当作楮李子，一名牛李子，熬汁可以染绿，今造纸，马铺取汁刷印绿色，故又名
绿子
苦凉微毒。
《本经》主寒热瘰 疮。
发明 牛李，生青熟黑，而带红紫，入肝肾血分。其味苦凉，善解诸经伏匿之毒。《本
经》治寒热瘰 ，《大明》治水肿腹满，苏恭治下血及疝瘕积冷。捣敷牛马疮中生虫。时珍
治疥癣有虫，总取其去湿热之功。惜乎世鲜知用。惟钱氏必胜膏治痘疮黑陷及出不快，或触
秽气黑陷，方用牛李熬膏，桃胶汤化皂子大一丸；如人行十里再进一丸，其疮自然红活。盖
牛李解毒去湿热，桃胶辟恶气活血耳。
苦甘微寒，无毒。其子黑者为女贞实，若红色者即为冬青，非女贞也。
发明 女贞，少阴之精，但性禀纯阴，味偏寒滑。脾胃虚人服之，往往减食作泻。以《
本经》枸骨主治误列此味之下，后世谬认女贞有补中安五脏之功，多致误用滋患特甚，因表
而出之。
一名猫儿刺，俗名十大功劳
微苦甘平，无毒。
《本经》补中安五脏，养精神，除百病。久服肥健，轻身不老。
发明 枸骨，《本经》诸家本草皆误列女贞条下。苦味甘平有补中安五脏、养精神、除
百病、久服肥健轻身不老之功，皆指枸骨而言。女贞至阴之物，安有如上等治乎。其木严冬
不凋，叶生五刺，其子正赤。允为活血散瘀坚强筋骨之专药，又为填补髓脏，固敛精血之要
品，仅见《丹方》不入汤丸。古方惟浸酒补腰脚令健。枝叶烧灰淋汁，或煎膏涂白癜风。今
方士每用数斤去刺，入红枣二三斤熬膏蜜收，治劳伤失血、痿软，往往获效，以其能调养血
气而无伤中之患也。其脂为 以粘禽鸟，其能滋培精血可知。
It should be *Broussonetia papyrifera* fruit (Paper Mulberry Fruit), also known as Niu Li Zi (Cattle Plum). The decoction can be used to dye green. Currently, in papermaking, post stations use the juice for printing green patterns, hence it is also called Lü Zi (Green Plum).
(Bitter, cool, slightly toxic.)
*Shennong Bencao Jing* (Divine Farmer's Materia Medica) treats chills and fever associated with scrofula sores.
[Invention] Niu Li grows green and turns black when ripe, with a reddish-purple hue. It enters the Liver and Kidney blood levels. Its taste is bitter and cool, effectively resolving toxins latent and hidden within the various meridians. *Shennong Bencao Jing* treats chills, fever, and scrofula; *Tang Bencao* (Materia Medica of Tang Dynasty) treats edema and abdominal fullness; Su Gong treats bloody stool and cold accumulation in hernias and masses. Crushed and applied externally, it treats parasitic infections in sores on cattle and horses. Li Shizhen treated tinea with parasites by utilizing its ability to remove damp-heat. Regrettably, few people in the world know how to use it. Only Qian Yi's Bisheng Gao (Victory Paste) uses it for treating variola (smallpox) lesions that turn black and sink or fail to erupt properly, or those caused by exposure to foul odors leading to black sinking. The formula uses Niu Li boiled into a paste, dissolved in Tao Jiao (Peach Gum) soup, taken as one pill the size of a soap nut. After walking about five kilometers, another pill is administered, causing the lesions to naturally become red and vibrant. This is because Niu Li resolves toxins and removes damp-heat, while Tao Jiao dispels evil qi and invigorates blood.
(Bitter, sweet, slightly cold, non-toxic.) The black seeds are Nu Zhen Shi (Ligustrum Lucidum Fruit); if red, they are Dong Qing (Ilex Cornuta), not Nu Zhen.
[Invention] Nu Zhen is the essence of Shaoyin (Kidney), but its nature is purely yin, and its taste is biased towards cold and slippery. When taken by individuals with weak Spleen and Stomach, it often reduces appetite and causes diarrhea. Because *Shennong Bencao Jing* mistakenly listed the indications for Gou Gu (Ilex Cornuta) under this herb, later generations erroneously believed that Nu Zhen has the function of tonifying the Middle and calming the Five Viscera, leading to frequent misuse and severe harm. Therefore, this is clarified here.
Also known as Mao Er Ci (Cat Thorn), commonly called Shi Da Gong Lao (Ten Great Merits).
(Slightly bitter, sweet, neutral, non-toxic.)
*Shennong Bencao Jing* treats tonifying the Middle, calming the Five Viscera, nourishing spirit and mind, and eliminating hundred diseases. Long-term consumption makes the body robust and strong, lightening the physique and preventing aging.
[Invention] Gou Gu was mistakenly listed under the entry for Nu Zhen in *Shennong Bencao Jing* and other classical materia medicas. The properties of being slightly bitter, sweet, and neutral, with functions such as tonifying the Middle, calming the Five Viscera, nourishing spirit, eliminating diseases, and promoting robustness and longevity through long-term use, all refer to Gou Gu. Nu Zhen is a substance of extreme yin; how could it possess such therapeutic effects? Its tree does not shed leaves in deep winter, its leaves have five thorns, and its fruits are bright red. It is indeed a specific medicine for invigorating blood, dissipating stasis, and strengthening sinews and bones, as well as an important product for filling the marrow and viscera and consolidating essence and blood. It appears only in *Dan Fang* (Prescriptions for Alchemical/Daoist Remedies) and is not used in decoctions or pills. Ancient formulas only used it soaked in wine to tonify the waist and legs, making them strong. The branches and leaves, burned to ash and leached for juice, or decocted into a paste, are applied to vitiligo. Modern practitioners often use several jin (approx. 500g+) of Gou Gu, removing thorns, adding two to three jin of red dates, boiling into a paste, and preserving with honey to treat labor injury with blood loss and flaccidity, often achieving efficacy because it can regulate qi and blood without damaging the Middle Jiao. Its resin can stick birds, indicating its ability to nourish and cultivate essence and blood.