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(Qin, pronounced "qing". From *Tang Bencao*).
[Names] Bai Ma (White Hemp).
Li Shizhen stated: It is sometimes written as "KT", and sometimes as "KT". It must be planted in contiguous plots, hence the name "KT" hemp.
[Collection and Explanation] Su Gong said: "KT" hemp is indeed Ramie (*Boehmeria nivea*). Nowadays, people take its bark to make cloth and ropes. The fruit resembles hemp seeds; it is harvested in September and October and dried in the shade.
Su Song said: It grows everywhere. People in the north plant it to weave cloth and make ropes. The seedling grows four or five chi tall, or six or seven chi tall. The leaves resemble ramie leaves but are thinner. The flowers are yellow. The fruit shell resembles that of Chinese hibiscus (*Hibiscus mutabilis*), and the seeds inside are black.
Li Shizhen said: "KT" hemp is the white hemp of today. It mostly grows in low and damp places, and people also cultivate it. The leaves are large, resembling paulownia leaves, round with a pointed tip. It blooms yellow flowers in June and July. The fruit is shaped like half a millstone, with teeth on the edge; it is green when tender and black when old. The seeds inside are flat and black, resembling the seeds of Yellow Hibiscus (*Abelmoschus manihot*). Its stem is light, hollow, and pure white. People in the north use the bark to make hemp products. Stems dipped in sulfur can be used as lamp wicks for quick ignition. Its tender seeds...

[Flavor and Properties] Bitter, neutral, non-toxic.
[Indications] Dysentery of red and white colors, cold and hot types. Roasted and ground into powder, taken orally with honey water, one qian per dose. For carbuncles and swellings without heads, swallow one piece (Su Gong).
It generates eye nebulae and granulation tissue, and corrects inverted eyelashes and curled lashes (Li Shizhen).
Root
[Indications] Also treats dysentery; used in ancient formulas (Su Song).
[Attached Formulas] Three new formulas.
All eye diseases: One sheng of "KT" hemp seeds. Ground into powder. Slice pig liver, dip in the powder, roast slowly over low heat until cooked, grind into powder, mix with vinegar to make pills the size of wu zi (catalpa seeds). Take thirty pills per dose, washed down with plain boiled water. Another method: Steam "KT" hemp fruits in a bag until cooked, dry in the sun, grind into powder, mix with honey to make pills. Wash down with warm water. (*Shengji Zonglu*)

(From *Bielu*, Middle Grade)
[Names] Li Shizhen said: Because its stems and leaves are all deep cyan, it is named so.
[Collection and Explanation] *Bielu* states: Da Qing (Isatidis Folium) stems are harvested in March and April and dried in the shade.
Tao Hongjing said: It is now produced in the eastern regions and nearby areas. It has purple stems about one chi long; both stems and leaves are used medicinally.
Su Song said: It is found in Jiangdong prefectures and Jingnan, Meizhou, Shuzhou, Haozhou, and Zhouzhou. In spring, it produces cyan-purple stems resembling the seedlings and leaves of Dianthus (*Dianthus chinensis*). The flowers are red-purple, resembling Polygonum aviculare (*Polygonum aviculare*), and also resembling Genkwa Flos (*Daphne genkwa*). The root is yellow. Stems and leaves are harvested in March and April and dried in the shade for use.
Li Shizhen said: It grows everywhere. It is two or three chi tall with round stems. Leaves are three or four cun long, cyan on the front and pale on the back, growing opposite each other at nodes. Small red flowers bloom in clusters in August. It bears cyan fruits the size of peppercorns. The color turns red in September.
Stems and Leaves
[Flavor and Properties] Bitter, very cold, non-toxic. Xu Quan said: Sweet. Li Shizhen said: Sweet, slightly salty, not bitter.
[Indications] Headache caused by seasonal pathogens, severe mouth ulcers due to high fever (*Bielu*). Eliminates epidemic heat toxins (Xu Quan). Treats heat-toxin wind, heart-heat toxin dysentery, jaundice, throat obstruction (hou bi), and erysipelas (dan du) (Li Shizhen).
[Elucidation] Su Song said: Ancient formulas for treating Shanghan (cold damage) with yellow sweat and jaundice include Da Qing Tang (Isatis Decoction). It is also used in Gegen Tang (Pueraria Decoction) to treat Shanghan with stiffness of the head and body, and pain in the waist and spine. Generally, it is frequently used for epidemic diseases.
Zhu Gong's *Huoren Shu* (Book for Saving Lives) for treating Shanghan with red macules, irritability, and pain includes Xijiao Da Qing Tang (Rhinoceros Horn and Isatis Decoction) and Da Qing Siwu Tang (Isatis Four Substances Decoction). Therefore, Li Xiangxian's *Zhizhang Fu* states: Yang toxicity causing mania, macules, and irritability can be rescued using Da Qing (Isatidis Folium) and Shengma (Cimicifugae Rhizoma).
[Attached Formulas] Six new formulas.
Houfeng (throat wind) and Hou Bi (throat obstruction): Crush Da Qing Ye (Isatidis Folium) to extract juice and administer orally; stop once effective. (*Weisheng Yijian Fang*)
Pediatric mouth ulcers: Da Qing (Isatidis Folium) 18 zhu, Huanglian (Coptidis Rhizoma) 12 zhu. Add three sheng of water, boil down to one sheng and administer. Twice daily, until healed. (*Qianjin Fang*)
Severe dysentery due to heat disease: Da Qing Tang (Isatis Decoction): Use Da Qing (Isatidis Folium) 4 liang, Gancao (Glycyrrhizae Radix et Rhizoma) and Chishizhi (Halloysit Rubrum) 3 liang each, Ejiao (Asini Corii Colla) 2 liang, Chi Dou (Sojae Semen Praeparatum) 8 he. Add ten dou of water, boil down to three sheng, divide into three doses. Healing usually occurs within two doses. (*Zhouhou Fang*)
Heat disease with macules, redness, irritability, and pain: Da Qing Siwu Tang (Isatis Four Substances Decoction): Use Da Qing (Isatidis Folium) 1 liang, Ejiao (Asini Corii Colla) and Gancao (Glycyrrhizae Radix et Rhizoma) 2.5 qian each, Chi Dou (Sojae Semen Praeparatum) 2 he. Divide into three doses. For each dose, add one and a half zhan of water, decoct to one zhan, dissolve Ejiao in the liquid, and administer. Another formula: Xijiao Da Qing Tang (Rhinoceros Horn and Isatis Decoction): Use Da Qing (Isatidis Folium) 7.5 qian, Xijiao (Rhinocerotis Cornu) 2.5 qian, Zhizi (Gardeniae Fructus) 10 pieces, Chi Dou (Sojae Semen Praeparatum) two pinches. Divide into two doses. For each dose, add one and a half zhan of water, decoct to eight fen, and administer warm. (*Nanyang Huoren Shu*)
Green and black abdomen: Sudden green and black discoloration of the abdomen in children indicates loss of nourishment of blood and qi, with wind-cold taking advantage; this is a critical and ominous sign. Grind Da Qing (Isatidis Folium) into powder, place in the mouth, and wash down with wine. (*Baoyou Daquan Fang*)