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Its branches are slender and weak, resembling vines. Hence the name.

The flavor is bitter and acrid, with a slightly cool nature. The qi is clear and light, and the taste is thin. It belongs to yin within yang, enters the Hand-Taiyang (Small Intestine) and Foot-Taiyang (Bladder) meridians. Its main indications include cooling the blood of various meridians, benefiting qi, brightening the eyes, unblocking joints and orifices. It treats cold-heat in muscles and bones, wind-damp bi syndrome causing spasms and contractures. It searches out liver wind, disperses wind pathogens, treats Taiyang wind headache, heavy and dull head sensation, eliminates visual dimness, stops pain inside the eyeballs, and stops tearing. Medical texts indicate its use for vertigo and convulsions (Chi Zhong). Stiffness and pain in the neck and nape, lower back pain with cramping and obstruction, Xing Bi (Wandering Bi), Zhuo Bi (Fixed Bi), as well as diseases of the nose, ears, and teeth. Man Jing Zi is born bearing yang qi and formed by acquiring metal qi. (Chen Shigong/Zhong Chun) Its qi is clear and flavor acrid; its substance is light and floating, moving upward and dispersing. Therefore, it mainly treats wind-deficiency syndromes of the head and face. (Li Shizhen/Bin Hu) Why does Man Jing Zi prioritize the treatment of the head and eyes? Because yang qi first reaches the exterior surface, and then enters the meridians. This is precisely what is meant by: only after the Wei Qi (Defensive Qi) is full and circulates thoroughly can the refined and specialized qi enter the vessels.

[Discussion] Man Jing Zi sprouts small leaves from old branches in spring, and becomes lush and flowers in summer. This is growing by inheriting the warm qi of spring and expanding by the hot qi of summer. It bears fruit in September, maturing due to the cool-descending qi of late autumn. Its taste is initially mostly bitter, followed by an acrid note, and further a slight coolness, which corresponds exactly to its qi transformation. Ancient sages said: If ascending from earth to heaven, without bitterness one cannot reach the earth, and without warmth one cannot reach heaven; thus, bitter-warm formulas are used. If descending from heaven to earth, without acridity one cannot connect to heaven, and without coolness one cannot reach the earth; thus, acrid-cool formulas are used. Coolness certainly belongs to the yin of heaven descending to earth. Man Jing Zi begins with bitter-warm and concludes with acrid-cool, starting with ascending to heaven and ending with descending to earth. Because there is warm ascent, there is cool descent; and because there is cool descent, the warm ascent is completed. (If yang lacks yin, yang cannot transform.) Li Dongyuan said: All yang qi is rooted in yin blood. If yin receives fire pathogenic factors, they will ascend to the yang sector, causing the Yang Dao (pathway of yang) to fail to function. This medicine, formed through cool descent, can cool the blood of various meridians, preventing fire pathogens from attacking the yang sector. Furthermore, yang obtains yin for transformation, allowing the Yang Dao to function. Elucidating these words of Li Dongyuan sufficiently clarifies the functions of this herb. The world merely regards it as acrid-warm and ascending-dispersive, promoting it as a wind-dispelling agent. Who knows that its subtlety lies in cool descent to achieve warm ascent, preventing the aberrant qi of yang from transforming into wind disasters? (Cooling the blood allows yang to have yin as its support, so the qi transformation of wind-wood naturally levels out. Thus, this herb specifically treats internal wind. In all medical texts using treatments for wind syndromes, one must recognize this principle.) One might ask: The *Shennong Bencao Jing* first mentions treating cold-heat, damp-bi, and spasms between muscles and bones. Is this due to cooling blood? Or due to qi? Although the fierce qi of water and grain enters the Wei level, it cannot enter the vessels directly. However, when Wei Qi is full and circulates, harmonizing the five zang organs and distributing to the six fu organs, it subsequently enters the vessels. Having full and circulating qi, there is refined and specialized qi entering the Ying (Nutritive) level. Originally, there are not two separate qi. Then, how can the aforementioned therapeutic effects be outside the scope of warm-ascent qi? Only if the warm-ascent qi lacks cool-descent, then yang has no yin, which is no different from the scripture's statement "when extreme yin deficiency occurs, the weather of heaven is cut off." Only this herb, possessing warm-ascent qi but returning to cool-descent, has the mechanism of yin descending and yang following in transformation. Thus, it enables yang to enter yin, allowing Ying Qi to penetrate and irrigate, thereby benefiting muscles and bones, making bi syndromes unblocked and spasms extended. The ancient saying "if the mechanism of Ying does not move, Wei Qi does not distribute" can be referenced mutually. (For example, Fuhu Dan treating paralysis, Zhengji Huangu Dan treating hemiplegia, Fushen Tang treating Heart Bi, Xiaowuxi Tang treating Xing Bi, Shenxiao Huangqi Tang, Man Jingzi Tang, and Kushen Tang treating Zhuo Bi—is there any case where their efficacy is not achieved through the combination of Ying and Wei? Referencing Kushen Tang again, it treats muscle insensibility due to Ying deficiency and Wei excess. It can be known that the use of this herb is reaching yang through yin, and penetrating yin through yang.) Furthermore, Zhang Jiegu stated it cools the blood of various meridians and that its qi is clear. The *Mingyi Bielu* states it benefits qi. Generally, the wonders of cooling blood and benefiting qi hinge on clearing the qi. Because its qi is clear, yang obtains yin for transformation. What Li Dongyuan called "the Yang Dao functioning" is precisely this benefit of qi. Therefore, for headaches due to qi deficiency, Zhuo Bi due to qi deficiency, and chest oppression due to qi deficiency, it is routinely used among tonifying qi agents. One should not fail to perceive the subtle meaning that its clear qi constitutes a benefit to qi. As for its ability to transform the aberrant qi of yang: for those with deficient qi desiring tonification, it clears the qi to facilitate it; for those with aberrant qi desiring dispersion, it clears the qi to resolve it. In summary, it benefits all aspects of qi. (Observing the syndrome of convulsions, Niuhuang San treats its deficiency, while Weifeng Tang and Duohuo San treat its excess, this is visible.) Then, which meridian does this herb enter first to combine with cooling blood and achieve the effect of benefiting qi? The answer is: When the Hand-Taiyang Small Intestine meridian is affected by pathogens, Man Jing Zi removes them. This explanation is most appropriate. The Heart is the master of fire, and qi is the spirit of fire. The Small Intestine is internally-externally related to it. The Heart does not directly manage qi transformation, but the Small Intestine exercises the authority of qi transformation on behalf of the Heart. Moreover, the Heart governs blood, and the Small Intestine is the palace where blood is transformed. This is what Li Dongyuan referred to as "all yang qi is rooted in yin blood." Furthermore, the Small Intestine meridian converges with all yang meridians at the Du Mai above, and converges with all yang meridians at the Ren Mai below. Its upper reception of transformations from all yang is actually rooted below in the steaming of true yin. The so-called pathogens of the Small Intestine are diseases of unclear qi transformation. Removing the pathogens of the Small Intestine is none other than cooling the blood to make the qi clear, and making the qi clear to benefit the qi. When Zhang Jiegu said it enters the Taiyang meridian, he indeed encompassed both the Hand and Foot Taiyang meridians.

[Processing] Remove the membrane and crush before use.