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(From *Bencao Shiyi* [Supplement to Materia Medica])

[Ji Jie] (Collected Explanations)
Li Shizhen said: "Wuxin Cai" (Five Pungent Vegetables) refers to the practice on New Year's Day and Lichun (Start of Spring) of mixing pungent tender vegetables such as scallion, garlic, Chinese chive, smartweed, mugwort, and mustard greens for consumption. This is done to welcome the new year and is called the "Wuxin Pan" (Five Pungent Plate). This is what Du Fu referred to in his poem as "fine raw vegetables in the spring day plate."

[Qi Wei] (Flavor and Properties)
Pungent, warm, non-toxic.
Chen Cangqi said: Consuming this after a febrile disease will damage the eyes.

[Zhu Zhi] (Therapeutic Actions)
Consuming it on the morning of the New Year aids the qi of the five zang organs. Regular consumption warms the middle jiao, eliminates foul qi, promotes digestion, and directs qi downward (Chen Cangqi).

(From *Tang Bencao* [Tang Materia Medica])

[Shi Ming] (Names)
Han Cai (Cold Vegetable) (Hu Jushi Fang), Hu Cai (Barbarian Vegetable) (ibid.), Tai Cai (Moss Vegetable) (*Pi Ya*), Tai Jie (Moss Mustard) (*Pei Zhi*), You Cai (Oil Vegetable) (*Gangmu*).
Li Shizhen said: This vegetable easily produces flowering stalks ("tai"). If the stalks are harvested for eating, the plant branches more, hence the name Yuntao. People in Huai call it Tai Jie, which is today's rapeseed (You Cai), because its seeds can be pressed for oil. In the Qiang, Long, Di, and Hu regions, where the climate is bitterly cold, this vegetable is widely planted in winter as it can withstand frost and snow. The seeds originated from the Hu lands, so Fu Qian in *Tongsu Wen* called it Hu Cai, and Hu Qia Jushi in *Baibing Fang* called it Han Cai, both reflecting this meaning. Alternatively, some say it was first planted at a place called Yuntai Shu beyond the frontier, hence the name; this explanation is also plausible.

[Ji Jie] (Collected Explanations)
Su Gong said: *Bielu* states that Yuntao is a vegetable eaten by common people.
Su Song said: Yuntao has little fragrance; its roots survive the winter; it repels insects; among various vegetables, it is not considered particularly excellent.
Li Shizhen said: Yuntao is used frequently in prescriptions, yet previous annotations were unclear, and modern people do not recognize what vegetable it is. After investigation and verification, I found it to be the current rapeseed (You Cai). Sown in September or October, the leaves resemble cabbage slightly in shape and color. The heart of the flowering stalk is harvested as a vegetable in winter and spring but becomes too tough to eat by March. It bears small yellow flowers with four petals, resembling mustard flowers. It forms pods containing seeds like mustard seeds, grayish-red in color. Pressed after roasting, the oil is yellow, burns brightly in lamps, but is inferior to sesame oil for eating. Recently, due to its profitability, cultivation has become widespread.

Stems and Leaves
[Qi Wei] (Flavor and Properties)
Pungent, warm, non-toxic. Meng Shen said: Cool.
*Bielu* stated: Consuming it in spring can trigger chronic knee diseases.
Meng Shen said: Those with prior waist and leg ailments should not consume it excessively, as it exacerbates the condition. It damages yang qi, induces sores, and causes oral and dental diseases. People with body odor should avoid it. It can also generate various parasites in the abdomen. Daoists specifically prohibit it, classifying it as one of the Five Pungent Herbs.

[Zhu Zhi] (Therapeutic Actions)
Treats migratory wind erysipelas and swelling, mastitis (*Tang Bencao*). Breaks up masses and blood stasis (*Kaibao Bencao*). Treats postpartum wind-blood and blood stasis (*Rihua Bencao*).
Boiled and eaten, treats numbness and pain in the waist and legs. Crushed leaves applied externally treat "blowing milk" (breast engorgement/infection) in women (Chen Cangqi). Treats phagedenic ulcers and variola (smallpox/measles-like eruptions), disperses blood and reduces swelling. Fu Pengsha (Li Shizhen note).

[Fa Ming] (Elucidation)
Chen Cangqi said: Yuntao breaks blood stasis, so it is suitable for postpartum women.
Ma Zhi said: Common parlance suggests that if a patient can eat Yuntao, it indicates a blood disorder.
Sun Simiao said: In the third month of the 7th year of Zhenguan, after drinking heavily in Neijiang County, I felt pain in my limbs and bones that night. By dawn, I had a headache and red patches on my forehead like quail eggs, swollen and painful. By noon, my whole body swelled, and I could not open my eyes. I nearly died the next day. Recalling that *Bencao* records Yuntao for treating migratory wind erysipelas, I crushed the leaves and applied them externally. The swelling subsided immediately, proving miraculous. It can also be crushed for juice ingestion.

[Fu Fang] (Attached Prescriptions) Seven new formulas.
Chi Huo Dan Du (Red Fire Erysipelas): Formula seen above.
Tian Huo Re Chuang (Heavenly Fire Heat Sores): Initially resembling prickly heat, gradually becoming blisters like burn wounds, red in color, developing rapidly and potentially fatal: Crush Yuntao leaves for juice, mix with equal parts Rhubarb, Mirabilite, and Ferri Oxidatum (Sheng Tie Yi), and apply externally. (*Jin Xiao Fang*).
Feng Re Zhong Du (Wind-Heat Toxic Swelling): Three taels each of Yuntao seedling leaves/roots and Vitex root, powdered. Mix with egg white and apply; swelling dissipates immediately. If Vitex root is unavailable, Phytolacca root can be substituted with good effect. (*Jin Xiao Fang*).
Zu Shou Biao Ju (Hand/Foot Phagedenic Ulcer): This ulcer favors hands, feet, shoulders, and back, appearing like red beans, oozing fluid when peeled: Drink one sheng of decoction made from boiling Yuntao leaves, along with several meals of dry cooked vegetables with minimal salt and sauce. In winter, use seeds ground in water. (*Qian Jin Fang*).
Yi Ju Si Yong (Atypical Ulcer Resembling Carbuncle): Differs slightly from carbuncles; pus resembles mung bean juice; recurs daily: Cook crushed Yuntao thoroughly, wrap in a wet cloth bag, warm in hot ashes, and apply alternately to the site. No more than two or three applications. Dry leaves may be used if fresh ones are unavailable. (*Qian Jin*).
Wan Dou Ban Chuang (Pea-like Spots/Rash): Wash the affected area with a decoction of Yuntao leaves. (*Waitai Miyao*).
Xue Li Fu Tong (Bloody Dysentery with Abdominal Pain): Unceasing day and night: Two he of juice from crushed Yuntao leaves mixed with one he of honey, taken warm. (*Shenghui Fang*).
Chang Feng Xia Xue (Intestinal Wind Bleeding)

Seeds
[Qi Wei] (Flavor and Properties)
Pungent, warm, non-toxic.

[Zhu Zhi] (Therapeutic Actions)
Treats nocturnal emission and "ghost intercourse" (Sun Simiao). Applying the oil to the head promotes black, long hair growth (Chen Cangqi). Promotes blood circulation, dispels cold qi, reduces swelling, dissipates nodules, treats dystocia, postpartum abdominal disorders, red erysipelas with heat/swelling, traumatic injuries, and hemorrhoids (Li Shizhen).

[Fa Ming] (Elucidation)
Li Shizhen said: Rapeseed and leaves have identical functions. Their pungent-warm flavor allows for both warming and dispersing actions. They excel at moving blood stasis and breaking qi stagnation. Thus, ancient formulas for reducing swelling, dissipating nodules, treating postpartum abdominal qi/blood pain, and various wind-erysipelas/heat-swelling/sores/hemorrhoids commonly include them. Taken after menstruation with Siwu Tang, it is said to prevent conception. It is also used for pediatric convulsions; applying it to the anterior fontanelle draws qi upward. The *Funren Fang* song for dystocia says: "Golden flowers yield millet-like seeds, finely ground and taken with wine, fifteen pills. The spiritual pill works miraculously, saving lives during difficult labor."

[Fu Fang] (Attached Prescriptions) Twelve new formulas.
Yuntao San: Treats postpartum lochia retention with blood clumping striking the heart causing stabbing pain. Upon exposure to cold later, blood moves between heart and abdomen causing unbearable stabbing pain, termed "Blood Mother." Also treats various postpartum abdominal disorders. Essential within three days postpartum. Equal parts roasted Yuntao seeds, Angelica sinensis, Cinnamon twig, and Red Peony root. Take two qian with wine to expel evil matter. (*Yangshi Chanru*).
Chan Hou Xue Yun (Postpartum Blood Fainting): Equal parts Yuntao seeds and Rehmannia root. Powdered. Take three qian per dose with seven slices of ginger, half cup wine, half cup water, and half cup child's urine. Decoct to 0.7 portion, take warm to regain consciousness. (*Haishang Xianfang*).
Bu Xue Po Qi (Tonify Blood, Break Qi): Zhui Qi Wan: Treats uterine stabbing pain and unbearable lower abdominal pain. Can be taken regularly to tonify blood deficiency and break qi masses effectively. One liang each of lightly roasted Yuntao seeds and Cinnamon twig, half liang Galangal. Powdered, formed into pills the size of wutong seeds with vinegar paste. Take five pills with light vinegar soup. (*Lingyuan Fang*).
Chang Feng Zang Du Xia Xue (Intestinal Wind and Visceral Toxin Bleeding): Raw Yuntao seeds and roasted Licorice root, powdered. Take two qian, decoct in water. (*Shenghui Fang*).
Tou Feng Zuo Tong (Head Wind Pain): One part Yuntao seeds, three parts Rhubarb. Powdered, insufflate into nose.
Feng Re Ya Tong (Wind-Heat Toothache): Equal parts Yuntao seeds, White Mustard seeds, and Illicium anisatum. Powdered, insufflate into nose: left nostril for right pain, right nostril for left pain. (*Shenghui*).
Xiao Er Tian Gou (Pediatric Tetanus/Convulsion): Two qian each of Yuntao seeds and Aconitum carmichaelii (raw, peeled, tip removed). Powdered. Apply one qian mixed with water to the top of the head. Named Tuding San. (*Shengji Zonglu*).
Feng Chuang Bu Yu (Chronic Wind Sores): Old rapeseed oil boiled with powder of Pangolin scales into a paste, applied externally cures immediately. (*Shesheng Zhongmiao Fang*).
Re Ji Zhong Du (Hot Boils and Toxic Swelling): Equal parts Yuntao seeds and dog skull bone. Powdered, mixed with vinegar for application. (*Qianjin Fang*).
Shang Sun Jie Gu (Trauma and Bone Setting): One liang Yuntao seeds, two he roasted foxtail millet, a little Dragon bone. Powdered, mixed with vinegar into a paste, spread on paper and applied. (*Qiankun Mi Yun*).
Tang Huo Shang Zhuo (Scalds and Burns): Rapeseed oil mixed with earthworm feces, applied externally. (*Jianbian Danfang*).
Wugong Shi Shang (Centipede Bite): Pour rapeseed oil on the ground, rub the oil from the ground onto the wound. Avoid letting "four-eyed people" see it. (*Jide Tang Fang*).