（麻麦稻）补虚泽肤壅气助痰助湿
面（专入脾。兼入肝）。虽由于小麦所出。而性与麦大异。味甘气温。微毒。（藏器曰。
小麦
秋种夏熟。受四时气足。兼有寒。热温凉。故麦凉。曲温。麸冷。面热。宜其然也。）服能
补虚养气。泽肤浓肠胃。并敷痈肿损伤。散血止痛。止衄吐血。以其体粘性濡。故于诸虚能
补。而于中气有助。肠胃有浓。肌肉伤损有益。痈毒疼痛有赖也。然多食亦能壅气。（凡物
升发则壅。故北人伤寒。用此同鸡发散。取其升发之义。）故书言此不能止烦。（升发之性。
多不止烦。）且致作渴。（气升则烦渴俱有。）又于湿热有助。故书言此不能消热。且能助湿
发热也。是以脾虚无湿无热。服之最宜。而有湿有热。服之最忌。脾虚无寒无湿。食之得补
。而脾虚有寒有湿。服之不能无害也。陈者良。（偶谈云。面性虽热。而寒食日以袋盛悬风
处。数十年亦不坏。则热性皆去而无毒矣。入药尤良。）食宜略用醋入。（醋入则气不发。
）畏汉椒萝 。
（麻麦稻）缓脾润肺
稻米（专入脾。兼入肺）。味甘性平。按据诸书有言性温性寒性凉之不同。然究此属阴
物。阴
即寒聚。故性粘滞而不爽也。是以服之使人多睡。身软无力。四肢不收。发风昏昏。且使小
猫食之。亦脚屈不能行。马食之。足重难移。妊妇杂肉食之。令子不利。使果性温而热。则
食自有温和通活之妙。何至阴凝腻滞如此哉！如谓酿酒则热。熬糖尤甚。且发痈疽疮疖。何
谓不温。讵知性如大豆。生亦性温。何以作豉则凉。可知稻非性温。因于造酿则温始有。至
书有云食之补中益气。及止虚寒泄泻。并缩小便。收自汗。发痘疮。皆是性粘不利。留滞在
中。上壅不下之故。非如参耆性主温补。仍兼通活。而无如此阴滞之甚也。（凡物滞不甚温
。
温不甚滞。理道尔尔。）谓之缓中则可。谓之温中而热。岂其可乎？谓之中虚宜服则可。谓
之虚寒宜服。亦乌见其可乎？凡老人小儿久病均忌。
（小麦、大麦、稻米）补虚损，润泽肌肤，但易壅滞气机，助长痰湿。
面粉（主要入脾经，兼入肝经）。虽然来源于小麦，但其药性与麦粒大不相同。味甘，性温，微有毒。（唐代本草学家陈藏器说：小麦秋季播种夏季成熟，汲取了四季充足的气化能量，兼具寒、热、温、凉的特性，所以麦粒性凉，曲性温，麸皮性冷，而面粉性热，这是理所当然的。）服用面粉能够补虚养气，润泽肌肤，厚壮肠胃，并可外敷治疗痈肿和损伤，散血止痛，止血止鼻衄和吐血。因为面粉质地粘性濡润，所以对于各种虚证能起补益作用，对中气有辅助作用，对肠胃增厚有益，对肌肉损伤有好处，对痈毒疼痛也有帮助。然而多吃也会壅滞气机。（凡是具有升发特性的食物容易壅滞，所以北方人患伤寒时，用面粉同鸡肉一起食用以发散邪气，是取其升发的意义。）因此医书说面粉不能止烦渴。（因为升发的特性，往往不止烦渴。）反而会导致口渴。（气机上逆则烦渴并见。）又因为它有助于湿热，所以医书说它不能清热，反而能助湿发热。因此，对于脾虚而无湿无热的患者，服用最为适宜；而对于有湿有热的患者，服用最为禁忌。脾虚而无寒无湿，食用可以得到补益；而脾虚伴有寒湿者，服用则可能产生危害。陈年的面粉较好。（《偶谈》记载：面粉性质虽热，但如果将寒食日的面粉装入袋中悬挂在通风处，几十年也不会腐坏，那么其热性就都去除了，也就没有毒性了。用于制药尤其好。）食用时应略加醋调和。（加入醋则气机不再升发。）忌与汉椒、萝藦同食。
稻米（主要入脾经，兼入肺经）。味甘，性平。查阅各类书籍，对其性味有温、寒、凉的不同说法。然而究其本质，这属于阴物，阴即是寒气的聚集，所以性质粘滞而不爽利。因此服用后使人多睡，身体软弱无力，四肢松弛不收，引发风邪时头昏目眩。甚至让小猫吃了，也会导致脚屈不能行走；马吃了，脚步沉重难以移动；孕妇混合肉食吃，会使胎儿发育不利。如果说它的性质是温和而热的，那么食用自然会有温和通畅活络的妙处，怎么会像这样阴凝腻滞呢！如果说酿酒则变热，熬糖更是如此，且会诱发痈疽疮疖，为什么说它不温呢？殊不知其性质如同大豆，生大豆性也是温的，为什么制成豆豉后就变凉了？由此可知稻米并非性温，是因为经过酿造才产生温热之性。至于医书说它能补中益气，以及治疗虚寒泄泻，缩小便，收敛自汗，透发痘疮，这些都是因为其性质粘滞不利，留滞在体内，上壅不下所致，并不是像人参、黄芪那样性质主温补，同时兼有通畅活络的作用，而没有如此严重的阴滞之弊。（凡是事物，滞涩的不一定很温，温热的不一定很滞，这是常理。）称之为“缓中”是可以的，称之为“温中而热”，怎么可以说得通呢？称之为“中虚宜服”是可以的，称之为“虚寒宜服”，又怎么能说得通呢？凡是老人、小儿及久病患者均忌食。
(Mai, Mai, Dao) Tonify deficiency, moisten the skin, but tend to obstruct Qi and promote phlegm-dampness.
Mian (Flour) (Primarily enters the Spleen channel, also enters the Liver channel). Although derived from Xiaomai (Triticum aestivum L.), its nature is significantly different from the grain itself. It has a sweet taste and warm nature, with slight toxicity. (Chen Cangqi stated: Xiaomai is sown in autumn and ripens in summer, absorbing sufficient Qi of the four seasons, thereby possessing cold, hot, warm, and cool properties. Thus, the grain is cool, Qu (fermented dough) is warm, Bran is cold, while Flour is hot; this is logical.) Ingestion can tonify deficiency and nourish Qi, moisten the skin, thicken the intestines and stomach, and can be applied externally for sores, swellings, and injuries to dissipate blood, relieve pain, stop epistaxis, and arrest hematemesis. Because its texture is sticky and moist, it can tonify various deficiencies and assist Middle Qi, benefit the thickening of the gastrointestinal tract, aid muscle injuries, and help with pain from toxic sores. However, excessive consumption can also obstruct Qi. (Anything with ascending and dispersing properties tends to cause obstruction; thus, people in the north use this together with chicken to disperse pathogens when suffering from Shanghan (Cold Damage), taking advantage of its ascending nature.) Therefore, medical texts state that Mian cannot relieve irritability. (Due to its ascending nature, it often fails to relieve irritability.) Moreover, it may induce thirst. (When Qi ascends, both irritability and thirst occur.) It also aids damp-heat. Hence, medical texts state that it cannot clear heat and instead promotes dampness and fever. Therefore, for those with Spleen deficiency without dampness or heat, ingestion is most suitable; whereas for those with dampness and heat, it is most contraindicated. For Spleen deficiency without cold or dampness, eating it provides tonification; however, for Spleen deficiency accompanied by cold and dampness, ingestion may cause harm. Aged flour is superior. (Ou Tan records: Although flour is hot in nature, if Han Shi (Cold Food Festival) flour is stored in bags and hung in ventilated places, it will not spoil even after decades, meaning its hot nature is eliminated and it becomes non-toxic. It is especially good for medicinal use.) When consuming, it is advisable to add a little vinegar. (Adding vinegar prevents the Qi from ascending.) It is incompatible with Hanjiao (Zanthoxylum bungeanum) and Luosuo (Metaplexis japonica).
(Mai, Mai, Dao) Soothe the Spleen and moisten the Lungs.
Daomi (Oryza sativa L.) (Primarily enters the Spleen channel, also enters the Lung channel). It has a sweet taste and neutral nature. Various books describe its nature as warm, cold, or cool. However, upon investigation, it belongs to Yin substances; Yin implies the accumulation of cold, so its nature is sticky and obstructive rather than smooth. Consequently, ingestion causes drowsiness, bodily weakness, flaccidity of the limbs, and dizziness when wind pathogens arise. Even if fed to kittens, it causes their legs to curl and prevents walking; if fed to horses, it makes their steps heavy and difficult to move; if pregnant women consume it mixed with meat, it hinders fetal development. If one claims its nature is warm and hot, ingestion should naturally bring mild, warming, unblocking, and activating benefits, how could it be so Yin-congealed and cloying! Some argue that brewing wine makes it hot, and making sugar is even hotter, and it induces sores and boils; how can one say it is not warm? Yet, consider that Da Dou (Soybean) is also warm in its raw state, but becomes cool when processed into Chi Dou (Fermented Soybean). This shows that Daomi is not inherently warm; its warmth arises only through fermentation. As for medical texts claiming it tonifies the Middle and boosts Qi, treats deficiency-cold diarrhea, reduces urination, arrests spontaneous sweating, and erupts smallpox, these effects are due to its sticky and obstructive nature causing retention in the Middle Jiao, leading to upward obstruction without descending. This is unlike Renshen (Ginseng) and Huangqi (Astragalus), whose primary nature is warm tonification combined with unblocking and activation, lacking such severe Yin stagnation. (Generally, substances that are stagnant are not necessarily warm, and warm substances are not necessarily stagnant; this is the principle.) It can be called "soothing the Middle," but calling it "warming the Middle and generating heat" is untenable. It can be said to be suitable for Middle deficiency, but saying it is suitable for deficiency-cold is equally unjustifiable. It is contraindicated for the elderly, children, and those with chronic illness.