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Tonify the Waist and Knees
Sweet in taste and warm in nature, it can tonify; slightly pungent, it can moisten. Its purple color enters the Qi level of the Liver Meridian. It moistens Liver dryness and tonifies Liver deficiency. Since the "child" organ (Kidney) can strengthen the "mother" organ (Liver), it also has the effect of tonifying the Kidney. When the Liver is sufficient, the sinews become strong; when the Kidney is sufficient, the bones become firm, enabling the sinews and bones to adhere closely (there are silk-like fibers within the skin, presenting a phenomenon of sinew-bone adhesion).

It treats soreness and pain of the waist and knees (The *Neijing* states: The waist is the mansion of the Kidney; if movement and turning are difficult, the Kidney is about to fail. The knee is the mansion of the sinews; if flexion and extension are impaired, the sinews are about to fail. A young man who had just married suffered from weakness in his legs with severe pain. He was treated for Hong Kong Foot [a term historically referring to gout or lower limb swelling/pain conditions], but without effect. Sun Lin said: This is Kidney deficiency. Use one liang of Eucommia Bark, decocted with half wine and half water, and he recovered completely in six days. Note: Persistent low back pain belongs to Kidney deficiency; fixed-point pain belongs to dead blood [blood stasis]; wandering pain belongs to phlegm; cold waist with heavy body, triggered by cold, belongs to cold-dampness; intermittent pain belongs to damp-heat, but its root often lies in Kidney deficiency, as the waist is the mansion of the Kidney]. It treats dampness and itching in the genital area, dribbling after urination, fetal leakage [scanty vaginal bleeding during pregnancy], and habitual abortion [for those prone to miscarriage, at one or two months of conception, use eight liang of Eucommia Bark, soaked through in rice porridge decoction, stir-fried until the silk fibers break, two liang of Dipsacus Root soaked in wine, six liang of Dioscorea Rhizome, made into paste pills or date-meat pills, taken with rice drink. These two herbs greatly tonify Kidney Qi, supporting the fetal origin, so the fetus will not fall].

It originates from Hanzhong. Those that are thick and moist are superior. Remove the coarse bark and chop, or process with su [animal fat], wine, honey, salt-wine stir-fry, or ginger juice stir-fry. Must be processed to remove the silk fibers. Adverse to Black Shen [Polygonum multiflorum prepared in a specific way].

Gently Tonify the Liver and Kidney
Sweet and bitter in taste, neutral in nature. It is the essence of the Shaoyin [Kidney], remaining un-withered even in deep winter. It benefits the Liver and Kidney, calms the Five Zang Organs, strengthens the waist and knees, brightens the eyes and ears, darkens the beard and hair, tonifies wind-deficiency, and eliminates hundred diseases [Eucommia Bark steamed with wine, dried, twenty liang; Mulberry Fruit dried, ten liang; Eclipta Herba, ten liang; made into honey pills to treat various diseases caused by deficiency and damage. If mulberry juice is crushed in April and Eclipta juice in July, mix with the medicine, no need to use honey. Li Shizhen said: Eucommia Bark is a supreme miraculous drug, why is it rarely used in ancient prescriptions?].

Eucommia [Nvzhen] and Wintergreen [Dongqing], recorded as two species in the *Bencao*, are actually the same plant. Best harvested at the Winter Solstice. Processed by steaming with wine [In modern times, scale insects are raised on this tree].