宣，引吐
辛寒至苦，有毒。
入口即吐，善通顶，令人嚏，风痫证多用之（张子和曰∶一妇病风痫，初一、二年一作
，后渐日作，甚至一日数作，求死而已。值岁大饥，采百草食，见野草若葱，采蒸饱食，觉
不安，吐胶涎数日，约一二斗，汗出如洗，甚昏困，后遂轻健如常人。以所食葱访人，乃憨
葱苗，即藜芦是矣。时珍曰∶和王妃年七十，中风不省，牙关紧闭。先考太医吏目月池翁诊
视，药不得入。不获已，打去一齿，浓煎藜芦汤灌之，少顷噫气，遂吐痰而苏。药不瞑眩，
厥疾不瘳，诚然）。
取根去头。用黄连为使。反细辛、芍药、诸参。恶大黄。畏葱白（吐者、服葱汤即止）。
古名通草
轻，通，行水，泻小肠火
甘淡轻虚。上通心包，降心火，清肺热（心火降。则肺热清矣），化津液（肺为水源，
肺热清，则津液化，水道通），下通大、小肠，膀胱，导诸湿热由小便出（故导赤散用之。
凡利小便者，多不利大便，以小水愈通，大便愈燥也。木通能入大肠，兼通大便），通利九
窍，血脉关节。
治胸中烦热，遍身拘痛（杨仁斋云∶遍身隐热、疼痛拘急、足冷，皆伏热伤血。血属于
心，宜木通以通心窍，则经络流行也），大渴引饮（中焦火），淋沥不通（下焦火，心与小肠
相表里，心移热于小肠，则淋秘），水肿浮大（利小便），耳聋（泄肾火，通窍）目眩，口燥
舌干（舌为心苗），喉痹咽痛（火炎上焦），鼻 （热壅清道，则气窒不通）失音（清金），
脾热好眠（脾主四肢，倦则好眠。心为脾母，心热清，脾热亦除），除烦退热，止痛排脓，
破血催生，行经下乳（火不亢于内，气顺血行，故经调有准，乳汁循常）。汗多者禁用（东
垣曰∶肺受热邪，津液气化之源绝，则寒水断流；膀胱受湿热，癃闭约束，则小便不通，宜
此治之。寒水，太阳膀胱也。朱二允曰∶火在上则口燥，眼赤、鼻干，在中则心烦、呕哕、
浮肿，在下则淋秘、足肿，必借此甘平之性，泻诸经之火，火退则小便自利，便利则诸经火
邪，皆从小水而下降矣。君火宜木通，相火宜泽泻，利水虽同，所用各别）。
藤有细孔，两头皆通（故通窍）。
Dispersing, inducing vomiting.
Pungent, cold to extremely bitter, toxic.
Induces vomiting upon entering the mouth, excels at unblocking the vertex, causes sneezing, and is frequently used for wind-phlegm epilepsy (Zhang Zihe stated: A woman suffered from wind-phlegm epilepsy; initially occurring once every one or two years, it gradually progressed to daily episodes, and even several times a day, causing her to wish for death. During a severe famine year, she gathered various herbs to eat. Seeing a wild herb resembling green onions, she picked, steamed, and ate it until full. She felt uncomfortable and vomited gelatinous saliva for several days, totaling about one or two *dou* (a traditional unit of volume), sweating profusely as if washed, becoming very drowsy and exhausted, after which she recovered health like a normal person. Upon inquiring about the "green onion" she ate, it turned out to be the sprout of *Allium victorialis*, which is Veratrum (*Lilü*). Li Shizhen stated: The Princess Consort of He fell into a coma due to stroke at age seventy, with clenched jaws. My father, Taiyi Limu Yuechi, examined her, but medicine could not be administered. As a last resort, a tooth was knocked out, and a concentrated decoction of Veratrum was forced down her throat. After a short while, she belched, then vomited phlegm and regained consciousness. If a drug does not cause adverse reactions (*mingxuan*), severe diseases cannot be cured, which is indeed true.)
Use the root, removing the root head. Use *Coptidis Rhizoma* (*Huanglian*) as an guiding agent. It is incompatible with *Asari Radix* (*Xixin*), *Paeoniae Radix Alba* (*Shaoyao*), and all types of *Ginseng* (*Shen*). It dislikes *Rhei Radix et Rhizoma* (*Dahuang*). It fears *Allii Fistulosi Bulbus* (*Congbai*) (If vomiting occurs, taking green onion soup will stop it).
Ancient name: Tongcao.
Light, unblocking, promoting water metabolism, clearing fire of the Small Intestine.
Sweet, bland, light and void. Unblocks the Pericardium upwards, descends Heart Fire, clears Lung Heat (When Heart Fire descends, Lung Heat is cleared), transforms body fluids (The Lung is the source of water; when Lung Heat is cleared, body fluids are transformed, and water passages become smooth), unblocks the Large Intestine, Small Intestine, and Bladder downwards, guides damp-heat out through urination (Therefore, it is used in Daochi San. Generally, herbs that promote urination do not promote bowel movements, as increased urine flow leads to drier stools. However, Mutong can enter the Large Intestine and also promotes bowel movements), unblocks the nine orifices, blood vessels, and joints.
Treats irritability and heat in the chest, generalized stiffness and pain (Yang Renzhai said: Generalized latent heat, painful stiffness, and cold feet are all caused by latent heat injuring the blood. Blood belongs to the Heart; Mutong should be used to unblock the Heart orifices, allowing meridians to circulate freely), excessive thirst with desire to drink (Fire in the Middle Jiao), dribbling dysuria or urinary retention (Fire in the Lower Jiao; the Heart and Small Intestine are exterior-interior related; Heart heat transferring to the Small Intestine causes strangury or retention), edema with swelling (by promoting urination), deafness (draining Kidney Fire, unblocking orifices), vertigo, dry mouth and tongue (The tongue is the sprout of the Heart), bi-syndrome of the throat and sore throat (Fire flaming upward in the Upper Jiao), nasal congestion (Heat obstructing the clear pathways causes qi stagnation and blockage), aphonia (clearing Metal/Lung), lethargy due to Spleen heat (The Spleen governs the four limbs; fatigue leads to sleepiness. The Heart is the mother of the Spleen; clearing Heart heat also removes Spleen heat), relieving irritability and reducing fever, stopping pain and discharging pus, breaking blood stasis and inducing labor, regulating menstruation and promoting lactation (When fire is not hyperactive internally, qi flows smoothly and blood moves, thus menstruation is regular and milk flows normally). Contraindicated in cases of excessive sweating (Li Dongyuan stated: When the Lung is affected by heat pathogens, the source of fluid transformation is cut off, leading to a cessation of cold water flow; when the Bladder is constrained by damp-heat, causing strangury and retention, this herb is suitable for treatment. Cold water refers to the Taiyang Bladder channel. Zhu Eryun stated: Fire above causes dry mouth, red eyes, and dry nose; fire in the middle causes irritability, vomiting, and edema; fire below causes strangury/retention and swollen feet. One must rely on its sweet and neutral nature to drain fire from all channels. When fire recedes, urination becomes free, and fire pathogens from all channels descend via urine. For Ministerial Fire, Mutong is appropriate; for Ministerial Fire [specifically referring to Sanjiao/Gallbladder context often associated with Zexie], Ze Xie is appropriate. Although both promote diuresis, their applications differ].)
The vine has fine pores, open at both ends (therefore, it unblocks orifices).