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Caulis Zanthoxyli (Jiaomu): Bitter and pungent in flavor, slightly toxic. It can promote water metabolism, treat ascites caused by parasites (Shuigu), and is particularly effective for night sweats. For use, stir-fry lightly, grind into an extremely fine powder. Mix half a "qian bi" (a small measuring spoon) with one "he" of decoction made from boiling the upper lip of a live pig, and take before bedtime for efficacy. If a snake enters the mouth and cannot get out, cut open the snake's tail, insert three pieces of raw Zanthoxylum fruit to wrap it, and it will come out shortly. For lac dermatitis, wash with decoction. For toothache, hold in the mouth with vinegar decoction. For someone suffering from coldness in the yin area, where cold qi gradually enters the scrotum causing swelling and fullness, pain and distress day and night: select clean Zanthoxylum, wrap it in cloth, place it against the scrotum to make it thick about half a cun; soon heat will flow freely, change twice a day until cured.

Pepper (Hujiao): Pungent in flavor, great warm in nature. Non-toxic, belongs to Fire but possesses the dry nature of Metal. Primarily directs Qi downward, warms the middle jiao, dispels cold-phlegm. Stops cholera, cold pain in the heart and abdomen, and cold dysentery. Used as a condiment, its flavor is very spicy and promotes digestion. Kills all fish, meat, turtle, and mushroom poisons. Do not take in excess, as it greatly damages the Spleen, Stomach, and Lung Qi, accumulating over time to cause harm.

Fructus Meliae (Lianshi): Bitter in flavor, cold in nature. Yang within Yin. Slightly toxic. (There are two types, male and female; those with white roots producing fruit are female, used for consumption. Accidental ingestion of the fruitless male type causes vomiting, diarrhea, and death.) Primarily treats warm diseases and typhoid fever, high fever, irritability, and mania. Kills three types of parasites, tinea, and promotes urination. Enters the Heart to treat abdominal pain in the upper and lower parts, and sudden heart pain. Roots growing towards the east, boiled for juice, are very effective for treating roundworms. Bark treats wandering wind-heat toxin, wind-rash, severe sores, scabies, and alopecia; boil in water for soaking and washing.

Fructus Chebulae (Helile): Bitter and sour in flavor, warm in nature. Its nature is urgent and prefers descending. Non-toxic. (Those with six ridges, black color, and thick flesh are good quality; use the bark, removing the core.) Primarily treats cold qi, abdominal distension and fullness, stagnation of Qi in the chest and diaphragm, and rebellious Qi. Resolves phlegm, relieves irritability, promotes appetite, astringes the intestines to stop chronic dysentery, red-and-white dysentery, and cholera with vomiting and diarrhea. Also treats Lung Qi severely constrained by fire injury, causing distension, wheezing, urgency, and cough. Due to its sour and bitter taste, it has the function of astringing and descending fire. Use sparingly for those with Qi deficiency. For phlegm-cough and throat obstruction, holding three fruits in the mouth is excellent.

Dragon's Blood (Qilinjie): Sweet and salty in flavor, neutral in nature. Slightly toxic. (Do not mistake it for Sea Mother Blood; they look similar, but Dragon's Blood is salty and sweet, resembling Gardenia odor. The best quality does not rot when chewed like wax.) Primarily treats pathogenic factors in the five Zang organs, leukorrhea. Relieves pain, breaks up stagnant blood, promotes tissue regeneration for traumatic injuries, and applies to all severe sores, scabies, and tinea that do not heal for a long time. Do not use excessively, as it may draw out pus. For bruises, fractures, and internal blood stasis, taking with wine is suitable.

Myrrh (Moyao): Bitter and pungent in flavor, neutral in nature. Non-toxic. (Originates from Persia, resembles Benzoin but is black in color.) Primarily breaks up blood, relieves pain, treats traumatic injuries, whip marks, various severe sores, hemorrhoids, fistulas, sudden bleeding, and cloudy vision, dizziness, eye pain, and red skin. For postpartum blood and Qi pain, and for bruises, fractures, unbearable blood stasis and swelling, taking with wine is beneficial.

Bignonia Flower (Ziwei, i.e., Campsis grandiflora): Sour in flavor, slightly cold in nature. Non-toxic. (Dislikes salt.) Primarily treats residual diseases after childbirth and lactation, metrorrhagia and leukorrhea, masses due to blood stasis, alternating chills and fever, emaciation, nourishes the fetus, and is an essential medicine for treating pain in the blood. Also treats alcohol-induced heat toxins and wind-stinging wind. Stem and leaves are bitter, treat flaccidity syndromes, and benefit Qi, with the same effect as the flower.

Pine Soot Ink (Songyanmo): Pungent in flavor, non-toxic. (Coarse quality is unacceptable; only pine soot ink enters medicine.) Primarily stops bleeding, generates muscle tissue, and heals traumatic wounds. Treats postpartum blood syncope, metrorrhagia, sudden bleeding; grind with vinegar and take. Also treats foreign objects entering the eyes, grind and apply to the pupil. Also stops bloody dysentery and treats pediatric fright; grind, sift, mix with water, and take warm. For red-and-white dysentery, mix equal parts of dried ginger and good ink into powder, form pills with vinegar paste the size of paulownia seeds, take 30-40 pills with rice drink, 6-7 times a day for efficacy. For postpartum blood syncope, decoct ink strongly in husband's urine, take one sheng.

Ramulus Eucommiae Ulmoidis (Weiyu, also known as Guijian): Bitter in flavor, cold in nature. Non-toxic. (Harvest in August, dry in shade. Peel and use the wing-like structures.) Primarily treats metrorrhagia and bleeding in women, abdominal fullness, and sweating. Expels pathogens, kills ghost toxins, gu poison, and evil Qi causing abdominal pain. Highly effective for treating blood and Qi disorders in women, can induce abortion.

Radix Polygoni Cuspidati (Huzhanggen): Slightly warm in nature. Primarily promotes menstruation, breaks up tumor-like blood clots, evil masses, and traumatic blood stasis; soak root in wine and take.

Calculus Borisoviae (Tianzhuhuang): Sweet in flavor, cold in nature. Non-toxic. (Grows inside bamboo, like yellow earth adhering to bamboo; in sheets, also called Bamboo Paste.) Primarily treats pediatric convulsions, opisthotonos, fright, phlegm obstruction causing aphonia, calms the Heart, brightens the eyes, and eliminates wind-heat. Treats traumatic injuries, stops bleeding, nourishes the five Zang organs; most suitable for pediatric medicines due to its mild nature.

Sappan Wood (Sufangmu): Sweet, salty, and sour in flavor, neutral in nature. Yin within Yang. Non-toxic. Primarily breaks up blood, discharges pus, relieves pain, reduces abscesses and trauma. Treats blood disorders, postpartum blood and Qi pain in the heart and abdomen, irregular menstruation, blood syncope, and postpartum bloating and suffocation feeling; decoct 5 liang in wine, take the concentrated juice for efficacy.

Cocos Nucifera Pericarpium (Yezipi): Bitter in flavor, neutral in nature. Non-toxic. Primarily stops bleeding, stops epistaxis, vomiting, and cholera; decoct juice and take. Meat inside the shell benefits Qi and expels wind. Juice treats diabetes (Xiaoke). Applied to the head, it darkens hair.

Areca Seed (Yingluzi): Astringes the intestines, stops diarrhea and dysentery, intestinal wind, metrorrhagia and leukorrhea, and nourishes blood. Bark is bitter and astringent, neutral in nature. Stops epistaxis, hematemesis, and rupture. Treats metrorrhagia and leukorrhea, intestinal wind, red-and-white dysentery. When used in medicine, burn to ash, do not burn completely. Made into ropes, buried in soil, does not rot for a thousand years.

Liquidambar Formosana Resin (Fengxiangzhi, also known as Baijiaoxiang): Pungent and bitter in flavor, neutral in nature. Nature is unblocking and circulating. Non-toxic. Primarily treats urticaria, wind itching, edema, and toothache. An important herb for surgery. Broussonetia papyrifera Fruit (Dafengzi): Primarily treats wind sores, scabies, and tinea, kills parasites.

Salix Alba Catkin (Liuhua, also known as Liuxu): Bitter in flavor, cold in nature. Non-toxic. (Those with yellow stamens at first birth are flowers; when flowers dry, catkins emerge, with small black seeds flying with them.) Primarily treats wind-water, jaundice, facial heat, black crusts, scabies, severe sores, and traumatic injuries. Catkins stop bleeding, good for applying to moxibustion sores. Leaves treat horse scabies and crusts; decoct to wash horses for immediate cure. Fruits treat ulcerated abscesses, discharge pus and blood. Branches, leaves, and root bark decocted into ointment, applied to carbuncles, swellings, toxins, furuncles, and mastitis. Finely chopped branches decocted for juice, held in the mouth, treats toothache.

Meliosma Oldhamii Fructus (Wuyi): Pungent in flavor, neutral in nature. Non-toxic. (Harvest fruits in January, dry in shade.) Primarily treats pathogenic factors in the five internal organs, disperses damp-toxicity spreading through skin and joints, kills three types of parasites, expels tapeworms, aids digestion. Treats intestinal wind, hemorrhoids, fistulas, and severe scabies and tinea.

Omphalia Lapidea (Leiwuan): Bitter and salty in flavor, cold in nature. Slightly toxic. (Used with Litchi seed and Magnolia bark; incompatible with Pueraria. Roasted before use; red ones cause death.) Primarily kills three types of parasites, expels toxic vapors and stomach heat. Benefits men, not women. Made into massage ointment, removes hundred diseases in children. Removes heat nodules, accumulated gu poison in the skin, white worms, and continuous expulsion of tapeworms. Long-term use causes impotence.

Bai La (also known as Lazhen, small date): Pungent in flavor, cold in nature. Non-toxic. Primarily treats heart and abdominal pain, abscesses suppurating, relieves pain, resolves needle-like obstructions.

Galla Chinensis (Wubeizi): Bitter and sour in flavor, neutral in nature. Non-toxic. Primarily treats gingival recession and childhood malnutrition sores, lung wind-toxin flowing into the skin causing rheumatic tinea, itching, pus and blood discharge, five types of hemorrhoids with bleeding. Childhood facial and nasal malnutrition sores. Powder applied to mouth sores is effective. Decoct, clarify juice to wash eyes, removes heat, rheumatic itching and swelling. Held in the mouth, effective for stubborn phlegm. Also resolves various heat toxins, treats intestinal deficiency diarrhea, is an astringent agent.

Dioscorea bulbifera Rhizome (Huangyaogen): Bitter in flavor, neutral in nature. Non-toxic. Primarily treats various severe sores, sore throat, snake and dog bite toxins. Grind root, take orally, or hold in mouth and apply externally. Also treats horse heart and lung heat diseases.

Toona Sinensis Leaf (Chunmuye): Bitter and astringent in flavor, cold in nature. Toxic. (Those without flowers and fruit are Chun; those with flowers and pods are Chu.) Primarily washes sores, scabies, wind ulcers; use juice from boiling leaves. Bark treats childhood malnutrition. Chu wood root and leaves are especially good. Chu white bark treats chronic red-and-white dysentery, childhood malnutrition dysentery, kills malnutrition parasites in mouth and nose and roundworms, intestinal slipperiness, hemorrhoids, continuous bloody diarrhea. For women's metrorrhagia, heavy menstruation, red-and-white leukorrhea, take fine root bark from east-facing roots, decoct in water and take. Also reduces urination, honey-roasted for use in medicine.

Paulownia Leaf (Tongye): Bitter in flavor, cold in nature. Non-toxic. (There are four types of Paulownia, unclear which is used here.) Primarily treats malignant erosion sores affecting the yin. Bark treats five types of hemorrhoids, kills three types of parasites. Flowers applied to various sores, feed pigs to triple their weight.

Catalpa Bungei Cortex (Zibaipi): Bitter in flavor, cold in nature. Non-toxic. Primarily clears heat, eliminates three types of parasites, treats eye diseases. Decoct soup to wash children with high fever, all sores and scabies, skin itching. Leaves pounded and applied to pig sores, feed pigs to triple their weight.

Cinnamomum Camphora Root Bark (Diaozhanggenpi, commonly called Wuzhang): Primarily stops bleeding for traumatic injuries, treats hernia, beriberi edema. Decoct for oral administration and wash sores, itching, scabies, and tinea. Treats sudden heart pain, ghost attacks, cholera, abdominal distension; decoct in wine and take.

Betula Platyphylla Bark (Huamuopi): Bitter in flavor, neutral in nature. Non-toxic. Primarily treats all types of jaundice, drink strong decoction. Also treats epidemic heat toxins and smallpox, especially good. For early-stage breast abscess swelling and hardness, take one cubic inch with non-ash wine, lie down, and feel better upon waking.

Akebia quinata Vine (Qianjinteng): (Roots in northern lands are finger-sized, black as lacquer; in southern lands, yellow-red like Asarum.) Primarily treats all blood toxins and Qi disorders, cholera, evil Qi attacks, epidemic consumptive malaria, phlegm masses, difficult coughing. Abscesses, snake and dog bites, drug-induced epilepsy, all primarily treated by this.

Momordica Cochinchinensis Seed (Mubie): Sweet in flavor, warm in nature. Non-toxic. Primarily treats fractures, reduces nodular swelling and severe sores, generates muscle. Relieves lower back pain, anal swelling and pain, breast pain in women.

Phyllostachys Edulis Shoot (Taozhusun): Bitter in flavor, slightly toxic. Primarily treats maggots in livestock sores; crush and insert, maggots will all come out.

Comb (Shubi): Primarily treats lice disease. If live lice enter the abdomen causing illness like a mass, decoct juice and take. Comb dirt primarily treats pediatric evil Qi cholera, mix with water and drink.

Old Fan (Baishan): Primarily repels mosquitoes. Bury in four corners under pillars of newly built houses, mosquitoes never enter. Burn to powder, mix with talc, dust on body, stops sweating. More effective if more worn.