How to avoid decocting some prescriptions in Ni Classic Prescription Book?

Teacher Ni specifically talked about this problem when she talked about Guizhi Decoction in Treatise on Febrile Diseases. He said that when we use decoction, we sometimes take the "qi" of Chinese medicine and sometimes the "quality" of Chinese medicine. What do you mean? It is easier for us to understand from the perspective of yin and yang. Traditional Chinese medicine has the properties of four qi and five flavors. The "qi" mentioned by Ni refers to the four qi in traditional Chinese medicine, cold and hot, and qi belongs to yang, which leads to initiative; The "quality" mentioned by Ni refers to the five flavors of traditional Chinese medicine: sour, bitter, sweet and salty. The taste belongs to yin, and the main descending is the main calming.

Understand the concepts of "qi", "quality" and "taste", and you will understand what Nishi means. So, under what circumstances should we take the "qi" of drugs? The answer is that in the treatment of exogenous diseases, because the disease location of such diseases is on the surface, drugs such as "ascending" and "moving" need to be used for treatment. Therefore, we should use the "qi" of traditional Chinese medicine, because the nature of "qi" is also yang, which can guide the qi and blood of the human body to tend to the exterior and interior; When treating internal injuries, miscellaneous diseases or various chronic diseases, it is necessary to treat them with the essence of traditional Chinese medicine, that is, taste, because the disease location of such diseases is generally in the human body, and the "interior" belongs to yin, while the "essence" of traditional Chinese medicine belongs to yin, which can guide the qi and blood of the human body to tend to inward.

The reason is clear, then, the last question, how to get the "qi" and "quality" of Chinese medicine? What should I pay attention to when decocting medicine? Ni Shi said that to get the "qi" of traditional Chinese medicine, the method is to stir-fry it quickly, usually 10- 15 minutes, so as not to stir-fry it for a long time. In this way, we may keep the "qi" of traditional Chinese medicine as much as possible, but to get the "quality" of traditional Chinese medicine, that is, "taste", it takes a long time to fry.