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[Peng Ezhu] Bitter, pungent, warm, non-toxic. For entering the Liver channel, stir-fry with vinegar; for entering the Heart and Spleen channels, wrap in flour and roast until cooked. When used in Siwu Tang (Four Substances Decoction) to regulate menstruation, stir-fry mixed with sheep blood or chicken blood.

Invention: Peng Ezhu enters the Liver channel to break blood stasis, treating women's pain from blood and qi accumulation, phlegm-rheum cold qi, traumatic injuries, lower bleeding, and internal damage from evil blood. It unblocks accumulated blood in the Liver channel, as this drug specifically breaks blood stasis within the qi aspect. Note: Peng Ezhu is indeed a drug that grinds down accumulations, but for deficient individuals, using it may fail to remove the accumulation while depleting the true essence, which is even more alarming. It must be combined with drugs like Renshen (Ginseng Root) and Baizhu (Atractylodes Rhizome) to strengthen transportation and transformation, embedding purgation within tonification, to be effective.

[Jing Sanleng] Bitter, neutral, non-toxic. Named Jing Sanleng because it grows in the Jingchu region. Genuine Jing Sanleng is extremely rare; what is used today is mostly Cao Sanleng (Herba Sparganii). Use after stir-frying with vinegar.

Invention: Sanleng is a drug entering the qi aspect of the Liver channel. It can break qi stagnation within blood stasis, dissipate blood knots, and unblock accumulated blood in the Liver channel. It treats cold rheum nodules, postpartum evil blood, blood-knot abdominal pain, regulates menstruation, and induces abortion. Due to its potent force, it should not be taken for long periods. A person suffering from abdominal distension due to mass accumulation used Sanleng and Ezhu, roasted in wine and decocted, and passed a black substance resembling a fish, after which they recovered. Note: Jiegu stated that Sanleng can drain true qi, so it should not be used by those who are deficient. In Dongyuan's formulas for breaking accumulations, Renshen (Ginseng Root) is always paired to assist; if only harsh draining drugs are used, the Spleen and Stomach will become more deficient, unable to transport and transform, causing the accumulation to become even more rebellious.

[Xiangfu] Also known as Cyperi Rhizoma. Pungent, slightly bitter, sweet, neutral, non-toxic. Produced in Jinhua; those that are bright and slender are superior. To enter the blood aspect and tonify deficiency, soak and stir-fry with child's urine. To regulate qi, soak and stir-fry with salt water. To move meridians, soak and stir-fry with wine. To eliminate accumulations, soak and stir-fry with vinegar. If qi and blood are disordered with chest and diaphragm discomfort, all four preparation methods are combined. For those who are obese with much phlegm, soak and stir-fry with ginger juice. To stop metrorrhagia, prepare with child's urine until charred black. When used as a surface-releasing drug, use raw.

Invention: Xiangfu has a neutral nature without being cold, is fragrant and penetrating, serving as the chief drug for the qi aspect of the Foot-Jueyin Liver Channel and Hand-Shaoyang Sanjiao Channel. It also enters the Chong Mai (Penetrating Vessel), opens stagnant qi, eliminates phlegm and food retention, disperses wind-cold, moves blood and qi, and stops various pains. It is an essential drug for regulating menstruation, managing metrorrhagia during pregnancy and childbirth, and treating those prone to anger and worry. It treats hypochondriac qi obstruction, palpitations, and shortness of breath; it is a qi-moving drug within the blood. Blood cannot move on its own but follows qi; when qi rebels and stagnates, blood also coagulates; when qi flows smoothly, blood becomes harmonious and free-flowing. When raw, it ascends to the chest and diaphragm and reaches the skin and hair externally, thus dispersing wind-cold. When processed, it descends to the Liver and Kidneys and reaches the waist and feet externally, thus regulating blood and qi. Combined with Renshen (Ginseng Root) and Baizhu (Atractylodes Rhizome), it tonifies qi; combined with Danggui (Angelica Sinensis Root) and Dihuang (Rehmannia Root), it regulates blood; combined with Muxiang (Vladimiria Root), it circulates stagnation and harmonizes the middle; combined with Chenxiang (Aquilaria Wood), it regulates the ascending and descending of all qi; combined with Chuanxiong (Ligusticum Rhizome) and Cangzhu (Atractylodes Rhizome), it resolves all types of stagnation; combined with Zhizi (Gardenia Fruit) and Huanglian (Coptis Rhizome), it descends fire and clears heat; combined with Fuling (Poria), it communicates between the Heart and Kidney; combined with Huixiang (Fennel Fruit) and Buguzhi (Alpinia Oxyphylla Fruit), it guides qi back to its origin; combined with Houpo (Magnolia Bark) and Banxia (Pinellia Tuber), it resolves obstruction and reduces distension; combined with Zisu (Perilla Leaf) and Congbai (Scallion White), it releases pathogenic factors; combined with Sanleng (Sparganii Rhizoma) and Ezhu (Curcumae Rhizoma), it grinds down mass accumulations; combined with Aiyе (Mugwort Leaf), it treats blood and qi and warms the uterus. It is the commander of qi disorders and the general of gynecology. However, it should not be used for early menstruation with pale flow, or for flatulence that is silent and odorless. If blood and qi are originally deficient, using qi-draining drugs will cause them to flow too rapidly (depleting further).