Library

[Classified as Lower Grade in the *Shennong Bencao Jing*]
【Flavor and Nature】Bitter, warm, highly toxic.
【Indications】Primarily treats cold-heat qi stagnation in the heart and abdomen, accumulations (Ji Ju), Fu Liang disease, tendon damage leading to flaccidity and spasms/contractures, and promotes the free flow of water passages.
【Verification】It is stated: Originates from Zhongshan valleys in Han, as well as Yuanju, Andong, and various prefectures in Hebei; also found near roads. Seedlings emerge in April, over a chi high.
A single stem bears leaves like claws; one cluster produces eight or nine stems, occasionally sending up one stem to form a spike, standing straight up like a rat's tail. In the middle grows one leaf like a spoon, wrapping the stem to form a chamber,
with an opening on the side, pointed at top and bottom. Flowers are inside, greenish-brown. Fruits resemble hemp seeds, turning white when ripe, falling naturally to cover the ground; each seed produces only one cluster. In September, when leaves wither, roots are harvested. Initially, the young root is bean-sized; gradually growing ones resemble Banxia (Pinelliae Rhizoma) but are flatter; those grown for many years become round and about one cun large, as big as a chicken egg.
Sprouts grow all around, three or four branches, or five or six, round like the tip of a finger, resembling a tiger's paw. In Jizhou, there is a variety called Tiannanxing (Arisaema Cum Bile), which sprouts in February, reaching one or two chi in height. Roots are harvested in August, resembling taro but flat, similar to [Huzhang], often mistakenly collected by people, making them hard to distinguish. However, Huzhang stems have spotted purple flowers, while Tiannanxing roots are smaller with fine texture, cracking easily when processed, which serves as a distinction. Nevertheless, Tiannanxing is essentially Huzhang, same species but different variety. Larger roots also have round buds around them, but unlike Huzhang, their stems and leaves do not resemble claws nor do they branch out in fives. In Jiangzhou, there is a variety, Caohuzhang (Herbaceous Tiger Palm), with leaves as large as a palm, green on the front and purple on the back, with three or four leaves per plant, remaining evergreen through winter, producing no flowers or fruits. The roots also have round buds on the sides. Although the name resembles [Huzhang], its therapeutic effects are completely different. For processing, select roots weighing one liang, as they possess concentrated qi and doubled efficacy.
To treat Fengtan (Wind Phlegm), if used raw, it must be washed clean with warm water, then soaked in a decoction of Bai Fan (Alumen) or Zaojiao (Gleditsiae Fructus) for two to three days, changing daily until fully soaked, then dried in the sun.
For cooked use, dig a small pit in yellow soil, five or six cun deep. First, heat charcoal until red, then pour good wine into it. Place the Huzhang in the pit, cover firmly with a clay pot, seal tightly with ash and mud, leave overnight, then use. If urgent use is needed, wrap in wet paper, bury in bran ash fire until cracks appear all around, then it is ready. Another method: Soak in wine overnight, steam using mulberry wood fire, frequently sprinkling wine into the steamer to maintain strong vapor. After one fu shi (approx. 2 hours), remove, cut open with a bamboo knife, until the taste no longer numbs the tongue. Another method: Crush fresh Shengjiang (Zingiberis Rhizoma Recens), mix with yellow mud to wrap the Huzhang, roast until cooked, remove mud, and bake for use. If used for making Qu (fermented starter), mix Huzhang powder with Shengjiang juice and Alumen decoction to form small cakes, place in a basket, cover with Chu Ye (Broussonetiae Folium), wait until a yellow mold grows on top, then take out, dry, and store. Method for preparing Danxing (Calculus Bovis): Grind Huzhang into powder, in the twelfth lunar month, mix evenly with Huanggu Niu Danzhi (Bovis Calculus), put into the gallbladder, hang in a windy place to dry; the older, the better. Shuqi (Polygalae Radix) acts as its assistant. It opposes Mangcao (Cichorii Radix).
My ancestor said: The name, color, nature, and flavor belong to Dry Metal; the bitter flavor and warm temperature further acquire Fire transformation, making it a herb for Lung Metal. Its virtue aligns with the *I Ching*'s statement "that which dries all things." It should treat Wind disorders, but only those wind generated by other diseases, not wind generating other diseases, because it does not address true Dryness pathogenesis. It treats sudden stiffness, limb pain and internal tension, tendon contraction and twisting; using Huzhang to calm these, the wind resolves with dryness.
[Commentary] states: Named Huzhang not only because the stems, leaves, and roots resemble a shape, but because the Tiger's power resides in the paw, thus it primarily treats cold-heat qi stagnation, accumulations, Fu Liang,
and heart/abdominal conditions, as easily as taking something from a bag. Generally, the paw is associated with tendons, and wind arises from the Tiger, thus it treats Jueyin Wind-Wood transformations manifesting as tendon diseases, leading to tendon flaccidity, spasms, and contractures. Wind moves and scatters water, thus it also benefits water passages.
(When Jueyin suffers pathological changes, the transformation of Wind-Wood fails. When the tiger roars, wind arises, following its kind. Wind interacts with Water, allowing water passages to flow, thus benefiting water passages.)