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Slippery and unblocking, it facilitates the orifices and descends to eliminate有形 (solid) stagnation.
Sweet, smooth, and slippery in nature. Enters the Large Intestine, Small Intestine, and Bladder meridians. Promotes urination and defecation. Unblocks various orifices. Circulates through the meridians. Leaches out damp-heat. Facilitates childbirth. (If the fetus has died in the uterus, drinking its juice can also induce expulsion.) Descends to eliminate solid retention. Treats the Five Stranguries (Wu Lin) with swelling and fullness. (Grind into powder for porridge; when urination becomes free, the illness improves.) Cough, wheezing, and insomnia. (Ji Kang's "Essay on Nourishing Life" states: Elm promotes sleep.) Treats scabies, tinea capitis, and alopecia; reduces redness, swelling, and acute mastitis. (Mix with dregs of aged vinegar for external application, changing 6-7 times daily until effective; ten doses constitute a course. The "Ten Categories" states: Slippery agents remove adherence; examples include seeds of Abutilon theophrasti and inner bark of Ulmus pumila.) There are red and white varieties. Harvest the bark and make it into flour. It can serve as food during famines. Used in spices. Its slipperiness surpasses glue and lacquer. Remove the rough outer bark and use only the white inner part. (For pediatric parasitic skin sores, mix elm bark powder with lard, apply on cotton cloth, and cover; immediate cure. For burns causing ulcerated sores, chew the bark and apply.)

Dispersing, expelling wind-dampness.
Bitter and neutral in nature. Enters the Blood level. Expels wind, removes dampness, and kills parasites. Can circulate through the meridians and reach the site of disease. Treats stubborn Bi-syndrome caused by wind, and pain in the lower back and knees. ("Chuanxin Fang": Soak equal amounts of Cortex Phellodendri Amurensis? No, here it is Cortex Haectionis (Haitongpi) and Semen Coicis (Yiyiren), each 2 liang; Radix Achyranthis Bidentatae (Niuxi), Radix Angelicae Sinensis (Xiongqiao), Rhizoma Notopterygii (Qianghuo), Cortex Lycii (Digupi), Cortex Acanthopanacis Senticosi (Wujiapi), each 1 liang; Radix Rehmanniae Preparata? No, Radix Rehmanniae Recens (Shengdi) 10 liang; in 2 dou of wine, soak and drink.) Treats gan accumulation affecting teeth and worm erosion. (Decoct for oral administration or gargling.) Treats scabies, tinea, and red eyes. (Decoct for washing.) Not suitable if lower back and knee pain is not due to wind-dampness. Originates from Guangnan. The bark is white and tough, does not rot when made into ropes. (For wind-tinea with worms, mix Cortex Haectionis (Haitongpi) and Fructus Cnidii (Shechuangzi) powder in equal proportions, blend with lard from the twelfth lunar month, and apply.)

Tonifying lower back and knees.
Sweet and warm, capable of tonification. Slightly pungent, capable of moistening. Purple color enters the Qi level of the Liver meridian. Moistens liver dryness. Tonifies liver deficiency. Since the Kidney (Water) is the child of the Liver (Wood)? No, Wood generates Fire, Water generates Wood. Here it implies mutual generation or support. Actually, the text says "Zi neng ling mu shi" (The child can make the mother substantial). In Five Elements, Kidney (Water) generates Liver (Wood). So Kidney is Mother, Liver is Child? Wait, standard theory: Water generates Wood. So Kidney is Mother, Liver is Child. If Child makes Mother substantial, it refers to "Son assisting Mother" or replenishing the source. The text says "Kidney fills then Bone strengthens... thus also tonifies Kidney." It implies treating Liver helps Kidney via the generating cycle or vice versa. Let's stick to the text: "Child makes Mother substantial, therefore it also tonifies the Kidney." When Liver is充盈 (full/sufficient), tendons become strong. When Kidney is sufficient, bones become strong. It enables tendons and bones to adhere closely. (There are fibrous strands in the bark, resembling the connection between tendons and bones.) Treats soreness and weakness of the lower back and knees. ("Neijing" states: The waist is the mansion of the Kidney; inability to turn indicates the Kidney is failing. The knee is the mansion of the tendons; inability to flex/extend indicates the tendons are failing. A young man who had just married suffered from weak legs without effect from previous treatments. Sun Lin said: This is Kidney deficiency. Use 1 liang of Cortex Eucommiae (Duzhong), decocted in half wine and half water. Healed completely in six days.) Note: Persistent lower back pain belongs to Kidney deficiency. Pain with fixed location belongs to dead blood (blood stasis). Wandering pain belongs to phlegm accumulation. Cold waist and heavy body, triggered by cold, belongs to cold-dampness. Intermittent pain belongs to damp-heat. However, the root of all relates to the Kidney, because the waist is the mansion of the Kidney.) Dampness and itching in the genital area. Post-void dribbling. Tai Lou (vaginal bleeding during pregnancy). Tai Duo (habitual miscarriage). (For habitual miscarriage, at one to two months of gestation, use 8 liang of Cortex Eucommiae (Duzhong) and rice, decoct in soup, soak the bark until the fibers break, stir-fry to sever the silk. Add 2 liang of Radix Dipsaci (Xuduan) soaked in wine, and 6 liang of Rhizoma Dioscoreae (Shanyao). Make into pills with paste or jujube meat, take with rice water. These two medicines greatly tonify Kidney Qi, supporting the fetal origin, preventing miscarriage.) Do not use if the Kidney is deficient but fire is blazing. Those from Hunan, Huguang region are superior. (Yellowish color, thin bark, thick flesh.) Remove rough bark and chop. Or process with su (clarified butter), honey, salt-wine, or ginger juice. Must be processed until the silk breaks. Adverse to Radix Scrophulariae (Yuanshen). Sichuan Duzhong is black, with thick bark and thin flesh, unsuitable for use.