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Clematis Root (Weilingxian)
The nature is urgent and warm. The flavor is pungent and dispersing, with slight salty and bitter notes. It disperses wind pathogens, traverses collaterals, and unblocks meridians. It can guide and promote circulation. It treats bi syndrome (painful obstruction), moves phlegm, and eliminates dampness.
(Clematis root has a bitter, pungent, and salty flavor, and a warm nature. It is a herb that excels at moving through wind patterns. It can promote the free flow of the zang-fu organs and meridians, treating blockages caused by bi syndrome. Therefore, it can be used to move and dissipate conditions such as cold stagnation in the chest and abdomen, phlegm-fluids, masses, blood stasis, and damp pathogens. However, due to its draining and promoting nature, if there are no wind pathogens or phlegm-dampness, it may damage the true qi. Users should exercise caution.)

Enters the Heart and Liver channels, cools and disperses while moving blood stasis. It can eliminate latent fire within the blood. It traverses the Ying (Nutritive) level, has a sour and salty flavor, is non-toxic, and also treats wind generated from blood-heat.
(Paoonia suffruticosa bark [Ziwei Hua], though often referred to as Clematis flower in older texts, here refers to Bignonia Flower/Lonicera japonica bud contextually mislabeled or specific local usage, but strictly "Ziwei" is Bignonia. *Correction based on standard TCM*: Ziwei usually refers to *Bignoniae Caulis* or flowers. The text says "Ziwei Hua". Flavor is sweet, sour, and salty; nature is cold; color is purple. It is a herb for the blood level of the Foot and Hand Jueyin channels. Its function specializes in cooling blood, thus it can eliminate latent fire in the blood. It treats all residual diseases after childbirth in women, masses, blood closure, alternating chills and fever, etc., provided they are due to blood-heat. Furthermore, since all flowers have dispersing properties, it can treat wind in the blood and wind generated from blood-heat.)

Quince Seed (Shijunzi)
Enters the Spleen and Stomach channels. It is used to expel parasites and treat malnutrition syndromes (Gan). The flavor is sweet, and the nature is warm. It can be taken raw or cooked.
(Quince seed has a sweet flavor, warm nature, fragrant aroma, and moist texture. Although it is an anthelmintic drug, it also benefits the Spleen and Stomach and consolidates deficient heat. It can be used for all kinds of parasitic and Gan syndromes in children. When taking it, one must avoid drinking hot tea, as doing so will cause diarrhea.)

Sophora Root (Shandougen)
Resolves the pathogenic heat knot in the Lung system. It transforms bi obstruction and promotes the resolution of carbuncles; its flavor is extremely bitter. It kills gu poison and accumulations of various worms, unblocks the intestines, and reduces distension; its nature is purely cold.
(Sophora root is bitter and cold, entering the Heart channel. It drains heat and resolves toxicity. When Heart fire descends, Lung metal becomes clear. Therefore, for all throat conditions belonging to fire, relying on its bitter-descending nature, the heat naturally clears and the disease recedes, allowing the descending function of clarity and purity to proceed downward. It is contraindicated in cases of Spleen-Stomach deficiency with loose stools.)

Ampelopsis Rhizome (Bailian)
Bitterness can drain heat, pungency can disperse pathogens, dissipate nodules, and move blood stasis. Its nature is cold, enabling it to resolve heat and promote drainage. It reduces carbuncles and closes wounds because the toxic fire has not yet fully subsided.
(Ampelopsis rhizome is bitter, pungent, and cold. It dissipates heat and nodules, and disperses pathogenic stagnation. It does not possess astringent properties. Even the *Shennong Ben Cao Jing* contains no statement about it closing wound openings, only stating it mainly treats carbuncles, sores, and ulcers, dissipating heat and relieving pain. Thus, later uses of it to close wounds are due to toxic fire lingering in the Ying level, causing muscle tissue to fail to heal.)