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The *Neijing* (Yellow Emperor's Inner Canon) states: "All dryness, withering, drying up, stiffness, and cracking of the skin belong to Dryness." This is the qi of Yangming Dryness Metal (the Lung and Large Intestine). Diseases caused by Dryness all belong to the transformation of Dryness Metal. However, what causes Metal to become dry is Fire; therefore, it is said that among all things that dry out the world, none is greater than Fire. Metal is the master of Yin and the source of Water. When it receives Dryness qi, the source of Cold Water's generation and transformation at the upper jiao becomes exhausted and cut off, unable to irrigate the whole body and nourish the bones and muscles. Consequently, the complexion becomes dry without luster, the skin lacks moisture, and hair fails to grow; this has its origins. Whether due to excessive purging after a severe illness, loss of Jin-Ye (body fluids) from vomiting and diarrhea, accidental ingestion of mineral drugs for health preservation, deficiency resulting from sexual exhaustion, taking drying tonics to supplement deficiency, overly strong flavors in diet, excessive spicy and hot foods, pure wine, or roasted meats—all these can bias and assist raging Fire, damaging True Yin. Fire lurking within Yin slowly cauterizes day by day, depleting blood and essence, making Dryness-Heat even more severe and causing various diseases. Externally, the skin cracks; superiorly, the throat and nose become scorched and dry; centrally, body fluids decrease causing vexation and thirst; inferiorly, the intestines and stomach become withered, lacking fluid lubrication leading to difficult defecation; in the hands and feet, there is flaccidity and weakness; in the pulse, it is fine, choppy, and faint. All these result from Yin-Blood being damaged by Fire-Heat. The treatment method should employ sweet-cold moistening agents. Sweetness generates Blood, and Cold overcomes Heat. When Yin is nourished, Fire is subdued; when fluids are moistened, Dryness is eliminated. The source descends, Essence and Blood ascend to nourish; thus, Qi and fluids circulate freely, internal spirit flourishes, and external luster appears. Zaozao Yangrong Tang (Drying-Drying Nourishing Blood Decoction), Dabu Dihuang Wan (Great Tonification Rehmannia Pill), Qingliang Yinzi (Cooling Clearing Infusion), Daozhi Tongyou Tang (Guiding Stagnation Opening the Hidden Decoction), Runchang Wan (Moistening Intestine Pill), Bazheng San (Eight Correct Powders)—these are formulas and herbs used酌情 (according to symptoms) in treating Dryness diseases.

Li Dongyuan stated: The *Yin-Yang Ying-Xiang Lun* (Treatise on the Correspondence of Yin-Yang and Phenomena) says: "The cold and heat of water and grain, when perceived, harm the Six Fu organs." The *Bi Lun* (Treatise on Bi Syndrome) says: "Yin Qi, when still, preserves the Spirit in the Zang organs; when agitated, it dissipates and perishes." "If food and drink exceed normal amounts by double, the intestines and stomach are injured." This is a general statement. Divided into two, there is "Drink" (fluids) and "Food" (solids). Drink refers to water, which is formless Qi. If one drinks excessively, Qi rebels; if the body is chilled and cold drinks are taken, the Lung is injured, leading to asthma, cough, edema, or watery diarrhea. For mild cases, induce sweating and promote urination to disperse dampness from above and below. Jiecheng Tang (Resolve Intoxication Decoction), Wuling San (Five-Ling Powder), Shengjiang (Fresh Ginger), Banxia (Pinellia Rhizome), Zhishi (Immature Bitter Orange), Baizhu (Atractylodes Macrocephala Rhizome), etc., are examples. For severe cases with accumulation and fullness, use Yuanhua (Kadua Root), Daji (Euphorbia Lathyris Root), Gansui (Kansui Root), Qianniu (Pharbitis Seed) to purge downwards; this is the general principle. Food refers to substances, which are formed Blood (substance). As the *Sheng-Qi Tong-Tian Lun* (Treatise on Life Energy Connecting to Heaven) says: "If one eats until full, sinews and vessels relax horizontally, and hemorrhoids form in the intestines." It also says: "Food injury to Taiyin and Jueyin meridians, where the Cunkou pulse is two or three times larger than the Renying pulse, may present with vomiting, epigastric fullness, or diarrhea with bowel sounds. Treat according to cold/heat and severity." For mild cases, resolve internally; for severe cases, purge downwards. If injured by cold/raw foods, treat with Banxia (Pinellia Rhizome), Shenqu (Medicated Leaven), Ganjiang (Dried Ginger), Sanleng (Sparganium Rhizome), Ezhu (Curcuma Rhizome), Badou (Croton Seed). If injured by hot foods, treat with Zhishi (Immature Bitter Orange), Baizhu (Atractylodes Macrocephala Rhizome), Qingpi (Green Tangerina Peel), Chenpi (Aged Tangerina Peel), Maidong (Ophiopogon Tuber), Huanglian (Coptis Rhizome), Dahuang (Rhubarb Root). Vomiting is also indicated in some cases. The *Yin-Yang Ying-Xiang Lun* says: "For pathogens located superiorly, induce vomiting." Guadi San (Melon Pedicle Powder) is used. However, do not overdose, as excess damages the Spleen and Stomach. Since the injury was initially self-inflicted by diet, adding excessive medication further injures the intestines and stomach, preventing Qi transformation and making digestion harder, gradually leading to emaciation and fatigue. Thus, the *Wu-Chang Zheng Da Lun* (Great Treatise on the Five Regular Movements) states: "When using highly toxic drugs, stop when 60% of the disease is gone; moderately toxic, 70%; mildly toxic, 80%; non-toxic, 90%. Do not exceed these limits." This is a profound warning from the sages. Symptoms of food stagnation include epigastric stuffiness, vomiting with acid regurgitation, belching with rotten egg odor, aversion to food, headache, fever, and aversion to cold—resembling Shaoyang syndrome—but the Qikou pulse is several times larger than the Renying pulse, and the body does not ache. If there is no internal heat and the injury is from cold foods, treat with Zhizhong Tang (Regulate the Middle Decoction) plus 1 qian of Sharen (Amomum Fruit), or administer Hongwanzi (Red Pill) or Xiaoqixiang Wan (Little Fragrant Pill). If there is internal heat and injury from hot foods, use Shang'erhuang Wan (Upper Two Yellows Pill), Zhizhu Daozhi Wan (Immature Bitter Orange and Atractylodes Guiding Stagnation Pill), Tongyong Baohe Wan (Universal Preserve Harmony Pill), Zhizhu Wan (Immature Bitter Orange and Atractylodes Pill), Qu-Zhizhu Wan (Medicated Leaven-Immature Bitter Orange-Atractylodes Pill), Muxiang Zhizhu Wan (Costus Immature Bitter Orange-Atractylodes Pill), Binglang Wan (Areca Seed Pill), or Muxiang Binglang Wan (Costus Areca Seed Pill). For injuries from meat, wet dough, spicy, or rich foods causing stuffiness and mental confusion, use Sanhuang Zhizhu Wan (Three Yellows Immature Bitter Orange-Atractylodes Pill). For wet dough injury causing abdominal fullness and heavy limbs, use Chushi Yiqi Wan (Remove Dampness Tonify Qi Pill). For hot food injury causing stifling sensation, nausea, and restlessness, use Shang'erhuang Wan. For damp-heat food injury failing to transform quickly, causing fullness and agitation, use Zhizhu Daozhi Wan. For crab injury, use Zisu Dingxiang Tang (Perilla Clove Decoction). For bean curd, wet dough, or greasy food injury, use Baizhu Wan (Atractylodes Pill). For undigested dog meat causing hardness under the heart, abdominal distension, dry mouth, fever, and delirium, boil and drink Reeds (Lugen) juice. For raw fish or meat stuck in the chest/stomach forming masses, crush and drink Verbena (Mabiancao) juice mixed with Fresh Ginger (Shengjiang) juice. For cold food injury, use Banxia Zhizhu Wan; add Ze Xie (Alisma Rhizome) for dysuria; for alternating chills and fever, add 10 pills of Shang'erhuang Wan per dose, or use Muxiang Ganjiang Zhizhu Wan (Costus Dried Ginger Immature Bitter Orange-Atractylodes Pill) or Dingxiang Lanfan Wan (Clove Rotten Rice Pill). Zhang Zhongjing treated retained food in the Upper Jiao by inducing vomiting with Guadi San, avoiding immediate purgation. Pulses that are floating and large but choppy upon pressure, or faint and choppy at the Chi position, or rapid and slippery, or tight like a turning rope, along with diarrhea and anorexia, indicate retained food. Use Dachengqi Tang (Major Order the Qi Decoction) to purge. This is suitable if the patient is hot and the ingested food was hot. It is unsuitable if the patient is cold and the food was cold. Dai Yun stated: For food stagnation causing abdominal pain, distension, and constipation leading to food accumulation, take one dose of Xiaoqixiang Wan decocted with 1 cup of water and 3 slices of ginger to 80% volume, strain, and swallow with Yinggan Wan; this treats cold food injury. Generally, a tight and vigorous Qikou pulse indicates suitability for purgation. An absent Chi pulse indicates suitability for vomiting. The Classics state: "A vigorous Qikou pulse indicates food injury; the Heart and Stomach feel full, and the mouth loses taste." The mouth corresponds to Kun (Earth); the mouth reflects the Spleen, so Stomach injury leads to a tight Qikou pulse. Food injury varies in amount and severity. If the Qikou pulse is 1x stronger with 6 beats per respiration, it injures the Jueyin Meridian (mild injury); treat with Zhizhu Wan. If 2x stronger with 7 beats, it injures the Shaoyin Meridian (severe injury); treat with Xionghuang Shengbingzi (Realgar Holy Cake), Muxiang Binglang Wan, or Zhike Wan. If 3x stronger with 8-9 beats, it injures the Taiyin Meridian, causing severe stuffiness and heart/stomach pain; treat with Beiji Wan (Emergency Pill), Shenbao Wan (Spirit Treasure Pill), or Xiaoji Wan (Eliminate Accumulation Pill). Persistent nausea is colloquially called "Food Stupefaction Wind." The Classics say: "Pulse present at the upper position but absent at the lower position; if the patient should vomit but cannot, death ensues." Treat with Guadi San. If vomiting is impossible, there is no cure. The Classics say: "What is high, vent upwards," referring to this. Some ask: If food blocks the chest causing confusion, the Cun pulses should be active, yet the Chi pulses are absent. What is the reason? Answer: Food in the chest causes Liver Wood depression, requiring dispersion via vomiting. Food is Earth (Kun), associated with Foot Taiyin. The chest houses the Lung (Hand Taiyin Metal). Metal controls Wood. With Earth blocking the upper Jiao, the generating Qi of Liver Wood is suppressed underground—is this not Wood Depression? Vomiting removes the Yin-Earth substance from the Upper Jiao, allowing Wood Qi to flow freely and resolving depression. Food blocked above, pulse absent below; without understanding the Way of Heaven and Earth, this profound truth cannot be reached. Water and Fire are manifestations of Yin-Yang and aliases of Heaven-Earth. Thus, solitary Yang does not generate, solitary Yin does not grow. Heaven's function lies beneath the earth, promoting growth; Earth's function lies above heaven, promoting storage. This is Heaven-Earth interaction facilitating all things, the root connection between Heaven and Earth. Yang Fire's root is in the earth; Yin Water's source is in the heavens; hence "Water flows from high sources." The Five Zang organs govern formed substances (Yin/Water), governed by the Right Three Pulses, manifesting at the Qikou. Food blocking above cuts off the source of the Five Zang; if the source is cut, Water does not flow down, explaining the absence of Chi pulses. One must adjust based on the cold/hot nature of the ingested food. E.g., if 1 part cold food and 2 parts hot food, use 2 parts cold medicine and 1 part hot medicine, adjusting as needed. The Classics say: "First consider the annual Qi, do not violate Heavenly Harmony." Just as there are methods to purge the Three Yin, there are methods to tonify them. Hence, internal injury to the Three Yin can be treated with warm agents. If injured by cold drinks, although it damages the Stomach, without knowing the color and pulse, one cannot determine the meridian. If the face is blue-black, pulse floating/sinking irregular, wiry and weak, the injury is in the Jueyin Meridian. If red, pulse irregular, fine and faint, it is Shaoyin. If yellow and clear, pulse irregular, slow and delayed, it is Taiyin. Injury to Jueyin Liver Meridian: Danggui Sini Tang (Angelica Sinensis Freeze-Thaw Decoction) plus Wuzhuyu (Evodia Fruit) and Shengjiang (Fresh Ginger). Injury to Shaoyin Kidney Meridian: Tongmai Sini Tang (Unblock Circulation Freeze-Thaw Decoction). Injury to Taiyin Spleen Meridian: Lizhong Wan/Tang (Regulate the Middle Pill/Decoction). Loose stools require decoctions; constipation requires pills. Various Spleen pulses: slightly surging indicates injury to bitter/astringent foods (Salty overcomes Bitter); slightly wiry indicates cold/hard foods (Warmth overcomes Cold); slightly choppy indicates spicy foods (Bitterness overcomes Pungency); slightly slippery indicates fishy/salty foods (Sweetness overcomes Saltiness); wiry-tight indicates sour/hard foods (Pungency overcomes Sourness); surging-slow indicates sweet/soft foods (Sourness overcomes Sweetness); slightly delayed indicates cold-phlegm accumulations (Warm Stomach, transform phlegm). Single hidden pulse indicates indigestion (use Shenqu, Sanleng, Ezhu). Floating-surging-rapid indicates alcohol intoxication (use Gegen/Pueraria, Chenpi, Fuling). For food stagnation causing persistent diarrhea, add Roudoukou (Nutmeg) and Yizhiren (Bletilla Seed) to astringe. For food stagnation complicated by Wind-Cold, symptoms are similar but with body ache, and both Qikou and Renying pulses are vigorous (colloquially "Food-Stagnation Cold Damage"); use Shengliao Wuji San (Raw Material Five Accumulations Powder), Yangwei Tang (Nourish Stomach Decoction), Xiangsu Yin (Fragrant Perilla Infusion), or Hejie Yin (Harmonize and Resolve Infusion).

[Alcohol Injury] Nausea, vomiting old wine, dizziness, vertigo, headache as if breaking: use Chonghe Tang (Harmony Decoction), Banxia Fuling Tang (Pinellia Polyporus Decoction), or Lizhong Tang (Regulate the Middle Decoction) plus 7 fen of Gan Ge (Kudzu Root), or powder form of Lizhong Tang mixed with Suopi Yin (Spleen-Contraction Infusion). Thirst after drinking: Suopi Tang (Spleen-Contraction Decoction) or Gan Ge Tang (Kudzu Root Decoction) mixed with Wuling San (Five-Ling Powder). Chronic alcoholism leading to alcohol accumulation, abdominal pain, and diarrhea, or binge drinking gray wine: all treated with Jiuzhu Huanglian Wan (Wine-Boiled Coptis Pill). Alcohol癖 (masses) forming in the abdomen moving with Qi: Chonghe Tang plus Ban qian of Pengzhu (Curcuma Longa Rhizome). Alcohol stopping in the chest/diaphragm becoming Phlegm-Fluid: Zhishi Banxia Tang (Immature Bitter Orange Pinellia Decoction) plus Shenqu and Maiya (Barley Sprout) half qian each; or Chonghe Tang plus Banxia 1 qian, Fuling 7 fen. No herb is better than Zhiju Zi (Hovenia Dulcis Seed) for resolving alcohol toxicity. Also known as Zhiju, Mumie, vulgarly "Leper's Finger," Northern name "Rotten Melon," Jiangnan name "White Stone Tree," Hangzhou trade name "Mi Quli," referred to in poetry as "Southern Mountain has Ju." Tree resembles white poplar; fruit grows at branch tips, size of a little finger, long several inches, curved and connected, born in spring, ripe in autumn, sweet like maltose after frost. Using this wood for house pillars makes wine in the room taste bland. Zhao Yi-de cured alcohol-induced fever using Zhiju Zi. Li Dongyuan said: Alcohol is Great Heat and Toxic, its aroma and flavor are purely Yang, a formless substance. If injured by alcohol, only dispersal (sweating) works; once sweat occurs, it heals. Next best is promoting urination to disperse dampness from above and below. Modern practitioners often use Jiuzheng Wan (Alcohol Disease Pill), highly heating purgatives, or Qianniu/Dahuang to purge. This harms formless Yuan Qi while purging formed Yin Blood—a great error. Alcohol's Great Heat already damages Yuan Qi; re-purging damages Kidney Water True Yin and formed Blood/Qi, leading to deficiency. Thus, Yin-Blood becomes more deficient, True Water weaker, Yang-Toxin Heat flares, increasing Yin-Fire, consuming Yuan Qi, shortening life, or causing consumptive disease. Jaundice from alcohol (Jiu Dan) purged too long becomes Black Jaundice (Hei Dan); avoid this. Use Gegua Jiecheng Tang (Kudeta Flower Resolve Intoxication Decoction). Haizang said: Treat alcohol disease by sweating. If promoting urination, flame does not descend; thus "Fire Depression requires dispersion." Use pungent-warm to scatter, following its nature. Promoting urination removes dampness but not heat. Moving bowels is crude. Bowels are formed substances; alcohol is formless liquid. Sweating is more logical. Both dampness and heat are removed; treat with bitter-warm to fire-disperse, assisted by bitter-cold to remove dampness. Alcohol is Qi-Heat and Substance-Damp. Intoxication/raving is Heat, treat by sweating. After waking, Heat leaves, Damp remains; only promote urination. Choose between these two appropriately; Gegua Jiecheng Tang is comprehensive.