Library

Shengma (Rhizoma Cimicifugae) is born from the clear and yang qi of heaven and earth, hence its taste is sweet, neutral, slightly cold, and non-toxic. Its aroma and flavor are both thin, with a floating and ascending nature that boosts yang qi. It serves as a guiding herb for the Foot Yangming Stomach Meridian and the Foot Taiyin Spleen Meridian, and also enters the Hand Yangming Large Intestine Meridian. To clear heat and scatter the exterior, it should be used raw; to assist in lifting and tonifying formulas, it should be stir-fried with honey and wine; to assist in lifting and astringent formulas, it should be stir-fried with vinegar.

Shengma has a neutral and slightly cold nature, serving as a guiding herb for the Hand and Foot Yangming Meridians and the Foot Taiyin Meridian. It is contraindicated in Taiyang syndrome (Taiyang disease); otherwise, it would be like inviting thieves to destroy one's home. It treats killing hundred poisons, hundred essences, and ghostly afflictions, repelling various miasmas and epidemic pathogens; expelling wind-cold from the skin and dispersing heat from the muscles; stopping headache, sore throat, toothache, and abdominal pain due to sudden evil; managing mouth ulcers, scabies, eruptive sores, and pockmark ulcers; treating wind swelling and wind epilepsy, and healing lung abscesses and lung atrophy. Shengma raises fire depression, lifts clear qi, treats tenesmus after dysentery, uterine bleeding, leukorrhea, and rectal prolapse, capable of raising yang qi from below the extreme yin. Therefore, in Buzhong Yiqi Tang (Tonify the Middle and Augment the Qi Decoction), Shengma is used to guide the clear qi of the Foot Yangming Stomach Meridian to ascend rotating rightward, assisted by Chaihu (Bupleuri Radix) to guide the clear qi of the Foot Shaoyang Gallbladder Meridian to ascend rotating leftward, assisting Renshen (Ginseng Radix et Rhizoma), Fuling (Poria), and Baizhu (Atractylodis Macrocephalae Rhizoma) to tonify the primordial qi in the spleen and stomach.

[Main Indications (Integration of Smallpox and Rash)] Treats heat between the muscles, governs the spleen and stomach, resolves hundred poisons, and can lift yang qi. Thus, it is used to raise smallpox toxins to the surface, making it a sacred herb for wound practitioners. When fever occurs, it is used to resolve and vent; however, excessive use may cause the risk of collapse or sinking inward, so it should not be overused. It is also used when primordial qi sinks after smallpox/rash.

Commentary: Shengma receives the extremely clear qi from the highest heavens. Therefore, for those with insufficient primordial qi, it is used to raise yang within yin, such as in cases of diarrhea-dysentery, metrorrhagia, stranguria, rectal prolapse, and turbid urine, relying on its lifting action. Generally, the qi of deficient persons ascends little and descends much. The *Classic* states: "When the qi of the Yin meridians nourishes the person, they live long; when the qi of the Yang meridians descends upon the person, they die young." Li Dongyuan extracted it into Buzhong Yiqi Tang, uniquely perceiving its subtleties. However, for those with rebellious qi and vomiting, or upper excess and lower deficiency, it must never be lightly administered.

Tianma (Gastrodiae Rhizoma) obtains the pungent flavor of earth and perceives the yang qi of heaven to be born, hence its taste is pungent, nature neutral, non-toxic, warm, floating, and ascending. It enters the Foot Jueyin Liver Meridian. Jueyin is the zang organ of wind-wood, thus treating all wind syndromes. Select whole, plump, and large rhizomes, soak them in wine for one day, wrap them in damp coarse paper overnight and bake until cooked, then slice for use.

Tianma treats pediatric wind epilepsy and palpitations, adult wind-heat dizziness, drives out damp bi and spasms, governs paralysis and aphasia, disperses phlegm qi and unblocks blood vessels, opens orifices and dispels wind-damp, benefits waist and knees, strengthens sinews, searches out wind and moistens dryness, supplements qi and strengthens yin. It is a divine agent for treating wind in the Liver Meridian, possessing the efficacy of reaching from the interior to the exterior. Although it is said that those with liver deficiency and insufficiency can be supplemented with it, since it is a qi-moving herb, it must be assisted by blood-invigorating herbs. Then, the internal wind generated by the nature of the liver and gallbladder can naturally subside. If there is blood deficiency without wind, it should not be recklessly administered; although it is not very drying, it is ultimately a wind-dispersing herb and can aid fire.

[Main Indications (Integration of Smallpox and Rash)] Treats wind-heat dizziness, manages stranguria, bi-syndrome, and epilepsy, unblocks blood vessels, opens orifices. It can be used for those presenting with initial fever accompanied by the aforementioned symptoms.