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Wubeizi (Galla Chinensis), also known as Wen Ge. It tastes pungent and sour, has a neutral qi nature, and is non-toxic. It enters the Kidney Meridian. It treats loose teeth (Chi Xuan) and gan accumulation, as well as gan sores on the face and nose of children; it treats pruritic sores caused by wind-xuan (wind-induced dermatophytosis/eczema), and treats lower rectal bleeding from the five types of hemorrhoids in adults. Washing the eyes eliminates redness and swelling, and stops pain. It dyes beard and eyebrows black. It is a specialized astringent agent, and can also be used to stop diarrhea and dysentery and treat intestinal deficiency, resolve xiaoke (wasting-thirst syndrome), generate body fluids, eliminate stubborn pain, and remove heat. Baiyaojian (Hundred Medicines Decoction) is also made from this herb. This drug has mostly external therapeutic effects and few internal ones; it is retained for use in treating sores and toxins.

Someone asked: Wubeizi is an astringent herb, more suitable for external treatment. However, using it internally to secure against slippery diarrhea is not without merit. Why did you, in compiling the *Bencao*, reserve it only for external treatment? I replied: Dysentery does not have a simple stopping method; predecessors warned against using astringent herbs to stop dysentery. Moreover, using Wubeizi to stop dysentery is a measure of last resort. There are many other herbs that stop dysentery; why borrow this herb which should not be used casually? This is why I only adopt its external effects and not its internal effects.

Zaojia (Gleditsiae Fructus Spinae), tastes pungent and salty, has a warm qi nature, and is slightly toxic. It enters the Foot Jueyin Liver Meridian, Hand Shaoyin Heart Meridian, and Hand Taiyin Lung Meridian. It regulates qi and disperses wind. Snuffing or spraying into the nose can rescue conditions of five types of exhaustion with phlegm confusion and aphasia due to stroke. Applying it externally removes swelling and pain, expels wind-phlegm, kills tuberculosis parasites and spirit entities, treats wind-bi (wind-pain syndrome), treats dead flesh, opens orifices and unblocks passages, breaks masses, and induces abortion. This is an emergency preparation, indispensable in any medicine cabinet.

Someone asked: As an orifice-opening agent, does Zaojia achieve rapid results when used alone? The functions of Zaojia extend beyond this. For cases of heart pain that recur immediately after healing, Zaojia must be used to eradicate the root cause, a point not mentioned in the *Bencao*. Master Zhang once transmitted to me a prescription for heart pain, which indeed contains one liang of fire-roasted Zaojia, one liang of stir-fried Zhizi (Gardeniae Fructus), five qian of honey-fried Gancao (Licorice Root), two liang of Baishao (Paeoniae Radix Alba), and three qian of Guangmuxiang (Costi Rhizoma), ground into fine powder. These are formed into pills the size of rice grains using porridge made from old yellow millet, taken with boiling water for immediate cure and permanent remission. Thus, Zaojia can also treat heart pain. However, Zaojia is not the primary herb for treating heart pain; rather, it borrows its orifice-opening property to guide other herbs directly into the heart to attack the pathogen.

Someone asked: Should Zaojia be used raw or cooked? Cooked Zaojia is ineffective; raw usage is superior. However, one must strictly avoid using worm-eaten specimens. The worms in Zaojia are extremely fine; during grinding, these worms may enter the lungs through the opened orifices, causing significant harm. Therefore, one must select uninfested specimens, grind them into fine powder, and even if stored in paper packets, they must be frequently exposed to air to prevent re-infestation. I have a formulation that works best: wrapping it together with Shexiang (Moschus) prevents infestation entirely and utilizes the fragrance of Moschus to guide the action to the nasal orifices, making the orifice-opening effect more potent.

Someone asked: When treating stroke with Zaojia powder via nasal insufflation to induce expectoration, why does it fail to cure and instead result in hemiplegia? I replied: Using Zaojia powder to insufflate the nose opens the orifices of stroke patients; this is actually the merit of the treatment method itself. If administered within Xixian San (Thin Saliva Powder) to induce vomiting, it is incorrect treatment. Generally, recent cases of stroke are not true stroke but result from deficiency of yin-yang and water-fire, or yin deficiency with flaming fire, which boils down body fluids into phlegm. Extreme heat generates wind, leading to sudden collapse. Inducing vomiting further damages body fluids. Severe injury to body fluids means meridians lack water for nourishment, or qi deficiency prevents communication, inevitably transforming into spastic hemiplegia.

Some doubt the *Shenxian Zhuan* record: Cui Yan was taught by an extraordinary person to burn three jin of Zaojia Ci (Gleditsiae Spina) to ash, mix with Dahuang (Rhei Radix et Rhizoma) powder, to treat leprosy, saving even those near death. Why did you omit this in your *Bencao* annotation? I replied: Can Gleditsiae Spina save leprosy? This is a misinterpretation. Using this formula to treat it would only hasten death.