泻，利肠，下气
甘寒。降气，宽肠胃沉积（孟诜曰∶能炼五脏垢秽。昂按∶亦解酒积），泄痢带浊，敷
痘疮溃烂，汤火灼伤。脾胃虚寒人勿服。
补肾，解毒
甘寒色黑。属水似肾，肾之谷也（豆有五色，各入五脏），故能补肾镇心（肾水足，则
心火宁），明目（肾水足则目明），利水下气（古方治水肿，每单用，或加他药），散热祛风
（炒热酒沃，饮其汁，治产后中风危笃及妊娠腰痛，兼能发表。《千金》云∶一以去风，一
以消血结），活血（《产书》云∶熬令烟绝，酒淋服，下产后余血）解毒（苏颂曰∶古称大豆
解百药毒，试之不然，又加甘草，其验乃奇），消肿止痛，捣涂一切肿毒，煮食稀痘疮。紧
小者良（小者名马料豆。每晨盐水吞，或盐水煮食，补肾）。畏五参、龙胆、猪肉。忌浓朴
（犯之动气），得前胡、杏仁、牡蛎、石蜜、诸胆汁良。
通，行水，散血。十剂作燥
甘酸（思邈∶咸冷）。色赤，心之谷也。性下行，通小肠，利小便（心与小肠相表里），
行水散血，消肿排脓，清热解毒。治泻痢香港脚（昔有患香港脚者，用袋盛赤小豆，朝夕践踏之，
遂愈。同鲤鱼煮汁食，能消水肿，煮粥亦佳），敷一切疮疽（鸡子白调末箍之，性极粘，干
则难揭，入苎根末则不粘。宋仁宗患 腮，道士赞能，取赤小豆四十九粒咒之，杂他药敷之
而愈。中贵任承亮亲见，后任自患恶疮，付永投以药立愈。问之∶赤小豆也。承亮始悟道士
之咒伪也。后过豫章，见医治胁疽甚捷，任曰∶莫非赤小豆耶？医惊拜曰∶用此活三十余口，
愿勿复宣），止渴解酒，通乳下胎。然渗津液，久服令人枯瘦（《十剂》曰∶燥可去湿，桑白
皮、赤小豆之属是也。按∶二药未可言燥，盖取其行水之功，然以木通，防己为通剂，通、
燥二义似重。故本集改热药为燥剂，而以行水为通剂）。
[Common Buckwheat]
Has the effects of purging, promoting bowel movement, and descending Qi.
Sweet and cold in nature. Descends Qi, expands and relieves stagnation in the stomach and intestines (Meng Xian said: It can refine and cleanse the filth of the five Zang organs. Wang Ang notes: It also resolves alcohol accumulation), treats diarrhea and dysentery, leukorrhea with turbidity, and is applied externally for ulcerated smallpox sores and scalds/burns. Those with Spleen and Stomach deficiency-cold should not take it.
[Black Soybean]
Has the effects of tonifying the Kidney and resolving toxicity.
Sweet, cold in nature, and black in color. Belongs to Water and resembles the Kidney; it is the grain of the Kidney (Beans have five colors, each entering its corresponding Zang organ), thus it can tonify the Kidney and calm the Heart (When Kidney Water is sufficient, Heart Fire becomes tranquil), brightens the eyes (When Kidney Water is sufficient, vision is clear), promotes urination and descends Qi (Ancient formulas for treating edema often use this herb alone or combined with others), dissipates heat and dispels wind (Stir-fried until hot, soaked in wine, drinking the juice treats severe postpartum wind-stroke and lower back pain during pregnancy, and also releases the exterior. *Qianjin Fang* states: One method removes wind, another eliminates blood stasis), invigorates Blood (*Chanshu* states: Stir-fry until smoke ceases, pour wine over it and drink to expel residual blood after childbirth), resolves toxicity (Su Song said: Ancients claimed soybeans resolve the toxicity of all medicines, but trials show this is not true; adding Licorice Root makes the effect remarkable), reduces swelling and alleviates pain, mashed and applied externally treats all kinds of swellings and toxins, boiling and eating makes smallpox sores sparse and easy to heal. Tight and small beans are superior (Small ones are called Ma Liao Dou. Swallowed with salt water every morning, or boiled and eaten with salt water, to tonify the Kidney). Incompatible with the Five Ginsengs, Gentian Root, and pork. Avoid using with Magnolia Bark (doing so disturbs Qi). Harmonizes well with Peucedanum Root, Apricot Seed, Oyster Shell, Rock Sugar, and various animal bile.
[Azuki Bean]
Has the effects of unblocking, promoting water metabolism, and dispersing Blood. Classified as a "Drying Agent" in the Ten Categories.
Sweet and sour in taste (Sun Simiao considered it salty and cold). Red in color, it is the grain of the Heart. Its nature moves downward, unblocks the Small Intestine, and promotes urination (The Heart and Small Intestine are interior-exteriorly related), promotes water metabolism and disperses Blood, reduces swelling and discharges pus, clears heat and resolves toxicity. Treats diarrhea/dysentery and podagra (In the past, someone suffering from podagra used a bag filled with Azuki beans to tread on morning and evening, and was cured. Boiling with carp and drinking the broth reduces edema; making porridge is also good), applied externally to all sores and carbuncles (Mixed with egg white powder to bind the area; it is extremely sticky and hard to remove when dry, but adding Ramie Root powder prevents stickiness. Emperor Renzong of Song suffered from mumps; Daoist Zan Neng took 49 Azuki beans, chanted incantations, mixed them with other herbs, and applied them externally, resulting in a cure. Eunuch Ren Chengliang witnessed this personally. Later, he suffered from a malignant sore, gave it to Doctor Yong Tou who cured him immediately upon inquiry about the ingredient being Azuki beans. Chengliang then realized the Daoist's chanting was fake. Later passing through Yuzhang, he saw a doctor treat a flank abscess very quickly. Chengliang asked: Is it perhaps Azuki bean? The doctor surprised and bowed, saying: Using this saved over thirty people, please do not reveal it), stops thirst and resolves alcohol intoxication, promotes lactation and induces abortion. However, it leaches body fluids, and long-term use causes emaciation (*Ten Categories* states: Drying agents remove dampness, such as White Mulberry Root Bark and Azuki Bean. Note: These two herbs cannot be strictly classified as drying; rather, their efficacy lies in promoting water metabolism. However, if Akebia Stem and Stephania Root are used as Unblocking Agents, the meanings of "Unblocking" and "Drying" seem to overlap. Therefore, this collection reclassifies Heat-clearing herbs as Drying Agents, and defines Promoting Water Metabolism as Unblocking).