大小麦秋种冬长。春秀夏实。具四时之气。故为五谷贵。地暖处亦可春种。至夏
而四气不足。故有毒。(颂)麦性恶湿。久潦即多不熟。(濒湖)
味甘。气微寒。入手少阴太阳经。新麦性热。陈麦平和。(濒湖)
主养心气。止虚汗。心病宜食之。除客热烦渴咽燥。(作汤不许皮坼。坼则性温。不能
消热
烦止
白面
气味甘温。性壅热。(不能消热止烦)有微毒。(吞汉椒。食萝卜。能解。)小动风气。
陈麦面。水煮食之。无毒。主治养气补不足。久食实肤体。浓肠胃。水调服。治中暑。及止
鼻衄吐血。(诸本草)方书治痰饮喘吐利舌衄头痛心痛胃脘痛。东南卑湿。春雨多。麦受湿
气
窖
令人
补虚
寒以
凉。皆
入药尤良
代清阳之寒
〔麦面总论〕二麦发生于降收之候。值夏气蕃盛而即告成。是其育质受气。从少阴而归
至阴
一
之粗。而
非其应
之失守而
参之中暑一治可见。特西北产者滋益。而东南者阶厉耳。
凡人脾胃有湿热。及小儿食积疳胀。皆不宜服。夏月疟痢人。更忌之。(仲淳)
浮麦
取水淘浮起者。焙用。
味甘咸。气寒。益气除热。止自汗盗汗。骨蒸虚热。治妇人劳热。按浮麦全得寒性。故
能止汗
麦麸
与浮麦性同。而止汗之功次之。治行痹盗汗。和面作饼。(即曲也)消谷止痢。手足风
湿走气作痛。用酽醋拌麸皮。炒热。袋盛熨之。互易。至汗出良。寒湿香港脚。治同。产后虚
汗。小麦麸牡蛎等分。为末。以猪肉汁调服二钱。日二服。凡人身体疼痛。及疮疡肠烂沾渍
或小儿暑月出痘疮。溃烂不能着席卧者。并用夹褥盛麸缝合藉卧。性凉而软。诚妙法也。
麦粉
面洗筋后澄出者。俗名小粉。
味甘。气凉。醋熬成膏。消一切痈肿汤火伤。乌龙膏。治一切痈肿发背。无名肿毒。初
发热
摊纸上
尽而脱
大麦
气味咸温。微寒。主消渴。除热。宽胸下气。平胃化谷食。疗胀满止泻。不动风
燥热
糊。令
〔论〕大小麦虽种获同时。而小麦却后于大麦。是则大麦之不动风气。与无燥热。胜于
小麦
而能
当少
荞麦
味甘酸平。气微寒。降气宽肠。炼五脏滓秽。磨积滞。疗白浊白带。脾积泄泻。治痢疾
。用面二钱。沙糖水调。炒服。绞肠痧痛。炒焦荞面。热水冲服。食之难消。其有沉积在肠
胃者。反藉之消去。(颖)肚腹微微作痛。出即泻。泻亦不多。日夜数行者。用荞麦面一味。
作饮。连食三四次即愈。此可征其炼积滞之功。咳嗽上气。荞麦粉四两。茶末二钱。生蜜二
两。
鸡
以
〔论〕荞麦始终得金气之全。金合于火以生化。故叶绿而茎赤。(凡物之生莫不资于风
木之
霜者
之疾
脾胃虚寒人食之。则大脱元气而落须眉。(濒湖)
Triticum aestivum (Xiaomai, 小麦) and Triticum vulgare (Damai, 大麦) are sown in autumn, grow through winter, head in spring, and mature in summer. Possessing the Qi of all four seasons, they are esteemed among the five grains as precious. In warm regions, they may also be sown in spring, but by summer, the influence of the four seasonal Qi is insufficient, hence they are considered to possess slight toxicity. (Su Song) Wheat nature dislikes dampness; prolonged heavy rain leads to poor maturation. (Li Shizhen)
The taste is sweet, the Qi is slightly cold. It enters the Hand Shaoyin (Heart) and Hand Taiyang (Small Intestine) meridians. New wheat has a hot nature, while aged wheat is neutral and mild. (Li Shizhen)
It primarily nourishes Heart Qi, stops deficiency sweating, and is suitable for consumption by those with Heart disease. It eliminates exogenous heat, vexation, thirst, and dry throat. (When making decoctions, the bran should not split; if it splits, the nature becomes warm and cannot clear heat or stop vexation.)
Wheat flour (Baifan, 白面) has a sweet and warm taste/nature, and its property is cloying and generates heat. (It cannot clear heat or stop vexation.) It has slight toxicity. (Swimming Sichuan Pepper or eating radish can resolve the toxicity.) It tends to stir up Wind Qi.
Aged wheat flour boiled in water is non-toxic. It primarily tonifies Qi, supplements deficiencies, and long-term consumption makes the skin and body robust, thickening the intestines and stomach. Mixed with water and taken orally, it treats Heatstroke and stops epistaxis and hematemesis. (Various Materia Medica records). Medical formularies use it to treat Phlegm-Fluids, wheezing, vomiting, diarrhea, lingual bleeding, headache, heart pain, and epigastric pain. In the southeast, where the terrain is low and damp with abundant spring rain, wheat absorbs damp Qi. If stored improperly in cellars, its efficacy in tonifying deficiency is compromised, and it becomes cold and cool. In contrast, wheat from the northwest better tonifies Clear Yang Qi.
[General Discussion on Wheat Flour] Both wheats emerge during the time of harvest and complete their growth when Summer Qi is flourishing, indicating that their constitution and Qi reception follow the path from Shaoyin to Zhiyin. The coarser varieties do not conform to the proper timing and lose their integrity; this can be inferred from treatments for Heatstroke. Specifically, wheat from the northwest has superior nourishing effects, whereas that from the southeast is inferior.
Individuals with Damp-Heat in the Spleen and Stomach, and children with food stagnation leading to malnutrition and abdominal distension, should not consume it. Those suffering from malaria and dysentery in summer must strictly avoid it. (Chen Shigong)
Floating Wheat (Fumai, 浮麦) refers to wheat grains that float when washed in water, used after roasting.
The taste is sweet and salty, the Qi is cold. It tonifies Qi, clears heat, stops spontaneous sweating and night sweats, addresses bone-steaming deficiency heat, and treats consumptive fever in women. Note: Floating wheat retains the cold nature completely, thus it is effective in stopping sweating.
Wheat Bran (Maifu, 麦麸) shares the same nature as Floating Wheat but has a lesser effect in stopping sweating. It treats wandering Bi syndrome with night sweats. Made into cakes with flour, it aids digestion and stops dysentery. For painful migration of Wind-Dampness in the hands and feet, mix wheat bran with strong vinegar, roast until hot, place in a cloth bag, and apply as a compress to the affected area, alternating until sweating occurs. This method also treats Cold-Dampness podagra. For postpartum deficiency sweating, mix equal parts of wheat bran and Oyster Shell (Muli, 牡蛎), grind into powder, and take two qian mixed with pork juice, twice daily. For general body pain, ulcerative sores with oozing, or infants with summer pox that ulcerate and prevent lying on mats, sew the bran into padded mattresses for the patient to lie upon. Its cool and soft nature makes this an excellent method.
Wheat Starch (Maifen, 麦粉) is the sediment obtained after washing out gluten from wheat flour, commonly known as Xiaofen (Little Powder).
The taste is sweet, the Qi is cool. Boiled with vinegar into a paste, it resolves all types of carbuncles, swellings, and burns/scalds. Wulong Gao (Black Dragon Ointment) treats all carbuncles, back abscesses, and unnameable swellings/toxins. Applied on paper when initially heating... [text fragmentary] ...until pus drains and healing occurs.
Hordeum vulgare (Damai, 大麦)
The taste is salty and warm, slightly cold. It primarily treats polydipsia, clears heat, expands the chest and directs Qi downward, harmonizes the Stomach, aids grain digestion, treats abdominal fullness, and stops diarrhea without stirring Wind or generating Dryness-Heat.
[Discussion] Although large and small wheats are planted and harvested around the same time, small wheat matures later than large wheat. This indicates that large wheat's ability to avoid stirring Wind and generating Dryness-Heat surpasses that of small wheat, aligning more closely with... [text fragmentary].
Fagopyrum esculentum (Qiaomai, 荞麦)
The taste is sweet, sour, and neutral, the Qi is slightly cold. It descends Qi, widens the intestines, refines turbid residues of the Five Zang organs, grinds away stagnation, treats leukorrhea and cloudy urine, Spleen-stagnation diarrhea, and dysentery. Take two qian of buckwheat flour, mix with rock sugar water, roast, and ingest. For intestinal colic, roast buckwheat flour until charred, mix with hot water, and drink. Since it is difficult to digest, it helps eliminate deposits in the intestines and stomach. (Zhao Xuemin) For mild abdominal pain followed by frequent, scanty stools day and night, consume a beverage made solely of buckwheat flour three to four times consecutively to achieve recovery. This demonstrates its power to refine stagnation. For cough with rebellious Qi, take four liang of buckwheat flour, two qian of tea powder, and two liang of raw honey... [text fragmentary].
[Discussion] Buckwheat fully acquires the Qi of Metal. Metal combines with Fire to generate transformation, hence its leaves are green and stems red. (All living things rely on Wind-Wood Qi... frost-related diseases...) Individuals with Spleen-Stomach Deficiency-Cold who consume it will severely deplete Yuan Qi and suffer hair loss. (Li Shizhen)