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[Plantago Seed / Cheqianzi]
This herb prefers to grow by the roadside, hence its name. By the fifth lunar month, the plant has aged; it is suitable to harvest on the Dragon Boat Festival (Duanwu), and dried in the shade.
The taste is slightly salty with a sweet aftertaste, and the nature is cold. It is an essential medicine for the Liver, Kidney, and Bladder meridians. It mainly treats Qi stagnation causing urinary difficulty and pain. (i.e., promoting urination to relieve dribbling and painful dysuria). It promotes the flow of water passages.
Expels damp-heat. Stops acute diarrhea caused by summerheat-dampness. (By promoting urination to separate the clear from the turbid). It benefits urination without depleting essence and qi, having the same efficacy as Poria (Fuling). (Quote from Li Gao/Haoguo).
Cheqianzi guides the growth of Liver qi, strengthens yang to generate life, opens the water orifices while consolidating essence.
Combined with Poria (Fuling) and Acanthopanacis Senticosi Cortex (Wujiapi), it treats Bi syndrome due to dampness.
With Atractylodis Rhizoma (Baizhu) as the sovereign drug, combined with Rehmanniae Radix (Shengdi), Achyranthis Bidentatae Radix (Niuxi), Asparagi Radix (Tiantong), Ophiopogonis Radix (Maidong), Phellodendri Cortex (Huangbai), Schisandrae Fructus (Wuweizi), Corni Fructus (Shanzhuyu), Myrobalan (Meishizi), Astragali Radix (Renshen), Ophiopogonis Radix (Maidong), Achyranthis Bidentatae Radix (Niuxi), Paeoniae Radix Alba (Baishao), Forsythiae Fructum (Lianqiao), Coptidis Rhizoma (Huanglian), Bupleuri Radix (Chaihu), and Glycyrrhizae Radix et Rhizoma (Sheng Gancao), it treats sudden onset red eyes.
Take twice daily. For bloody strangury (Xuelin) with pain, take five he of Cheqianzi, wrapped in cotton cloth, boiled to extract juice, and consumed.

[Discussion]
The taste of Cheqianzi begins slightly salty and becomes sweet, similar to Alismatis Rhizoma (Zexie), but its sweetness is inferior to that of Zexie. Some say it promotes water metabolism without depleting true qi.
Cheqianxi moves towards the lower orifices. For diseases caused by internal injury and fatigue, where yang qi sinks downward, it should not be used. Those with Kidney qi deficiency and collapse should avoid using it together with diuretic and leaching herbs. (Quote from Chen Shigong/Zhongchun).

[Preparation]
Wash with water to remove sand and dirt, then sun-dry. Decoct for liquid preparations; use after stir-frying. For pills and powders, soak in wine overnight, steam, pound into cakes, and sun-dry.
The leaves of Plantago are sweet and slippery, most beneficial for urination, but they drain essence and qi; they do not belong to the seed category. They treat epistaxis and lower bleeding, acting as an astringent through purgation.
It bears fruit in autumn, forming internal chambers. Harvest the pods in August. There are two types: one resembles unopened seeds of Toona sinensis, with small, hard, intact shells, no calyx, splitting open when cut, with a very fragrant aroma. The dried fruits fall off when shaken and do not adhere to the stem. The other type resembles a lotus bud, with soft shells held by an external calyx, no splitting veins, and no fragrance. Even when dried for a long time, they remain attached to the stem. This type is extremely common in low-lying damp areas of Jiangnan. The type resembling Toona sinensis...

[Forsythia Fruit / Lianqiao]
The taste is bitter, the nature is neutral, and the temperature is cool. The flavor and qi are both thin, light, clear, and floating, ascending and yang. It is also slight yang within yin, entering the Hand-Shaoyang and Foot-Shaoyang meridians.
It treats gu poison, benefiting the spirit of the twelve meridians. When treating blood-level disorders, combine with Bupleuri Radix (Chaihu); when treating qi-level disorders, use Forsythiae Fructum (Lianqiao) alone.
The solitary stem is reddish. It is the principal medicine for the qi level of the Shaoyin Heart and Jueyin Pericardium, and also treats Hand-Foot Shaoyang disorders.
Scrofula and other nodular formations arise from salty flavors. Lianqiao resembles the shape of falling easily yet dispersing itself, not scattering the qi of accumulation.
Its efficacy is equal to that of Prunellae Spica (Xiakucao), but Xiakucao tends to address the root (cold nature), whereas Lianqiao possesses a balanced flavor and qi. Thus, externally it dissipates skin and interstices, and internally it focuses on clearing heat in the five zang organs. Regarding resolving knots and following the heart, the principle is the same.
Possessing the nature of Metal and Water, its taste is bitter and neutral; neutral should be interpreted as pungent. It mainly treats scrofula, goiter, nodules, and heat, all belonging to the Shaoyang meridian.
Lianqiao is flat and cool, effectively clearing Gallbladder heat; its fragrance resolves stagnant qi, so its use is invariably curative. (Quote from Chen Shigong/Zhongchun).
For bitter taste in the mouth due to stagnant heat in the Gallbladder meridian, it is highly effective when used with Bupleuri Radix (Chaihu).
For swollen and painful hemorrhoids, decoct Lianqiao in water for fumigation and washing, then apply green alum (Lvfan) scraped from a knife mixed with Moschus (Shexiang) as a patch.

[Discussion]
Lianqiao tastes slightly bitter and has a cool qi. It obtains the qi of autumnal harvesting to complete its maturation; thus, its fruit can disperse blood clots and qi accumulations. This is because when its pod is split, it separates in the middle...
(Note: The original text logic is fragmented here, translated according to literal meaning)
Lianqiao is light, clear, and floats upward, originating from the nature of Metal and Water.
Some erroneously attempt to use collecting qi as dispersing qi (considering its qi as ascending and yang).
In Baohe Wan, is it intended to disperse accumulations? Or is there another use?
In treating blood disorders, Lianqiao acts as an intermediary messenger. However, this substance is bitter and drying; excessive use in deficiency patterns often leads to critical distress. It is suitable only for excess patterns. (Quote from Zhu Zhenheng/Danxi).
Do not take after abscesses have ulcerated.

[Preparation]
Those that are black and closed-mouthed are of good quality. Remove the pedicel and roots, then grind.
The root of Forsythia (i.e., Lianyao) tastes sweet and neutral, has a cold nature, and is slightly toxic. It descends heat qi, nourishes yin essence, and treats yellowing syndrome caused by stagnant heat in the interior from Cold Damage (Shanghan).