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Dispersing, inducing sweating to expel wind, unblocking, promoting water metabolism.
Pungent and cold in nature. Light and floating, enters the Lung Meridian. Induces sweating to expel wind. (Song says: A spiritual herb born without roots or stems, neither in mountains nor on shores; initially driven by flying catkins chasing the east wind, floating green stalks drift on the water surface. One dose from immortals cures deep ailments; harvest must be in the middle of July. Whether severe paralysis or strong wind [pathogens], even slight mild wind is not considered insignificant. Dissolved in bean-sprout wine and taken as three pills, sweat will flow even from an iron pestle's head.) Promotes urination and reduces edema. Do not use lightly unless there is excess-heat or excess-cold (Excess Heat). (Zhu Danxi said: The sweating-inducing power of Floating Duckweed surpasses that of Ephedrae Herba.) Collect Purple-backed Floating Duckweed in July, select cleanly, spread on a bamboo sieve for sun-drying, place a basin of water underneath to reflect light, so it dries easily. (For intractable epistaxis, blow in powder of Floating Duckweed; for rectal prolapse, apply powder of Purple-backed Floating Duckweed dry to the site.)

Clearing heat, softening hard phlegm, eliminating goiter.
Bitterness can drain stagnation, saltiness can soften hardness, coldness can wash away heat. Eliminates scrofula and tubercles, hard accumulations such as masses and yin abscesses, as well as damp-heat conditions like phlegm-fluid retention, podagra, edema, and carbuncles. Removes retained food, eliminates five diaphragmatic obstructions. Those with Spleen-cold and dampness should not take it. Produced in Jiaozhou, there are two varieties: large-leaf and horse-tail. It can also be eaten as sea vegetable. Wash away the salty water. (Its efficacy lies in its saltiness; do not over-wash.) Incompatible with Glycyrrhizae Radix et Rhizoma. (Li Dongyuan treated scrofula and "horse knife" [linear scrofula] using both Sargassum and Glycyrrhizae Radix et Rhizoma together, stimulating the medicine to break down hardness.)

Descends to promote water metabolism and eliminate goiter. Efficacy is similar to Sargassum. Resembles Sargassum but is coarser, flexible, tough, and long.

Efficacy is similar to Sargassum but less slippery. Nature is vigorous. Treats goiter, edema, yin abscesses, and dysphagia. (Hold in mouth and swallow juice, to take advantage of its ability to dispel old phlegm.) Stubborn phlegm accumulation. Its nature is more vigorous than Sargassum; excessive consumption causes emaciation. Those from Denglai are twisted into rope-like shapes; those from Min-Yue have large leaves like vegetables. Rinse slightly to remove salty taste. The above are all aquatic plant categories.

Calm Stomach Qi, clear deficiency heat.
Sweet, bland, slightly salty, and slightly cold. Calms Stomach Qi. (Miao Xiyong said: Effective in treating deficiency-heat in the Stomach; Lei Xiao said: Dendrobium stabilizes saliva.) Clears deficiency heat. (Shennong's Classic of Materia Medica said: Drives away pathogenic heat from the skin.) Calms the spirit and settles fright. Treats wind-bi, leg weakness, spontaneous sweating, fever, dampness in the scrotum, and residual urinary dribbling. Excels at clearing the Stomach and removing heat; suitable only for those with deficiency-heat in the Stomach and Kidney. Those who are deficient without fire must not mix it. Glossy like a gold hairpin, short stem, solid in the middle, sweet taste indicates good quality. (Wenzhou produces the best grade, Guangxi is slightly inferior, Guangdong is the lowest grade.) Long, hollow, bitter-tasting ones are named Wood Dendrobium; taking them harms the body. Remove the head and root, soak in wine. Adverse interaction with Crotonis Fructus, fearful of Bombyx Batryticatus. Finely chopped and soaked in water, decocting into paste is better. (Suitable for decoctions, not suitable for pills.)