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[Harm] Dried Ginger (Ganjiang) is extremely pungent. The pungent flavor can cause Qi to rebel upwards, disperse healthy Qi, and disturb Blood, damaging Yin and harming the eyes. It is contraindicated in cases of Yin deficiency with internal heat, coughing with hemoptysis, exterior deficiency with heat and sweating, spontaneous sweating or night sweats, abdominal pain and bleeding from intestinal toxins (Zangdu), vomiting and nausea due to heat, and abdominal pain due to fire-heat. Pregnant women should especially avoid it. Patients with carbuncles and sores who consume much ginger may develop protruding malignant flesh. Consuming much ginger in the eighth and ninth lunar months often leads to eye diseases, reduced longevity, and weakened sinews and bones in the spring. It is also said that avoiding ginger in autumn prevents the leakage of Qi.

[Efficacy] Croton Seed (Badou) is acrid and hot. It disseminates Lung Qi, dries Spleen dampness, warms the meridians to expel cold, opens the stomach and supports the Spleen, resolves food stagnation, regulates regurgitation and abdominal pain, possesses the function of resolving phlegm and breaking blood stasis, removes accumulation and distension with masses (Jia Zhu), and has the effect of descending Qi and warming the middle.

Prepared Ginger (Pao Jiang): Raw Dried Ginger is originally acrid; after processing, it becomes bitter. It is extremely hot and drying, retaining its action without wandering, unlike Aconite Root (Fuzi) which moves but does not retain. It removes cold in the Stomach, dispels cold-dampness, eliminates deep-seated chronic cold in the Zang-Fu organs, and stops bleeding. The mechanism of stopping bleeding is that blood deficiency generates heat, and heat causes reckless bleeding. Stir-frying until black guides blood-nourishing herbs into the Yin aspect; when Blood is nourished, Yin grows and heat retreats, illustrating the principle of "Yang generating Yin." Moreover, black corresponds to the Water element, thus preventing reckless bleeding. It removes bad blood and generates new blood. It is used more frequently for Cold-Blood conditions and less for Heat-Blood conditions, typically only 3-4 fen, serving merely as a guide. When combined with Aconite Root, it enters the Kidney meridian to unblock pulses and restore Yang, but excessive use depletes Yuan Qi. Raw Dried Ginger expels cold pathogens and releases the exterior; Prepared Ginger removes stomach cold and retains action in the middle Jiao.

[Processing] Harvest mother ginger in the ninth lunar month, sun-dry it to make Dried Ginger. Those that are white, clean, and solid are superior. To prevent excessive dispersion, stir-fry until yellow or slightly black. It is ridiculous for market physicians to soak Dried Ginger in water to dilute it. Dried Ginger stir-fried until black is called Prepared Ginger, also known as Black Ginger.

[Harm] Li Dongyuan stated: "Croton Seed is a general who breaches gates and seizes doors; it must not be abused." Although it opens obstructions, it damages True Yin. Zhang Congzheng stated: "In cases of Cold Damage (Shanghan) wind-dampness, smallpox, and postpartum conditions, using Croton Seed may not kill immediately but will create critical danger." Considering these statements, the harm caused by Croton Seed is indeed terrifying. This herb inherits fierce Fire Qi; upon contact with skin, it invariably burns and rots. Applying a small amount to intact skin causes a blister to appear in an instant. How much more so for the tender and fragile tissues of the intestines and stomach? After swallowing, it moves slowly; regardless of whether it depletes True Yin or scorches the Zang-Fu organs, can it avoid causing ulceration? Do not arbitrarily administer any decoctions, pills, or powders containing it. Even in unavoidable emergency situations where one wishes to utilize its power to open pathways, it must be stir-fried until cooked, pressed to remove all oil, and administered in small quantities, ceasing once the disease is addressed.

[Efficacy] Croton Seed is acrid and hot, entering the Lung, Spleen, Stomach, Large Intestine, and Small Intestine meridians. It sweeps through the Five Zang organs and cleanses the Six Fu organs, almost like boiling intestines and scraping stomachs. It attacks hard accumulations, breaks phlegm and癖 (masses), truly capable of breaching gates; it exhausts Qi, Blood, and food in one attack; it pours out phlegm, parasites, and water without leaving residue; it induces immediate abortion, and is good at extracting toxin from carbuncles (Ding).

[Processing] Harvest in the eighth lunar month, dry in shade, and remove the heart and peel. If the membrane is not removed, it injures the Stomach; if the heart is not removed, it induces vomiting. One may use the shell, kernel, oil, raw form, stir-fried form, vinegar-processed form, or charred-to-retain-property form. Pressed to remove oil, it is named Croton Frost (Badou Shuang). If the heart, membrane, and oil are removed, and used raw or stir-fried, it serves as an urgent remedy for clearing pathways in the digestive tract. Stir-fried until smoking and turning purple-black, it serves as a mild remedy for dissolving hardness and grinding accumulations, and can stop diarrhea.