泻肺火、补肾水、润燥。
甘苦大寒。入手太阴气分。（肺。）清金降火。益水之上源。（肺为肾母。）下通足少阴肾。
（
苦能坚肾、寒能去肾家湿热、故亦治骨痿。）滋阴润燥。杀虫消痰。（蒙筌曰∶肾主津液、燥
则凝而为痰、得润剂则痰化、所谓治痰之本也。）泽肌肤。利二便。治肺痿肺痈。（肺痿者、
感于风寒、咳嗽短气、鼻塞、胸胀、久而成痿、有寒痿热痿二证、肺痈者、热毒蕴结、咳吐
脓血、胸中隐痛、痿重而痈稍轻、治痿宜养血补气、保肺清火、治痈宜泻热豁痰、开提升散
、痈为邪实、痿为正虚、不得混治。）吐脓吐血。（苦泄血滞、甘益元气、寒止血妄行。）痰
嗽喘促。嗌干消渴。（口燥多饮为消渴、由火盛津枯、宜润燥滋阴。）足下热痛。虚劳骨蒸。
一切阴虚有火诸证。性寒而滑。脾胃虚而泄泻恶食者。大非所宜。取肥大明亮者。去心皮。
酒蒸。熬膏良。（滋阴助元、消肾痰。）地黄、贝母为使。恶鲤鱼。（肺劳风热、天门冬煮食
、止渴去热、或曝干为末、蜜丸服尤佳、亦可洗面。）
温肺、治寒嗽、杀虫。
甘苦微温。能润肺温肺。治寒嗽暴嗽久嗽。（苦温能利肺气、千金方、用百部熬膏、入
蜜、
不时取服、可疗三十年嗽。）杀蛔蛲蝇虱。（同秦艽为末、入竹笼烧烟、熏衣被、去虱、亦可
煎汤洗衣被、作汤洗牛犬、去虱。）一切树木蛀虫。（触烟即死。）疗骨蒸传尸。疳积疥癣。（
皆有虫、与天门冬形相类而用相仿、故名野天门冬、但天门冬治肺热、此治肺寒为异耳。）
能伤胃滑肠。脾胃虚人。须与补气药并行。根多队成百。故名。取肥实者。竹刀劈去心皮。
酒浸焙。
[Asparagus Radix (Tianmendong)]
Drains Lung Fire, tonifies Kidney Water, moistens dryness.
Sweet, bitter, and very cold in nature. Enters the Qi level of the Hand-Taiyin Lung Meridian. (Lung.) Clears Metal and descends Fire. Benefits the upper source of Water. (The Lung is the mother of the Kidney.) Descends to connect with the Foot-Shaoyin Kidney Meridian.
(Bitterness can firm the Kidney; coldness can eliminate damp-heat in the Kidney region; therefore, it also treats bone atrophy.) Nourishes Yin and moistens dryness. Kills parasites and resolves phlegm. (Meng Quan said: "The Kidney governs body fluids. When dryness prevails, fluids congeal into phlegm. With moistening agents, the phlegm transforms. This is called treating the root of phlegm.") Moistens the skin and muscles. Promotes urination and defecation. Treats Lung Wei (Lung flaccidity) and Lung Yong (Lung abscess). (Lung Wei arises from contraction of wind-cold, presenting with cough, shortness of breath, nasal congestion, chest distension, which over time leads to flaccidity. There are two types: cold Wei and hot Wei. Lung Yong results from accumulation of heat-toxins, presenting with coughing up pus and blood, and dull pain in the chest. Wei is heavier than Yong, but Yong is slightly lighter [in severity of structural damage? Note: Text says 'Wei heavy, Yong slightly light', likely referring to prognosis or symptom intensity]. Treatment for Wei should nourish Blood and tonify Qi, protect the Lung and clear Fire. Treatment for Yong should drain Heat, resolve phlegm, open and ascend, and disperse. Yong is excess pathogen, Wei is deficiency of healthy Qi; they must not be treated interchangeably.) Vomiting pus and blood. (Bitterness drains blood stasis; sweetness benefits Original Qi; coldness stops reckless bleeding.) Phlegm-cough with panting and rapid breathing. Dry throat and Xiao Ke (Wasting-Thirst syndrome). (Mouth dryness with excessive thirst is Xiao Ke, caused by excessive Fire and depleted fluids; moistening dryness and nourishing Yin is appropriate.) Hot and painful soles. Deficiency consumption with steaming bone disorder. All syndromes of Yin deficiency with Fire. Its nature is cold and slippery. It is highly unsuitable for those with Spleen-Stomach deficiency accompanied by diarrhea, aversion to food, and poor appetite. Select roots that are plump, bright, and clear. Remove the core and peel. Steam with wine. Boiling down to a paste is excellent. (Nourishes Yin, assists Yuan Qi, eliminates Kidney phlegm.) Rehmanniae Radix (Dihuang) and Fritillariae Bulbus (Beimu) act as guides. Averse to carp. (For Lung consumption with wind-heat, Tianmendong boiled and eaten stops thirst and removes heat; or dried, powdered, and taken as honey pills is especially good; it can also be used to wash the face.)
[Warming the Lung, treating cold cough, killing parasites.]
Sweet, bitter, and slightly warm in nature. Can moisten and warm the Lung. Treats cold cough, sudden cough, and chronic cough. (Bitter-warmness can benefit Lung Qi. In the Qianjin Fang, Baibu is boiled into a paste, mixed with honey, and taken frequently; it can treat thirty-year coughs.) Kills roundworms, pinworms, flies, and lice. (Ground together with Qinjiao into powder, burned in a bamboo cage to smoke clothes and bedding to remove lice; can also be decocted to wash clothes and bedding, or made into a decoction to wash cattle and dogs to remove lice.) Kills all wood-boring insects. (They die upon contact with the smoke.) Treats steaming bone disorder and chuan shi (transmitting corpse/consumption disease). Gan ji (infantile malnutrition) and scabies/tinea. (All contain parasites. Its shape is similar to Tianmendong and its use is comparable, hence named Ye Tianmendong (Wild Asparagus Root). However, Tianmendong treats Lung Heat, whereas this treats Lung Cold, which is the difference.) It can injure the Stomach and loosen the intestines. For people with Spleen-Stomach deficiency, it must be administered concurrently with Qi-tonifying herbs. The roots grow in clusters of many, forming hundreds, hence the name. Select plump and solid roots. Split with a bamboo knife to remove the core and peel. Soak in wine and bake.