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(Recorded in the Lower Category of *Bencao Bie Lu*)

**[Names]** Changgu (Long Legs, from *Bencao Bie Lu*), Tianji (Field Chicken, from *Bencao Gangmu*).
Tao Zongyuan stated: Frogs have long hind legs, thus they are good at leaping. When their call is loud, it is called "Wa" (frog); when soft, it is called "Ge" (toad/frog).
Li Shizhen stated: Frogs love to croak, and their sound seems to call their own name. People in the South eat them and call them "Tianji" (Field Chicken), claiming that the meat tastes like chicken. They are also called "Zuo Yu" (Sitting Fish) because of their habit of sitting still. According to *Erya*, both toads and frogs were classified under fish. The *Biography of Dongfang Shuo* states: "Chang'an has many frogs and fish in its waters, sufficient to make families wealthy and people well-fed." Thus, in ancient times, the Guanzhong region already commonly ate frogs as one would fish, not just people in the South. The character for frog is also written as "𧈢".

**[Collection and Explanation]**
*Baben Bie Lu* states: Frogs live in water and can be caught at any time.
Tao Hongjing stated: Among bees, ants, frogs, and cicadas, there are the most species. The large ones with green backs are commonly known as "Tu Ya" (Earth Duck), and their calls are very robust. A black variety is called "Gezi" by people in the South and is extremely delicious to eat. Another small variety that croaks well is named "Wazi," which refers to this frog.
Su Baosheng stated: Frogs belong to the toad family, inhabit land, have green backs, croak well, and produce a "wa" sound; this is it.
Su Song stated: They are found everywhere today. They resemble toads but have greenish-blue backs, pointed mouths, and slender bellies, commonly called "Qing Wa" (Green Frog). Some have yellow stripes on their backs, called "Jin Xian Wa" (Golden Line Frog). The "Tu Ya" mentioned by Tao refers to what *Erya* calls "Min in Water," commonly known as "Shi Ya" (Stone Duck). The so-called "Gezi" is the current "Shui Ji" (Water Chicken), considered a delicacy by people in Fujian, Sichuan, and eastern Zhejiang.
Li Shizhen stated: Although Tianji, Shui Ji, and Tu Ya differ in names and appearances, their medicinal functions are identical. They are most delicious in April and become tougher in May, at which point they can be collected for medicine. *Kaogong Ji* states: "Those that make the '𧈢' sound belong to the frog and min category. Farmers predict harvest or famine based on the timing and pitch of their calls." Gao Xiaobiao's poem says: "Farmers have no Five Elements divination; they use frog calls to predict droughts and floods." Frogs can also transform into "𧈢," as seen in *Liezi*.

**[Flavor and Properties]**
Sweet, cold, non-toxic.
Tao Zongyuan stated: Neutral.
Li Shizhen stated: According to *Yanshou Shu*: Frog bones are hot; eating them causes painful dysuria. If pregnant women eat frogs, it may cause the child to have a short life or die prematurely. Eating too many young frogs can cause urinary retention. It can cause soreness and pain below the umbilicus, potentially leading to death. Drinking water mixed with juice from *Plantago asiatica* (Cheqian Cao) can resolve this toxicity.
W Rui stated: Those produced in the first month are called "Huang Ge" (Yellow Toad/Frog) and should not be eaten.

**[Main Indications]**
Red skin disease in children, skin ulcers, and umbilical injuries; relieves pain; treats qi deficiency (*Bencao Bie Lu*).
Hot sores in children; kills corpse-wandering parasites; alleviates fatigue and weakness; resolves heat toxins (*Rihua Bencao*). Eating it relieves labor fatigue.
Burned to ash and applied to lunar eclipse sores (Li Shizhen).

**[Elucidation]**
Su Song stated: People in the South eat frogs and toads, claiming they tonify deficiencies, especially suitable for postpartum women.
Li Shizhen stated: Frogs originate from water and share the nature of snails and clams; thus, they can resolve heat toxins and promote diuresis. However, they are creatures transformed by dampness, and their bones possess hot properties. Nowadays, people often fry them with spicy ingredients and animal fats, which is like adding firewood to a fire—how can one expect benefits? According to Dai Yuanli's *Zhengzhi Yaojue*...
Jiamo stated: Epidemic facial redness and neck swelling is called "Hammer Plague" (Toad Plague). Crushing Jin Xian Wa (Golden Line Frog) to extract juice, mixing with water, and drinking it on an empty stomach is extremely effective; it has saved several lives.

**[Attached Prescriptions]** Six new prescriptions.
**Ha Zhuan**: Treats edema. Take three live frogs, place one copper coin in each mouth, and sprinkle a little *Picrorhiza scrophulariiflora* (Huhuanglian) powder on top. Clean one male pig stomach with tea oil, wrap the frogs inside, tie it securely, and boil overnight. Remove, discard skin and intestines, eat the meat and pig stomach, and wash down with wine. Avoid sour, salty, fish, noodles, chicken, goose, and mutton; pork and duck are suitable. (*Shouyu Shenfang*)
**Shui Gu Abdominal Distension**: Abdomen enlarged like a drum, water sloshing sound upon movement, darkened skin. Use two dried frogs (stir-fried with butter), seven dried mole crickets (stir-fried), and half tael of bitter gourd/luffa fruit (stir-fried). Grind into fine powder. Take 2 qian with warm wine on an empty stomach; no more than three doses needed. (*Shenghui Fang*)
**Toxic Dysentery with Inability to Eat**: One water frog, including intestines and viscera, crushed and heated on a tile. Add 5 fen of *Moschus* (Shexiang), form into a cake, and apply to the navel. Once qi circulation resumes, food intake becomes possible.
**Pain from Various Hemorrhoids**: Qingwa Wan (Green Frog Pill): Use one green long-legged frog, burn until carbonized (preserving nature), grind into powder, mix with snow cream (or similar binder), and form pills the size of white mustard seeds. On an empty stomach, eat two spoons of rice first, then take 15 pills with *Magnolia officinalis* and *Citrus aurantium* decoction (Zhiqiao Tang). (*Zhizhi Fang*)
**Parasites Eroding Anus, Kidneys, and Intestines**: Use one frog and one part chicken bone, burn to ash, and insufflate into the affected area. Repeated use yields great results. (*Waitai Mi Yao*)
**Ai Chuang Like Eyes**: Sores that are high above and deep below, nodular and hanging, cracked like blind eyes, greenish inside, with tongues protruding from the tips, and toxic pores penetrating inward. Use fresh well frog skin, burn to carbonize, grind into powder for application, or mix with honey water for external dressing. (*Source truncated*)