即米仁
甘微寒，无毒。入理脾肺药，姜汁拌炒。入利水湿药生用。
《本经》主筋急拘挛，不可屈伸，久风湿痹下气，久服轻身益气。根下三虫。
发明 薏苡甘寒，升少降多，能清脾湿，祛肺热及虚劳咳嗽。肺痿肺痈，虚火上乘，皆
宜用。为下引又能利筋去湿，故《本经》治久风湿痹，拘急不可屈伸之病。盖治筋必取阳明
，治湿必扶土气，其功专于利水，湿去则脾胃健，而筋骨利、痹愈，则拘挛退，而脚膝安矣
。然痹湿须分寒热，盖寒则筋急，热则筋缓，大筋受热，弛纵则小，筋缩短而挛急不伸，故
宜用此。若因寒筋急而痛者，不可用也。其治虚人小便不利，独用数两，水煎数沸服之即通
。若津枯便秘，阴寒转筋及妊娠禁用，以其性专下泄也。取根捣汁，治蛔攻心痛。生根下三
虫。又肺痈，以根汁冲无灰酒服，初起可消，已溃可敛，屡效。
子名御米
涩温微毒。蜜炙止嗽，醋炙止痢。
发明 粟壳性涩，却痰嗽，止下痢，肺虚大肠滑者宜之。若风寒咳嗽，泻痢初起，有火
邪者，误用杀人如剑，戒之。御米治反胃，胸中痰滞。
一名阿片，俗名鸦片
酸涩温，微毒。天方国以罂粟蕊，竹针刺破青苞，次
早液出，竹刀刮取阴干者是也。土鸦片亦能涩精止泻，但力薄少效。
发明 京师售一粒金丹，通治虚寒百病，用阿芙蓉一分，粳米饭捣作三丸，每服一丸，
不可多服。忌酸醋，犯之肠断，又忌葱、蒜、浆水。古方治泻痢脱肛，久痢虚滑，用一二分
，米饭送下，其功胜于粟壳。又痘疮行浆时泻泄不止，用四五厘至一分，未有不止者。今世
服饵少用，惟房中术外用之，诚为涩精助火之首列也。
Also known as Rice Kernel (Yiyiren).
Sweet, slightly cold, non-toxic. When used in formulas for regulating Spleen and Lung, stir-fry with ginger juice; when used in formulas for promoting diuresis and resolving dampness, use raw.
*Shennong Bencao Jing* records its indications: spasm and contracture of tendons, inability to flex or extend, chronic wind-damp bi syndrome, descending Qi, and long-term consumption leads to a light body and increased Qi. Its root expels three types of intestinal parasites.
Commentary: Yiyiren is sweet and cold, with less ascending and more descending action. It can clear Spleen dampness, dispel Lung heat, and treat deficiency-heat coughs due to consumptive diseases. It is suitable for Lung萎 (Lung atrophy) and Lung abscess (Fei Yong) where deficient fire flares upward. Due to its downward guiding nature, it also benefits tendons and removes dampness; hence, *Shennong Bencao Jing* uses it for chronic wind-damp bi syndrome characterized by spasms and inability to flex or extend. Generally, treating tendon disorders requires addressing the Yangming channel, and treating dampness requires supporting Earth Qi (Spleen/Stomach). Its efficacy lies specifically in promoting diuresis; once dampness is removed, the Spleen and Stomach become robust, tendons and bones are benefited, bi syndrome resolves, spasms recede, and the feet and knees are stabilized. However, wind-damp bi must be differentiated into cold and heat patterns: cold causes tendon tightness, while heat causes tendon laxity. When large tendons are affected by heat, they relax and shrink; when small tendons shorten, they become spasmodic and unable to extend, making Yiyiren suitable. If tendon tightness and pain are caused by cold, it should not be used. For deficient individuals with difficulty urinating, using several liang alone, decocted in water for a few boils, promotes immediate urination. It is contraindicated in cases of fluid depletion with constipation, Yin-cold charpiness (Zhuanjin), and during pregnancy, because its nature is specifically downward and draining. Crushing its root to extract juice treats heart pain caused by roundworms attacking the heart. The fresh root expels three types of intestinal parasites. Additionally, for Lung abscess, drinking the root juice mixed with unfermented wine can dissipate the condition in its early stage and promote healing if already ulcerated, with frequent efficacy.
The seed is named Yu Mi (Imperial Rice).
Astringent, warm, slightly toxic. Honey-frying stops coughing; vinegar-frying stops dysentery.
Commentary: Poppy shell has an astringent nature, expels phlegm and cough, and stops diarrhea/dysentery; it is suitable for Lung deficiency with Spleen/Large Intestine slippage. If used mistakenly for wind-cold cough, initial stages of diarrhea/dysentery, or conditions with pathogenic fire, it kills like a sword; caution is advised. Yu Mi treats regurgitation (Fan Wei) and phlegm stagnation in the chest.
Also known as Opium (A Pian), commonly called YP (Opium).
Sour and astringent, warm, slightly toxic. In Tianfang Guo, the stamen of the poppy is pierced with a bamboo needle; the next morning, liquid exudes, which is scraped off with a bamboo knife and dried in the shade. Local opium also astringes essence and stops diarrhea but has weak potency and fewer effects.
Commentary: A pill gold medicine sold in the capital claims to treat all deficiency-cold diseases using one fen of Afuyun (Opium), pounded with glutinous rice flour into three pills. Take one pill per dose; do not take excessively. Avoid sour vinegar, as it causes intestinal rupture; also avoid green onion, garlic, and fermented grain water. Ancient formulas for diarrhea/dysentery with rectal prolapse or chronic loose stools use one to two fen, taken with rice water, with efficacy superior to poppy shell. Furthermore, during the pus-forming stage of smallpox with incessant diarrhea, using four to five li to one fen invariably stops it. Currently, internal use is rare; it is mainly used externally in sexual arts, truly being the primary herb for astringing essence and assisting fire.