Library

Taste is sweet, astringent, and nature is neutral. Enters the Hand-Yangming Large Intestine Meridian and Foot-Yangming Stomach Meridian. Its function specializes in killing parasites and eliminating accumulations. Excessive consumption draws fire into the Lung, acting contrary to Vigna angularis (Adzuki Bean). Kou states that excessive consumption moistens the intestines.

Taste is sweet, nature is warm, and aroma is fragrant. Enters the Hand-Taiyin Lung Meridian and Foot-Yangming Stomach Meridian. Its function specializes in moistening the Lung and opening the stomach. It disperses water qi and eliminates various wind pathogens. When combined with Juglans regia (Walnut) in double quantity and refined honey to form pills, or taken together, it treats dryness of the Lung causing cough. When combined with Platycodi Radix (Note: Text says 柏子仁 Biota Seed, but context implies seed oil/laxative, sticking to text: Semen Biotae) and Cannabis Sativa Seed (Hemp Seed) dissolved in wax to form pills, named Sanren Wan (Three Seeds Pill), it treats deficiency constipation. It should be taken down with yellow soup. Those with damp-phlegm, loose stools, or seminal emission should avoid it.

Taste is sweet, nature is neutral. Enters the Hand-Taiyin Lung Meridian. Its function specializes in relieving thirst and removing irritability. When combined with Moschus (Musk), it resolves alcohol toxicity. Excessive consumption triggers roundworms. Also known as Mu Mi (Wood Honey), commonly called Ji Ju (Chicken Spur). When put into wine, the wine turns into water.

Taste is pungent, sweet, and aroma is fragrant. Enters the Hand-Taiyin Lung Meridian. Its function specializes in moistening the Lung and tonifying the Spleen. It is peaceful and precious. Excessive consumption generates phlegm.

Taste is sweet, nature is cold. Enters the Foot-Taiyin Bladder Meridian and Foot-Yangming Stomach Meridian. Its function specializes in clearing irritability and relieving thirst. It resolves summerheat and drains heat. Those with gastric instability and intestinal diarrhea should avoid eating it.

Taste is bitter, nature is cold, with slight toxicity. Enters the Foot-Yangming Stomach Meridian. Its function specializes in inducing vomiting. When combined with Fermented Soybean (Douchi) and Phaseolus Angularis (Adzuki Bean), the vomiting action includes dispersion. The leaves, when crushed for juice and applied to the head, promote hair growth. For hemiplegic headache, dry Cucumis Melo (Melon) Peduncle (Gua Di) is sun-dried, ground raw into powder, and insufflated into the nose; discharge of yellow fluid leads to cure. This refers to the peduncle of sweet melon.

Taste is sweet, nature is cold. Enters the Hand-Taiyin Lung Meridian and Foot-Yangming Stomach Meridian. Its function specializes in resolving summerheat, removing irritability, promoting urination, awakening from intoxication, relieving thirst, and clearing heat. Those with cold-dampness should not eat it. The seeds' shells treat hematemesis and blood in stool due to intestinal wind.

Taste is sweet. Enters the Foot-Taiyin Spleen Meridian and Foot-Yangming Stomach Meridian. Its function specializes in moistening the Lung and generating fluids. When combined with Ginger Juice, it treats retroflexion vomiting (fan wei). When combined with Ophiopogon Japonicus Root (Ophiopogonis Radix) and Rehmannia Glutinosa Root (Rehmanniae Radix), it treats depletion of fluids due to spring warmth. The peel, when sun-dried and ground raw, mixed with Sesame Oil (Sesamum Indicum Oil) for topical application, is excellent for alopecia (tu chuang). Those with abdominal fullness and diarrhea should not eat it.

Taste is sweet, nature is warm. Enters the Foot-Taiyin Spleen Meridian. Its function specializes in tonifying the Spleen and soothing the Liver. It moistens the Lung, harmonizes the Middle Jiao, eliminates phlegm, and treats cough. Those hard, white, and ice-like are Rock Sugar (Bing Tang). Bad breath after eating garlic/chives can be resolved by sugar soup.

Taste is sweet, nature is warm. Enters the Foot-Taiyin Spleen Meridian and Foot-Yangming Stomach Meridian. Its functions are similar to White Sugar. However, White Sugar tends to flare upward, while Purple Sugar reaches downward. Taken postpartum with Leonurus Japonicus Extract (Yimu Cao Gao), it expels lochia.