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Tonifies the sinews and bones, disperses wind-dampness.
Bitter flavor solidifies the Kidney (Kidney organ system), assists the sinews and bones, strengthens teeth, and promotes hair growth (Teeth are the surplus of bone; hair is the surplus of blood). Sweet flavor benefits blood, stops metrorrhagia and metrostaxis (abnormal uterine bleeding), promotes lactation, and calms the fetus (all three conditions are caused by Blood deficiency). In surgery, it disperses sores and ulcers, and expels wind-dampness.
Many plants parasitize other trees, but those growing on mulberry trees are considered authentic; those on other trees may be harmful. The stems and leaves are used together. Avoid frying with fire.

Drains Fire from the Heart, Lungs, and Sanjiao (Triple Burner).
Bitter and cold in nature. Its light and floating quality corresponds to the Lung, and its red color enters the Heart. It drains pathogenic heat from the Heart and Lungs, causing it to curve downward and exit via urination (Haizang stated: Sometimes it is used as a diuretic, but this is not direct diuresis; rather, when Lung Qi is clear, transformation and transportation occur, and the Bladder, as the reservoir of fluids, excretes urine through this Qi transformation). Thus, stagnant Fire in the Sanjiao is resolved, and heart pain caused by Cold-Jue or Heat-Jue (Jue syndrome has both cold and heat patterns) is pacified (Danxi stated: When treating heart pain, one must distinguish between new and chronic cases. If initially caused by cold or food stagnation, warming and dispersing methods should be used. Over time, stagnation transforms into heat; using warming agents would only aggravate the pain and disease. Ancient formulas often use Gardenia Fruit (Zhizi) as the sovereign herb, guided by hot herbs to subdue the pathogen. Although the disease is chronic, the patient does not die without food; if they indulge in eating after pain subsides, the disease will recur). It stops hematemesis (vomiting blood), epistaxis (nosebleed), bloody strangury, and bloody dysentery (It best clears blood-heat in the stomach region. When fried black and ground into powder for oral administration, or blown into the nose, it treats epistaxis. *Bencao Hui* states: For bleeding caused by excess Fire, regulating Qi is primary; when Qi moves, blood returns to its vessels naturally. For bleeding caused by deficient Fire, nourishing righteousness is primary; when Qi is strong, it naturally controls blood. Danxi stated: Treating bleeding cannot rely solely on moving Qi or stopping bleeding, nor can it rely purely on cold herbs. Qi rebellion transforms into Fire; regulating Qi is equivalent to descending Fire). It treats mental restlessness, oppression, insomnia (Zhang Zhongjing used Gardenia and Fermented Soybean Decoction (*Zhizi Chi Tang*). Wang Haogu stated: Restlessness relates to Qi, dryness relates to Blood; thus, Gardenia treats Lung-related restlessness, and Fermented Soybean treats Kidney-related dryness. It is also used as an emetic because pathogens in the Upper Jiao are dispersed through vomiting, as the Classics state: "Where the pathogen is high, induce vomiting to expel it." Note: *Zhizi Chi Tang* expels deficiency-fire and guest-heat; *Gua Di San* expels phlegm, food stagnation, and cold). It treats the "Five Yellows" (ancient formulas often use Gardenia and Yinchen), the "Five Stranguries," exhaustion of blood and fluids, thirst, red eyes, purpura, vitiligo, and sores and ulcers (The skin and couli are governed by the Lung).
Raw usage drains Fire; charcoal-fried usage stops bleeding; ginger-juice fried usage stops restlessness and vomiting. Use the kernels for internal heat, and the husks for exterior heat.