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Radix Cremae (Shancigu Gen), acrid and bitter in taste, slightly toxic. It eliminates carbuncles and sores (Yongju) and unnamed Ding poison, dissipates hidden rashes and malignant ulcers, and treats snake and insect bites, all of which respond to its treatment.

This substance serves as the sovereign drug in Yushu Dan (Jade Pivot Pill), capable of treating strange diseases. Generally, strange diseases often arise from phlegm; Radix Cremae is indeed a sacred herb for eliminating phlegm. Once phlegm is eliminated, the strange disease can naturally be removed.

Some doubt that Radix Cremae is an herb for eliminating phlegm, but rather one for dispersing toxicity. They do not realize that what has not yet formed into toxicity is called phlegm, and what has already congealed from phlegm is toxicity. Thus, phlegm and toxicity should not be viewed as two separate entities.

Guanzhong (Cyrtomium Rhizome), bitter in taste, slightly cold in nature, slightly toxic. It enters the Yangming Stomach Meridian, and also the Heart and Lung meridians. It dispels various toxins, manages malignant toxins from metal wounds (Jinchuang), kills three types of parasites, removes Taenia solium (Cunbai Chong), clears head wind (Toufeng), breaks up masses and accumulations (Zhengjia), especially dispels seasonal epidemic qi, and also stops heart pain. This substance contains toxicity yet can remove toxicity, which is known as "using toxicity to attack toxicity." Placing a single branch of Guanzhong inside a small jar at home prevents invasion by epidemics forever; however, it is best to replace it every three months, otherwise, its flavor dissipates and becomes ineffective.

One might say that Guanzhong is used to detoxify, not to dispel toxicity, because Guanzhong can disinfect before toxicity arrives but cannot drive away toxicity once it has formed. This indicates a lack of understanding of Guanzhong. Guanzhong is actually an immortal pill for transforming toxicity: if toxicity has not arrived, it can prevent it; if it has arrived, it can resolve it well; if it has formed, it can quickly dispel it. It should not be viewed differently based on timing. Only when the incoming toxicity is severe does using Guanzhong alone result in weak power and exhausted momentum; it must be assisted by drugs that attack toxicity to achieve success easily.

Shandougen (Sophorae Tonkinensis Radix), bitter in taste, cold in nature, non-toxic. It enters the Lung Meridian. It is a key herb for stopping swelling and pain in the throat, and also treats snake bites and insect stings. However, it can only treat fire pathogens in the Lung meridian; stopping throat pain is truly miraculous. Therefore, it is suitable for treating excess fire pathogens but unsuitable for treating deficiency fire pathogens. If deficiency fire mistakenly uses this herb, the harm will be profound.

Someone asks: Since Shandougen is miraculous in relieving the pain of Hou Bi (throat obstruction), why do you say it is suitable for excess fire but not deficiency fire, given that it treats all throat pains? How are excess and deficiency distinguished? Excess and deficiency are easy to differentiate. Those acquired from external contraction are excess fire; excess fire refers to the excessiveness of pathogenic fire. Those acquired from internal injury are deficiency fire; deficiency fire refers to the deficiency of ministerial fire. Although both fires enter the Lung meridian, their excess and deficiency differ. Excess fire should be purged; using Shandougen to purge it employs bitter-cold properties to correctly analyze and clear it. Deficiency fire should be tonified; if Shandougen's bitter-cold nature is used to purge its fire, the fire will become even more severe, obstructing within the throat without being able to drain out. One must use sweet-warm drugs like Cinnamon Twig (Guizhi) and Prepared Aconite Root (Fuzi) to guide the fire back to its source, causing upper and lower heat to naturally subside.