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(Pronounced "Lai Bei". From *Tang Bencao*.)

[Names] Lubu (Guo Pu said: Lu sounds like "Luo", Fu sounds like "Bei", same as Luobo. Radish, Baotu (*Erya Zhu*), Purple-flowered Song, Wensong, Tusux).
Su Baosheng said: Laifu is commonly called Luobo. According to: *Erya* says: Tu is Lubu. Sun Yan's annotation says: It is purple-flowered Song, commonly called Wensong. It resembles Jing (Turnip), with a large root. Commonly called Baotu, also named Lubu, this is it.
Su Song said: Purple-flowered Song and Wensong are all terms used by people in the South. People in Wu call it Chu Song. People in Guangnan call it Qin Song.
Li Shizhen said: According to: Sun Mian's *Guangyun* says: People in Lu call it Fu (sound La Da). People in Qin call it Luobo. Wang Zhen's *Nongshu* says: The radish grown by northerners has four names for one variety: Spring calls it Podi Zhui, Summer calls it Xia Sheng, Autumn calls it Luobo, Winter calls it Tusux, meaning it is white and pure like butter. I note: Song is a vegetable name, because it withstands winter like Pine and Cypress. Laifu is a root name, in ancient times called Lubu, in middle ages transformed into Laifu, later erroneously changed to Luobo. Southerners call it Luo Fu, same as the character Bao, seen in Jin Zhuo's *Annotation of Book of Han*. Lu Tain said Laifu can counteract the toxicity of wheat flour; this comes from the sound of "Fu" being served by "Lai", likely deriving meaning from the text. Wang's *Boji Fang* calls dried radish Immortal Bone, which is also a folk error.

[Collection and Explanation]
Tao Hongjing said: Lubu is the current Wensong, its root is edible. Common people steam its root or make pickles from it, but it has a slight smoky odor. The leaves are not edible. There is also Tu, with thin roots and overly pungent taste, not suitable for consumption.
Su Gong said: Laifu is Lubu. Tender leaves can be eaten as raw vegetables, large leaves can be cooked and eaten. Tao's statement that they are inedible loses the truth. Jiangbei, Hebei, Qin, and Jin regions have the most, Deng and Lai regions are also good.
Su Song said: Laifu is common north and south, especially abundant in northern lands. There are two types: large and small. Large ones have firm flesh, suitable for steaming; small ones are white and crisp, suitable for raw eating.
Hezhou region has very large ones, while those in Jiangnan, Anzhou, Hongzhou, and Xinyang are also very large, weighing five or six jin, or close to one sheng, due to the effort of planting at that time.
Su Rui said: Those replanted in summer are named Summer Radish. Those that are small and long are named Manjing Radish.
Li Shizhen said: Laifu is now common throughout the world. In the past, people confused Turnip (Jing) and Laifu in annotations, as seen under the Manjing entry. Gardeners plant Laifu in June, harvest seedlings in autumn, dig roots in winter. Late spring produces tall flower stalks with small purple-blue flowers. Early summer forms pods. Seeds are as large as hemp seeds, varying in roundness and length, yellow-red color. Can be planted again in May. Leaves vary from large like Turnip to fine like Flower Mustard, all with fine soft hairs. Roots are red or white, shapes long or round. Generally, those growing in sandy soil are crisp and sweet, those in barren land are hard and spicy. Roots and leaves can be eaten raw or cooked, made into pickles, sauce, fermented bean curd, vinegar, sugar, cured meat, or rice. It is the most beneficial among vegetables, yet ancients did not examine it deeply. Was it ignored because it was cheap? Or did they not understand its benefits?

[Properties and Flavor] Root: Acrid, Sweet; Leaf: Acrid, Bitter; Warm; Non-toxic.
Meng Shen said: Cold nature.
Sun Simiao said: Neutral. Do not eat with Rehmannia (Dihuang), as it causes hair whitening, due to its astringent effect on Ying and Wei.
Li Shizhen said: Eating too much Laifu moves Qi; only Ginger can counteract its toxicity. It can also settle sand.

[Therapeutic Actions] Taken dispersed or roasted/boiled, it greatly directs Qi downward, aids digestion and harmonizes the Middle Jiao, removes phlegm accumulation, and strengthens the body. Raw juice stops thirst and shows great efficacy (*Tang Bencao*). Benefits joints, improves complexion, purifies bad Qi in the Five Viscera, counters wheat flour toxicity, promotes Wind Qi circulation, and eliminates pathogenic Heat Qi (Xiao Bing). Benefits the Five Viscera, lightens the body, makes skin white and fine (Meng Shen). Resolves phlegm, stops cough, treats Lung Abscess with hemoptysis, warms the Middle and tonifies deficiency. Cooked with mutton or silver fish, treats consumptive cough (*Rihuabencao*). Eaten with pork, benefits the person. Raw juice treats dysentery with inability to eat (Wang Ying). Juice treats hematemesis and epistaxis (Wu Rui). Relieves chest oppression, benefits urination and defecation. Raw stops thirst and relieves fullness; cooked resolves phlegm and aids digestion (Ning Yuan). Kills fishy odors, treats tofu accumulation (Wang Ji). Treats acid regurgitation, transforms stagnation, detoxifies alcohol, disperses blood stasis, very effective. Powder treats five types of strangury. Pills treat leukorrhea. Decoction washes tinea pedis. Juice treats dysentery, aphonia, and smoke inhalation near death. Raw paste applied to trauma and burns/scalds (Li Shizhen).

[Elucidation] Su Song said: Laifu has similar effects to Turnip (Jing), but its power is more intense. Its root is used in formulas to stop diarrhea, roasted and added to medicine. It particularly counters wheat flour toxicity. Once, a Buddhist monk from India came east, saw people eating wheat noodles, and exclaimed: This is very hot, why eat it? Seeing radish in the food, he said: Fortunately, this exists to resolve its nature. Since then, it has been passed down that one must eat radish with noodles.
Xiao Bing said: Mixing crushed radish with flour for making dough is best; even when full, it does not cause heat. Fried with butter, it directs Qi downward. For anyone overeating, chewing raw radish helps digestion.
Shen Shenwei said: According to: Yang Yi's *Tanwan* says: Residents of Jiangdong say planting 30 mu of taro saves 30 hu of rice; planting 30 mu of radish increases rice yield by 30 hu. Thus, radish indeed aids digestion.
Kou Zongshi said: People taking Rehmannia or Polygonum multiflorum should not eat Laifu, as it causes beard and hair whitening. The world thinks this is because the substance is acrid and directs Qi downward quickly. However, Ginger and Mustard Seed are more acrid, doing more than just dispersing. Laifu is both acrid and sweet, so it disperses gently yet directs Qi downward quickly. Therefore, use Ginger to disperse Qi, use Laifu to direct Qi downward.
Zhu Zhenheng said: Laifu root belongs to Earth, containing Metal and Water. Kou said it directs Qi downward quickly. People often cook and eat too much, causing stagnation into fluid retention, isn't this because there is too much sweetness and too little acridity?
Li Shizhen said: Laifu, root and leaf have same functions. Raw raises Qi, cooked lowers Qi. Su and Kou only mentioned its quick downward direction. Sun Simiao said long-term use astringes Ying and Wei, not knowing that raw causes belching, cooked causes evacuation, differing in ascending and descending. Generally enters Taiyin, Yangming, Shaoyang Qi divisions, thus treating diseases of Lung, Spleen, Intestines, Stomach, and Sanjiao. Li Jiuhua said: Excessive Laifu leaches blood. Thus its whitening effect on hair is likely due to this, not just downward Qi direction and astringing Ying/Wei. According to *Dongwei Zhi*: A man in Qizhou went mad, dreaming of a woman in red leading him to a palace, where a younger sister commanded him to sing daily: "Five Spirits Pavilion clear and exquisite at dawn, Tianfu has always been here. Sadness and stifled feelings unspoken, One pill of radish burns my palace." A Daoist priest said: This is poisoning from large wheat. Young girl is Heart Spirit, younger sister is Spleen Spirit. *Medical Classics* say radish counters wheat toxicity, hence "burns my palace". Fire means destruction. Treating with medicine and radish cured him. Also, Zhang Gao's *Yi Shuo* says: Resident Li Qi of Raozhou had severe epistaxis, doctors stopped it with fresh radish juice mixed with unfermented wine. Blood follows Qi movement; Qi stagnation causes blood to run wild; radish directs Qi downward and wine guides it. Also: Someone poisoned by tofu, medical treatment failed. Suddenly heard tofu seller say his wife accidentally put radish soup in the pot, ruining it. He realized, drank radish soup and recovered. The wonder of physical principles is such. *Yanshou Shu* records: Li Shi fled into a cave, bandits smoked him near death, he found a bundle of radish greens, chewed juice and swallowed, revived immediately. This emergency method must be known.

[Attached Formulas] Two old, twenty-four new.
Food turning sour: Radish, chew several slices raw, or chew raw leaves, excellent. Dried, cooked, salted, or for cold stomach, none are effective. (*Binhu Jijianfang*).
Regurgitation and choking disease: Radish, preserved in honey, chew and swallow slowly, good. (*Puji Fang*)
Thirst drinking water: Duseng San: Use three radishes without seeds, wash clean, slice, dry, powder. Take 2 qian each time, decoct pork broth, clarify, mix and take, three times a day, gradually increase to 3 qian. Raw juice is also okay, or cook porridge with juice. (*Tujing Bencao*).
Lung abscess with coughing blood: Radish, cooked with mutton or crucian carp, eat frequently. (*Puji Fang*).
Unstoppable epistaxis: Radish, crush juice half cup, add little wine, drink warm, also drip juice into nose, both good. Or boil wine, add radish, boil again, drink. (*Weisheng Yjianfang*).
Dysentery with inability to eat: Radish (crushed juice) one small cup, honey one cup. Water one cup, decoct together. Take once early morning, once noon. At dusk, swallow 100 pills of Ejiao with rice drink. If no radish, crushing seeds for juice is okay. One formula: Add 7 fen calcined alum, decoct together. One formula: Only decoct radish greens soup, drink daily. *Puji Fang*: Use radish slices, regardless of new or old, dip in honey, hold in mouth, swallow juice. Change when flavor fades. When craving food, give meat porridge, do not eat too much.
Intestinal pain after dysentery: Same formula above.
Large intestine bleeding: Large radish peel (charred to retain nature), lotus leaf (charred to retain nature), Puhuang (raw) equal parts, powder. Take 1 qian each time, with rice drink. (*Puji*).
Wind-intestinal bleeding: Honey-roasted radish, eat as desired. A woman in the past took this effectively. (*Baiyi Xuanfang*).
Alcohol-induced bleeding, continuous for ten days: Use twenty large radishes, leave one cun of green leaves, put well water in jar, boil until very soft, add light vinegar, eat on empty stomach. (*Shouqin Yanglaofang*).
Large intestine prolapse: Crush raw Laifu, stuff into umbilicus, bind. If sore appears, remove. (*Zhai Xuan Fang*).
White turbid urine: Hollow out raw radish leaving lid, fill with Evodia (Wuzhuyu), seal with stick, steam over glutinous rice until cooked, remove Evodia, roast radish, powder, paste into pills size of wutong seeds. Take 50 pills each time, with salt water, three times a day. (*Puji*).
Gravel strangury, unbearable pain: Slice radish, soak in honey briefly, roast dry several times, do not burn. Chew finely, take with salt water, three times a day. Name Mingxuan Gao. (*Puji*).
Generalized edema: Radish without seeds, floating wheat equal parts. Soak in water, drink. (*Shengji Zonglu*).
Tinea pedis moving pain: Boil radish soup to wash. Also dry radish, powder, put inside socks. (*Shengji Zonglu*).
Migraine and frontal headache: Fresh radish juice one clam shell, lie on back, drip into left or right nostril, miraculous. Wang Anshi suffered headache, a Daoist passed this formula, cured after some time. Using this to treat others, countless cases. (*Ruyi Fang*).
Aphonia: Raw radish crushed juice, mix with ginger juice, take. (*Puji Fang*).
Sore throat swelling and pain: Radish juice mixed with soap pod slurry, induce vomiting. (Same).
Mouth ulcers: Fresh radish juice, rinse frequently to remove saliva, wonderful. (*Binhu Jijianfang*).
Smoke inhalation near death: See Elucidation below.
Burns and scalds: Crush raw radish, apply. Seeds also work. (*Shengji Zonglu*).
Fire injury to muscle: Same formula above.
Trauma with blood accumulation, skin not broken: Crush radish or leaves, apply. (*Shao Shi Fang*).

[Seeds]
[Properties and Flavor] Acrid, Sweet, Neutral, Non-toxic.
[Therapeutic Actions] Crush juice, vomit wind-phlegm. Mix with vinegar, reduce swelling and toxins (*Rihuabencao*). Directs Qi downward, calms asthma, treats phlegm, transforms food, removes distension, benefits urination and defecation, stops Qi pain, tenesmus, induces rash eruption (Li Shizhen).
[Elucidation] Zhu Zhenheng said: Laifu seeds treat phlegm, with power to push down walls.
Li Shizhen said: Laifu seeds' merit lies in benefiting Qi. Raw ascends, cooked descends. Ascending vomits wind-phlegm, disperses wind-cold, induces rashes; Descending calms phlegm-asthma cough, regulates tenesmus, stops internal pain, all are effects of benefiting Qi. I have used it, truly special results.

[Attached Formulas] Three old, thirteen new.
Upper Qi phlegm cough, panting spitting pus-blood: Laifu seeds one he, grind fine, decoct, take after meal. (*Shiyi Xinjing*).
Lung phlegm cough: Laifu seeds half sheng, wash clean, roast dry, stir-fry yellow, powder, mix with sugar, pills size of euryale seed. Wrap in silk, hold in mouth, swallow juice, very wonderful. (*Shengjin Fang*).
Panting phlegm rapid onset with rich flavors: Radish seeds wash clean, steam, dry, grind, soak steamed cake in ginger juice, pills size of mung bean. Take 30 pills each time, swallow with saliva, three times a day. Name Qingjin Wan. (*Yixue Jicheng*).
Phlegm-Qi panting: Radish seeds (roasted), soap pods (charred to retain nature) equal parts, powder, mix with ginger juice, refined honey pills size of wutong seeds. Take 50-70 pills each time, with plain water. (*Jianbian Danfang*).
Chronic cough phlegm panting: Radish seeds (roasted), apricot kernels (skin/spirit removed, roasted) equal parts. Steamed cake pills size of hemp seeds. Take 3-5 pills each time, swallow with saliva. (*Yixue Jicheng*).
Elderly asthma: Roast radish seeds, powder, honey pills size of wutong seeds. Take 50 pills each time, with plain water. (*Jisheng Milan*).
Induce vomiting wind-phlegm: *Shengjin Fang*: Radish seed powder, warm water mix take 3 qian. After long time, vomit saliva. If paralysis wind, use tight dispersing medicine after vomiting, then take Heqi San to recover. Danxi vomiting method: Radish seeds half sheng, grind fine, rice water one bowl, filter juice, add sesame oil and little honey, warm take. Then probe vomit with goose feather soaked in tung oil.
Stroke mouth closure: Radish seeds, tooth soap pods each 2 qian, decoct in water, induce vomiting. (Danxi Fang).
Children wind-cold: Radish seeds (raw ground powder) 1 qian, warm scallion wine take, induce slight sweat, great effect. (*Weisheng Yjianfang*).
Wind constipation Qi constipation: Radish seeds (roasted) one he, grind with water, mix with 2 qian soap pod powder, take, immediate passage. (*Shouyu Shenfang*)
Qi distension Qi gu: Grind Laifu seeds, filter juice with water, soak Amomum one liang overnight, roast dry, soak and roast again, seven times total, powder. Take 1 qian each time with rice drink, miraculous. (*Zhushi Jiyuan Fang*).
Children coiling intestinal Qi pain: Roast radish seeds yellow, grind powder, take half qian with frankincense water. (Yang Renzhai *Zhizhi Fang*).
Long-standing head wind: Laifu seeds, ginger equal parts, crush juice, add little musk, insufflate into nose, immediate stop. (*Puji Fang*).
Toothache: 14 radish seeds raw grind, mix with human milk. Left pain dot right nose, right pain dot left nose.
Rash not erupting: Radish seeds raw grind powder, rice drink take 2 qian, good. (*Weisheng Yjianfang*)

[Flowers]
[Therapeutic Actions] Preserved in wine lees, eat delicious, brighten eyes (Shiliang).