宣、行气化痰、消食。
辛散气。甘调中。温开胃。化水谷。消积滞。（医余云∶有伤粽子成积、用曲末、少加
木香
、盐汤下、数日鼻中闻酒香、积遂散而愈。）治痰逆症结。腹痛泻痢。胀满翻胃。回乳（炒
研
、酒服二钱、日二。）下胎。（产后血晕、末服亦良。）亦治目病。（倪惟德原机启微集云∶生
用能发其生气、熟用能敛其暴气。）脾阴虚。胃火盛者勿用。能损胎。造曲法、以五月五日
或六月六日。以白面百斤。青蒿、苍耳、野蓼。各取自然汁三升。杏仁泥、赤小豆末。各三
升。以配白虎、青龙、朱雀、玄武、勾陈、 蛇、六神。通和作饼。麻叶或楮叶包罨。如
造酱黄法。待生黄衣。晒干收之。陈久者良。研细炒黄。酒药曲、近今各地。有入诸药草及
毒
腑，断不可服。（食积心痛、陈神曲一块、烧红、淬酒二大碗服之
。）
宣、破血、燥、消食。
甘温。色赤入营而破血活血。燥胃消食。（鱼肉酢用之、以能腐生物使熟也。）治赤白下
痢。
跌打损伤。产后恶露不尽。（时珍曰∶人之水谷入胃、中焦湿热熏蒸、游溢精气、化为营血
、此造化自然之妙也、红曲以白米饭杂曲母、湿热蒸罨、自变为真红、此人夺造化之巧者也
、故治脾胃营血、得同气相求之理。）忌同神曲。红入米心。陈久者良。
Xuan (Shenqu, Medicated Leaven): Regulates Qi, resolves phlegm, and aids digestion.
Its pungent flavor disperses Qi; its sweet flavor harmonizes the Middle Jiao; its warm nature opens the stomach appetite; it transforms food and drink, and eliminates stagnation. (The *Yi Yu* records: For accumulation caused by eating zongzi, use Shenqu powder with a small amount of Muxiang (Aucklandiae Radix), taken with salt water. After several days, a wine aroma is detected from the nose, indicating the accumulation has dispersed and the patient is cured.) It treats phlegm reversal and pathological masses, abdominal pain, diarrhea, dysentery, distension, and vomiting/regurgitation. It stops lactation (stir-fry, grind into powder, take 2 qian with wine, twice daily). It induces abortion/expels the fetus (for postpartum blood fainting, taking Shenqu powder is also effective). It also treats eye diseases. (Ni Weide in the *Yuanji Qiuwei Ji* states: Raw Shenqu can stimulate its vital energy, while cooked Shenqu can restrain its violent energy.) Contraindicated in cases of Spleen Yin deficiency and excessive Stomach fire. It can damage the fetus.
Method of making Shenqu: Choose the fifth day of the fifth lunar month or the sixth day of the sixth lunar month. Take 100 jin of white flour. Extract natural juices from Qinghao (Artemisiae Annuae Herba), Cang'er (Xanthii Fructus), and Yeliao (Polygoni Hydropiperis Herba), three sheng each. Mix with Xingren ni (Almond paste) and Chixiaodou mo (Vigna angularis powder), three sheng each. These are combined to correspond to the White Tiger, Azure Dragon, Vermilion Bird, Black Tortoise, Gouchen, and Tengshe (Six Spirits/Deities representing specific microbial or energetic components). Mix thoroughly to form cakes. Wrap in hemp leaves or paper mulberry leaves, similar to the method for making soybean paste. Wait for a yellow mold layer to grow. Sun-dry and store. The older, the better. Grind into fine powder and stir-fry until yellow. Regarding medicinal liquor yeast/Shenqu used in various regions recently, some contain various herbs and toxic substances; these must absolutely not be consumed. (For heart pain due to food stagnation, take a piece of aged Shenqu, heat it until red-hot, quench it in two large bowls of wine, and drink.)
Hongqu (Red Yeast Rice): Breaks blood, dries dampness, and aids digestion.
Its flavor is sweet and nature is warm. Its red color enters the Ying (Nutritive) level to break blood and invigorate blood circulation. It dries the Stomach and aids digestion. (Used when pickling fish and meat with vinegar, as it promotes fermentation and ripening.) It treats bloody and non-bloody dysentery, traumatic injuries, and incomplete expulsion of lochia after childbirth. (Li Shizhen said: When food and drink enter the human stomach, the damp-heat of the Middle Jiao steams and vaporizes, allowing essence to flow and transform into Ying blood; this is the wonderful creation of nature. Red yeast rice is made by mixing white rice with starter culture, subjecting it to steam and damp-heat incubation, causing it to naturally turn true red; this is humanity seizing the ingenuity of nature's creation. Therefore, treating disorders of the Spleen, Stomach, Ying, and Blood follows the principle of "seeking resonance with similar energies".) Contraindicated to be used together with Shenqu. The red color penetrates the core of the rice grain. The older, the better.