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Ziwan (Radix Asteris), with a bitter and pungent taste, is warm in nature and non-toxic. It enters the Hand-Taiyin Lung Meridian and concurrently enters the Foot-Yangming Stomach Meridian. It primarily treats cough with rebellious Qi, accumulation of cold-heat obstructing Qi in the chest, removes gu poison (parasitic toxins), heals coughing up of pus and blood, stops wheezing and palpitations, addresses five consumptions and physical deficiency, and cures chronic cough. However, it can only be used as an assistant or guide herb, and cannot be used alone to achieve efficacy.

Someone asked Miu Zhongchun: Observing that Ziwan can open throat obstruction (hou bi) and extract foul saliva, its pungent dispersing power must be intense. Yet you also stated: Its nature is warm; lung diseases causing cough, rebellious Qi, wheezing, and cough are all symptoms of Yin deficiency with lung heat, so it should not be used in large doses. This seems to imply that Ziwan cannot be used to treat cough. I replied: Aside from treating cough, Ziwan originally has few other remarkable merits. In treating strangling wind (chan hou feng) and throat closure (hou bi), one precisely utilizes its ability to treat lung meridian cough with rebellious Qi and Yin deficiency lung heat. Why did Miu Zhongchun warn against this? Throat closure is invariably a condition of lower cold and upper heat. Ziwan is warm and pungently dispersing; by following the nature of fire and heat to resolve it, this is a "conforming treatment" (cong zhi) method, which is the most ingenious approach. Miu Zhongchun emphasizes the principle of Yin deficiency with fire agitation; why is he ignorant regarding Ziwan? This is what I, Chen Shiduo, do not understand.

Some argue: Ziwan treats lung heat, yet its nature is warm and pungently dispersing. Following the nature of fire and heat to resolve it is correct. However, the Lung Meridian abhors heat; using heat to attack heat will inevitably damage the lungs. I fear that while the pathogen is expelled, the lungs will be injured. I replied: Chronic cough implies the lungs must be cold; using warmth to treat cold benefits the lungs, so how can there be injury?

Beimu (Fritillariae Bulbus), with a bitter taste and neutral to slightly cold qi, is non-toxic. It enters the Lung, Stomach, Spleen, and Heart meridians. It is most beneficial for eliminating phlegm-heat, suitable for stopping chronic cough, resolves rebellious Qi in the heart accompanied by melancholy and depression, and treats the syndrome of cold damage with chest binding (jie xiong). It is effective in treating human-faced sores (ren mian chuang). For difficult labor and retained placenta, taken with Ginseng Decoction, it is miraculous. For jaundice, red eyes, thirst with vexation, throat obstruction, and hernia masses, it can serve as an assistant or guide herb; a small dose is sufficient for success, but a large dose may lead to failure. It is suitable for Yin deficiency with flourishing fire, but unsuitable for Yang excess with damp-phlegm. People of the world do not know that Beimu and Banxia have different natures. Fearing the toxicity of Banxia, they often substitute Beimu. They do not realize that Beimu eliminates phlegm-heat but cannot eliminate cold-phlegm, whereas Banxia eliminates cold-phlegm but cannot eliminate phlegm-heat. Thus, when Beimu encounters cold-phlegm, it increases the cold; when Banxia encounters phlegm-heat, it greatly adds to the heat. These two herbs are distinct as the Jing and Wei rivers; how can they be substituted for each other? Predecessors辨析ed that Beimu enters the Lung but not the Stomach, and Banxia enters the Spleen and Stomach but not the Lung Meridian; this still does not reveal the depth of Beimu. Since Beimu enters the Lung, Stomach, Spleen, and Heart meridians, how could it not enter the Spleen and Stomach? Precisely because their cold and heat natures are incompatible, they cannot be substituted. ([Commentary: The analysis is subtle and exquisite.])

Someone asked: Is it credible that Beimu treats human-faced sores? I replied: This is an effective case recorded by predecessors; why doubt it? However, there is something suspicious. Human-faced sores can eat with their mouths and look sorrowful on their faces, implying possession by spirits. To dispel spirits, one must resolve the possession. How can Beimu resolve this? I could not find the reason for a long time. Later, meeting Master Qi at the Yan market, who taught me another treatment method, I then realized that Beimu's treatment of human-faced sores is merely eliminating phlegm. Strange diseases mostly arise from phlegm; since Beimu eliminates phlegm, it can cure them. If Banxia is also a sage medicine for eliminating phlegm, why is it ineffective for human-faced sores? One does not know that human-faced sores are formed by phlegm-heat condensing into heat-toxin. Banxia is drying in nature; using dryness to treat heat adds more heat. Beimu is a sage medicine for treating phlegm-heat; using cold to treat heat causes the heat-toxin to dissipate naturally. What is there to doubt?

Someone asked: Beimu eliminates phlegm, specifically phlegm-heat. However, "fire boiling generates phlegm," which is not heat? Why is it completely ineffective when used? I replied: "Fire boiling generating phlegm" refers to fire boiling up from the Kidney, not fire rising from the Lung. Beimu can only treat fire-phlegm in the Lung, not fire-phlegm in the Kidney. Not only can it not transform Kidney fire-phlegm, but it also agitates fire and generates phlegm. Fire in the Kidney cannot be removed without nourishing water; phlegm from Kidney fire cannot be eliminated without nourishing water. Beimu eliminates phlegm in the Lung, which inevitably consumes Qi in the Lung. When the Lung is deficient, the source of transformation for Kidney Water is exhausted. How can Kidney Water be generated? If Kidney Water is not generated, Kidney Fire will not descend. If Kidney Fire does not descend, how can it strengthen the Spleen to eliminate phlegm? Consequently, ingested food and drink will fail to transform into essence and instead transform into phlegm. Therefore, using Beimu to treat "fire boiling generating phlegm" is like adding firewood hoping to stop boiling water. No wonder repeated use yields no efficacy.

Someone suspects: Beimu cannot treat conditions of "fire boiling generating phlegm." Can I use it within Liuwei Wan (Six-Ingredient Pill with Rehmannia) to treat such conditions? I replied: Liuwei Tang (Six-Ingredient Decoction) is a sage medicine for treating "fire boiling generating phlegm." Adding Beimu renders it ineffective. Because "fire boiling generating phlegm" is caused by true water in the Kidney boiling up to form phlegm, not by fluids accumulating in the Lung. Liuwei Tang stops the boiling by nourishing water, not by eliminating phlegm to stop fire. If Beimu is added, Liuwei Tang aims toward the Kidney, while Beimu aims to remain in the Lung. The two pull against each other, causing the medicinal force to stagnate between ascending and descending. Phlegm will not be eliminated, fire will blaze fiercely, further exacerbating the boiling, and even increasing coughing. Therefore, Beimu must absolutely not be included in Liuwei Tang or Wan when treating diseases of "fire boiling generating phlegm."