Library

Clematis Root (Weilingxian), bitter in taste, warm in nature, capable of ascending and descending, is yang within yin, and non-toxic. It enters the various meridians. It eliminates long-standing phlegm and saliva accumulated in the intestines, removes abdominal masses (Pi Qi Kuai), disperses wind-induced itching and pain in the nails and skin, benefits the waist and knees by draining dampness from the shins and ankles causing cold pain, and is especially effective for treating traumatic injuries. It is suitable for treating various rheumatic diseases because its medicinal property can reach everywhere in the twelve meridians. However, its nature is migratory and unsteadfast; it expels pathogenic factors rapidly but struggles to tonify healthy qi. When used within formulas that tonify qi and blood, it naturally achieves the effect of dispelling pain and cold. If prepared alone, or filtered into wine for long-term drinking, or made into pills for frequent consumption, it will inevitably scatter the body's true qi and damage the blood.

Someone asked: Clematis Root is a wonderful medicine for attacking phlegm and removing dampness. You say it scatters the body's true qi and damages the blood. Is Clematis Root a harmful substance rather than a beneficial one? I replied: I warn people against long-term drinking and frequent consumption because I fear they may continue using it after the wind-phlegm and pathogenic dampness have been eliminated. I do not teach people to use it when wind-phlegm and pathogenic dampness have not yet been eliminated; thus, I issue this warning.

Gentian Root (Qinjiao), bitter and acrid in taste, neutral and slightly warm in nature, capable of ascending and descending, is yang within yin, and non-toxic. It enters the Large Intestine meridian. It nourishes blood and enriches tendons, unblocks and benefits the four limbs, stops various pains, promotes urination and bowel movements, and dissipates jaundice. It also treats cephalalgia due to wind (Tou Feng), resolves alcohol toxicity, and treats intestinal wind with bleeding. However, it has only slight blood-tonifying effects and ultimately cannot serve as the sovereign drug (Jun Yao). Predecessors praised it for eliminating bone-steaming and corpse-transmission (a term referring to tuberculosis or similar chronic consumptive diseases), which I dare not believe.

Someone asked: Gentian Root is an agent that disperses wind pathogens. Predecessors claimed it could eliminate bone-steaming and corpse-transmission, yet you dare not believe them, leaving me half-doubting and half-believing. I hope you will discuss this for me. I replied: Bone-steaming is the initial stage of Lao Zhai (chronic consumptive disease like tuberculosis). The interior lacks true yin fluids to nourish the skeletal structure, resulting in fever at night but not during the day. Moreover, during the time of night fever, the heat is internal within the bones, while the heat on the skin surface is relatively mild. This is neither caused by external pathogenic invasion nor by pathogens entering the Kidneys, but rather by emptiness of essence from within. One must replenish true yin and slightly add ingredients that clear deficient fire to achieve efficacy. Gentian Root can only disperse internal wind. Since there is no wind pathogen in the disease, would not its use further increase internal heat? The symptom of corpse-transmission represents the established stage of Lao Zhai. Internal "corpse worms" consume the body's essence and blood, leading to incessant coughing. Even daily efforts to tonify yin are difficult enough; how much more so would adding Gentian Root, a drug that disperses wind and promotes diuresis, exacerbate the deficiency? This is why I dare not believe such claims, and why I believe all under heaven should trust my words.