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Non-toxic.
Ji Xian Zi (Nine Fairies) treats sore throat and throat obstruction, disperses blood stasis. Grind with fresh water or vinegar to extract juice, hold in mouth and swallow; it is very effective. (From *Bencao Gangmu*) [Names] Xian Nv Jiao. [Origin] (Li Shizhen said) Grows in mountains. [Morphology] Vines are 6-7 chi high, stems are thin and smooth. Leaves resemble those of *Sapium sebiferum* but are shorter, flatter, and not round. At the axil of each leaf, subsidiary branches arise, one or two in number, hanging gracefully. In the sixth and seventh months, small greenish-yellow flowers bloom, followed by fruiting; seeds are clustered and fragmented, resembling those of *Eriocaulon buergerianum*. [Harvest Time] (Growth) Sprouts appear in the second month. (Collection) Collected in the ninth month; smaller specimens resemble *Pinellia ternata*. [Taste] Bitter. [Nature] Cool. [Qi Movement] Descending, Yin.

Non-toxic.
Huang Teng (Yellow Vine) treats food poisoning, promotes urination. Decoct and drink frequently to resolve toxicity. (From *Bencao Gangmu*) [Origin] (Li Shizhen said) Huang Teng grows in the Lingnan region. [Substance] Resembles *Stephania tetrandra* (Fang Ji). [Indications] Treats food poisoning; common people often consume this vine, so even if food contains toxins, they do not naturally manifest symptoms. Xi Bian, Prefect, stated it is very effective. [Taste] Sweet, Bitter. [Nature] Neutral. [Qi Movement] Qi is thin, belonging to Yang within Yin.

Non-toxic.
Ping (Water Fern) treats sudden fever, directs water qi downward, and promotes urination. Wu Pu crushed it for external application on heat sores, and extracted juice for internal consumption to treat snakebite venom entering the abdomen. Sun-dried and mixed in equal parts with *Trichosanthes kirilowii* root powder, formed into pills with human milk, it stops thirst. (From *Bencao Shiyi*) Eating it cures labor disease. (From *Shan Hai Jing*) [Names] Ping Cai, Si Ye Cai (Four-leaf Vegetable), Tian Zi Cao (Field Character Grass). (Li Shizhen said) "Ping" was originally written as "𦰩". The *Zuo Zhuan* mentions "Ping, Fan, Yun, Zao vegetables," which can be offered to spirits and presented to kings and dukes; thus, "𦰩" carries the meaning of a guest, hence the character includes "Bin" (Guest). This grass has four leaves joined together, breaking in the middle to form a cross shape, hence commonly called Four-leaf Vegetable, Field Character Grass, or Broken Copper Coin, all being ideograms. Various pharmacopoeias annotate "Ping" as floating duckweed, likely due to the phonetic similarity between "Ping" and "Ping." Consulting rhyme books, "Ping" belongs to the Zhen rhyme (Pu zhen qie), while "Ping" belongs to the Geng rhyme (Bo jing qie); their pronunciation endings differ, and the substances are distinct. Following Wu Pu's *Bencao*, it is listed separately here. [Origin] (Wu Pu said) Floating duckweed is also known as Shui Lian, growing on the surface of ponds and marshes. (Tao Hongjing said) Large duckweed in water is not that found in ditches, but what King Chu obtained while crossing the river; this is the actual substance. (Su Gong said) There are three types of duckweed: the large is called Ping, the medium is called Xing, both having similar round leaves; the small is the floating duckweed on water. (Chen Cangqi said) Ping leaves are round and broad, about one cun, with a point like water foam underneath; another name is Ping Cai. Small duckweed is found in ditches. (Liu Yuxi according to *Er Ya*) Duckweed is Ping. The large ones are called Ping. Also (*Shi Jing* says) "Where to gather Ping? By the stream bank." (Lu Ji annotated) The coarse and large are called Ping, the small are called Ping. In late spring, they begin to grow; they can be mixed with flour and steamed as vegetables, or pickled in sour wine. Nowadays, physicians rarely use this type of Ping, only the small duckweed. (Li Shizhen said) Ping is the four-leaf vegetable; leaves float on the water surface, roots connect to the bottom. Its stem is thinner than Xing, leaves are as large as a finger tip, green on top and purple on the back, with fine veins, somewhat resembling leaves of *Cassia bicapsularis*. Four leaves combine into one, breaking in the middle to form a cross. White flowers bloom in summer and autumn, hence called Bai Ping (White Ping). Leaves cluster like duckweed, hence *Er Ya* calls the large one Ping. (*Lü Shi Chun Qiu* says) Among beautiful vegetables is Kunlun Ping, which is this. (*Han Shi Wai Zhuan*) states that floating is Zao, sinking is Ping. (Certain Immortal) states that white-flowered is Ping, yellow-flowered is Xing, i.e., Golden Lotus. (Su Gong) states large is Ping, small is Xing. (Yang Shen *Zhi Yan*) states four-leaf vegetable is Xing. (Tao Hongjing) states what King Chu obtained is Ping. None have fixed definitions, likely due to lack of deep investigation, relying merely on textual speculation. (Li Shizhen) Personally inspected them and grasped the truth. Those with leaves 1-2 cun in diameter, with one notch and round like a horse hoof, are Ping. Those resembling Xing but slightly sharper and longer are Xing. Their flowers are both yellow and white. Leaves 4-5 cun in diameter, like small lotus leaves, blooming yellow flowers and bearing fruit like small glutinous rice dumplings, are *Nymphoides peltata* (Ping Peng Cao). The Ping Shi obtained by King Chu is the fruit of this Ping. Those with four leaves forming one leaf like a field character are Ping. Such distinction is naturally clear. Also (Xiang Shi) says Bai Ping grows in water, Qing Ping grows on land. According to current knowledge, Tian Zi Cao has aquatic and terrestrial varieties. Terrestrial ones mostly grow in damp places in rice fields; their four leaves join together like Bai Ping, but stems grow above ground, 3-4 cun high, inedible. Alchemists use it to refine sulfur and cinnabar, or boil mercury, calling it Shui Tian Weng. (Xiang Shi) referred to as Qing Ping is likely this. Mistaking Qing Ping for aquatic plants is an error. [Harvest Time] (Growth) March. (Collection) May. [Processing] Sun-dried for medicinal use. [Color] White. [Taste] Sweet. [Nature] Cold, Slippery. [Qi Movement] Descending, Yin.