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Commonly known as "Yueyuehong" (Monthly Red).
Sweet in taste, warm in nature, non-toxic.

[Invention/Commentary] Rosa chinensis (Jiyuehua) is an excellent herb for invigorating blood. It is applied externally after being pounded when used for treating external abscesses (Zhongyang). For varicella (smallpox/chickenpox) that has collapsed due to the influence of menstrual qi, adding it to decoctions yields immediate results. This is because its blooming follows the lunar cycle, maintaining the regularity of menstruation; while this interpretation relies on symbolic association, it also reflects its actual blood-invigorating potency.

Sweet in taste, cold in nature, non-toxic. The shell should be removed, and the seed pressed between paper to remove its oil before use. It is incompatible with Aconitum carmichaelii (Wutou) and Aconitum lateralare preparatum (Fuzi).

[Invention/Commentary] Trichosanthis Fructus (Gualou Shi) is sweet and cold, capable of moistening dryness, making it a key herb for treating cough, resolving phlegm, and relieving thirst, as it can cleanse turbid stagnation and constrained heat from the chest and diaphragm. Zhang Zhongjing used Trichosanthis Fructus to treat throat bi pain, heart-kidney coughing with saliva and wheezing, and Jiechest syndrome characterized by fullness and pain. He utilized it because its sweet and cold nature does not damage stomach qi, and it can descend fire from the upper jiao, thereby causing phlegm and qi to descend. Its nature is slightly milder than that of Trichosanthis Radix (Guai Lou Gen), lacking the risk of cold stagnation, but it is contraindicated in cases of spleen-stomach deficiency, vomiting, or spontaneous diarrhea.

Also known as Tianhuafen.
Bitter in taste, cold in nature, non-toxic. Incompatible with Aconitum carmichaelii (Wutou) and Aconitum lateralare preparatum (Fuzi).
The *Shennong Bencao Jing* states it treats xiaoke (wasting-thirst) with body heat, vexation, fullness, and severe heat; tonifies deficiency and calms the middle; and repairs severed injuries.

[Invention/Commentary] Trichosanthis Radix (Gualou Gen) is cold in nature, capable of descending hot phlegm above the diaphragm, moistening mental vexation and thirst, clearing febrile diseases, expelling jaundice caused by damp-heat from alcohol, and treating carbuncles by detoxifying and draining pus. The *Bencao Jing*'s description of "calming the middle, tonifying deficiency, and repairing severed injuries" is attributed to its ability to clear stomach heat and remove fire; once fire is eliminated, middle qi is stabilized, fluids are restored, blood and qi harmonize, and severed injuries are healed. However, due to its cold and descending nature, it should be avoided in cases of stomach deficiency with vomiting and regurgitation, or yin-deficiency labor coughs, as misuse will damage stomach qi, leading to chronic diarrhea, wheezing, and coughing, thereby solidifying the root of the disease. It is strictly contraindicated for phlegm-fluid retention presenting as white and thin sputum.

Also known as Wanggua Gen.
Bitter in taste, cold in nature, non-toxic. Chen Cangqi stated it has slight toxicity.
The *Shennong Bencao Jing* states it treats xiaoke (wasting-thirst) and internal abscesses, blood stasis with amenorrhea, alternating chills and fever with soreness and pain, and benefits qi to cure deafness.

[Invention/Commentary] Wanggua produced in the south absorbs damp-heat qi most strongly; consuming it by patients suffering from sores, swelling, and carbuncles may exacerbate their condition. Wanggua produced in the north receives the ascending spring qi earliest. It is effective for treating xiaoke and internal abscesses. Its root's properties for treating jaundice and wasting-thirst are not significantly different from those of Trichosanthis Fructus, but it cannot calm the middle, tonify deficiency, repair severed injuries, or harmonize blood in the meridians. The *Jin Gui Yao Lue* uses Tugua Gen San to treat women with irregular menstruation, leukorrhea, and lower abdominal fullness recurring monthly, deeply adhering to the *Bencao Jing*'s principle of treating blood stasis and amenorrhea. The formula consists of equal parts of Tugua Gen (Radix Trichosanthis Kirilowii), Shaoyao (Paeoniae Radix), Guixin (Cinnamomi Ramulus), and Ezhong (Myxoma), ground into powder and taken with wine, one fangcun bi per dose, three times daily. Su Song treated infantile icterus by administering fresh juice of Tugua Gen, 3 he per dose, with efficacy within three doses. For jaundice turning black, a small sheng of warm Tugua Gen juice taken at dawn causes yellow fluid to exit via urination by noon. Its treatment of alternating chills and soreness demonstrates its efficacy in dispelling damp-heat. In Nanyang, it was used as a guiding agent to drain damp-heat for yangming meridian heat with constipation. Its fruit treats lung萎 (fei wei) with hemoptysis, intestinal wind with bloody stool, dysentery with red and white discharge, and regurgitation/vomiting of food; unfortunately, contemporary physicians rarely utilize it.