Preface
The scale of the “Tasting Traditional Chinese Medicine” event is too large for me to organize independently due to my limited personal capacity—so I’ll just wait for the third edition. In the meantime, I’ll try the “Thirty-Six Golden Formulas” on myself and share my firsthand experiences with everyone.
Main Text
Today I tried the Wen Yang Nuan Dan Fang (Warm-Yang & Warm-Dan Formula).
I chose this formula because recently I’ve been exposed to excessive air conditioning, wearing insufficient clothing, and consuming too many cold foods. Taken together, these factors left me feeling a distinct chill extending from the Zhi Yin acupoint all the way down to my lower abdomen (specifically the lumbar-sacral region—not the abdominal area proper, but rather a small zone just above Zhi Yin). The direct symptom was frequent diarrhea—two or three episodes per day—severe enough to cause anal discomfort 
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Although I’ve never internally perceived the precise location of my Dantian, I recall Teacher Sun explaining that the Wen Yang Nuan Dan Fang warms the Lower Jiao—and thus it seemed likely to benefit me. Accordingly, I ordered five pre-prepared decoction bags of the original formula (I’m still too inexperienced to modify it myself). Today was my first dose.
First, I observed its appearance: it was notably clearer than most herbal formulas, with a light brown color.
Next, I smelled it: a faint pungent aroma, quite subtle.
Then I tasted a sip: extremely stimulating. An immediate, sharp spiciness struck the edges of my tongue, oral mucosa, and lips. Gradually, a deeper, heavier spiciness—and a hint of bitterness—spread from the center of my tongue back toward the root. After a short while came a sweet aftertaste, followed shortly thereafter by abundant salivation.
Simultaneously, as the liquid traveled down my esophagus, the spicy sensation advanced relentlessly until it reached my stomach, where it paused. There, the “vanguard” opened the way first, followed gradually by the “main force” bringing heavier warmth.
After lingering briefly in the stomach, the warmth began spreading horizontally and downward—predominantly downward—directly stimulating intestinal motility. I passed several silent, odorless flatus. The heat gradually extended downward to the level of my navel, but struggled to go further. It faintly reached the chilled region I mentioned earlier, yet failed to break through; instead, it merely warmed that area slowly and gently.
After drinking it, I originally intended to observe its effects longer—but I drank it too late in the day, and soon felt drowsy. I drifted in and out of sleep for twenty minutes, then woke up and wrote the above notes. At that moment, the warming sensation was indeed concentrated in the lower abdomen—centered about four finger-widths below the navel, with a radius of roughly four finger-widths—but the warmth was mild, gentle, far less intense than the pronounced heat I’d initially felt in my stomach.
Moreover, this warm zone was confined almost entirely to the anterior abdominal region—a flattened oval—while the lumbar-sacral area remained nearly unaffected.
Supplement 1
On one occasion, after taking the Wen Yang Nuan Dan Fang, the spiciness was simply overwhelming—so I ate four or five cold grapes taken straight from the refrigerator. This did effectively alleviate the burning sensation—but soon afterward, my Middle Jiao became congested and sluggish, as if I’d overeaten something excessively rich and cloying (e.g., cold glutinous rice cake). The sensation was even more uncomfortable than that example, though I can’t think of a better way to describe it 
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Later, after some time, things resolved spontaneously—and the warming sensation described in the main text completely vanished.
Conclusion: When taking the Wen Yang Nuan Dan Fang, avoid eating cold fruit—it will nullify the formula’s effect. Orz