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[From *Shenglei*]
[Correction] Transferred from the Herb Section to this section.
[Collected Explanations] Zang Qi said: Lingyu Zi (Dioscorea bulbil), large ones are like chicken eggs, small ones like pellets, growing under the leaves. After sun-drying, its efficacy is stronger than that of Shuyu (Chinese Yam).
There are several types of Shuyu, and this is one of them.
Shizhen said: This is the fruit borne on the vine of Shanyao (Chinese Yam). Shapes vary in length and roundness; skin is yellow, flesh white. Cooked, peeled, and eaten, it is superior to Shanyao and more delicious than taro. Harvest after frost. Those fallen to the ground also easily take root.

[Properties and Flavor] Sweet, warm, non-toxic.
[Indications] Tonifies deficiency and damage, strengthens waist and legs, benefits the Kidney, eating it prevents hunger (Zang Qi).

[From *Bencao Gangmu*]
[Collected Explanations] Shizhen said: According to Chen Qichang's *Yiwuzhi*: Ganshu (Sweet Potato) originates from the southern regions of Jiaozhou and Guangzhou. Farmers plant it in February and harvest in October. Its root resembles taro, with some being very large. Large ones are like goose eggs, small ones like chicken or duck eggs.
Peeling off the purple skin reveals flesh as white as fat. Southerners use it as a staple grain or fruit; steamed or roasted, it is fragrant and delicious. Initially very sweet, it becomes slightly bland after exposure to air for a long time. Also according to Ji Han's *Caomuzhuang*: Ganshu belongs to the Dioscorea category, or some say the Colocasia category. Roots and leaves resemble taro.
Roots can be as large as fists or bowls; steamed or boiled and eaten, the taste is similar to Dioscorea, with a nature not very cold. In Zhuya, those who do not engage in farming only plant this; steamed, sliced, dried, and stored, it serves as dry rations, named "Shuliang" (Potato Grain). People by the sea often live long lives, partly because they do not eat five grains but consume Ganshu.
[Properties and Flavor] Sweet, neutral, non-toxic.
[Indications] Tonifies deficiency and exhaustion, boosts Qi and strength, strengthens Spleen and Stomach, nourishes Kidney Yin; efficacy is similar to Dioscorea (Shizhen).

[From *Shennong Bencao Jing*, Middle Grade]
[Correction] Transferred from the Herb Section to this section.
[Names] (Pronounced fan), Qiangqu (*Bielu*), Suannaoshu (Garlic-brain potato).
*Bielu* says: Also known as Moluo, Chongxiang, Zhongfenghua.
Wu Pu says: Also known as Chongmai, Zhongting.
Hongjing said: Baihe (Lily Bulb), commonly called Qiangchou by laypeople; "Chou" is actually "Qu", a phonetic error.
Shizhen said: The root of Baihe is composed of many scales fused together. Some say it is named so because it specifically treats Baihe Bing (Lily Disease), which is also plausible. Its root resembles garlic, and its taste resembles Chinese yam, hence the common name Suannaoshu. Gu Yewang's * Yupian* also states: is indeed Lily Garlic. This plant's flowers, leaves, and roots all grow towards four directions, hence the name Qiangqu. Anything growing sideways is called "Qu", a meaning derived from *Han Shi Waizhuan*.
[Collected Explanations] *Bielu* says: Baihe grows in the valleys of Jingzhou. Harvest roots in February and August, shade-dry them.
Hongjing said: It is found everywhere nearby. Roots resemble shallots/garlic, weighing tens of jin linked together. People also steam and boil them for food, claiming they are formed by earthworms tangling and transforming. They are also suitable for medicinal use.
Gong said: There are two types: one has large leaves, long stems, thick roots, and white flowers, suitable for medicine; the other has fine leaves and red flowers.
Song said: Baihe sprouts in March, growing two to three chi high. The stem is thick as an arrow, with leaves on four sides resembling chicken claws or willow leaves, greenish, slightly purplish near the stem, and blue-white at the tip. Red and white flowers bloom in April and May, larger than pomegranate blossoms. Roots resemble shallots, overlapping in layers of twenty to thirty scales.
Another type has red-yellow flowers with black spots, fine leaves, and black seeds between leaves; this is unsuitable for medicine. Note: Xu Kai's *Shisui Guangji* records: Plant Baihe in February, using chicken manure is appropriate. Some claim Baihe is transformed from earthworms, yet prefers chicken manure; the reason is unknown.
Shizhen said: Baihe has a single straight stem with leaves growing in four directions. Leaves resemble short bamboo leaves, not willow leaves. Large white flowers bloom at the stem tip in May and June, five cun long, six-petaled, with red stamens drooping downwards, though the color is not intensely red. The red-flowered variety has willow-like leaves and is called Shandan (Red Lily). Baihe fruits resemble Aristolochia manshuriensis, and its seeds are similar. Propagation by scales is done like planting garlic. Wild Baihe regenerates annually from old roots. It is not necessarily all transformed from earthworms. Where earthworms are abundant, Baihe is not always present; this theory is likely a false transmission.
[Correcting Errors] Zong Ying said: Baihe stems are about three chi high. Leaves resemble large willow leaves, clustering upwards on branches.
The top blooms pale yellow-white flowers, drooping downwards covering long stamens, with a sandalwood-colored center. Each branch tip bears five or six flowers. Seeds are purple, round like paulownia seeds, growing among leaves and branches. One seed per leaf, not in the flower, is also unique. The root is Baihe, white, shaped like a pine cone scale, clustering in four directions, with shoots emerging from the center.
Shizhen said: What Kou Zongshi described is Juandan (Tiger Lily), not Baihe. The variety Song Suo claimed was unsuitable for medicine is now corrected.
Leaves short and broad, slightly bamboo-like, with white flowers drooping downwards, are Baihe. Leaves long and narrow, pointed like willow, red flowers, not drooping, are Shandan. Stems and leaves resemble Shandan but taller, red flowers with yellow hues and drooping, with black spots, and seeds forming first among leaves, are Juandan.
Juandan forms seeds in April and blooms in autumn, with roots resembling Baihe. Shandan blooms in April, with smaller roots having fewer scales. These are essentially one species with three varieties. Wu Rui's *Bencao* states: White-flowered is Baihe, red-flowered is Qiangchou; the basis for this is unknown.
Root
[Properties and Flavor] Sweet, neutral, non-toxic.
Quan said: Slightly toxic.
[Indications] Expels evil qi causing abdominal distension and heart pain, promotes urination and bowel movements, tonifies middle Jiao and boosts Qi (*Benjing*).
Eliminates edema and swelling, fullness with alternating cold and heat, whole-body pain, difficult lactation, and sore throat; stops runny nose and tears (*Bielu*).
Expels various evils and spirits, stops excessive weeping; eliminates urgent fullness and pain in the epigastrium; treats beriberi and hot coughs (Zhen Quan).
Calms the mind, stabilizes courage, benefits willpower, nourishes the Five Viscera; treats manic shouting and palpitations due to fright, postpartum blood madness; kills gu poison and miasma; treats hypochondriac abscesses, breast abscesses, back carbuncles, and various swellings (Li Daming). For anxious yellow condition, steam with honey and eat (Meng Shen).
Treats Baihe Bing (Zong Ying). Warms lungs and stops coughing (Li Dongyuan/Yuan Su).
[Elucidations] Song said: Zhang Zhongjing treated Baihe Bing with four formulas: Baihe Zhimu Tang, Baihe Huashi Daizhe Tang, Baihe Jizi Tang, and Baihe Dihuang Tang. The disease is named Baihe and treated with Baihe, but the rationale is unclear.
Ying said: Fresh Baihe can be steamed or boiled, best with meat; dried Baihe made into powder is most beneficial when eaten.
Shizhen said: According to Wang Wei's poem: "Searching deeply for Baihe, truly making one treat it as double meat. Can it really stop tears? Looking out towards the river eyes." This likely draws from the *Bencao* statement that Baihe stops runny nose and tears.
[Attached Formulas] Three old, thirteen new.
Baihe Bing: Baihe Zhimu Tang: Treats Baihe Bing after typhoid fever, characterized by restlessness in walking, standing, sitting, and lying, as if possessed by spirits, after sweating therapy. Use seven Baihe bulbs, soak in spring water overnight. Next morning, boil in two sheng of spring water to obtain one sheng. Separately, boil three liang of Zhimu in two sheng of spring water to obtain one sheng. Mix with Baihe decoction and boil again to obtain one and a half sheng. Divide and take.
Baihe Jizi Tang: Treats Baihe Bing after vomiting therapy. Use seven Baihe bulbs, soak in spring water overnight. Next morning, boil in two sheng of spring water to obtain one sheng. Add one egg yolk. Divide and take twice.
Baihe Daizhe Tang: Treats Baihe Bing after purgative therapy. Use seven Baihe bulbs, soak in spring water overnight. Next morning, boil in two sheng of spring water to obtain one sheng. Separately, boil one liang of Daizheshi (Hematite) and three liang of Huashi (Talcum) in two sheng of water to obtain one sheng. Mix with Baihe decoction and boil again to obtain one and a half sheng. Divide and take twice.
Baihe Dihuang Tang: Treats Baihe Bing without prior sweating, vomiting, or purgative therapy. Use seven Baihe bulbs, soak in spring water overnight. Next morning, boil in two sheng of spring water to obtain one sheng. Add one sheng of fresh Dihuang juice. Simmer together to obtain one and a half sheng. Divide and take twice. (All from Zhang Zhongjing's *Jingui Yaolue Fang*).
Baihe Transforming into Thirst: If the disease persists for a month and transforms into Xiao Ke (wasting-thirst), use one sheng of Baihe and ten dou of water, soak overnight, extract juice, and use warm bath for the patient. After bathing, drink white wheat cake soup. (Chen Yanzhi's *Duanju Fang*).
Baihe Transforming into Heat: Use one liang of Baihe and three liang of Huashi. Grind to powder. Take one fangcun bi with water. Mild diarrhea is desirable. (*Duanju Fang*).
Baihe Abdominal Fullness and Pain: Stir-fry Baihe to powder. Take one fangcun bi with water, twice daily. (*Duanju*).
Yin Du Shanghan (Yin-Toxin Typhoid): Boil Baihe to make a concentrated decoction; take one sheng. Good. (*Sun Taoren Shiji*).
Lung Organ Obstructed Heat with Restlessness and Cough: Four liang of fresh Baihe, steamed soft with honey. Hold one piece in mouth frequently, swallow saliva. (*Shenghui Fang*).
Lung Disease with Hemoptysis: Juice extracted from fresh Baihe, mixed with water and drunk. Can also be boiled and eaten. (*Weisheng Yijian*).
Deafness and Ear Pain: Powder of dried Baihe, taken with warm water, two qian, twice daily. (*Shengjin Fang*).
Removing White Hair and Replacing with Black: On the seventh day of the seventh lunar month, take ripe Baihe, pound thoroughly, store in a new porcelain jar, seal tightly, hang on a door, and shade-dry for one hundred days. Pluck white hairs and apply powder; black hair will grow. (*Bianmin Tuzuan*).
Roaming Wind and Hidden Rash: Mix with Broussonetia papyrifera leaves. Use two liang of salt mud, half liang of Baihe, two qian of Huangdan (Minium), one fen of vinegar, and four parts of saliva. Pound and mix, then apply as a plaster. (*Zhixuan Fang*).
Abscess Not Punctured: Wild Baihe, pounded into paste with salt, applied externally. Good. (*Yingyan Fang*).
Tianpao Wet Sores: Raw Baihe, pounded and applied. Settles in one or two days. (*Binhu Jijian Fang*).
Fish Bone Stuck in Throat: Five liang of Baihe. Grind to powder. Mix with honey water, apply around neck to wrap, within three to five applications the bone will pass. (*Shengji*).
Flower
[Indications] Pediatric Tianpao wet sores. Sun-dry, grind to powder, apply with rapeseed oil. Good (Shizhen).
Seed
[Indications] Lightly stir-fried with wine until slightly red, ground to powder, taken with decoction. Treats Changfeng Xiaxue (Intestinal wind bleeding) (Sima Qian/Sun Simiao - Note: Source attributes to Sima Qiao/Sun Simiao contextually usually Sun Simiao here).