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Any medicinal substance labeled as "toxic" or "highly toxic" can disrupt the human body and cause harm, even leading to death. However, toxicity varies in degree, and appropriate antidotes can be applied according to the specific poisoning. Severe poisoning may manifest with stiff throat, pain in both eyes, dry nose, heaviness in hands and feet, frequent vomiting, abdominal heat and oppression, twitching of lips and mouth, and alternating cyanosis and erythema of the complexion; such cases may result in death after one hundred days. Mild poisoning presents as numbness and tingling of the body, surging sensation in the chest and heart with vomiting, or uncontrolled diarrhea. Poisoning acquired through alcohol consumption is difficult to treat because wine circulates through the blood vessels and pervades the entire body. Conversely, poisoning from food ingestion is easier to cure, as food and medicine enter the stomach together; the stomach can accommodate mixed toxins, and toxins are expelled via feces before entering the bloodstream. If any of the aforementioned symptoms are detected, immediate detoxification treatment should be administered.

The preparation of herbal decoctions has strict dosage limits. Units of measurement such as gui (1/10 liang), zhu (1/24 fen), fen, and liang must not be violated. Improper increases in dosage can induce other diseases. Symptoms include incessant vomiting and diarrhea, nausea with mental confusion, cold extremities, abdominal pain with muscle spasms. Failure to treat promptly with antidotes can lead to death, whereas timely treatment ensures safety.

Sudden dizziness and oppression following dietary intake, which may rapidly worsen and cause death, is termed dietary poisoning, implying intentional adulteration of food with poison. Clinically, this may present as a lesion inside the cheek or on the uvula, initially the size of a sour jujube, gradually enlarging. Prompt treatment leads to recovery; delayed treatment allows toxins to penetrate the abdomen, resulting in death.

Pulse diagnosis reveals that if the superficial pulse lacks yang characteristics and is faint, fine, and indistinct, it indicates poisoning.

Edible meats are generally non-toxic. Meat from animals that died naturally is often toxic due to epidemic pathogens. Consumption of such meat causes dizziness, oppression, and uncontrolled vomiting and diarrhea, constituting poisoning.

Beef poisoning occurs when cattle die after accidentally ingesting venomous snakes in grass, or after consuming grass contaminated by snake venom. Such beef is highly toxic. Additionally, beef from cattle that died of epidemic diseases is also toxic. Ingestion causes chest oppression, body numbness, severe vomiting and diarrhea, unbearable abdominal pain, and potentially death.