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It grows everywhere. In the fourth and fifth lunar months, it bears ochre-yellow flowers. In the sixth and seventh lunar months, it produces blackish-brown fruits. The fruits are pods resembling a string of beads. Those with an odd number of seeds are considered superior.

Fruit (commonly known as Huai Jiao / Sophora Fruit)
Sophora fruit should be distinguished into two parts. The fruit originates from within the pod; if the pod is pounded to make a decoction or extract, it should be referred to as "pod." The seeds inside the pod are bean-sized, hard, and purple in color; these are termed "fruit" (seeds). Their primary function is to dissipate wind-heat. (From *Bencao Yan Yi*)

The taste is bitter, sour, and salty; the nature is cold. The qi is light while the flavor is dense, making it purely yin. It enters the qi level of the Foot-Jueyin Liver Meridian and also connects with the Hand-Yangming Large Intestine Meridian and Hand-Yangming Stomach Meridian. Its main indications include moistening liver dryness and dissipating wind-heat. Long-term consumption benefits qi, brightens the eyes, and eliminates hot tears. It treats wind-heat causing restlessness and oppression in the head, brain, chest, and heart; dizziness due to wind threatening collapse; salivation resembling drunkenness; and a sensation of swaying as if on a boat or carriage. It also treats oral and dental wind disorders, cools the large intestine, and treats five types of hemorrhoids. Being bitter, cold, and purely yin, it is a crucial herb for cooling blood. Breaking off tender branch tips to brew as tea treats cephalalgia due to wind, brightens the eyes, and nourishes the brain. Soaking the seeds in ox bile during winter, drying them in the shade for one hundred days, and swallowing one seed after each meal can eventually brighten the eyes, enhance spiritual clarity, turn white hair black, and is especially suitable for those with hemorrhoids and lower gastrointestinal bleeding.

Flower
The taste is bitter; the color is yellow; the qi is cool. It is an herb entering the blood level of the Hand-Yangming, Foot-Yangming, and Foot-Jueyin meridians. It treats cooling the large intestine, managing intestinal wind with diarrhea and bleeding, bleeding and bloody dysentery associated with five types of hemorrhoids. It also treats metrorrhagia and leukorrhea (abnormal uterine bleeding). Furthermore, it treats sudden epigastric pain and kills ascariasis (roundworms) in the abdomen and viscera. For lower gastrointestinal bleeding, use equal parts of Sophora flower (*Sophorae Flos*) and Schizonepeta spike (*Schizonepetae Spica*), powder them, and take one qianbi (a small measure) with wine. Another prescription: use three qian of Coptis leaf (*Coptidis Folium* - note: text says Bai Ye/Celtis leaf usually, but context implies hemostatic herbs like Platycodi or similar, strictly translating 'Bai Ye' as Celtis Leaf or commonly interpreted as Hemlock Twig in some contexts, here literal 'Celtis Leaf') and six qian of Sophora flower, decoct in water, and take daily. Another method: use equal parts of Sophora flower and Aurantium fruit (*Aurantii Fructus*), stir-fry until carbonized but retaining efficacy, powder them, and take two qian with fresh well water. For unstoppable metrorrhagia, use three liang of Sophora flower and two liang of Scutellaria root (*Scutellariae Radix*), powder them. Take five qian per dose with one bowl of wine, into which a copper scale weight has been heated red-hot with mulberry wood fire and then immersed; mix and take. Observe dietary restrictions. For lower bleeding and metrorrhagia, use one liang of Sophora flower, five qian of Palm Fiber Ash (*Livistonae Fibra Cinis*), and one qian of salt. Decoct in three zhong of water until reduced by half, then take.

[Discussion]
Wind-dispersing agents are often drying to the blood, and blood-cooling flavors do not necessarily disperse wind. How can Sophora achieve both blood-cooling and wind-dispersing? Both the flower and fruit of Sophora excel in these functions. This is likely because its qi is cold and its taste is bitter, accompanied by sour and salty notes. Bitter and salty flavors enter the blood level. Moreover, guided by sourness and combined with coldness, it is indeed an agent that enters the liver to cool blood. However, Li Haogu considered it an herb for the qi level of the Liver Meridian; this interpretation warrants further study. The *Rites of Zhou* records taking firewood in four seasons, using Huai (Sophora) and Tan (Cedar) in winter. The *Huainanzi* states that old Sophora trees can generate fire. The *Tianyuan Zhu Wu Bu* mentions that old Sophora trees produce cinnabar. Thus, since both flower and fruit are described as purely yin, they utilize pure yin to accomplish the transformation of yang. Therefore, they cool blood heat and thereby dissipate wind-heat. Wind-Wood emerges from the earth, originally relying on yin to reach out to yang. Otherwise, how could the fruit of Sophora reach the very top of the head, nourish the brain, remove cephalalgia due to wind, and brighten the eyes? (The statement in *Mingyi Bielu* regarding benefiting qi is not incorrect.) However, this is primarily a correct agent for the Foot-Jueyin Liver Meridian. Why does it cool the large intestine? The answer lies in the combination of Yi (Liver Wood) and Geng (Lung/Large Intestine Metal); this is the primary domain of the Foot-Jueyin Liver Meridian. Comparing this herb with other blood-cooling substances reveals not only the Yi-Geng combination but also the interaction between Metal and Wood. Why? Yin qi generally does not reach the head; only the Jueyin meridian meets the Du Mai (Governing Vessel) at the vertex because it contains yang within yin. The Du Mai is the origin of yang qi, and the Lung is the master of yang qi. Wind acting as a pathogen is a rebellious form of yang qi. If blood is cooled and wind is still, the true yang within yin harmonizes with heavenly qi, thus nourishing the brain, removing cephalalgia due to wind, and brightening the eyes. Since Wood interacts upward with Metal, and the Lung and Large Intestine are exterior-interior pairs, the utility of the Yi-Geng combination becomes even more intimate. (In cases where wind stagnates in the Stomach causing Large Intestine disease, wind rising belongs to Yi Wood; its qi stagnates in the Stomach and cannot reach, so it returns to the Large Intestine to cause disease. Since Yi and Geng originally combine, and the Foot-Yangming Stomach and Large Intestine are vertically connected, wind disease involves blood disease. The stagnation of wind is the root, while blood dryness manifesting as disease is the branch. Pure cold agents are unsuitable here because the rising qi of wind is essentially primordial qi.) When Liver blood heat is severe, wind generates and invades the intestines and stomach; using this herb to counteract it shows that its benefits converge on the Yangming meridians, particularly emphasizing the Yi-Geng combination. Yangming represents Dryness-Metal. Dryness is the state where yin desires to reach out but cannot immediately do so. When wind returns to the intestines and stomach, it exacerbates dryness, particularly affecting the Large Intestine's function of governing fluids. (Whenever Wind-Wood fails to ascend, failing to interact with Metal, it inevitably overacts on Earth due to lack of destination. Wind disease leads to blood dryness, which then follows wind into the intestines and stomach to cause disease. The same applies when blood heat transforms into wind.) Severe cases involve dryness-heat combining with dampness, damaging the collaterals of yin and yang and causing blood extravasation. Only this herb, cooling blood through pure yin, can penetrate yin and calm dryness. Once dryness is calmed, yang can combine with yin to function, allowing the Metal season's contracting energy to proceed. This explains why it is effective for intestinal wind with bleeding. Thus, the flower's function lies in cooling various types of blood, with specific efficacy for lower bleeding. The fruit matures in autumn, seemingly acquiring Metal qi to excel in dissipating wind-heat. Because its bitterness is inferior to the flower, and its saltiness is slightly less, there is a slight difference in potency. (If there were no difference, why are both flower and fruit used in *Changfeng Heisan*?) Furthermore, the flower blooms in summer, yet cools blood more effectively. This is because, during the peak of yang's generative power, it acquires a purely yin nature and flavor, aligning with the principle that blood originates from water and is formed by fire. Additionally, its taste is bitter and neutral; neutrality implies pungency. Understanding these principles allows one to grasp its capabilities. Although used to cool blood, it is considered a qi-level agent because yang emerges from within yin. The Liver is the organ that transitions from yin to yang, being the first organ where yin qi emerges, and it governs the transformation of Wind-Wood. This tree bears fruit in the sixth and seventh months, when Earth and Metal qi are sequentially prosperous. It cools Liver blood and nourishes Liver qi, explaining why long-term consumption brightens the eyes and benefits qi.

Sophora is bitter and cold. It is unsuitable for diarrhea caused by deficiency-cold in the Spleen and Stomach, or for yin-deficiency with blood heat that is not excess-heat. Even if external symptoms appear similar, it should not be taken. (Xu Zhongchun)

[Preparation]
Sophora fruit is used after slight stir-frying. Harvest Sophora flowers before they bloom; aged ones are better. Pick clean, soak in wine, and slightly stir-fry. If used for stopping bleeding, specific preparation is required... [Text fragment].

Branches
The taste is bitter and neutral. Used for washing sores, hemorrhoidal nodes, and pruritus under the scrotum. Leachate from burning green branches applied to tinea. Black branches rubbed on teeth remove worms. Cut large branches in the eighth month; wait for tender leaves to grow, decoct in water to make wine, which is highly effective for treating severe wind-induced flaccidity and bi-syndrome. Moxibustion for hemorrhoids: decoct Sophora branches strongly, wash the hemorrhoid first, then apply moxibustion above it. Seven moxa cones, sufficient until effect is felt. There was once a patient riding a mule whose hemorrhoids became severe, shaped like a cucumber, with intense heat like fire. Upon reaching a relay station, he collapsed. Using this moxibustion method for three to seven cones, he suddenly felt a stream of heat enter his intestines, followed by severe diarrhea, passing blood first then feces. After the diarrhea, the "cucumber-shaped" hemorrhoid disappeared.

Gum (Resin)
The taste is bitter and cold. Treats all types of wind, resolves phlegm-fluids. Treats Liver wind causing tendon spasms, acute facial paralysis with locked jaw, limbs unable to move, stubborn bi-syndrome, toxic wind causing sensations of insects crawling over the body, or traumatic tetanus with deviation of the mouth and eye, and stiffness of the waist and back. Use in decoctions, powders, pills, or extracts, either alone or mixed with other herbs, as appropriate.