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Drains heat, softens hard phlegm nodules, and eliminates goiters.
Salty flavor moistens the downward direction and softens hardness; cold nature promotes water metabolism to drain heat. Thus, it eliminates goiters, hernias (abdominal pain is termed *shan*, testicular swelling is termed *tui*), phlegm-fluid retention, beriberi, and edema caused by damp-heat. It resolves retained food and treats the five types of chest obstruction (*wu ge*).
In the seas of Shandong, there are two varieties with large leaves and horse-tail shapes, which can also be eaten as sea vegetables; they should be washed to remove salty water before use (Wang Ang notes: Their efficacy lies in their saltiness, so excessive washing may not be advisable).
It is incompatible with Licorice Root (*Gancao*) (Li Dongyuan used both Sargassum (*Haizao*) and Licorice Root together to treat scrofula and chain-like lumps, likely to stimulate the action to break down hard accumulations).

It has the function of promoting urination to reduce water retention and eliminating goiters, similar to Sargassum (*Haizao*). It resembles Sargassum but is rougher, tender, and long.

Its efficacy is similar to Sargassum (*Haizao*) but less slippery; its nature is vigorous. It treats edema, goiters, yin hernias, and dysphagia/chest oppression (by holding in the mouth and swallowing the juice).
Those from Dengzhou and Laizhou are twisted like ropes; those from Min-Yue have large leaves resembling vegetables. They should be washed to remove the salty taste before use.

Promotes circulation, searches out wind pathogens, and removes dampness.
Pungent and bitter, slightly warm. Its aroma is mild and good at searching out pathogens; it enters the Qi aspect of the Foot-Shaoyin (Kidney) meridian to regulate latent wind.
It treats wind-cold headache and dizziness/vertigo recorded in the *Shennong Bencao Jing* (should be used with *Xixin*), toothache due to wind-heat (Lord Wen Lu Gong's *Yao Zhun* uses equal parts of *Duhuo* and *Di Huang* ground into powder, taken three qian per dose), spasms, epilepsy, and damp-bi syndrome (stiffness of the neck and back with backward arching of hands and feet is termed spasm; dampness flowing into joints causing pain and vexation is termed damp-bi. Wind overcomes dampness, so both *Qianghuo* and *Duhuo* can remove dampness), running piglet syndrome (*Ben Tun*) and hernia/masses (kidney accumulation is called *Ben Tun*, caused by wind-cold-damp invading the Kidney; hernias and masses are similar). It does not move when there is wind, but sways when there is no wind, hence the name "Alone-Swaying Grass" (thus it treats wind diseases).
The *Shennong Bencao Jing* states: *Duhuo* is also known as *Qianghuo*. Ancient prescriptions only used *Duhuo*; later practitioners said they are one species with two varieties, so they were used separately. Based on morphology, those that are hollow, large, have holes like ghost eyes, sparse nodes, and yellow color are *Duhuo*; those with purple color, dense nodes, and fierce aroma are *Qianghuo*. Both originate from Shu-Han regions. It is also said that those coming from Western Qiang are named *Qianghuo* (hence the name Hu Wang Shi Zhe; now collecting the meridian affiliations and treated conditions divided by various authors for easier application).