得大蒜良。忌犬肉。伏 砂、砒石、雌黄。
苦、辛、冷。有毒。入足太阴，兼足太阳经气分。行水气直达下焦。配麝香，捣贴脐上，
利
小便、消水肿。（误服消后复作，不可救药。）取花白者根，铜刀刮去皮，薄切，以东流水浸
两昼夜，漉出架甑蒸，以黑
豆叶一重，商陆一
重，如此蒸半日，熟透，去豆叶晒干用。如无豆叶，以豆代之。外贴赤者尤利。赤者服之痢
血不止，杀人。白者煎服，亦能杀人。商陆、大戟、甘遂、 蓄、芫花、荛花、野狼毒等味，
下气除水，极有神效，而其
大伤元气，
正非小可。宜用外敷脐腹，加麝香、牙皂，引药气以入内，使水气从二便而出，乃为无害。
即不然，必须制透，佐补气药，庶几真气不尽绝也。
大豆为之使。恶麦句姜。畏醋、占斯、密陀僧。
苦、辛、平。有大毒。入手太阴，兼少阴经气分。治咳逆上气，除胸下积癖，及痰饮症
瘕，
去恶疮鼠 。配秦艽，治恶疾风疮。配附子，治心腹连痛。醋炒用。
白者名草 茹
甘草为之使。恶麦门冬。
辛，寒，有小毒。排脓杀虫。破症瘕，除热痹，去死肌，退风热。配海螵蛸丸服，治妇
人血
枯，（血瘀而枯。）配苦酒、猪脂，涂甲疽。
得枣良。小豆为之使。畏菖蒲、芦苇、鼠屎。恶薯蓣。反甘草。（菖蒲解之。）
苦，寒，有毒。入三阴、足太阳经。泻内外上下之水溢。驱虫毒，破症结，逐血瘀，除
痰饮
。配干姜为散，治水肿喘急。煮大枣，治水肿。（去戟取枣食之。）
泔水浸洗，再用浆水煮干，去骨用。宜采正根用。若误用旁附，则冷泻不禁，即煎荠
汤解之。妄用杀人。
It works well when combined with garlic. Avoid dog meat. It can subdue realgar, arsenolite (arsenic trioxide), and orpiment.
Bitter, pungent, cold in nature. Toxic. Enters the Foot-Taiyin Spleen Meridian, and also the Qi aspect of the Foot-Taiyang Bladder Meridian. It moves water qi directly to the Lower Jiao. When combined with Moschus (She Xiang), pounded and applied to the navel, it promotes urination and reduces edema. (If taken by mistake and edema subsides but recurs, it is incurable.) Select the root from the white-flowered variety, scrape off the skin with a copper knife, slice thinly, soak in flowing eastward water for two days and nights, drain, place on a steamer, steam alternating layers of black soybean leaves and Phytolaccae Radix (Shanglu) for half a day until thoroughly cooked, remove the bean leaves, and dry in the sun for use. If bean leaves are unavailable, beans may be used as a substitute. For external application, the red variety is particularly effective. The red variety, if ingested, causes uncontrollable bloody dysentery and death. The white variety, if decocted and taken orally, can also cause death. Phytolaccae Radix (Shanglu), Euphorbiae Pekinensis Radix (Daji), Kansui Radix (Gansui), Polygoni Citrini Herba (Bianxu), Genkwa Flos (Yuanhua), Wikstroemiae Caulis (Raohua), and Daphne genkwa Sieb. et Zucc. Rhizoma (Ye Langdu) etc., all have excellent effects in moving Qi downward and removing water, but they severely damage the Original Qi (Zhen Qi), which is no small matter. It is advisable to apply them externally to the navel and abdomen, adding Moschus (She Xiang) and Gleditsiae Sinensis Fructus Spina (Ya Zao) to guide the medicinal Qi inward, allowing water qi to exit through urine and stool, thus ensuring safety. Otherwise, the drugs must be thoroughly processed and supplemented with Qi-tonifying herbs, so that the Original Qi is not completely exhausted.
Soybean (Da Dou) acts as its guiding herb (Shi). It dislikes Polygonum aviculare L. var. chinense (Ostenf.) Tzvel. (Mai Ju Jiang). It fears vinegar, Opopanax chironium (Zhan Si), and Litharge (Mi Tuo Seng).
Bitter, pungent, neutral in nature. Highly toxic. Enters the Hand-Taiyin Lung Meridian, and also the Shaoyin Meridian Qi aspect. Treats coughing with reverse flow of Qi, removes chest hypochondriac accumulations, and phlegm-fluid retention masses, eliminates malignant sores and scrofula. Combined with Gentianae Macrophyllae Radix (Qinjiao), it treats severe dermatological wind sores. Combined with Aconiti Lateralis Radix Praeparata (Fuzi), it treats continuous pain in the heart and abdomen. Use after stir-frying with vinegar.
The white variety is called Caoru Ru.
Licorice Root (Gan Cao) acts as its guiding herb (Shi). It dislikes Ophiopogonis Radix (Maidong).
Pungent, cold in nature, slightly toxic. Expels pus and kills parasites. Breaks up masses, clears heat-bi, removes dead flesh, and dissipates wind-heat. Combined with Sepiae Endoconcha (Haipiaoxiao) into pills, it treats female blood exhaustion (exhaustion due to blood stasis). Combined with vinegar (Ku Jiu) and lard (Zhu Zhi), applied topically to onychia.
Works well when combined with Jujube (Zao). Adzuki Bean (Xiao Dou) acts as its guiding herb (Shi). It fears Acori Tatarinowii Rhizoma (Changpu), reed rhizome (Luwei), and rat feces. It dislikes Dioscoreae Rhizoma (Shuyu). It is incompatible with Licorice Root (Gan Cao). (Acori Tatarinowii Rhizoma (Changpu) can resolve this incompatibility.)
Bitter, cold in nature, toxic. Enters the Three Yin Meridians and the Foot-Taiyang Meridian. Drains excess water from the interior and exterior, upper and lower parts. Expels insect toxins, breaks up pathological accumulations, drives out blood stasis, and clears phlegm-fluid retention. Combined with Zingiberis Rhizoma Recens (Ganjiang) into a powder, it treats edema with panting and urgency. Boiled with Jujube (Zao), it treats edema. (Remove the Euphorbiae Pekinensis Radix (Daji) and eat only the jujubes.) Wash with rice washing water, then boil dry in fermented grain liquid, remove the woody core for use. It is appropriate to harvest the main root. If the lateral adventitious roots are mistakenly used, it will cause uncontrolled cold diarrhea; even decocting Shepherd's Purse (Ji Cao) soup cannot resolve it. Reckless use causes death.