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Taste: Sweet, pungent. Nature: Cold. Toxicity: Slightly toxic. Indications: Edema (water swelling), Hongjiao (gouty arthritis/foot swelling), promotes urination and defecation, resolves phlegm, breaks up masses, eliminates accumulations, and reduces carbuncles and sores. Habitat: Grows by ponds and marshes. Description: Leaves resemble those of *Polygonum hydropiper* (Water Pepper) or *Houttuynia cordata* (Fish Mint), and also look like *Smilax*. The leaves have three black spots; they are not white. Ancient people kept this secret, hiding the black to make it appear white. Height is about one chi. Roots resemble celery roots, yellowish-white and thick/large. (Newly added)

Taste: Bitter. Nature: Cold. Toxicity: Toxic. Indications: Directs Qi downward, treats leg fullness and edema, dispels wind-toxicity, and promotes urination. Growth habit: Grows as a vine. Flowers resemble broad beans, yellow in color. Seeds are contained in small pods, black inside, shaped like ball seeds/nuts. Recent usage: Taken to treat leg fullness and shortness of breath due to Qi stagnation; once urination becomes smooth, recovery is assured. Origin: This herb originally came from fields; people exchanged it for medicine using cattle, hence its name. Another variety of grass has three white spots on its leaves and is effective for treating lower body Qi stagnation. [Note]: This flower resembles *Inula japonica* (Xuanfu Hua) but is blue-green, not yellow, and does not resemble broad beans. Its "Sanbaicao" (Three-White Grass) actually has three black spots, not white; ancient people kept this secret, concealing the black to present it as white. Tao Hongjing did not see it himself but transmitted what he heard, believing the spots were white.

Taste: Pungent, bitter. Nature: Neutral. Toxicity: Non-toxic. Indications: Treats metal wounds, stops pain, arrests bleeding, promotes flesh regeneration, removes various malignant sores, and reduces swelling. Application: Crushed and applied topically, or soaked in decoction and powdered for application, both are effective. Description: Leaves resemble *Xanthium sibiricum* (Cang'er). Stems are round and hairy. Grows in wet places, found everywhere. Also known as Hugaou (Tiger Ointment) and Gougao (Dog Ointment). Habitat: Plains and marshes. (Newly added)
Zige (Purple Vine): Taste: Sweet, bitter. Nature: Cold. Toxicity: Non-toxic. Indications: Carbuncles, swellings, and malignant sores. Preparation: Take root bark, crush into powder, mix with vinegar, and apply topically. Habitat: Mountains and valleys. Not used in prescriptions. Description: Seedlings resemble grapevines. Roots are purple, large ones 2-3 cun in diameter. Seedlings grow up to one zhang long. (Newly added)

Taste: Sweet, pungent. Nature: Neutral. Toxicity: Slightly toxic. Indications: Water retention syndromes. Dosage: Grind twenty seeds in water and ingest; induces vomiting of foul foam. Increase to thirty seeds, take once every three days; stop when recovered. Additional indications: Wind-deficiency with alternating cold and heat, body sores/itching/swelling, corpse-infection (chronic wasting diseases) and evil Qi. Preparation: Press to extract oil and apply topically. Leaf indications: Hongjiao (gouty arthritis), wind-swelling with numbness. Preparation: Crush, steam, and apply topically. Description: The variety cultivated by humans has leaves resembling hemp leaves but much larger. Seeds resemble ticks, also called Bima. The variety coming from Hu regions (Western Regions) has red stems, trees over one zhang high, seeds as large as soap pod kernels, which are more effective. Application: Oil applied to leaves, heated, and used as a hot compress on the fontanelle is particularly effective for stopping epistaxis. (Newly added)