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[Hu (Bottle Gourd)]
(Pronounced like "Hu"). The bitter variety has a cold qi and is toxic; the sweet variety has a cold nature and is non-toxic. Cultivation in gardens is identical, and sprouting leaves are indistinguishable. Due to differences in size and fruiting, they share similar names. Those that grow large and resemble winter melons are called *Hu*; those that are round and short like watermelons are called *Pao*. The gourd (*Hulu*) has a narrow waist and sharp head; the ladle gourd (*Piao*) has a straight handle and round bottom. As a vegetable, only the sweet one is excellent. For treating diseases, it is divided into bitter and sweet uses. The bitter type promotes downward movement of water inducing vomiting, reducing edema and floating swelling of the face, eyes, and limbs; the sweet type promotes urination and unblocks strangury, clearing irritability and heat from the heart and lungs, and treating polydipsia. Dripping juice into the nose is particularly effective for relieving acute jaundice. (When boiled in water and dripped in, yellow fluid flows out.) Boiled skin, unwrapped and applied hot, treats infant sprains. Soaked pulp in damp places treats difficulty in urination.

[Eggplant]
Sweet in taste, cold in qi. Non-toxic. Also known as *Losu*, planted everywhere. There are purple, yellow, and white varieties; the yellow eggplant is especially nourishing. It mainly treats alternating chills and fever, and eliminates five types of consumptive disease (lao). If eaten in excess, it may trigger chronic diseases, cause small scabies, and induce constipation. Eggplants that split open naturally, when burned to ash, can be applied to treat breast abscesses that have ruptured. Decoction of the roots of bitter eggplants and their withered stems and leaves can be used to soak frostbite sores on feet in winter. It also expels wind-dampness, as recorded in medical formularies. Boiled in strong wine and taken frequently morning and evening, it restores normal flexion and extension of the legs and knees. Ash retained from burning the calyx (stalk end) treated with fire but keeping its essence, applied to angular cheilitis and scabies, leads to recovery. Danxi stated: "Eggplant belongs to Earth, hence it is sweet." Using it to treat sores and toxins yields miraculous effects because sweetness moderates fire.

[Fern Bracken]
Sweet in taste, cold in qi. Slippery and lubricating in nature. Non-toxic. Grows abundantly in deep valleys and is present everywhere. Named "Jue" (bracken) resembling a foot stumbling. Harvested in the third lunar month, edible as vegetables. Cold nature removes sudden heat; sweet taste benefits urination. Qi stagnation in meridians is quickly dispersed; toxins spreading to sinews and bones are easily removed. However, it damages yang function, causes hair loss, and leads to flaccidity of legs and knees and blurred vision. Do not overconsume; it is not a beneficial food. Roots dug up and made into powder can substitute for grain, avoiding hunger cries, though it does not promote flesh growth. Flowers stored for many years can treat rectal prolapse; when ground fine and applied externally, they immediately astringe and retract. *Wei* (fern shoots) are slightly larger than bracken. Taste is slightly bitter with prickles. They also moisten the large intestine and harmonize the middle jiao, especially eliminating edema and promoting diuresis. Boyi and Shuqi harvested them daily; long-term consumption prevented hunger. King Wu admonished them. They died refusing to eat [the grain of Zhou].
(Mo) Commentary: *Sou Shen Ji* records: When Xi Jian garrisoned Dantu, he went hunting in February. A soldier broke a fern shoot and ate it, feeling a vague discomfort leading to illness. Later, he vomited a small snake, which hung before the house and gradually dried into a fern-like shape, clarifying that this item should not be eaten raw. Nowadays, people in mountainous areas often use it as a vegetable or pickle it in vinegar; one must not fail to heed this warning.