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(Quoted from *Tang Bencao*)

[Names] Cai (Su Gong), Rong.

[Collection and Explanation] Su Gong said: Cai is found everywhere, growing by the water. The leaves are round, smaller than those of Alisma orientale (Zexie). The flowers are bluish-white. It can also be steamed and eaten; people in Jiangnan use it to steam fish, which tastes very delicious. In May and June, the stems and leaves are collected, dried in the sun, and used.

[Flavor and Properties] Sweet, cold, non-toxic.

[Indications] Sudden high fever with panting, pediatric erysipelas swelling and pain (Su Gong).

(Quoted from *Shennong Benjing*, Lower Grade)

[Names] Xu (*Bielu*), Tucai (Tao Hongjing), Baiducai (*Gangmu*), Niushecai (ibid.), Yangti Dahuang (*Gengxin Yuce*), Guimu (*Benjing*), Dongfangsu (ibid.), Lianchonglu (ibid.), Shuihuangqin (common name); the seed is named Jinqiaomai.

Tao Hongjing said: People now call it Tucai, which is a phonetic corruption of the character "Xu".

Li Shizhen said: Yangti is named after its root; Niushe is named after the leaf shape resembling an ox's tongue; Tucai is named for its ability to treat tinea capitis (scalp ringworm). The *Classic of Poetry · Xiaoya* states: "Gathering its ." Lu Ji annotated: " is the character Xu, which is today's Yangti. People in Youzhou call it . The root resembles a long radish, and the stem is red. It can also be boiled as a vegetable, smooth and delicious. Zheng Qiao in *Tongzhi* identified it as Fei and Kui from *Erya*, which is incorrect. Jin Qiaomai is named for its similarity to this plant.

[Collection and Explanation] *Bielu* says: Yangti grows in the rivers and marshes of Chenliu.

Baosheng said: It is found everywhere, growing in low and wet areas. Sprouts emerge in spring, reaching three or four chi in height. The leaves are narrow and long, resembling lettuce but darker in color. The stem nodes are purplish-red. It bears bluish-white flowers in spikes, producing trigonous seeds, and withers in mid-summer. The root resembles Arctium lappa (Niubang) and is solid.

Zong said: The leaves resemble those of Spinacia oleracea (Boleng) in vegetables, but without lobes, lighter in color, thick, and similar in flower and seed. The leaves can be used to scrub stones. The seed is named Jin Qiaomai, used by alchemists to refine lead and mercury.

Li Shizhen said: It is abundant near water and wetlands. Leaves are over one chi long, shaped like an ox's tongue, not like Boleng. In summer, it bolts, flowers, and sets seed; flowers and leaves are the same color. It withers at the Summer Solstice and regrows in late autumn, surviving through winter. Roots are nearly one chi long, reddish-yellow, resembling Rhubarb and carrots.

[Flavor and Properties] Bitter, cold, non-toxic. Su Gong said: Pungent, bitter, slightly toxic.

Li Shizhen said: It can counteract Sanhuang (Three Yellows), Pishi (Arsenic Trioxide), Dansha (Cinnabar), and Shuiyin (Mercury).

[Indications] Alopecia, scabies, and pruritus; clearing heat; treating erosion of the female genitals (*Benjing*). Treating impetigo, carbuncles, and hemorrhoids; killing parasites (*Bielu*). Treating gu poison (Su Gong). Treating tinea corporis (ringworm); killing all insects. Grind with vinegar and apply to swollen sores (Meng Shen). Extract juice, take two or three spoons, add half a cup of water, boil, and drink warm on an empty stomach to treat postpartum wind-induced constipation, with remarkable efficacy (Zong ).

[Invention and Clarification] Zhu Zhenheng said: Yangti root belongs to Water and enters the Blood aspect.

Su Song said: Freshly harvested roots ground with vinegar applied to tinea yield rapid results. It can also be decocted into pills. Collect roots without limit, crush and extract one sheng of juice, add half a sheng of white honey, and simmer into a thick syrup. Add six liang of Fangfeng powder, mix well to form pills the size of Sophora japonica seeds. Take thirty to twenty pills with decoction of Trichosanthes kirilowii root and Glycyrrhiza uralensis wine, two to three times daily.

[Attached Prescriptions] Six old prescriptions, seven new ones.

Sudden fecal impaction: One liang of Yangti root, one large cup of water, decoct to six parts, take warm (*Shenghui Fang*).

Intestinal wind with bloody stool: Baiducai root (washed and sliced), half a cup of old ginger with skin, stir-fry until red, quench with unadulterated wine, cover with a bowl for a moment, strain, and drink as desired (*Yonglei Fang*).

Laryngeal obstruction with aphonia: Use a single-rooted Yangti, avoid exposure to wind, sun, women, chickens, and dogs. Grind with three-year-old aged vinegar into a paste. Wipe the external throat with raw cloth until red, then apply (*Qianjin Fang*). Purple patches the size of coins on the face, or covering the whole face. Four liang of Wild Rhubarb (extract juice), ten slices of Pangolin scales (burned to retain properties), five qian of Sichuan pepper powder, four liang of fresh ginger (extract juice), grind together. Wrap in raw silk and rub. If dry, moisten with vinegar. Repeat several times as initially; highly effective (*Lu Shi Jide Tang Yangfeng Bo*).

Hanshan vitiligo: Two liang of Yangti root, one liang of single-stemmed broom-head, five qian of calcined alum, one qian of calomel, half a liang of fresh ginger, pound into a paste. Bathe with hot water, scratch the affected area until rough skin rises. Wrap medicine in cloth and rub vigorously. Lie warm to induce sweating, then cured. This is the formula of the Liu family from Yanshan, superior to those using sulfur (*Lin Shi Jingyan Fang*).

Head wind with dandruff: Dry and powder Yangti root, mix with sheep bile and apply, permanently removing it (*Shenghui Fang*).

White alopecia on head: Single-rooted Yangti, avoid women, chickens, dogs, wind, and sun. Grind with aged vinegar into a paste, wipe until red with raw cloth, then apply, once daily (*Zhouhou Fang*).

Chronic tinea not healing: *Jianyao Jizhong Fang*: Pound and extract juice from Yangti root, add a little calomel, mix into a paste, and apply. Cured in three to five applications. *Yonglei Fang*: For tinea lasting years. Baiducai root (single-grown, i.e., Yangti root), three qian pounded, add two qian of Chuan Baiyaojian, rub evenly with white plum flesh, filter one cup of morning well water, take on an empty stomach at dawn. Avoid hot foods. Apply the residue by scratching the skin. Cured in three applications. *Qianjin Fang*: For fine tinea. Boil five sheng of Yangti root in ash juice from mulberry wood for four to five boils, use the juice to wash. Still apply Yangti juice mixed with alum powder. Scabies, spreading wet tinea, unbearable itching, recurrence with yellow discharge: Pound Yangti root, mix with strong vinegar, wash and apply.

Scabies with parasites: Pound Yangti root, mix with lard, add a little salt, apply daily (*Waitai Miyao*).

Leaves

[Flavor and Properties] Sweet, slippery, cold, non-toxic.

[Indications] Pediatric malnutrition with parasites; antidote for Huyi fish, Yu fish, and Tanhu fish poisoning; edible as a vegetable. Excessive consumption causes loose bowels (Meng Shen. Li Shizhen said: Huyi and Yu are names for pufferfish; Tanhu is unknown). As a vegetable, it stops itching. Do not eat too much, as it descends Qi (Zhen Quan). Steam one bowl with roots and eat to treat intestinal hemorrhoids with bleeding blood, very effective (Li Shizhen).

[Attached Prescriptions] One old prescription.

Fruits/Seeds

[Flavor and Properties] Bitter, astringent, neutral, non-toxic.

[Indications] Dysentery with mixed red and white discharge (Su Gong). Women's blood and qi disorders (Li Shizhen).