泻热，解毒
辛苦而寒。
治痈疽发背，疔肿瘰 ，无名肿毒。
叶如柳而细，夏开紫花结角，生平地者起茎，生沟壑者起蔓。
一名天名精，一名地菘
泻热，吐痰，破血，解毒
甘寒微毒。能破血（一妇产后，口渴气喘，面赤有斑，大便泄，小便秘。用行血、利水
药不效，用牛膝浓煎膏饮，下血一桶，小便通而愈），能止血吐痰，除热解毒杀虫。
治乳蛾喉痹，砂淋血淋（《良方》曰∶浓煎，加乳、麝少许，神效），小儿牙关紧闭，急
慢惊风（不省人事者，绞汁入好酒灌之即苏。以醋拌渣，敷项下）。服汁，吐疟痰（惊风服
之，亦取其吐痰）。漱汁，止牙痛。捣之，敷蛇、虫螫毒。
根白如短牛膝。地黄为使（煎汤洗痔，渣塞患处良）。
泻，杀虫
苦辛，有小毒。杀五脏虫，治蛔啮腹痛（面白唇红，时发时止者，为虫痛，肥肉汁调末
服）。
《沈存中笔记》云∶是杜牛膝子（或曰非也，别是一种）。最黏人衣。有狐气，炒热则香。
泻热，解毒
苦寒。泻心火以保金气，去肺，大肠之风热（心火降，则不灼肺而金清。肺与大肠相表
里，肺金清，则大肠亦清），消肿止痛。
治喉痈喉风，龈肿齿痛（含之咽汁），喘满热咳，腹痛下痢，五痔诸疮。解诸药毒，敷
秃疮、蛇狗蜘蛛伤，疗人、马急黄（血热极所致）。
苗蔓如豆，经冬不凋。
To drain heat and resolve toxicity.
Bitter, pungent, and cold in nature.
Treats carbuncles on the back (carbuncle of the back), ding sores (ding sores), scrofula (scrofula), and unnamed swellings and toxic masses (unnamed swellings and toxic masses).
The leaves are like willow leaves but finer; it bears purple flowers and pods in summer. Plants growing in flat lands have erect stems, while those growing in ditches have creeping vines.
Also known as Tianmingjing (Tianmingjing) or Disong (Disong).
Drains heat, induces vomiting to expel phlegm, breaks blood stasis, and resolves toxicity.
Sweet, cold, and slightly toxic. It can break blood stasis (A case: A woman postpartum suffered from thirst, panting, a red face with spots, diarrhea, and urinary retention. After blood-invigorating and diuretic herbs failed, she drank a thick decoction paste prepared from Achyranthis Bidentatae Radix (Niuxi, 牛膝). She passed a bucketful of blood, her urination became unobstructed, and she recovered), stops bleeding, induces vomiting to expel phlegm, clears heat, resolves toxicity, and kills parasites.
Treats tonsillitis (tonsillitis) and throat obstruction (throat obstruction), sand strangury (sand strangury) and bloody strangury (bloody strangury) (According to *Liangfang*: A thick decoction added with a little milk and musk is miraculous), infant trismus (infant trismus), and acute or chronic convulsions (for those unconscious, juice squeezed from the herb mixed with good wine administered orally restores consciousness; vinegar-mixed residue applied to the neck below). Drinking the juice induces vomiting of malaria phlegm (for convulsions, it is used for its phlegm-expelling effect). Gargling with the juice relieves toothache. Crushed and applied externally, it treats snake and insect bites/stings.
The root is white and resembles short Achyranthes root. Rehmanniae Radix Praeparata (Dihuang, 地黄) acts as an guiding drug (Decoction used to wash hemorrhoids; the residue stuffed into the affected area is beneficial).
Purgative and vermifuge.
Bitter, pungent, slightly toxic. Kills five types of internal parasites, treats abdominal pain caused by roundworm biting (characterized by pale face, red lips, and intermittent pain, identified as worm pain; taken with fat meat juice mixed with powder).
*Shen Cunzhong's Notes* states: This is the seed of Du Niuxi (some say otherwise, claiming it is a different species). It sticks most tenaciously to clothing. It has a fox-like odor, which becomes fragrant when stir-fried.
Drains heat and resolves toxicity.
Bitter and cold. Drains heart fire to protect lung qi, dispels wind-heat from the lungs and large intestine (When heart fire descends, it does not scorch the lungs, thus metal qi becomes clear. The lungs and large intestine are exterior-interiorly related; when lung metal is clear, the large intestine also becomes clear), reduces swelling and relieves pain.
Treats throat abscesses (throat abscesses) and throat wind (throat wind), gingival swelling and toothache (gargle and swallow the juice), wheezing, chest fullness, hot cough, abdominal pain with dysentery, five types of hemorrhoids and various sores. Resolves toxicity of various drugs, applies externally to alopecia areata (bald sores), snake/dog/spider bites, and treats acute jaundice in humans and horses (caused by extreme blood heat).
The seedlings and vines resemble bean plants and do not wither through winter.