菖蒲为之使。畏牛乳。
辛、苦、温。入手足阳明经气分，去风湿寒痹，疗黄胆酒毒，舒筋养血。（皆祛湿之功。）
得
肉桂，治产后中风。得牛乳，治伤寒烦渴，及发背初起，并治五种黄胆。（一种误食鼠粪作
黄，多涕痰，目有赤脉，憔悴面赤恶心者是也。）配阿胶、艾，治胎动不安。佐柴胡，治风
湿骨蒸。（风入骨，故热。）
左纹者良，右纹者发香港脚。以布刷去黄白毛，童便浸一宿，炒干用。
肾虚便多，血虚筋痛，二者禁用。
半夏为之使。畏女菀、藜芦。恶皂荚。
苦、微辛，微寒。入足少阳、厥阴经。在经主气，在脏主血。宣畅气血，散郁调经，升
阳气
，平相火。治伤寒疟疾，寒热往来，头角疼痛，心下烦热，呕吐胁疼，口苦耳聋，妇人热入
血室，小儿痘症疳热，散十二经疮疽热痛。
得益气药，升阳气。得清气药，散邪热。得甘草，治余热伏暑。得朱砂、 猪胆汁，治
小儿
遍身如火。配人参，治虚劳邪热。配决明子，治眼目昏暗。佐地骨皮，治邪热骨蒸。和白虎
汤，疗邪热烦渴。行厥阴，川连为佐。行少阳，黄芩为佐。
产银州银县者良。外感，生用，多用。升气，酒炒，少用。下降用梢，上升用根。有汗
咳者
，蜜炒。痨疳，用银柴胡。犯火便无效。太阳病，（用此引盗入门。）病入阴经。（用此重伤
其表。）病在肝肾，（用此经络不合。）阴虚火动痰喘，（宜清不宜升。）虚寒呕吐，（愈升则
愈吐。）五者皆禁用。怪症∶肠胃极痒难忍，扒搔不得，或伸噫，小便之余，略觉可忍，此
火气郁结也。用柴胡为
君，合芍药、山栀、花粉，重剂投之自愈。
本经柴胡并未言及治劳，而劳热症误用之，害人不浅。然有一种虚劳，复受邪热，因邪
热而
愈成劳损者，柴胡在所必需。今人知劳热禁用之论，概不敢使，此又不知权变者也。
Acorus tatarinowii (Shichangpu) serves as its guiding herb. It is incompatible with cow's milk.
Pungent, bitter, warm. Enters the Qi aspect of the Foot and Hand Yangming meridians. It dispels wind-dampness and cold-bi, treats jaundice and alcohol toxicity, relaxes sinews and nourishes blood. (These are all effects of dampness-dispelling.)
Combined with Cinnamomi Cortex (Rougui), it treats postpartum wind-stroke. Combined with cow's milk, it treats restlessness and thirst caused by Shanghan (Cold Damage), and the initial stage of Back Carbuncle (Fabei). It also treats five types of jaundice. (One type is caused by accidentally eating rat feces, characterized by excessive phlegm and mucus, red veins in the eyes, emaciation, red face, and nausea.) Combined with Donkey-hide Gelatin (Ejiao) and Mugwort Leaf (Aiye), it treats restless fetus. Assisted by Bupleuri Radix (Chaihu), it treats bone-steaming heat due to wind-dampness. (Wind enters the bones, thus generating heat.)
Those with left-curving grain are superior; those with right-curving grain induce Hong Kong Foot (podagra/foot swelling). Brush off the yellow-white hairs with a cloth, soak in child's urine overnight, stir-fry until dry for use.
Contraindicated in cases of Kidney deficiency with frequent urination, and Blood deficiency with sinus pain.
Pinellia Tuber (Banxia) serves as its guiding herb. It is incompatible with Polygala Root (Nüwan) and Veratrum Rhizome (Lilu). It clashes with Gleditsia Sinensis Fruit (Zaojia).
Bitter, slightly pungent, slightly cold. Enters the Foot Shaoyang and Jueyin meridians. In the meridians, it governs Qi; in the Zang organs, it governs Blood. It promotes the free flow of Qi and Blood, disperses stagnation, regulates menstruation, raises Yang Qi, and subdues Ministerial Fire. It treats Shanghan malaria, alternating chills and fever, pain at the temples, irritability and heat below the heart, vomiting and hypochondriac pain, bitter taste in the mouth, deafness, women's Heat entering the Blood Chamber, pediatric acne and malnutrition heat, and dissipates heat-pain from sores and ulcers in the twelve meridians.
When combined with Qi-tonifying herbs, it raises Yang Qi. When combined with Clearing-Heat herbs, it disperses pathogenic heat. When combined with Glycyrrhizae Radix et Rhizoma (Gancao), it treats residual heat and latent summerheat. When combined with Cinnabar (Zhusha) and Pig Bile (Zhudanhuang), it treats children with whole-body heat like fire. Combined with Ginseng Radix et Rhizoma (Renshen), it treats deficiency-wasting with pathogenic heat. Combined with Cassiae Semen (Juemingzi), it treats dim vision. Assisted by Phellodendri Cortex (Digupi), it treats pathogenic heat bone-steaming. Combined with Baihu Tang (White Tiger Decoction), it treats pathogenic heat with restlessness and thirst. To act on the Jueyin meridian, use Coptidis Rhizoma (Huanglian) as an assistant. To act on the Shaoyang meridian, use Scutellariae Radix (Huangqin) as an assistant.
Those produced in Yinxian, Yinzhou are of good quality. For external contraction, use raw, in large doses. To raise Qi, use wine-fried, in small doses. Use the tips for descending action, use the roots for ascending action. For cough with sweating, use honey-fried. For consumption-malnutrition, use Silver Bupleuri Radix (Yin Chaihu). It becomes ineffective when exposed to fire. Contraindicated in Taiyang disease (using this draws the thief indoors). Contraindicated when pathogen enters Yin meridians (using this severely damages the exterior). Contraindicated when disease is in Liver and Kidney (using this does not align with the meridians). Contraindicated in Yin deficiency with stirring Fire causing phlegm and wheezing (clearing is preferred over raising). Contraindicated in deficiency-cold vomiting (raising exacerbates vomiting). These five conditions are all contraindications. Strange symptom: Extreme itching in the intestines and stomach, unbearable, scratching without relief, or belching, slightly tolerable after urination; this is due to constrained Fire Qi. Use Bupleuri Radix (Chaihu) as the Sovereign herb, combined with Paeoniae Radix Alba (Shaoyao), Gardeniae Fructus (Shanzhi), and Trichosanthis Radix (Huafen), administer in heavy dosage, and it will heal itself.
The *Shennong Ben Cao Jing* did not mention treating consumption (Lao) with Chaihu, and misusing it for consumption-heat causes significant harm. However, there is a type of deficiency-wasting where pathogenic heat is contracted again, leading to consumptive damage due to the pathogenic heat; in such cases, Chaihu is necessary. Modern practitioners, knowing the theory that Chaihu is contraindicated for consumption-heat, dare not use it at all; these are people who do not understand flexibility in treatment.