Library

Flavor: Pungent, neutral. Toxicity: Non-toxic. Indications: Treats pathogenic factors within the five zang organs; disperses toxic heat flowing warmly through the skin and bone joints; eliminates three types of parasites; promotes digestion.
(Wuyi [Prunus japonica seed] grows in the mountains and valleys of Jin region. Currently, it is found everywhere along the roads east and west of the Yellow River, with those from Taiyuan, Yanzhou, and Tongzhou being of the best quality. The tree is known as [missing character], described in "Shuowen Jiezi" as a wild elm with thorns, whose fruit is Wuyi. The leaves are round and dense; the fruit matures early, resembling elm seeds (Ulmus pumila samara), but has an odor similar to [missing character]. Locals ferment it into sauce for consumption, which becomes fragrant and delicious. Its property can kill insects and also prevents moth damage when placed among items.)
Wuyi is the kernel of the wild elm. The elm receives the essence of the East, Wood element (Jia-Yi), and obtains the qi of early spring sprouting and renewing, thus inheriting Wood qi. Its flavor is pungent, its odor is fishy, its color is yellowish-white, and its base has thorns, thus inheriting Metal qi. Wood controls Earth, so it treats pathogenic factors within the five zang organs. The five zang organs belong to Central Earth. Metal controls Wind, so it disperses the toxic heat flowing warmly in the skin and joints. "Flowing warm heat" refers to pathogenic wind movement. Excessive wind generates parasites; eliminating the three parasites demonstrates Metal controlling Wood. When Fire is deficient, food is not digested; promoting digestion reflects Wood generating Fire.

Flavor: Pungent, salty, warm. Toxicity: Slightly toxic. Indications: Treats wind-bi syndrome causing dead muscle tissue; pathogenic factors affecting the head causing tearing; unblocks the nine orifices; kills spirit entities.
(Saponaria officinalis / Gleditsia sinensis pods are found everywhere. The tree is tall and robust, with leaves resembling those of the locust tree, and thorns on the branches, known as Gleditsiae Spina. It blooms with small yellow flowers in summer. The fruits come in three types: one small like pig's teeth, one large and thick, rich in fat and sticky; another long and thin, dry and non-sticky. All three types can be used as medicine. According to the "Shennong Bencao Jing", harvesting the pods is difficult; one can bind the tree trunk with bamboo strips, and the pods will fall naturally overnight. For trees that do not bear fruit, drilling a hole and inserting 3-5 jin of raw iron, then sealing it with mud, induces pod formation. If humans beat Gleditsia sinensis pods on an iron anvil, they self-damage; rolling them with an iron mill eventually creates holes; boiling them in an iron pot causes them to burst into flakes.)
(My commentary: Inserting raw iron induces fruiting because iron belongs to Metal, is black and associated with Water, acquiring Metal-Water qi, which promotes Wood growth and pod formation. Iron is corroded by the pods because the pods are purple-red, possessing Taiyang Fire qi, and Fire controls Metal. Binding the bark with bamboo strips causes pods to fall because Taiyang qi moves upward from below to the skin surface; binding the bark obstructs this upward movement, causing Taiyang qi to perish and the pods to drop.)
The branches of Gleditsia sinensis have thorns and a pungent flavor, inheriting Metal qi. The color is purple-red with a salty taste, inheriting Water qi. Taiyang qi combines with Metal qi to emerge at the skin surface, and combines with Water qi to descend with the Bladder. Thus, the flavor is pungent and salty, and the temperature is warm-hot. Pungent, salty, and warm-hot properties result in slight toxicity. When wind pathogen forces itself throughout the body, it causes wind-bi syndrome with necrotic muscle tissue. When wind pathogen attacks the head, it causes headache and tearing. Gleditsia sinensis inherits Metal qi to control wind, thus treating these conditions. The nine orifices are where Water qi flows; Gleditsia sinensis inherits Water qi, thus unblocking the nine orifices. The Yang-heat qi of Taiyang is like the sun in the sky; when the sky and sun are bright, it kills spirit entities. "Spirit entities" refer to old things that have become spirits.