气味辛、甘、温，无毒。主化水谷宿食，症结积聚，健脾暖胃。（《药性》）
陈修园曰∶凡曲 皆主化谷，谷积服此便消。或鼻中如闻酒香，药性所言主治，亦不外
此。
症结积聚者，水谷之积久而成也。健脾暖胃者，化水谷之效也。除化水谷之外，并无他长。
今人以之常服，且云祛百病，怪甚！考造曲之法；六月六日，是六神聚会之曰，用白曲百斤
，青蒿、苍耳、野蓼各自然汁三斤，杏仁研泥、赤小豆为末各三升，以配青龙、白虎、朱雀
、元武、勾陈、 蛇六神，通和作饼，麻叶或楮叶包 ，如造酱黄法，待生黄衣，晒干收之
。陈久者良。药用六种，以配六神聚会之日， 发黄衣作曲，故名六神曲。今人除去“六”
字，只名神曲，任意加至数十味，无非克破之药，大伤元气，且有百草神曲，害人更甚！近
日通行福建神曲，其方于六神本方中，去赤小豆，恶其易蛀，加五苓散料、平胃散料及麦芽
，谷芽、使君子、榧子、大黄、黄芩、大腹皮、砂仁、白蔻、丁香、木香、藿香、香附、良
姜、芍药、防风、秦艽、羌活、独活、川芎、苏叶、荆芥、防己、党参、茯苓、莱菔子、苡
米、木通、茶叶、干姜、干葛、枳壳、山楂、槟榔、青皮、木瓜、薄荷、蝉蜕、桃仁、红花
、三棱、莪术、郁金、葛蒲、柴胡、菊花等为末，制为方块，以草 发黄衣晒干。此方杂乱
无序，误人匪浅，而竟盛行一时者，皆误信招牌上夸张等语。而惯以肥甘自奉之辈，单服此
克化之品，未尝不通快一时，而损伤元气，人自不觉。若以入方，则古人之方，立法不苟，
岂堪此杂乱之药，碍此碍彼乎？且以药末合五谷， 造发黄而为曲，只取其速于酿化，除消
导之外，并无他长，何以统治百病？且表散之品，因 发而失其辛香之气；攻坚之品，以
发而失其雄入之权。补养之药，气味中和，以 发而变为臭腐秽浊之物，伤脾妨胃，更不待
言。明者自知。余临证二十年，而泉州一带，先救误服神曲之害者，十居其七。如感冒病，
宜审经以发散，若服神曲，则里气以攻伐而虚，表邪随虚而入里矣。伤食新病，宜助胃以克
化；伤食颇久，宜承气以攻下。若服神曲，则酿成甜酸秽腐之味，滞于中焦，漫无出路，则
为恶心胀痛矣。吐泻是阴阳之不交，泄泻是水谷不分，赤白痢是湿热下注，噎隔是贲门干槁
，翻胃是命门火衰，痰饮是水气泛溢，与神曲更无干涉；若误服之，轻则致重，重则致死，
可不慎哉！（唯“范志”字号药品精，制法妙，余与吴先生名条光同年，因知其详。可恨市
中
多假其字号，宜细辨之。）
The flavor is pungent, sweet, and warm; it is non-toxic. It primarily transforms water and grain undigested food, treats accumulations and masses, strengthens the spleen, and warms the stomach. (From *Yaoxing Lun*)
Chen Xiuyuan said: All types of Qu (fermented grain products) primarily serve to digest grains; if there is a grain accumulation, taking this medicine will cause it to dissipate. Some patients may smell wine in their nose after taking the medicine; the therapeutic indications mentioned for this drug do not go beyond this scope.
Accumulations and masses refer to stagnations of water and grain that have persisted for a long time. Strengthening the spleen and warming the stomach refers to the effect of transforming water and grain. Apart from transforming water and grain, it has no other merits.
Nowadays, people use it as a daily tonic and claim it can dispel a hundred diseases, which is bizarre! Examining the method of making Qu: On the sixth day of the sixth lunar month, which is considered the gathering day of the Six Deities, one uses 100 jin of white Qu, three jin of fresh juice from Qinghao (Artemisiae Annuae Herba), Cang'er (Xanthii Fructus), and Yeliao (Polygoni Hydropiperis Herba), three sheng of almond paste, and three sheng of powder from Chi Xiaodou (Vigna umbellata Seed). These are combined to correspond to the Six Deities: Qinglong (Azure Dragon), Baihu (White Tiger), Zhuque (Vermilion Bird), Xuanwu (Black Tortoise), Gouchen (Hooked Chen), and Tengshe (Coiling Serpent). They are mixed into cakes, wrapped in Hemp Leaf or Paper Mulberry Leaf, similar to the method of making soybean paste. After yellow mold grows, they are dried and stored. Aged Qu is superior. The use of six medicinal ingredients corresponds to the gathering day of the Six Deities; the fermentation produces yellow mold, hence the name Liushen Qu (Six Deities Qu). Nowadays, people remove the character "Six" and simply call it Shen Qu (Divine Qu), arbitrarily adding dozens of herbs. These are nothing but drugs that break and attack, severely damaging Yuan Qi (Original Qi). There are even so-called Baicao Shen Qu (Hundred Herbs Divine Qu), which are even more harmful!
The Fujian Shen Qu currently popularized modifies the original Liushen Qu formula by removing Chi Xiaodou (to prevent insect infestation) and adding ingredients from Wuling San (Five-Ingredient Powder with Poria), Pingwei San (Powder to Maintain Stability), along with Maiya (Hordei Fructus Germinatus), Guya (Oryzae Fructus Germinatus), Shijunzi (Quisqualis Fructus), Feizi (Torreya Grandis Seed), Dahuang (Rhei Radix et Rhizoma), Huangqin (Scutellariae Radix), Dafupi (Arecae Pericarpium), Sharen (Amomi Fructus), Baokou (Amomi Rotundus Fructus), Dingxiang (Caryophylli Flos), Muxiang (Aucklandiae Radix), Huoxiang (Agastaches Herba), Xiangfu (Cyperi Rhizoma), Liangjiang (Alpiniae Officinarum Rhizoma), Shaoyao (Paeoniae Radix), Fangfeng (Saposhnikoviae Radix), Qinjiao (Gentianae Macrophyllae Radix), Qianghuo (Notopterygii Rhizoma et Radix), Duhuo (Angelicae Pubescentis Radix), Chuanxiong (Ligustici Chuanxiong Rhizoma), Ziye (Perillae Folium), Jingjie (Schizonepetae Herba), Fangji (Stephaniae Tetrandrae Radix), Dangshen (Codonopsis Radix), Fuling (Poria), Laifuzi (Radish Seed), Yimi (Coicis Semen), Mutong (Akebiae Caulis), Cha Ye (Camelliae Sinensis Folium), Ganjiang (Zingiberis Rhizoma), Gange (Puerariae Lobatae Radix), Zhiqiao (Aurantii Fructus), Shanzha (Crataegi Fructus), Binglang (Areca Seed), Qingpi (Citri Reticulatae Pericarpium Viride), Mugua (Chaenomelis Fructus), Bohe (Menthae Haplocalycis Herba), Chantui (Cicadae Periostracum), Taoren (Persicae Semen), Honghua (Carthami Flos), Sanleng (Sparganii Rhizoma), Ezhu (Curcumae Longae Rhizoma), Yujin (Curcumae Radix), Shichangpu (Acori Tatarinowii Rhizoma), Chaihu (Bupleuri Radix), and Juhua (Chrysanthemi Flos). These are ground into powder, formed into blocks, covered with grass to ferment until yellow mold appears, and then dried. This formula is chaotic and disordered, misleading people significantly, yet it became popular for a time due to exaggerated claims on signs. Those accustomed to rich and sweet diets take these digestive and attacking agents alone; while they may feel temporarily relieved, they damage Yuan Qi without realizing it. If included in prescriptions, how can ancient formulas, established with rigorous principles, tolerate such chaotic medications interfering with each other? Moreover, mixing herb powders with five grains and fermenting them into Qu only aims at rapid transformation. Apart from promoting digestion and guiding out stagnation, it has no other merits. How can it govern a hundred diseases? Furthermore, exterior-releasing herbs lose their pungent and aromatic properties through fermentation; hard-drilling and breaking herbs lose their vigorous penetrating power through fermentation. Tonifying herbs, originally with balanced flavors, become foul, putrid, and turbid substances through fermentation, injuring the spleen and hindering the stomach, which goes without saying. Wise people know this. In my twenty years of clinical practice, in the Quanzhou area, seven out of ten cases I treated first were due to the harm caused by mistakenly taking Shen Qu. For example, in colds, one should diagnose the meridian and release the exterior; if Shen Qu is taken, the interior Qi becomes deficient due to attacking, allowing exterior pathogens to enter the interior. For new food stagnation, one should assist the Stomach Qi to digest; for prolonged food stagnation, one should use Chengqi Tang (Stomach-Clearing Decoction) to purge downward. If Shen Qu is taken, it ferments into sweet, sour, foul, and putrid tastes, stagnating in the Middle Jiao with no exit, leading to nausea, distension, and pain. Vomiting and diarrhea result from the failure of Yin and Yang to interact; loose stools result from the inability to distinguish between water and grain; red and white dysentery results from damp-heat pouring downward; dysphagia results from dryness and withering of the cardia; regurgitation results from the decline of Mingmen Fire (Gate of Life Fire); phlegm-fluid retention results from the overflow of water-Qi. None of these have any relation to Shen Qu; if mistakenly taken, mild cases become severe, and severe cases lead to death. Can one not be cautious? (Only the "Fan Zhi" brand medicines are refined and excellently manufactured. I was a fellow graduate with Mr. Wu Mingtiaoguang, so I know the details. It is regrettable that many fake brands circulate in the market; one must discriminate carefully.)