《纲目》名山漆，一名金不换
甘微苦温，无毒。（广产形如人参者是，有节者非）。
发明 时珍云∶此药近时始出，南人军中用为金刃箭疮要药。止血散血定痛，为末掺之
。吐血衄血，崩中下血，血痢，产后恶血不下，并宜服之。凡杖扑伤损，瘀血淋漓者，随即
嚼烂罨之。青肿者即消。若受杖时，先服一二钱，则血不冲心，杖后尤宜服之。此阳明、厥
阴血分之药，故能治一切血病，独用研服尤良，取其专力也。一种庭砌栽植者，以苗捣敷，
肿毒即消，亦取散血之意。
苦寒，无毒。产川中者，中空，色正黄，截开分瓣者为上，云南水连次之，日本
吴楚为下。治心脏火生用。治肝胆实火，猪胆汁炒。治肝胆虚火，醋炒褐色。治上焦火，酒
炒。中焦火，姜汁炒。下焦火，盐水炒。气分郁结肝火，煎吴茱萸汤炒。血分块中伏火，同
干漆末炒。食积火，黄土拌炒。解附子、巴豆、轻粉毒，忌猪肉。
《本经》主热气目痛 伤泪出，明目，肠 ，腹痛下痢，妇人阴中肿痛。
发明 黄连性寒味苦，气薄味浓，降多升少，入手少阴、厥阴。苦入心，寒胜热，黄连
、大黄之苦寒以导心下之实热，去心窍恶血。仲景九种心下痞、五等泻心汤皆用之。泻心者
，其实泻脾，实则泻其子也。下痢胃口虚热口噤者，黄连、人参煎汤，时时呷之，如吐再饮
。但得一呷下咽便好。诸苦寒药多泻，惟黄连、芩、柏性寒而燥，能降火去湿止泻痢，故血
痢以之为君。今人但见肠虚渗泄微似有血，罔顾寒热多少，便用黄连，由是多致危殆。至于
虚冷白痢，及先泻后痢之虚寒证，误用致死者多矣。诸痛疡疮，皆属心火。眼暴赤肿痛不可
忍，亦属心火。兼挟肝邪俱宜黄连、当归。治痢及目为要药，故《本经》首言治热气目痛，
及肠 腹痛之患，取苦燥之性，以清头目、坚肠胃、祛湿热也。妇人阴中肿痛，亦是湿热为
患，尤宜以苦燥之。古方治痢香连丸，用黄连、木香。姜连散用干姜、黄连。左金丸用黄连
、吴茱萸。治消渴用酒蒸黄连。治口疮用细辛、黄连。治下血用黄连、葫蒜，皆是寒因热用
，热因寒用，而无偏胜之害。然苦寒之剂，中病即止，岂可使肃杀之令常行，而伐生发冲和
之气乎。医经有久服黄连、苦参反热之说，此性虽寒，其味至苦，入胃则先归于心，久而不
已，心火偏胜则热，乃其理也。近代庸流喜用黄连为清剂，殊不知黄连泻实火。若虚火而妄
投，反伤中气，阴火愈逆上无制矣。故阴虚烦热、脾虚泄泻，五更肾泄，妇人产后血虚烦热
、小儿痘疹气虚作泻，及行浆后泄泻，并皆禁用。
Bencao Gangmu (Compendium of Materia Medica) refers to it as "Shanqi" (Mountain Lacquer), also known as "Jinbuhuan" (Gold Not Exchanged).
Sanqi (Notoginseng Radix) has a sweet and slightly bitter taste, is warm in nature, and non-toxic. (Produced in Guangdong, those resembling Ginseng are authentic; those with nodes are not.)
[Invention] Li Shizhen stated: This herb appeared only recently. People in the south use it as an essential medicine for treating injuries from metal weapons or arrows. It stops bleeding, disperses blood stasis, and alleviates pain. When ground into powder and applied externally, it is effective. For hematemesis (vomiting blood), epistaxis (nosebleed), metrorrhagia (uterine bleeding), bloody dysentery, and postpartum lochia retention, it is suitable for internal use. For any injury caused by beating with sticks where blood stasis oozes out, chew it thoroughly and apply it immediately to the wound. If cyanosis and swelling occur, they will dissipate quickly. If taken one or two qian before being beaten, it prevents blood stasis from rushing to the heart, and it is especially advisable to take it after the beating. This is a medicine entering the blood aspect of the Yangming and Jueyin meridians, thus capable of treating all kinds of blood disorders. Using it alone, ground and swallowed, is particularly good because it concentrates its medicinal power. There is another variety planted in courtyard steps; applying crushed fresh leaves externally eliminates swelling and toxicity, also relying on its blood-dispersing effect.
Coptidis Rhizoma (Huanglian) has a bitter taste, is cold in nature, and non-toxic. Those produced in Sichuan, which are hollow in the center, bright yellow in color, and split into lobes when cut, are of the highest grade. Those from Yunnan ("Shuilian") are next best. Those from Japan, Wu region (southern Jiangsu), and Chu region (Hubei/Hunan) are inferior. For clearing Heart fire, use raw. For clearing excess fire of the Liver and Gallbladder, stir-fry with pig bile. For clearing deficiency fire of the Liver and Gallbladder, stir-fry with vinegar until brownish. For clearing Upper Jiao fire, stir-fry with wine. For clearing Middle Jiao fire, stir-fry with ginger juice. For clearing Lower Jiao fire, stir-fry with salt water. For Qi stagnation combined with Liver fire, stir-fry with decoction of Evodiae Fructus (Wuzhuyu). For latent fire within blood masses, stir-fry with dry lacquer powder. For food stagnation transforming into fire, stir-fry with yellow earth. It can detoxify Aconiti Lateralis Radix Preparata (Fuzi), Crotonis Fructus (Badou), and Calomelas (Qingfen). Avoid pork.
Shennong Bencao Jing records: It treats eye pain and tearing due to heat, improves vision, treats intestinal damp-heat dysentery (Changpi), abdominal pain, bloody diarrhea, and swelling/pain in the female genitalia.
[Invention] Huanglian is cold in nature and bitter in taste, with thin qi and strong flavor, descending more than ascending, entering the Hand-Shaoyin (Heart) and Hand-Jueyin (Pericardium) meridians. Bitter enters the Heart; cold overcomes heat. The bitter-cold nature of Huanglian and Dahuang guides excess heat from below the heart and removes evil blood from the heart orifices. Zhang Zhongjing used it in his nine types of "Xia Pi" (epigastric fullness) and five types of Xiexin Tang (Drain the Heart Decoctions). To "drain the Heart" is actually to drain the Spleen, following the principle of draining the child when the mother is excessive. For patients with dysentery, deficient heat in the stomach, and trismus (lockjaw), decoct Huanglian with Renshen (Ginseng) and sip frequently. If vomited, drink again. Improvement occurs if even a single swallow goes down. Most bitter-cold herbs have a purgative effect, but only Huanglian, Huangqin (Scutellariae Radix), and Huangbai (Phellodendri Cortex) are cold yet drying, capable of descending fire, removing dampness, and stopping dysentery. Therefore, it serves as the sovereign herb for bloody dysentery. Nowadays, people merely see slight bleeding in weak intestines with leakage, disregarding the degree of cold or heat, and indiscriminately use Huanglian, leading to many critical conditions. For cold-white dysentery, or deficiency-cold syndromes presenting first with diarrhea then dysentery, misusing Huanglian has caused many deaths. All pains and sores belong to Heart fire. Sudden severe redness, swelling, and pain of the eyes also belong to Heart fire. If accompanied by Liver pathogenic factors, Huanglian combined with Danggui (Angelicae Sinensis Radix) is suitable. It is a key herb for treating dysentery and eye diseases, which is why Shennong Bencao Jing first mentions treating eye pain from heat and intestinal pain/dysentery, utilizing its bitter-drying property to clear the head and eyes, strengthen the intestines and stomach, and dispel damp-heat. Swelling and pain in the female genitalia are also caused by damp-heat, making them particularly suitable for bitter-drying treatment. Ancient formulas for dysentery include Xianglian Wan (using Huanglian and Muxiang), Jianglian San (using Ganjiang and Huanglian), and Zuojin Wan (using Huanglian and Wuzhuyu). For Xiao Ke (wasting-thirst), use wine-steamed Huanglian. For mouth ulcers, use Xixin (Asari Radix) and Huanglian. For lower GI bleeding, use Huanglian and garlic. These employ "treating cold with heat" and "treating heat with cold" methods without causing extreme bias. However, bitter-cold agents should be stopped once the disease is cured; one should not allow their austere and killing nature to persist, thereby damaging the vital, harmonious Qi. Medical classics state that long-term use of Huanglian and Kushen (Sophorae Flavescentis Radix) may cause heat. Although its nature is cold, its taste is extremely bitter; upon entering the Stomach, it first reaches the Heart. Prolonged use leads to excessive Heart fire generating heat, which explains this phenomenon. Modern mediocre physicians like using Huanglian as a clearing agent, unaware that it drains excess fire. If wrongly administered for deficiency fire, it damages Middle Qi, causing deflected Yin fire to rise uncontrollably. Therefore, it is strictly contraindicated for Yin-deficiency with vexatious heat, Spleen-deficiency diarrhea, early morning kidney diarrhea, postpartum blood-deficiency vexatious heat in women, Qi-deficiency diarrhea in infants during smallpox/rubella eruption, and diarrhea after pustule formation.