Bitter, Cold, enters the Blood aspect of the Liver and Pericardium channels; clears Blood Heat, nourishes Blood, and subdues rebellious Qi due to deficiency; must be processed before use.

Sweet, Sour, Cold, benefits the Liver and brightens the eyes, promotes urination; genuine specimens are extremely rare.

(The property of this herb) manifests as Cold of the Stomach.

Sweet, Cool, clears the Heart and enters the Liver, resolves Heat and promotes expectoration of Phlegm, cools the Liver to calm fright and opens orifices; treats various conditions such as Phlegm-Heat-induced convulsions and epilepsy, and fetal toxins; for Wind striking the Zang organs, it is used to penetrate into the bones to drive out Wind; however, if Wind strikes the Fu organs or meridians, using it may instead draw Wind into the bones, from which it cannot be expelled. The inner horn layer of the rhinoceros is called Xi Huang (Rhinoceros Horn Core); genuine specimens can penetrate fingernails, whereas non-genuine ones have far inferior efficacy.

Bitter, Salty, Cold, corresponds to the Wood element, enters the Liver, Lung, and Heart channels; clears the Liver and expels Wind, drains pathogenic Heat, disperses Blood stasis, directs Qi downward, and detoxifies.

(The property of this herb) manifests as Cold of the Heart.

Drains Liver Heat and brightens the eyes.

(The property of this herb) manifests as Cold of the Spleen.

Salty, slightly Cold and astringent; both its substance and function are Yin; enters the Blood aspect of the Liver and Kidney channels; softens hardness and transforms Phlegm, consolidates collapse and arrests sweating, clears Heat and replenishes fluids, secures the intestines, promotes dampness drainage, and relieves thirst.

Its efficacy is identical to that of Muli (Oyster Shell). Clam meat is Salty and Cold, resolving alcohol toxicity. Wen Ge (Clam Shell) additionally relieves irritability and promotes urination.

Salty, Cool, clears Wind-Heat of the Lungs and Liver, treats bone-steaming heat, sores, carbuncles, and ulcers, brightens the eyes, and promotes unobstructed urination.

(The property of this herb) manifests as Cold of the Heart.

(The property of this herb) manifests as circulating Heat.

Acrid, Sweet, purely Yang and intensely Hot; enters the Blood aspect of the Liver and Kidney channels; tonifies the insufficiency of Mingmen Fire (Ministerial Fire), suppresses Liver Wind while supporting Spleen Earth, guides rootless Fire downward to return to its origin; treats entrenched cold and deep-seated chill, unblocks blood vessels, induces sweating to expel Wind-Cold from Ying and Wei levels.

Acrid, Bitter, intensely Hot; soothes the Liver and dries the Spleen, warms the Middle Jiao, directs Qi downward, eliminates dampness, removes Phlegm, resolves stagnation, kills parasites, opens interstices, and drives out Wind-Cold; treats diseases of the Chong Mai (Penetrating Vessel) characterized by rebellious Qi and abdominal urgency; although its nature is Hot, it can guide Heat downward, relieve constipation due to intestinal Qi stagnation, and expel residual blood postpartum; when decocting, soak in hot water to remove the bitter juice.

(The property of this herb) manifests as circulating Heat.

(The property of this herb) manifests as tonifying the Kidney.

Treats hernia and enuresis.

(The property of this herb) manifests as harmonizing the Spleen.

(The property of this herb) manifests as harmonizing the Lungs.

(The property of this herb) manifests as harmonizing the Large Intestine.

(The property of this herb) manifests as harmonizing the Spleen with annotations.

(The property of this herb) manifests as harmonizing the Heart.

(The property of this herb) manifests as harmonizing the Large Intestine.

Sweet, Neutral, astringent; clears Heat and eliminates food/water retention, unblocks the Small Intestine and Bladder; treats diarrhea, dysentery, metrorrhagia, leukorrhea, and malaria caused by food stagnation; males should use female specimens, females should use male specimens.

(The property of this herb) manifests as Cold of the Spleen.

(The property of this herb) manifests as Cold of the Stomach.

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