jiawu days, loss occurs without need for detail.
On Bingyin days, send towards the South; after sending off plague, prosperity prevails. On Yiwu, Bingshen, and Dingyou days, sending results in the spirit returning home.
Sending on Dingmao and Wuchen days is definitely inauspicious; on Jisi days, the South route is clear for thousands of miles. On Wuxu and Jihai days, the spirit leaves partially; on Gengzi and Xinchou days, it does not return west.
Gengwu and Xinwei days harm lives; Renshen and Guiyou days do not leave traces. On Renyin days, the spirit does not depart; on Guimao days, it is auspicious, bringing eternal safety.
On Jiaxu days, great disaster must be endured; on Yiha and Bingzi days, send West. On Jiachen and Yisi days, three mouths suffer loss; on Bingwu and Dingwei days, traveling South is beneficial.
Send far away on Dingchou and Wuyin days; on Jimao days, go straight and do not return home. On Wushen days, the spirit turns back; on Jiyu and Gengxu days, departure is certain.
Sending on Gengchen and Xinsi days is highly auspicious; sending on Renwu and Guiwei days reaches Xi'an. On Xinhai, Renzi, and Guichou days, illness remains as on Jiayin and Yimao days.
On Jiashen, Yiyu, and Bingxu days, once plague is sent off, it does not return. On Bingchen and Dingsi days, it does not return; on Wuwu days, sending brings illness back to stay.
Sending on Dinghai days leaves the illness unchanged; on Wuzi and Jichou days, traveling West is suitable. Sending off plague on Jiiwei days harms population; do not use Gengshen and Xinyou days.
On Gengyin, Ximao, and Renchén days, sending off plague leads to unrest. Renxu and Guihai days are generally unsuitable; abide by the immortal's verbal instructions.
For households infected with plague, according to the favorable days in the Sexagenary cycle, if there is a direction, send incense and paper offerings in that direction. If there is no direction, sending off randomly is highly auspicious.