入药亦稀,苗又谓之人苋,人多食之。茎高而叶红黄二色者,谓之红人苋,可淹菜用
。
四方皆有,在北道则冬方凋毙,生南方则冬夏常青。此《月令》小满节后,所谓苦菜
秀者是此。叶如苦苣更狭,其绿色差淡,折之白乳汁出,常常点瘊子,自落。味苦,花与野
菊相似,春、夏、秋皆旋开花。去中热,安心神。
今菜中惟此自初生便堪生啖,四方皆有。多食昏人眼,蛇亦畏之。虫入耳,以汁滴耳
中,虫出。诸虫不敢食其叶。以其心置耳中,留虫出路,虫亦出。有人自长立禁此一物不敢
食,至今目不昏。苦苣 捣汁,傅疔疮殊验。青苗阴干,以备冬月,为末,水调傅亦可。
芜菁、芦菔,二菜也。芦菔,即萝卜也。芜菁,今世俗谓之蔓菁。夏则枯。当
此之时,蔬圃中复种之,谓之鸡毛菜。食心,正在春时。诸菜之中,有益无损,于世有功。
采撷之余,收子为油。根,过食动气。河东太原所出极大,他处不及也。又出吐谷浑。后于
莱菔条中。《尔雅·释草》但名“芦菔,今谓之萝卜”是也。则芜菁条中,不合更言及芦菔
二字,显见重复。从《尔雅》为正。
即前条所谓芦菔,今人只谓之萝卜。河北甚多,登、莱亦好。服地黄、何首乌人食
之,则令人髭发白。世皆言草木中惟此下气速者,为其辛也。不然,如生姜、芥子又辛也,
何止能散而已。莱菔辛而又甘,故能散缓而又下气速也。散气用生姜,下气用莱菔。
Its use in medicine is also rare; its seedlings are also called *Renxian* (Amaranthus manihot), and many people consume them. Those with tall stems and leaves of two colors, red and yellow, are called *Hong Renxian* (Red Amaranth), which can be used for pickling.
It grows everywhere. In the northern regions, it withers and dies in winter, whereas in the south, it remains evergreen throughout winter and summer. This is what the *Yueling* (Monthly Ordinances) refers to as "Kucai xiu" (the flowering of bitter vegetables) after the Xiaoman solar term. Its leaves are narrower than those of *Kuju* (Sonchus oleraceus), with a slightly paler green color. When broken, white latex exudes. Frequently applying the juice to warts causes them to fall off naturally. It tastes bitter, its flowers resemble wild chrysanthemums, and it blooms successively during spring, summer, and autumn. It clears heat from the middle jiao (middle burner) and calms the spirit (Shen).
Among current vegetables, only this one is edible raw from the time of sprouting, and it is found everywhere. Consuming too much may cause visual blurring, and snakes fear it. If an insect enters the ear, dripping the juice into the ear canal allows the insect to exit. Various insects dare not eat its leaves. Placing its core in the ear creates an escape route for the insect, which will then exit. Some individuals have maintained a lifelong taboo against consuming this vegetable since childhood, and their vision has remained clear to this day. The juice extracted from *Kuju* applied externally is highly effective for treating carbuncles (Dingchuang). The green seedlings can be dried in the shade for winter use; when ground into powder and mixed with water for external application, it is also effective.
Wujing (Turnip) and Lufu (Radish) are two types of vegetables. Lufu is radish. Wujing is commonly known today as Manjing (Brassica rapa var. parachinensis). It withers in summer. At that time, it is replanted in vegetable gardens and called "Jimao cai" (Chicken Feather Vegetable). Its heart is consumed during spring. Among all vegetables, it offers benefits without harm and serves the world well. The remaining parts after harvesting are collected for oil extraction. The root, if overconsumed, disturbs Qi. The variety produced in Taiyuan, Hedong, is exceptionally large, surpassing those from other regions. It is also produced in Tuyuhun. Further details are provided in the entry for Laifu. The *Erya · Shicao* simply names it "Lufu, now called Luobo." Therefore, mentioning "Lufu" again in the Wujing entry is evidently redundant. We adhere to the *Erya* as the standard.
This refers to the Lufu mentioned in the previous entry, now solely called Luobo by people. It is abundant in Hebei, and varieties from Dengzhou and Laizhou are excellent. Individuals taking Rehmanniae Radix (Dihuang) or Polygoni Multiflori Radix (Heshouwu) should avoid eating it, as it may cause beard and hair to turn white. It is generally believed among herbs that only this plant descends Qi rapidly due to its acrid nature. Otherwise, ginger and mustard seeds are also acrid, yet they merely disperse. Luobo is both acrid and sweet, thus capable of both dispersing and rapidly descending Qi. Use ginger to disperse Qi, and use Luobo to descend Qi.