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The *Huangdi Neijing* (Yellow Emperor's Inner Canon) states: "For deficiency, apply tonification; for consumptive disorders, apply warmth." The ancients took Yin deficiency and Yang deficiency as the guiding principles, thereby using Ba Wei Wan (Eight-Ingredient Pill with Rehmannia) to treat Yang deficiency and Liu Wei Wan (Six-Ingredient Pill with Rehmannia) to treat Yin deficiency. This led to a prevalence of warming and tonifying practices throughout the world. Subsequently, individuals who engaged in high-minded discussions on the Five Elements emerged, creating new formulas and asserting that all diseases should be treated from the perspective of deficiency. This resulted in a medical culture that focused on discussing herbs rather than analyzing pathogenesis. Bian Que stated: "First degree damage affects the Lung, second degree affects the Heart, third degree affects the Spleen; if the damage extends beyond the Spleen, it is incurable." This explains the etiology of upper-level damage. Regarding lower-level damage: first degree affects the Kidney, second degree affects the Liver, third degree affects the Stomach; if the damage extends beyond the Stomach, it is also incurable. The *Jingui Yaolue* (Essential Prescriptions from the Golden Cabinet) states: "Extreme deficiency constitutes Lao (consumptive disorder), which should be regulated with sweet medicines, such as Fumai Tang (Reinstitute the Pulse Decoction) and Xiao Jianzhong Tang (Minor Construct the Middle Decoction)." It further states: "When the skin is rough and scaly like fish scales, indicating dry blood within, Da Huang Zhe Chong Wan (Rhubarb and Ground Beetle Pill) should be used." From this, we can see that the treatment of Lao in the *Jingui Yaolue* distinguishes between deficiency and excess, employing formulas that combine purgation and tonification. When tonification is indicated, tonify; when purgation is indicated, purge. Not bound by rigid patterns, such treatments often yield immediate results, akin to the echo following a drumbeat. However, for symptoms such as cough, bone-steaming fever, hemoptysis, anorexia, and throat ulcers, one must examine the underlying causes. During the initial stage, differentiating between deficiency and excess allows for appropriate herbal intervention, potentially turning danger into safety in a very short time. If one employs the methods of contemporary practitioners, allowing warming and tonifying herbs to stagnate in the chest, it is like nurturing a boil and inviting disaster, making cure extremely difficult. Alas! It is not that Lao is incurable, but that the misapplication of warming and tonifying therapies renders the condition irretrievable. In my practice, when treating patients with severe bone-steaming consumption and scaly skin, I utilize the method of Da Huang Zhe Chong Wan, modifying it as needed to attack residual stasis and clear accumulated blood, often achieving prompt efficacy. However, for those who have previously taken cloying tonics, the condition becomes like oil mixed into flour—difficult to separate—with deep-rooted pathology that has persisted for a long time. Their righteous Qi has been damaged, and only one in a hundred might be saved. Moreover, people generally fail to cherish their bodies, relying falsely on medicine for supplementation. They prefer warming tonification and abhor purgative approaches, much like moths flying into fire, willingly marching toward destruction, unaware that their bodies are already in a state of boiling peril. Although I possess a compassionate heart, I am merely a powerless observer in such cases.

Lan’s commentary: Lao is a disease affecting all five Zang organs; it cannot be exclusively attributed to Yin deficiency, nor can Liu Wei Wan for nourishing Yin and Ba Wei Wan for benefiting Yang be regarded as secret prescriptions. Some use Zhi Mu (Anemarrhenae Rhizoma) and Huang Bai (Phellodendri Cortex) temporarily to quell floating fire, but these should never be overused, lest they impair Spleen Yang and disrupt the transportation function of the Middle Jiao, frequently leading to complications such as anorexia and loose stools. Therefore, the *Jingui Yaolue* employs formulas like Fumai Tang and Jianzhong Tang, always prioritizing the protection of the Spleen and Stomach. The Master followed Zhang Zhongjing’s methods and expanded upon them with ample room for maneuver, elucidating the causes of deficiency and excess, as well as the rationale for medication. By demonstrating flexibility between standard procedures and adaptive measures, he revealed the sources and principles of health preservation and disease prevention to others. Is this not admirable?