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Shanyao (Dioscoreae Rhizoma, Chinese Yam): It has a slightly sweet and bland taste, and a slightly astringent nature. Therefore, it can strengthen the spleen and tonify deficiency, secure essence and consolidate the kidneys, treat various deficiencies and hundred losses, and cure five labors and seven injuries.
However, its qi is light and its action is slow, so it cannot be used exclusively as a principal ingredient. Thus, to tonify the spleen and lungs, Ginseng Radix et Rhizoma (Renshen) and Atractylodis Macrocephalae Rhizoma (Baizhu) must be the principal herbs; to tonify kidney water, Cornus Officinalis Fruit (Shanzhuyu) and Rehmanniae Radix Praeparata (Shudi) must be the sovereign herbs; to secure leukorrhea and turbid urine, Psoraleae Fructus (Buguzhi) must be ground together with it; to secure seminal emission and diarrhea, Cuscutae Semen (Tusizi) must be combined with it. For all kinds of Gu Ben Wan (Root-Firming Pills), it is also appropriate to crush the herbs into powder and make them into a paste. In short, its nature and flavor are mild and weak, so it can only be used as an assistant or guide herb.

Ganjiang (Zingiberis Rhizoma Praeparatum, Dried Ginger): It has a pungent and slightly bitter taste, and a warm and hot nature. When raw, it can disperse cold and induce sweating; when cooked, it can warm the middle and regulate the spleen. It is good at clearing the mind and spirit, removing foulness, unblocking the joints and orifices of the four limbs, opening the five zang and six fu organs, eliminating phlegm and directing rebellious qi downward, relieving muscle cramps and cholera, driving out wind-damp-cold bi syndrome, various yin-cold toxins, cold-type痞 (pi) fullness, waist and abdominal pain, traumatic blood stasis, and frequent urination at night. Sun Simiao said: "Fresh ginger is the holy medicine for vomiting." Therefore, for spleen-cold vomiting that requires warming and dispersing, fresh ginger should be baked and used. If lower yuan deficiency-cold causes abdominal pain and dysentery, requiring specific warming and tonification, dried ginger should be stir-fried until yellow and used. If postpartum deficiency-heat and excessive deficiency-fire cause hemoptysis and bloody dysentery, dried ginger should be charred and used. If stir-fried into black charcoal, it loses the properties of ginger; although it may be used to stop bleeding, it relies on its black and astringent nature. If yin excess repels yang, fire fails to return to its source, and yang deficiency fails to control blood causing hematemesis, epistaxis, or hematochezia, it is best to use stir-fried dried ginger retaining its properties; this is a key herb for stopping bleeding. However, patients with yin deficiency and internal heat with profuse sweating should avoid using ginger.

Da Huixiang (Foeniculi Fructus, Aniseed): It has a pungent taste and warm temperature, entering the heart and kidney meridians. Its aroma is sweet and fragrant, capable of ascending and descending, and it most effectively warms the Mingmen (Gate of Life). It improves and drives out bladder cold stagnation, treats hernia and lower back pain, warms the stomach to stop vomiting, harmonizes the middle jiao to relieve pain, eliminates cholera and regurgitation, treats dental and oral diseases, directs qi downward and detoxifies, and manages cold-damp Hong Kong foot (gouty arthritis/foot drop). It harmonizes various dishes, removing odors and generating fragrance.

Xiao Huixiang (Foeniculi Fructus, Fennel Seed): Its aroma and flavor are slightly lighter, and its treatment effects are similar to Da Huixiang. However, Da Huixiang is warmer in nature, whereas Xiao Huixiang is merely slightly warm.

Baijiezhi (Sinapis Semen, White Mustard Seed): It has a strongly pungent taste and warm temperature. It is good at opening stagnation and eliminating phlegm, treating cough and asthma, regurgitation and vomiting, wind-toxin flowing accumulation, and limb pain. It is especially effective in dispelling cold qi, releasing the muscle layer and inducing sweating, eliminating phlegm-pi malaria and masses, and rapidly removing fullness. Because its flavor is strong but its qi is light, its guiding action is fast without consuming qi significantly. Since it can eliminate phlegm in the intercostal membranes, its effect on nearby areas is self-evident. It harmonizes the five zang organs and can also fumigate and dissipate evil qi. For early-stage swelling toxins, breast lumps, and phlegm nodules, grinding into powder and applying with vinegar or water is very effective.

Luobozǐ (Brassicae Semens, Radish Seed): It has a strongly pungent taste and warm temperature, with both flavor and qi being dense, possessing a descending property. It is excellent at breaking qi stagnation and eliminating phlegm, calming asthma and removing distension, promoting urination and defecation, having the power to push down walls. Ground into water and mixed with thin gruel for drinking, it immediately induces vomiting to expel wind-phlegm completely. For gastric qi and food stagnation leading to drum-like distension, this herb is indispensable for removal. Applied externally with vinegar, it greatly reduces swelling and toxins. It must not be used recklessly by those with insufficient middle qi.

Congbai (Allii Cepae Bulbus, Scallion/Stem): It has a pungent taste and warm nature. It is good at dispersing wind-cold pathogens, unblocking joints, opening the couli (pores), and treating shahan channe-re (chills and fever), epidemic headache, bone and joint soreness, moving stagnant qi, eliminating cholera and muscle cramps, ben tun (gas migrating upward), Hong Kong foot, yin-pathogens and cold toxins, yang qi collapse, heart and abdominal pain, as well as insect accumulation, qi accumulation, dietary poison, and drug poison. It promotes urination and defecation, treats dysentery with blood, pediatric umbilical retraction (neonatal tetanus), female hematuria, promotes lactation, dissipates breast abscesses, and eliminates carbuncles and swelling. Crushed and applied topically, it treats shahan chest binding (pleurisy/chest congestion) and trauma with blood stasis and continuous pain. Smearing it treats dog bites and controls earthworm toxicity.

Suan (Allii Sativi Bulbus, Garlic): It has a pungent taste and warm nature, with slight toxicity. It is good at regulating the middle and warming the stomach, moving stagnant qi, warding off greasiness, stimulating appetite, eliminating cold qi and cold phlegm,面食 (wheat/noodle) food stagnation, fish and meat stagnation, pathogenic bi distension, old stagnation and discomfort, killing stream toxins, water toxins, gu poison, snake and insect poisons. Crushed, it can be used for moxibustion on carbuncles, applied to ding sores, and dressed on snake/insect/sand wind toxins with great efficacy.

Jiucai (Allii Tuberosi Herba, Chinese Chives): It has a pungent, sweet, and slightly astringent taste, and a warm nature. It is good at warming the middle, anchoring the five zang organs, harmonizing stomach qi, strengthening spleen qi, and eliminating turbid qi. It stimulates appetite, removes heart and abdominal cold-pi, esophageal obstruction and qi stagnation, stops thirst, dysentery with pus and blood, abdominal cold pain, strengthens kidney qi, warms waist and knees, and treats seminal emission and leukorrhea. All these conditions are best treated by regular boiling and consumption, which greatly benefits the body. To eliminate epigastric blood stasis pain, stroke with excessive phlegm and loss of speech, upper jiao asthma and急促 (rapid breathing), acute food or drug poisoning, sudden hematemesis, epistaxis, hematuria, traumatic blood stasis, female menstrual blood stagnation rushing up to the heart and abdomen, or critical situations involving rabies, snake, or insect venom, crushing fresh chives for juice ingestion is recommended. The toxin may be expelled through vomiting or resolved internally, leading to recovery. Decoction can also be used to fumigate postpartum blood晕 (syncope) or wash prolapsed intestines and hemorrhoids.

Jiu Zi (Allii Tuberosi Semen, Chive Seed): It has a pungent taste and warm nature, representing yang within yin. It should be stir-fried until yellow before use. It treats nocturnal emission, spermatorrhea, and hematuria, warms the waist and knees, strengthens the male organ, treats ghost intercourse (dream sex), tonifies liver, kidney, and mingmen, stops frequent urination and enuresis, and treats female bai yin (white discharge) and leukorrhea, and cold lower abdominal pain.

Baihe (Lilii Bulbus, Lily Bulb): It has a slightly sweet and bland taste, neutral qi, and slow action. Due to its sweet and緩 (slow/mild) nature, it can tonify qi and blood, moisten the lungs and stop cough, stabilize the soul and calm the mind, drive away fright and palpitations, alleviate epidemic cough and counterflow qi, resolve breast abscesses and throat bi, treat carbuncles, dissolve gu poison, moisten the large and small intestines, and eliminate qi counterflow and edema. Zhang Zhongjing used it to treat Baihe disease (Lily Disease), likely relying on its mild and non-aggressive nature to slowly restore scattered spirit. It is quite suitable for deficiency-labor cough.

Pugongying (Taraxaci Herba, Dandelion): Also known as Huanghua Diding (Yellow-flower Ground Ivy). It has a slightly bitter taste and neutral qi. The single-stemmed, single-flowered variety is authentic; branched stems are not. It enters the Yangming, Taiyin, Shaoyang, and Jueyin meridians. Decocted with Jin Yin Hua/Huang Bo Teng (Lonicerae Japonicae Caulis/Flos, Honeysuckle Vine/Flower) with a little wine added, it breaks hardness, reduces swelling, and dissipates tubercles and scrofula best. It breaks qi stagnation, resolves food toxicity, and extracts toxic thorns with excellent results. For female breast abscesses, decocting with water and wine for drinking and applying the dregs topically leads to immediate resolution.