气味甘大寒，无毒。主治暴中风，风痹，胸中大热，止烦闷，消渴，劳复。（《
（ 竹、淡竹、苦竹皆可取沥，将竹截取二尺许劈开，以砖两片对立架竹于上，两头各
出五七寸，以火炙出其沥，
以盘承取。）
朱震亨曰∶竹沥滑痰，非助以姜汁不能行。
气味甘，微寒，无毒。主治呕 温气，寒热，吐血，崩中。（《别录》附。）
（用刀轻轻刮去竹皮上粉青，取青内之皮，谓之竹茹。今人用竹沥、竹茹，皆取大竹，
不知淡竹、苦竹、 竹皆细
小不大，俱系野生，非家种也。）
呕 ，吐逆也。温气，热气也。竹茹，竹之脉络也。人身脉络不和，则吐逆而为热矣。
脉络不和，则或寒或热矣。
充肤热肉，淡渗皮毛之血，不循行于脉络，则上吐血而下崩中矣。凡此诸病，竹茹皆能治之，
乃以竹之脉络而通人之脉
络也。
气味辛，微寒，无毒。主治中风寒热，心下逆气惊喘，口干舌焦，不能息，腹中坚痛
，除邪鬼，产乳，金疮。
（石膏出齐庐山及鲁蒙山，剡州、彭城、钱塘亦有。有软硬二种，软石膏生于石中，大
块作
层，如压扁米糕，细纹短密，宛若束针，洁白如膏，松软易碎，烧之白烂如粉。硬石膏作块
而生，直理起棱，如马齿坚白，击之则段段横解，光亮如云母、白石英，有墙壁。烧之亦易
散，仍硬不作粉，今用以软者为佳。）
石膏质坚色白，气辛味淡，纹理如肌腠，坚白若精金，禀阳明金土之精，而为阳明胃府
之凉
剂，宣剂也。中风寒热者，风乃阳邪，感阳邪而为寒为热也。金能制风，故主治中风之寒热
。心下逆气惊喘者，阳明胃络上通于心，逆则不能上通，致有惊喘之象矣。口干舌焦，不能
息，腹中坚痛者，阳明之上，燥气治之，口干舌焦，燥之极也。不能息，燥极而阳明之气不
和于上也。腹中坚痛，燥极而阳明之气不和于下也。石膏质重性寒，清肃阳明之热气，故皆
治之。禀金气则有肃杀之能，故除邪鬼。生产乳汁，乃阳明胃府所生。刀伤金疮，乃阳明肌
肉所主。石膏清阳明而和中胃，故皆治之。
《灵枢经》云∶两阳合明，是为阳明。又云∶雨火并合，故为阳明，是阳明上有燥热之
主气
伤寒有白虎汤，用石膏、知母、甘草、粳米，主资胃府之津，以清阳明之热。又，阳明主合
而居中土，故伤寒有越脾汤。
石膏配麻黄，发越在内之邪，从中土以出肌表，盖石膏质重则能入里，味辛则能发散，性寒
则能清热。其为阳明之宣剂、
凉剂者，如此。
[Bamboo Sap (Appendix)]
Odor and Flavor: Sweet, extremely cold, non-toxic.
Indications: Sudden wind-stroke, wind-bi syndrome, excessive heat in the chest, relief of irritability and oppression, diabetes (Xiao Ke), and relapse due to overexertion after illness. (*Shen Nong Ben Cao Jing*)
(Preparation: Bamboo, Damp Bamboo, or Bitter Bamboo can be used to extract sap. Cut the bamboo into sections about two chi long and split them. Place two bricks opposite each other to support the bamboo, with five to seven cun extending from both ends. Roast over fire to exude the sap, and collect it in a dish.)
Zhu Zhenheng stated: Bamboo sap lubricates phlegm; without the aid of Ginger Juice, its therapeutic action cannot proceed effectively.
[Bamboo Sheath (Appendix)]
Odor and Flavor: Sweet, slightly cold, non-toxic.
Indications: Vomiting accompanied by warm qi, alternating chills and fever, hematemesis, and metrorrhagia. (*Mingyi Bielu*, Appendix)
(Preparation: Gently scrape off the green powdery layer on the outer surface of the bamboo skin with a knife, and take the inner green layer, which is called Bamboo Sheath. Currently, people use large bamboos for extracting Bamboo Sap and Bamboo Sheath, unaware that Damp Bamboo, Bitter Bamboo, and Arrow Bamboo are all small and thin, wild rather than cultivated.)
Vomiting refers to regurgitation. Warm qi refers to hot pathogenic factors. Bamboo Sheath represents the meridians of the bamboo. When the meridians of the human body are disordered, vomiting and heat syndromes occur. Meridian disorder may lead to either cold or heat symptoms. If blood fills the skin and muscles but fails to circulate within the meridians, leaking into the skin and hair follicles, it results in upper hematemesis and lower metrorrhagia. Bamboo Sheath can treat all these conditions by using the meridian structure of bamboo to unblock the meridians of the human body.
[Gypsum]
Odor and Flavor: Acrid, slightly cold, non-toxic.
Indications: Wind-stroke with chills and fever, rebellious qi beneath the heart with palpitations and panting, dry mouth and scorched tongue, inability to breathe freely, hardness and pain in the abdomen, expelling evil spirits, facilitating childbirth/lactation, and treating metal wounds.
(Source and Characteristics: Gypsum is found in Mount Lu in Qi and Mount Meng in Lu, as well as in Yanzhou, Pengcheng, and Qiantang. There are soft and hard varieties. Soft gypsum grows within rocks in large layered blocks, resembling flattened rice cakes, with short, dense fine lines like bundled needles. It is white as paste, soft, brittle, and burns into white powder. Hard gypsum grows in solid blocks with straight grain and ridges, hard and white like horse teeth. When struck, it breaks transversely, shining like mica or white quartz, with a wall-like fracture surface. It also disperses easily when burned but remains hard and does not turn to powder. The soft variety is preferred today.)
Gypsum is hard in texture and white in color, acrid in odor and bland in taste. Its texture resembles human muscle and interstice (Ji-Cou). Its hardness and whiteness resemble refined gold. It embodies the essence of Yangming Metal and Earth, serving as a cooling and diffusing agent for the Yangming Stomach Fu organ. "Wind-stroke with chills and fever": Wind is a yang pathogen; contracting it leads to chills and fever. Metal controls wind, thus it treats chills and fever caused by wind-stroke. "Rebellious qi beneath the heart with palpitations and panting": The Yangming Stomach meridian connects upward to the Heart. Rebellious qi obstructs this connection, causing palpitations and panting. "Dry mouth, scorched tongue, inability to breathe freely, abdominal hardness and pain": The upper Yangming is governed by Dryness. A dry mouth and scorched tongue indicate extreme dryness. Inability to breathe freely indicates that extreme dryness prevents Yangming qi from harmonizing upwards. Abdominal hardness and pain indicate that extreme dryness prevents Yangming qi from harmonizing downwards. Gypsum is heavy in substance and cold in nature, clearing and purifying the hot qi of Yangming, thus treating these conditions. Endowing Metal qi provides the ability to suppress and eliminate, hence it expels evil spirits. Lactation is generated by the Yangming Stomach Fu. Metal wounds involve the muscles governed by Yangming. Gypsum clears Yangming and harmonizes the Stomach, thus treating these conditions.
The *Ling Shu* states: "Two Yangs combine to brighten, this is called Yangming." It also says: "Rain and Fire combine, thus it is Yangming," indicating that Yangming has Dryness-Heat as its dominant qi. In Cold Damage diseases, there is the Bai Hu Tang (White Tiger Decoction), using Gypsum, Anemarrhena Rhizome, Licorice Root, and Rice, primarily to nourish the fluids of the Stomach Fu and clear Yangming heat. Furthermore, since Yangming governs combination and resides in the Central Earth, there is the Yue Bi Tang in the treatment of Cold Damage.
When Gypsum is combined with Ephedra Herb, it helps vent pathogens from the interior, moving them from the Central Earth to the muscle layer. This is because Gypsum's heaviness allows it to enter the interior, its acridity allows it to diffuse outward, and its coldness allows it to clear heat. Thus, it serves as a diffusing and cooling agent for Yangming.