The Treatise on the Five Collections

The Yellow Emperor asked," I have heard that some alchemists consider the brain marrow as the storage area, some the stomach and intestines as the storage area, and some as the residence. I dare to ask the opposite. They all claim to be so. I do not know the truth. I am willing to hear what they have to say. Qi Bo replied, "The brain, marrow, bones, veins, gallbladder, and female genitalia are the six sources of the earth's energy. They are all stored in the Yin and manifested in the earth, thus they are hidden and do not leak out. They are called the extraordinary and constant abode." The five conditions of distension in the stomach, large intestine, small intestine, triple burner and bladder are caused by the weather. Due to the weather, they excrete without storing. They receive the turbid qi from the five storage conditions and are called the places of transmission and transformation. They cannot be retained for a long time for diarrhea. The Poro Gate was also the governor of the Five Storehouses, and water and grains could not be stored for long. The so-called Five Storehouses are those that store essence and energy without draining them, and when they are filled up, they cannot be fully contained. The six mansions pass on and transform things but do not store them, and thus they are abundant and cannot be full. The reason for this is that when people eat food and drink, their stomachs will be full while their intestines will be weak. If consumed, the intestines will be firm while the stomach will be weak. Therefore, a day is full but not full, and full but not full. The emperor said, "Why is the mouth of qi the sole master of the Five Treasuries?" Qi Bo said, "The stomach is the sea of water and grains and the great source of the six prefectures." The five flavors enter the body and are stored in the stomach to nourish the qi of the five organs. The qi mouth is also the sun. Therefore, the odors of the five compartments and six organs all originate from the stomach and manifest in the qi mouth. Therefore, the five qi affect the nose and are hidden in the heart and lungs. When the heart and lungs are ill, the nose will be adversely affected. When treating diseases, one must examine the underlying conditions, adapt to the pulse and the people, and observe their will and will, which is in line with their illness. Those who are bound by ghosts and gods should not be talked about as having the highest virtue, and those who detest needles and stones should not be talked about as having the highest skill. If a disease is not treated, it will surely not be cured, and treatment will be in vain.