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There are also those who criticize this, why is that? Even Wang Haicang said: "If there is no excess heat but Chai Hu (Bupleuri Radix) is used, how can one expect not to die?" All these views are roughly the same; users must examine them carefully.

Jie Geng (22) Also known as Qi Jie. Taste: bitter, slightly pungent. Nature: slightly cool. Its qi is lighter than its taste, possessing yang within yin, with slight toxicity, and its nature is ascending. It is used for its ability to carry other herbs upward, hence the name "Keel" (Zhou Ji), entering the Lung, Gallbladder, Chest Diaphragm, and Upper Jiao meridians. It carries dispersing herbs to scatter cold pathogens from the exterior; it carries cooling herbs to clear the throat and treat sore throat and bi obstruction, and also treats red eyes and swelling pain. It carries lung-clearing herbs to resolve lung heat and lung abscess, treating nasal congestion, spitting of pus and blood, and cough. It carries phlegm-resolving herbs to eliminate phlegm and stop vomiting, and can also broaden the chest and direct qi downward. Guided by Da Huang (Rhei Radix et Rhizoma), it can ascend; guided by Qing Pi (Aurantii Fructus Pericarpium), it can soothe the liver and relieve pain. It can resolve malignant poisoning and gu poison, and also treat epilepsy and palpitations. If one wishes to use exclusively descending agents, this herb should not be used together.

Fang Feng (23) Taste: sweet, pungent. Nature: warm. Action: ascending, yang. It is used for its mild qi to disperse wind pathogens. Although it enters the Bladder and Spleen/Stomach meridians, it reaches all meridians when combined with herbs of other meridians. Both its taste and qi are light, so it disperses wind pathogens, treats body-wide pain, treats wind-eye conditions, and stops cold tearing. Wind can overcome dampness, so it can also remove dampness and eliminate widespread damp sores. When combined with herbs that consolidate the exterior and tonify qi, it can also stop sweating, raise yang qi, and stop intestinal wind bleeding and metrorrhagia. However, this is a moistening agent among wind-dispersing herbs; it can also dissipate yuan qi in the upper jiao. Misuse or long-term use can harm the body.

Xi Xin (24) (Incompatible with Li Lu, avoid raw vegetables) Taste: extremely pungent. Nature: warm. Both taste and qi are strong, action: ascending, yang, with slight toxicity. It is used for its warming and dispersing properties. It excels at dispelling cold pathogens in the yin aspect, removing headache in the yin meridians, benefiting the liver, warming the gallbladder, and opening orifices. It drives out various wind-damp bi syndromes, wind epilepsy, fatigue malaria, nasal congestion with loss of smell, opens orifices, disperses wind-wave eye pain. For bad breath and tooth worms, decoct and gargle. Overuse will also dissipate true qi, which must be known. This herb is extremely pungent, thus able to drive out yin-aspect pathogens; if it affects the yin aspect, the yang aspect is understandable. Old texts say it is a herb for the Shaoyin and Jueyin meridians, but how can an extremely pungent herb not enter the yang aspect? However, yang patterns contraindicate heat, so use must be cautious.

Qiang Huo (25) Taste: slightly bitter. Nature: pungent, slightly warm. Action: ascending, yang. It is used for its ability to disperse cold and stabilize pain. It can enter all meridians, most notably the Taiyang meridian. It disperses cold pathogens on the muscle surface, relieves pain in the entire body, neck, and spine, expels Taiyang carbuncles and sores, and removes old and new wind-dampness. Because it is not a soft or weak substance, it can restore order from chaos. Only because its qi is vigorous and powerful in dispersing and driving out pathogens, it is contraindicated for those with deficient righteous qi.

Du Huo (26) Taste: bitter. Nature: fragrant, slightly cool. Ascending with descending action, it excels at moving stagnant qi, thus entering the Kidney and Bladder meridians, specifically managing lower jiao wind-dampness. It is suitable for pain and bi in both legs, damp itching and spasms, toothache, dizziness, wheezing and counterflow due to wind-damp, ben tun hernia and mass, waist and abdominal pain, etc.

Sheng Ma (27) Taste: slightly bitter. Nature: neutral. Both taste and qi are light, floating, and ascending, belonging to yang. It is used for its ascending, dispersing, and lifting properties, entering the Spleen, Stomach, Lung, and Large Intestine meridians. It excels at dispersing wind-cold in the Yangming meridian, exterior pathogenic heat, lifting sinking yuan qi, raising prolapse of the large intestine, removing exterior pathogens of Yangming epidemic febrile diseases, and resolving wind-heat macules and rashes on the skin. Guided by Shi Gao (Gypsum Fibrosum), it removes foul-smelling, rotting, swollen, and painful teeth; guided by Cong Bai (Allii Fistulosi Bulbus), it removes headache from Yangming exterior patterns; assisted by Dang Gui (Angelicae Sinensis Radix) and Rou Cong Rong (Cistanches Herba), it unblocks dry constipation. For any carbuncle, sore, acne, or rash where yang deficiency prevents eruption, as well as dysentery, metrorrhagia, nocturnal emission, rectal prolapse, and patterns of yang deficiency with sinking, using it as an assistant to tonifying agents is appropriate. However, it is unsuitable for upper fullness with qi stagnation, flaming up of various fires, and Taiyang exterior patterns. Furthermore, since its taste is bitter and qi dispersing, it cannot be used for those with severe blood and qi deficiency, or those lacking root water and fire.

Qian Hu (28) Taste: bitter, cold. Nature: descending, slightly yang within yin. It eliminates fire-phlegm and excess heat; opens qi counterflow and stagnation, treating tetany and cholera; removes chest fullness, wheezing, vomiting, cough, and restlessness; treats shanghan alternating chills and fever, wind-heat headache; resolves infant malnutrition heat.

Yan Hu Suo (29) Taste: bitter, slightly pungent. Nature: slightly warm. Enters the Liver and Spleen meridians. It excels at moving stagnant qi and breaking stagnant blood, being a qi herb within blood. Thus, it can stop abdominal pain, unblock menstruation, regulate menstrual flow and urinary retention, treat heart qi pain, break masses and contusion stasis, induce abortion, promote urination, and treat postpartum reverse blood rushing upward. All are suitable for decoction in wine or grinding in wine. However, its nature is solely to break qi and drive out blood; it should only be used for true blood counterflow and qi stagnation. It is highly unsuitable for postpartum blood deficiency, scanty or obstructed menstruation due to blood exhaustion, or pain due to qi deficiency.

Zi Cao (30) Taste: bitter, cold. This is a blood-level herb for the Hand Jueyin and Foot Jueyin meridians. Its nature is cold and lubricating, capable of cooling blood and lubricating blood, unblocking the two bowels, thus suitable for acne and smallpox practitioners. In treating acne and smallpox, whether erupted or not, if blood heat and toxin are abundant, appearing purple or black, with dry stool constipation, it is suitable. If already erupted red and vibrant, not purple or black, with normal loose stools, it should not be used. Thus, Zeng Shirong's *Huoyou Xinshu* states: "Zi Cao is cold; if a child has solid spleen qi, it can still be used; if spleen qi is deficient, it may cause diarrhea." Ancient formulas only use its buds, taking advantage of its light qi and thin taste, having cooling and ascending functions. Additionally, it can be used to resolve jaundice, reduce swelling, and treat all macules, rashes, and malignant sores, because it benefits the nine orifices, unblocks water passages, removes dampness, and cools blood.

Bai Ji (31) Taste: bitter, astringent. Nature: converging, slightly cold. Incompatible with Wu Tou. It enters the Lung to stop bleeding and treats lung abscess and lung萎 (flaccidity). It treats carbuncles, ulcers, rotten malignant sores, knife wounds, arrow injuries, scalds, burns, generates flesh, and relieves pain; all can be ground into powder for external application. For hematemesis that cannot be stopped, using Bai Ji powder mixed with rice water is effective.

San Qi (32) Taste: sweet, warm. This is a blood-level herb for the Yangming and Jueyin meridians, thus excellent at stopping bleeding, dispersing blood, and relieving pain. For injuries from metal blades or arrows, or contusions and beatings with continuous bleeding, chewing and applying, or grinding into powder and sprinkling, stops bleeding immediately. It also treats hematemesis, epistaxis, lower bleeding, bloody dysentery, metrorrhagia, prolonged menstruation, and postpartum retained lochia; all are suitable for self-chewing or powder taken with rice water, 2-3 qian. For tiger bites or snakebites, it can be taken or applied. The leaves have similar properties and uses to the roots; for fractures, contusions, and bleeding, applying stops bleeding, and bruising dissipates.

Bai Xian Pi (33) Taste: bitter, cold. Nature: drying and descending. It is a herb for the Hand and Foot Taiyang and Yangming meridians. It resolves heat jaundice, alcohol jaundice, acute jaundice, grain jaundice, and labor jaundice; unblocks joints and nine orifices, benefits blood vessels and urination, treats epidemic high fever with thirst, mania and shouting, women's vulvar swelling and pain, and children's wind-heat epilepsy. It especially treats all toxic wind sores, scabies, red and rotten tinea, yaws, and eyebrow/hair loss. Although good for sores, it is actually a key herb for jaundice and wind-bi.

Qin Jiao (34) Taste: bitter. Nature: heavy cold, with floating within heaviness. It is a fire-clearing herb for the Hand and Foot Yangming meridians. It treats wind-cold-damp bi, promotes urination, treats whole-body wind-damp spasms and limb paralysis, clears jaundice, resolves epidemic heat mothers, removes lockjaw, toothache, and mouth ulcers, intestinal wind bleeding, and deficiency consumption bone-steaming fever, tidal fever, irritability, and thirst, as well as women's fetal heat and children's malnutrition heat and emaciation.

Di Yu (35) Taste: bitter, slightly astringent. Nature: cold and descending. Both clearing and astringent, it can stop hematemesis and epistaxis, clear fire and brighten eyes, treat intestinal wind bloody dysentery, women's metrorrhagia and bleeding, prolonged menstruation, leukorrhea, hemorrhoids, postpartum loss of yin qi; it also stops night sweats, treats heat fullness, removes evil flesh, and stops sore pain. It should be used for blood heat, but is unsuitable for deficiency cold. Made into ointment, it can be applied to metal wounds; crushed for juice, it can be applied to tiger, dog, snake, or insect bites/poisons, and drinking it is also effective.

Huang Qin (36) Taste: bitter, cold. Qi is lighter than taste, can ascend or descend, slightly yang within yin. Dried ones excel at entering the Lung; solid ones excel at entering the Large Intestine. To ascend, stir-fry with wine; to descend, use raw. Dried ones clear upper jiao fire, eliminate phlegm, benefit qi, stabilize asthma and cough, stop bleeding, resolve alternating chills and fever, wind-heat/damp-heat headache, resolve epidemics, clear the throat, treat lung flaccidity and abscess, breast abscess, and back carbuncles; especially dispel muscle-surface heat, thus treating macules/rashes, scrofula, sores, and red eyes. Solid ones cool lower jiao heat, remove red dysentery, heat accumulating in the bladder, five types of strangury with painful urination, large intestine closure, hematochezia, and metrorrhagia. For fetus unsettled by excessive fire, add Sha Ren (Amomi Fructus) and Bai Zhu (Atractylodis Macrocephalae Rhizoma); for abdominal pain due to fire stagnation, add Huang Lian (Coptidis Rhizoma) and Hou Po (Magnoliae Officinalis Cortex). For large intestine without fire causing slippery diarrhea, use with extreme caution.

Huang Lian (37) Taste: extremely bitter. Nature: extremely cold. Taste is strong, qi is thin, heavy, descending, slightly ascending within descending, slightly yang within yin. Specifically treats various fires: fire above, stir-fry with wine; fire below, stir-fry with child's urine; fire with vomiting, stir-fry with ginger juice; latent fire, stir-fry with salt water. Stir-fried with Wu Zhu Yu (Evodiae Fructus), it stops fire pain; stir-fried with Chen Bi Tu (Old Wall Soil), it stops heat diarrhea. Used with Zhi Shi (Aurantii Fructus Immaturus), it eliminates fire bloating; used with Tian Hua Fen (Trichosanthis Radix), it resolves irritability and thirst. With Mu Xiang (Aucklandiae Radix) pills, it harmonizes fire-stagnant dysentery and abdominal pain; with Wu Zhu Yu pills, it treats stomach heat vomiting and acid regurgitation. In short, its nature is extremely cold, thus only soothing the liver, cooling blood, purifying the stomach, clearing the intestines and gallbladder, stopping epilepsy, draining heart fire, and removing fullness. Above, it treats hematemesis and epistaxis; below, it treats bloody stools. It treats women's vulvar swelling and pain, removes children's food accumulation heat and malnutrition, kills roundworms. Eliminates malignant sores and carbuncles, removes damp-heat and stagnant heat. Excellent for fire eyes, also eliminates hemorrhoids. Resolves heat of Wu Tou (Aconiti Lateralis Radix Preparata) and toxicity of Ba Dou (Crotonis Fructus). However, it excellently drains heart and spleen excess fire; misuse for deficiency heat will certainly cause rejection of yang. Thus, Kou Zongshi said: "For deficiency and cold, do not use lightly." Wang Haicang said: "In summer, for prolonged bloody dysentery, do not use Huang Lian, as yin is inside." Jingyue says: "Human Spleen and Stomach hold and generate all things, resembling earth and belonging to earth. Warm earth allows qi to move and becomes dry; cold earth causes qi to congeal and becomes damp; dry earth becomes solid; damp earth becomes slippery. This is an immutable principle in heaven and earth. Huang Lian is so bitter and cold that overusing Qin and Lian invariably damages the spleen; its dampness and slipperiness are obvious. Solely because Tao Hongjing's *Bielu* mentioned 'regulating stomach and thickening intestines,' and Liu Hejian confirmed: 'Most bitter-cold herbs cause diarrhea, only Huang Lian and Huang Bo are cold and drying.' This led later generations to view it as a rare insight, claiming Huang Lian is drying and thickens the intestines, so anyone treating diarrhea starts with Huang Lian. But where is the drying nature of Huang Lian and Huang Bo seen? Alas! One erroneous statement, spread like this, hard to wash away, misleading people contrary to reason, nothing is worse. Although Huang Lian is effective for dysentery, it is only suitable for those constitutionally yang-predominant or those whose dysentery is caused by damp-heat from indulgence in food. Moreover, for those with strong blood and qi due to indulgence, even misuse may not kill; eventually, as pathogens leave, they will gradually recover, attributing success to Huang Lian, why not? Otherwise, for those with originally weak yuan qi, spleen-damaged dysentery, or cold-damp moving spleen without fire pathogen, there are many such cases. If Huang Lian is misused, spleen and kidney decline daily, with less than one in a hundred surviving. Most deaths from dysentery are of this type, which is chilling. I speak these words, yet some may not believe, mostly due to misunderstanding 'bitter' and 'drying.' Thus, in *Chuanzhong Lu*, refuting Hejian, I detailed the principles of flavors again, hoping future benevolent physicians will review and correct, so right and wrong become clear, and people's lives depend on it. Daoist texts say consuming Huang Lian with pork causes diarrhea."

Hu Huang Lian (38) Taste: extremely bitter, extremely cold. Its nature, taste, and functions are very similar to Huang Lian. It cools the liver and brightens eyes, treats bone-steaming consumption fever, three consumptions, hematemesis and epistaxis, five-center heat, treats women's fetal heat, deficiency epilepsy and heat dysentery, and children's malnutrition heat and epilepsy. Invigorating human milk to drop into eyes is very good.

Zhi Mu (39) Taste: bitter, cold, yin. Its nature is heavy with floating; floating enters Hand Taiyin and Hand Shaoyin; heavy enters Foot Yangming, Foot Jueyin, and Foot Shaoyin. Thus, above, it clears lungs, stops thirst, removes headache, moistens heart and lungs, resolves deficiency irritability, asthma, and cough, hematemesis and epistaxis, removes foul odor in throat. In the middle, it retreats stomach fire, flattens xiao dan. Below, it promotes urination, moistens large intestine, removes damp-heat in bladder, liver, and kidneys, waist and leg swelling and pain, and treats consumption internal heat, retreats yin fire, resolves heat strangury and turbid discharge. Ancient texts state Zhi Mu assists Huang Bo to nourish yin and descend fire, having the meaning of metal and water generating each other. This means Huang Bo controls fire in yin of bladder and mingmen, while Zhi Mu eliminates fire in the source of kidney water controlled by lung metal. Removing fire protects yin, which is what is meant by nourishing yin. Thus, Jiegu and Dongyuan both considered it a key herb for nourishing yin and descending fire. Since Danxi, everyone used it to tonify yin, which is truly a great error. Zhi Mu, with its heavy cold nature, originally lacks vital energy; it can be used to clear fire, but what does it tonify yin? Although its yin-soft and compliant nature seems virtuous, if yuan qi is already depleted, relying on it for tonification is like petty men in court, where national yuan qi is daily diminished, with yin shifting unnoticed. One must see the truth and distinguish early.

Long La Cao (40) Taste: extremely bitter, extremely cold. Yin, heavy, it is the principal herb for Foot Jueyin and Shaoyang. It greatly drains fire; but guided as an assistant, it treats all fires. Thus, it retreats bone-steaming malnutrition heat, removes heart fire epilepsy and mania; stomach fire irritability and jaundice, throat swelling and pain; latent fire in liver, kidney, and bladder, urinary strangury and closure, blood heat dysentery; lower jiao damp-heat carbuncles, sore pain; women's blood heat metrorrhagia; children's heat malnutrition and ke wu, removes yellow eyes and red swollen painful eyes, kills gu poison and gastrointestinal parasites, and wind-heat night sweats. Any excess fire in liver and kidney is suitable for it.