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[Adverse Effects] Although Tingli (Descurainiae Semen seu Fructus) is a key herb for draining the Lung, promoting urination, and treating edema and fullness, its bitter and greatly cold nature makes it aggressive and wandering without staying put. It drains the Lung but easily damages the Stomach, making it unsuitable for those with Spleen-Stomach deficiency or insufficient True Yin. Conditions of edema and fullness due to Spleen deficiency failing to control water, leading to flooding of water qi, as well as urinary obstruction due to Bladder deficiency and failure of Qi transformation, are all contraindicated. Violating this may turn mild illness severe and severe illness critical; caution is required. Applying it to head sores allows medicinal qi to enter the brain and cause death. There are two types: bitter and sweet. The bitter type has strong power, while the sweet type is milder. It is advisable to assist with Jujube (Ziziphi Spinosae Fructus). If taken by mistake by people with Qi deficiency, disaster follows immediately.

[Efficacy] Bitter, pungent, and cold. Enters the Lung, Heart, Spleen, and Bladder meridians. It disperses Lung Qi, directs Qi downward, eliminates phlegm, calms wheezing, and regulates distension, unblocks collaterals, and promotes diuresis.

[Processing] Harvest the fruit after Start of Summer, dry in the shade. Combine with glutinous rice, lightly roast until the rice is cooked, remove the rice, and pound for use. Alternatively, stir-fry with wine.

[Adverse Effects] Its nature is light, ascending, and good at dispersing; it releases the exterior with the greatest speed. However, it is contraindicated for those with exterior deficiency and spontaneous sweating, miscellaneous diseases due to dietary irregularities and overwork, spontaneous sweating due to Lung deficiency with heat and excessive phlegm causing nasal congestion, acne inversa not caused by cold pathogen stagnation but by intense heat, deficiency persons suffering from wind-strike with Qi deficiency and wheezing, Yin deficiency with flaming fire causing dizziness and headache, stroke paralysis common in the South, and those with daily Yang deficiency and loose interstices (cou li). All these groups must strictly avoid it. Excessive sweating leads to loss of Yang and shortens life; beware! From late spring through summer to early autumn, the same prohibitions apply. Only in winter, when there is true cold pathogen injuring the Ying level with corresponding signs, is it suitable. If not in winter, or if there is no cold pathogen, or if the cold pathogen is in the interior, or if wind injures the Wei level, even if there are fever and aversion to cold, no headache or body pain but stiffness, and six pulses are not floating and tight, it cannot be used. Even for conditions suitable for sweating, overdosing is inappropriate. Sweat is the fluid of the Heart; excessive sweating agitates Heart Blood, potentially leading to loss of Yang or blood extravasation, causing major disasters. Ephedra produced in Zhongmu County does not accumulate snow in winter, indicating its nature is hot.

[Efficacy] Bitter, pungent, and warm. Enters the Heart, Lung, Bladder, and Large Intestine meridians. It specifically targets winter cold pathogen, treating headache, body heat, and spinal rigidity. It expels cold pathogen from the Ying level and disperses wind-heat from the Wei level. Being light, it can resolve excess, making it the primary herb for dispersion. Ephedra (Ephedrae Herba) is an herb of the Taiyang meridian, also entering the Lung meridian; the Lung governs skin and hair. Puerariae Radix (Gegen) is an herb of the Yangming meridian, also entering the Spleen meridian; the Spleen governs muscles. Both herbs are light, ascending, and dispersing, but enter different meridians. Surgeons use raw Ephedra equal parts with Licorice Root (Glycyrrhizae Radix et Rhizoma), or combined with Xijiao Dihuang Tang (Rhinoceros Horn and Rehmannia Decoction), or Zhu Ye Shigao Tang (Bamboo Leaf and Gypsum Decoction), or Da Shengdi (Rehmanniae Radix Preparata). This prevents sweating, promotes pus discharge, and speeds recovery. If misused, Prepared Rehmannia Root (Rehmanniae Radix Preparata) can counteract it: one tael of Prepared Rehmannia resolves one qian of Ephedra. The root and nodes of Ephedra stop sweating; its nature moves to the exterior, guiding other drugs to the Wei level to consolidate the interstices.

[Processing] Those from Xingyang, Zhongmu are superior. Harvest stems after Start of Autumn, dry in the shade. Use the root bark that is yellow-red near the root base. Break off the nodes and roots. Boil in water for more than ten boils, skim off the foam with a bamboo strip, as the foam causes irritability. Alternatively, soak in vinegar or honey-roast to moderate its action. Sometimes used raw, but must be boiled to remove foam.