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(From *Bencao Shiyi*)

[Names] (Pronounced li), Zesuan (Swamp Garlic).

[Collection and Explanation] Song said: There is a kind of Shansuan (Mountain Garlic) in Jiangnan, resembling Da Suan (Large Garlic) but with an offensive odor.
Zang said: The root of Zesuan resembles Xiao Suan (Small Garlic), and the leaves resemble chives. Those growing among rocks are called Shisuan (Stone Garlic), which are no different from garlic.
Shizhen said: Shansuan, Zesuan, and Shisuan are the same substance, differing only in their habitats: mountains, swamps, and rocks respectively. The Xiao Suan planted by people originated from these three types, hence the name "Zesuan". *Erya* states: " , this is Shansuan." Now there is a Garlic Mountain in Jingkou where this garlic grows. It is found everywhere, not just in Jiangnan. Additionally, Lü Chen's *Zilin* states: " , this is water garlic." Thus, garlic grows not only on land but also in water. There are others such as Shan Cigu (Mountain Arum), Shuixianhua (Narcissus), Laoyasuan (Crow Garlic), and Shisuan; their roots and leaves resemble garlic but are inedible, and their flowers differ. These are recorded under the Grass category.

[Flavor and Nature] Pungent, Warm, Non-toxic.

[Therapeutic Actions] Shansuan: Treats accumulations and blood masses (Xuejia) in women; grinding it with bitter vinegar for oral administration is often effective (Su Song). Zesuan and Shisuan: Both warm and tonify the lower jiao, direct qi downward, and lubricate the water passages (Zang).

(From *Mingyi Bielu*, Lower Grade)

[Names] Dasuan (Hongjing calls it), Xuncai (Pungent Vegetable).
Hongjing said: People now call Hu (Chinese Garlic) Dasuan, and Suan (Garlic) Xiao Suan, because their odors are similar.
Shizhen said: According to Sun's *Tangyun*: Zhang Qian traveled to the Western Regions and first obtained Dasuan and Huisui (Coriander). Thus, Xiao Suan was indigenous to China, while Dasuan came from Hu lands, hence the prefix "Hu" (Barbarian/Foreign). Both belong to the Five Pungents (Wuxun), so both can be generally referred to as Xun. See details under "Suan".

[Collection and Explanation] *Mingyi Bielu* says: Hu is Dasuan. Harvest on the fifth day of the fifth lunar month; single-clove bulbs are especially good for medicinal use.
Baosheng said: Hu from Liangzhou has a diameter of two inches, is the finest, and less pungent; that from Jingyang has red skin and is very spicy.
Song said: It is now planted in gardens everywhere. Each bulb has six or seven cloves. Initially planting one clove yields a single-clove bulb in the first year, reverting to its original multi-clove form the next year. Its flowers contain seeds that resemble tiny garlic cloves and can also be used for planting.
Shizhen said: Both large and small garlic are sown in August. Eat the shoots in spring, the scapes in early summer, the roots in May, and harvest seeds in autumn. Northerners cannot do without it for a day.

[Flavor and Nature] Pungent, Warm, Toxic. Long-term consumption damages the eyes. Hongjing said: Its nature is extremely pungent and smelly, unsuitable for eating. Common people make it into a relish to eat with meat, which severely damages vitality and life. It should only be eaten raw, not cooked. Gong said: This item makes excellent soup and food, whereas Tao claimed it shouldn't be cooked, likely due to lack of experience.
Zang said: Initial consumption harms the eyes, but excessive consumption clarifies them. Long-term consumption thins the blood and whitens hair.
Shizhen said: Long-term consumption injures the liver and eyes. Therefore, Ji Kang in *Yangsheng Lun* stated: Pungent foods harm the eyes, and this is severe. Northerners love eating garlic and sleeping on heated kang beds, resulting in many blind people. Chen claimed excessive consumption clarifies vision, contradicting *Mingyi Bielu*. Why?
Zhenheng said: Garlic belongs to Fire, has a hot nature, promotes dispersion, benefits the chest/stomach, and digests meat well. Many eat it in summer. The disaster of damaging Qi becomes apparent over time; those practicing health preservation should avoid it. Its ability to digest meat is negligible.
Rui said: Excessive consumption injures the lungs, spleen, liver, and gallbladder, generating phlegm, aiding fire, and clouding the spirit.
Simiao said: Eating Hu in April and August damages the spirit, causing panting, palpitations, rib-side Qi urgency, and increased appetite. Having sex after eating raw Hu excessively injures Liver Qi, leading to a sallow complexion. Eating raw Hu with green carp causes abdominal sores, intestinal swelling, hernias, and jaundice. Eating it with honey can be fatal. Do not consume it while taking any tonic medicines.

[Therapeutic Actions] Enters the five Zang organs, disperses carbuncles and sores, expels wind pathogens, and detoxifies poisonous vapors (*Mingyi Bielu*).
Directs Qi downward, aids digestion, and digests meat (Su Gong). Removes water-related miasma, expels wind-dampness, breaks cold stagnation, resolves accumulations, dispels evil influences, promotes circulation and warming tonification, treats sores and tinea, eliminates pain attributed to ghosts/demons (Zang). Strengthens the spleen and stomach, treats Kidney Qi disorders, stops cholera with muscle cramps and abdominal pain, expels malevolent influences, resolves warm epidemics, removes toxins, treats chronic malaria and cold winds, applies topically for wind-induced cold pain, malignant sores, snake/insect bites, stream toxins, and sand lice (crushed and applied). Soaked in mature vinegar for years is best (*Rihua Bencao*). Crushed with warm water and taken orally treats unconsciousness from heatstroke. Applied to the sole of the foot stops persistent epistaxis. Taken as pills with fermented soybeans treats sudden bloody diarrhea and unblocks water passages (Zongzhi). Juiced and drunk treats hematemesis and heart pain. Decoction treats opisthotonos. Combined with crucian carp pills treats diaphragmatic Qi stagnation. Combined with clam powder pills treats edema. Combined with lead tetroxide pills treats dysentery/malaria and pregnancy-related dysentery. Combined with frankincense pills treats abdominal pain. Made into a paste and applied to the umbilicus reaches the lower jiao, reduces water retention, and promotes urination and defecation. Applied to the sole guides heat downward, treating acute diarrhea/dysentery and dry/wet cholera, stopping epistaxis. Inserted into the anus opens the pylorus, treating obstruction/guan-ge syndrome (Shizhen).

[Elucidation] Zongzhi said: Hu has an extremely pungent odor; placed in rotten meat, it masks the smell. For heatstroke poisoning, chew three or two cloves, swallow with warm water; effect is immediate, but forbid cold water. For persistent epistaxis, apply crushed garlic to the sole of the foot; wipe off once bleeding stops.
Shizhen said: Hu and Suan enter the Taiyin and Yangming meridians. Their pungent and fierce Qi penetrates the five Zang organs, reaches all orifices, expels cold-dampness, wards off evil, dissipates carbuncles, and digests accumulated meat. This is their merit. Wang Zhen praised it: Flavor remains unchanged, sustains life, enables long journeys, transforms rot into wonder, seasons dishes, replaces vinegar. Carrying it on travels protects against hot winds and miasmas; eating cured meats does not harm. In summer, it clears heat. Essential for Northerners eating meat and noodles. It is a top-grade food in culinary classics, widely assisting daily life. Few realize its pungency disperses Qi, heat aids fire, harming lungs, eyes, spirit, and vitality, suffering silently. Once, a woman had epistaxis for a day and night; treatments failed. Shizhen ordered garlic applied to the sole of the foot; bleeding stopped immediately—a truly miraculous prescription. Ye Shilin's *Bushu Lu* records: A servant riding in summer collapsed, near death. Companion Wang Xiang taught crushing garlic and hot road soil, mixing with fresh water, and forcing into the mouth; the patient revived shortly. A board with this prescription appeared at Xuzhou gate; people thought it divine intervention. Zang said: A man with accumulations dreamed of eating three garlic cloves daily. Initial intake caused dizziness, vomiting, and burning sensation below. Later advised to swallow slices with skin, removing ends, named "Internal Moxibustion," achieving great effect.
Song said: Classics state Hu disperses carbuncles. Li Jiang's *Bingbu Shouji Fang* notes: For toxic sores causing screaming and inability to sleep, take two single-clove garlic, crush, mix with sesame oil, apply thickly to sore, change when dry. Repeatedly saved lives miraculously. Official Lu Tan's shoulder sore and chest pain resolved using this. General Li's brain abscess also healed. Ge Hong's *Zhouhou Beiji Fang* states: For back swellings, slice a single garlic clove horizontally, place on swelling, moxa like a walnut seed, burn 100 cones under the garlic until gradually reduced; more is better. Avoid excessive heat; if painful, lift garlic. Replace if burnt; do not damage skin. Hong himself had a lower abdominal swelling treated successfully by moxibustion. Numerous applications were effective. Stone inscription at Zijigong Palace, Nanjing, records: Any initial back boil, carbuncle, or malignant swelling can be moxed regardless of cone count. For lower back pain, moxa until pain stops; for non-painful areas, moxa until extreme pain then stop. Moxing warts causes them to scab and fall off, effect like magic. Medical texts are not empty words; failure lies in lack of careful application.
Shizhen said: Li Xun's *Lun Suan Qian Jiu Fa* states: Treating carbuncles with moxibustion is superior to medication. Heat-toxin blocks the diaphragm, preventing upper/lower communication. Toxin must vent before resolution. Within one day of onset, cut a large single-clove garlic like a coin, apply to the top, moxa. Change every three cones, aiming for 100. Prevents spread, preserves internal flesh, aids healing—three benefits in one. Never use on head or neck, fearing upward Qi movement causing greater disaster. Shi Yuan recorded moxa efficacy: Mother's back itched with half-inch red halo and millet-sized white grains. Moxa 14 cones; redness vanished. Two days later, red streak extended two inches down. Family blamed moxa. External doctor applied ointment; halo expanded to six-seven inches over 22 days, unbearable pain. A nun recovered from similar illness via moxa. Visited her; she said during severe stage, unconscious, Fan Fengyi sat moxing 800+ cones, consuming a sieve of moxa. Returned home, moxed silver-nut sized cones ten times, felt nothing; then moxed surrounding red area, felt pain. With each cone ashed, redness receded. After 30+ cones, halo retreated. Delayed moxa burns tissue, losing sensation; pain returns only when reaching healthy tissue. By night, fire covered back, swelling high and hot, allowing sleep. By morning, resembled an inverted bowl, three-four inches high, hundreds of small pores, black color, settled with care. High swelling indicates toxin exiting outward. Many pores prevent toxin accumulation. Black color indicates necrotic tissue. Without moxa extracting toxin from necrotic tissue, it would invade five Zang organs, endangering life. Quacks' claims of cooling pastes dissolving toxin are unreliable.

[Attached Prescriptions] Old 15, New 32.
Back Boil Moxibustion: When back swelling/hardness/pain felt, stick wet paper to locate sore head. Use 10 garlic cloves, half he of light fermented soybean, one qian of frankincense, finely ground. Surround sore head with bamboo ring, fill with medicine, apply two fen thick, moxa. Moxa until pain turns to itch, itch to pain, aim for 100 cones. Same effect as Garlic Coin Moxibustion (*Waike Jingyao*).
Carbuncle/Malignant Toxin: Take a pinch of door hinge ash, sift fine. Rub sore with single/new garlic scape dipped in ash. Wait for slight exudate, rub again; dissipates shortly. Effective even for back carbuncles.
Five-Color Erysipelas (variable color) and ankle eruption: Crush garlic, apply thickly, change when dry (*Zhouhou Fang*).
Guan-Ge Distension (urinary/fecal obstruction): Roast single-clove garlic, peel, wrap in silk, insert into lower orifice; Qi flows immediately (*Waitai Miyao*).
Dry/Wet Cholera with Cramps: Crush garlic, apply to sole of foot; cures instantly (*Yonglei Qianfang*).
Water Retention/Edema: Equal parts garlic, field snail, plantago seed. Boil into paste. Spread on umbilicus; water drains via urine, cures in days. Passed down by fortune teller to Xiangshan locals for edema (*Bai Shi*).
Mountain Miasma: Eat seven slices each of raw and cooked garlic. Abdominal rumbling, vomiting blood, or diarrhea follows; cures (*Shengzhong Miaofang*).
Malaria Chills/Fever (*Zhouhou*): Roast single-clove garlic on charcoal, take with wine, one cubic inch dose. *Jianbian*: Place half peach kernel on Neiguan acupoint, cover with crushed garlic, bind (left for men, right for women); stops immediately. Neighbor aunt used this successfully.
*Puji Fang*: On Dragon Boat Festival, roast single-clove garlic, mix with equal alum-red, pill size of Chinese quince seed. Chew one pill with plain water daily.
Cold Malaria/Cold Dysentery: On Dragon Boat Festival, ten single-clove garlic, two qian yellow lead oxide, pill size of walnut seed. Take nine pills with flowing water; excellent (*Puji Fang*).
Acute Diarrhea/Dysentery: Crush garlic, apply to both soles. Also applicable to umbilicus (*Qianjin Fang*).
Dysentery with Inability to Eat & Pediatric Diarrhea: Same as above.
Intestinal Toxin/Bloody Stool: Suanlian Wan: Roast single-clove garlic, crush, mix with Coptis powder, pill. Take daily with rice gruel (*Jisheng Fang*).
Sudden Bloody Stool: Peel 5-7 Hu, crush to paste, mix with fermented soybean, pill size of walnut seed. Take 50-60 pills with rice drink; always cures (*Bencao Yanyi*).
Persistent Epistaxis unresponsive to meds: Peel one garlic, crush to mud, form coin-sized cake, one bean-thick. Left nostril bleed -> left sole; Right -> right sole; Both -> both. Cures instantly (*Jianyao Jizhong Fang*).
Blood Reversal/Heart Pain: Crush raw garlic, juice, drink two sheng; cures (*Qianjin*).
Ghost Attack/Abdominal Pain unbearable: One single-clove garlic, ink cake date-sized, crush with sauce, take at once (*Yonglei Qianfang*).
Cold Abdominal Pain: Garlic soaked in method vinegar for 2-3 years, eat several; effect like magic (*Binhu Jijian Fang*).
Night Crying/Abdominal Pain/Green Face (Cold Syndrome): One garlic (roasted, dried), five fen frankincense, pill size of mustard seed. Take seven pills with milk (*Defang Fang*).
Cold-Damp Pain: Collect single-clove garlic on Dragon Boat Festival, mix with Chenfen, apply (*Jingyan Fang*).
Ghost Poison/Wind Pathogen: One single-clove garlic, mix with realgar and almond, pill. Take three pills fasting; sit quietly; hair discharge indicates safety (*Shiliao Bencao*).
Dog Throat/Qi Blockage/Apnea: Single-clove garlic, remove ends, insert into nose. Left ailment -> right nose; Right -> left nose. Wait for pus/blood from mouth; instant effect (*Shengji*).
Sore Throat/Swelling: Insert garlic into ears/nose, change twice daily (*Zhouhou Fang*).
Fish Bone Choking: Insert single-clove garlic into nose; bone exits (*Shibian Liangfang*).
Toothache: Roast single-clove garlic, apply hot to pain, rotate. Also treats worm pain (*Waitai Miyao*).
Eyebrow Trembling/Eyes Unopenable/Unresponsive but able to eat: Crush three liang garlic, juice, mix with wine, drink; cures (*Qiji Fang*).
Brain Discharge/Nasal Sinusitis: Garlic slices applied to soles; effective (*Zhixuan Fang*).
Head Wind/Pain (*Yijian Fang*): Garlic juice sniffed into nose. *Shengji Lu*: Seven peeled garlic cloves, rub on red-hot ground into paste. Mix with one liang silkworm (head/feet removed), place on garlic, cover with bowl overnight. Grind silkworm, sniff into nose, hold water in mouth; very effective.
Pediatric Convulsions (*Zonglu*): Same formula.
Pediatric Umbilical Wind: Slice single-clove garlic, place on umbilicus, moxa. Stop when garlic scent detected in mouth (*Jianyi Fanglun*).
Pediatric Qi Strangury: Emperor Ningzong of Song suffered strangury (300 voids/day) as Prince. Imperial doctors helpless. Sun Lin treated: Garlic, light fermented soybean, steamed cake, pill. Take 30 pills with warm water. Said: Three doses today reduce illness by one-third; repeat tomorrow; cured in three days. True. Awarded money. Explained: Children don't get strangury; it's water passage blockage; these three items unblock it (*Tansou*).
Postpartum Windstroke/Opisthotonos/Aphasia: Thirty garlic cloves, boil in three sheng water to one sheng, pour in; revives (*Zimu Milu*).
Traumatic Windstroke/Opisthotonos: One sheng garlic (core removed), boil in four sheng unfiltered wine until soft, take with dregs. Sweat appears quickly; cures (*Waitai Miyao*).
Female Genital Swelling/Itch: Wash with garlic decoction; stops when effective (*Yonglei Qianfang*).
Genital Sweating/Itch: Garlic, light fermented soybean. Pill size of walnut seed, cinnabar coating. Take 30 pills fasting with rush-water (*Yonglei Qianfang*).
Scanty Urination: One garlic, wrapped in paper, roasted, exposed overnight. Take fasting with fresh water (*Zhushi Jiyang Fang*).
Pediatric White Tinea (circular): Rub sliced garlic daily (*Milu*).
Closed Mouth Pepper Poison/Airway Closure: Cook and eat garlic (*Zhang Zhongjing Fang*).
Stream Toxin/Xiegong: Slice single-clove garlic, apply and moxa until garlic Qi penetrates; cures (*Meishi Fang*).
Centipede/Scorpion Bite: Rub with single-clove garlic; stops (*Meishi*).
Snake/Viper Bite: Meng Shen said: Chew and apply garlic immediately, change 6-7 times. Also, one sheng peeled garlic, boiled in two sheng milk, take fasting. Next day continue. Externally, one sheng peeled garlic crushed, boiled in one sheng urine, soak injury. *Meishi*: Single-clove garlic and sour grass, crush, apply to bite.
Calf Cramp: Rub garlic on sole until hot; calm. Also eat one clove with cold water (*Shesheng Fang*).
Crab Poisoning: Drink decoction of dried garlic (*Jiyan Fang*).
Snake Mass/Shiny Face/Fever like burning: Drink one bowl garlic juice; vomit snake-shaped mass; calm (*Weishi Fang*).