轻宣、去风毒。
甘咸。性灵而能辟恶。故治鬼魅蛊毒。性窜而善去风。故治惊痫风疟。重舌(圣惠方、
烧末
敷。)喉风。性毒而能杀虫。故治疥癣恶疮。疔肿痔漏。属皮而性善蜕。故治皮肤疮疡。产
难目翳。用白色如银者。皂荚水洗净。或酒、或醋、或蜜浸。炙黄。或烧存性。或盐泥固
。(小儿口紧、不能开合饮食、不语即死、烧灰敷、良。)
泻热、明目护心。
蚺、禀己土之气。胆、属甲乙风木。气寒有小毒。其味苦而带甘。凉血明目。疗疳杀虫。
主
厥阴、太阴病。(肝木、脾土。)肉极腴美。主治略同。取胆粟许。置水上。旋行极速者真。
(能护心止痛、受杖时噙之、杖多不死。)
宣、祛风湿。
甘咸温。有毒。蛇善行数蜕。如风之善行数变。花蛇又食石楠。(石楠辛苦、治风。)故
能内
走脏腑。外彻皮肤。透骨搜风。截惊定搐。治风湿瘫痪。大风疥癞。(马志开宝本草云∶治
中风、口眼 斜、半身不遂。)走窜有毒。唯真有风者宜之。若类中风属虚者大忌。(经疏云
、前证多缘阴虚血少、内热而发、与得之风湿者殊科、白花蛇非所宜也、宜辨。)凡服蛇酒
药。切忌见风。出蕲州。龙头虎口。黑质白花。胁有二十方胜纹。腹有念珠斑。尾有佛指甲
。虽死而眼光不枯。他产则否。头尾尤毒。各去三寸。亦有单用头尾者。酒浸三日。去尽皮
骨。(有大毒。)大蛇一条。只得净肉四两。得火良。头、治癜风毒癞。
Lightly disperses and removes wind-toxin.
Sweet and salty. Its nature is agile and capable of repelling evil. Therefore, it treats ghostly charm and gu-poison (ancient term for difficult diseases attributed to malevolent spirits or toxic insects). Its nature is penetrating and good at dispelling wind. Therefore, it treats epilepsy, convulsions, and wind-malaria (malaria characterized by alternating chills and fever with convulsions). It is toxic and can kill parasites. Therefore, it treats scabies, tinea, malignant sores, carbuncles, hemorrhoids, and fistulas. It belongs to the skin level and its nature is good at shedding. Therefore, it treats skin sores and ulcers, dystocia, and leukoma (corneal opacity). Use the white ones resembling silver. Clean them with soap pod water. Or soak in wine, vinegar, or honey. Roast until yellow. Or calcine to retain properties (burned until charred but medicinal properties retained). Or seal with salt mud and calcine. (For infants with tight mouth, unable to open/close for feeding, silent and dying, applying burnt ash externally is effective.)
Clears heat, brightens eyes, and protects the heart.
Rhabdophis nasicus inherits the qi of Ji Earth. The gallbladder belongs to Jia-Yi Wind-Wood. The qi is cold with slight toxicity. The taste is bitter with a hint of sweetness. Cools blood, brightens eyes. Treats childhood malnutrition (gan syndrome), kills parasites. Mainly treats Jueyin disease and Taiyin disease. (Liver Wood, Spleen Earth.) The meat is extremely plump and delicious. The main treatment effects are roughly the same. Take a grain-of-millet-sized piece of gall, place it on water; if it spins rapidly, it is genuine. (Can protect the heart and relieve pain; when receiving corporal punishment, holding it in the mouth prevents death even with many strokes.)
Disperses and expels wind-dampness.
Sweet, salty, warm. Toxic. Snakes are good at moving and shedding, like wind which is good at moving and changing. The flower snake (Deinagkistrodon acutus) also eats Ardisia japonica. (Ardisia japonica is pungent, bitter, and treats wind diseases.) Therefore, it can internally travel through zang-fu organs and externally penetrate the skin. Penetrates bones to search out wind, stops convulsions, and arrests spasms. Treats wind-damp paralysis and leprosy-like severe skin diseases. (Ma Zhi's *Kaibao Bencao* records: treats stroke, facial paralysis with deviation of mouth and eyes, hemiplegia.) It is penetrating and highly toxic. Only suitable for those with genuine wind pathogens. If it is pseudo-stroke belonging to deficiency, it is strictly contraindicated. (*Yizong Jinjian* notes: The aforementioned conditions often arise from yin deficiency and blood scarcity, with internal heat, which is different from wind-damp acquisition; Deinagkistrodon acutus is not suitable, differentiation is necessary.) Whenever taking snake wine or medicines, one must strictly avoid exposure to wind. Produced in Qizhou. Dragon head, tiger mouth, black body with white flowers, twenty square "sheng" patterns on the flanks, bead-like spots on the abdomen, Buddha nail on the tail. Even after death, the eyes do not look dry; other origins do not have this feature. The head and tail are especially toxic. Remove three cun from each end. There are also cases of using only the head and tail. Soak in wine for three days, remove all skin and bone. (Highly toxic.) From one large snake, only four liang of pure meat can be obtained. Fire processing is beneficial. The head treats vitiligo and toxic leprosy.