铁受太阳之气。始生之初。卤石产焉。百五十年而成磁石。二百年孕而成铁。（取磁石
碎之。内有铁片可验。）又二百年。不经采炼而成铜。铜复化为白金。白金化为黄金。是铁
与金银。同一根源也。（土宿本草） 铁禀太阳之气。而阴气不交。故燥而不洁。性与锡相
得
此乃钢铁飞炼而成者。今人多取杂铁作屑飞之。其体重真钢者不尔也。（恭）
味咸。气平。主治镇心化痰。抑肝邪。特异。惊痫发热。铁粉水调少许服之。急惊涎潮。
壮热闷乱。铁粉二钱。朱砂一钱。为末。每服一字。薄荷汤调下。
此作针家磨 细末也。须真钢砂乃堪用。人多以柔铁砂杂和之。（柔铁即热铁）飞为粉
。人莫能辨。亦堪染皂。气味主治。功同铁粉。消积聚肿满黄胆。平肝气。散瘿。入丹溪小
温中丸。治胀满。此属脾虚不能运化。不可下之。肿胀药制法。用滴醋煮半日。去铁针。取
醋和蒸饼为丸。每姜汤服三四十丸。以效为度。亦只借铁气耳。（永类方）水肿尿少。针砂
醋煮炒干猪苓生地龙各三钱。为末。葱涎研和敷脐中。约浓寸许。缚之。待小便多为度。日
二易之。入甘遂更妙。泄泻无度。诸药不效。方同上。不用甘遂。二治须详。使水化又使水
止。俱用此一方。并次方不用甘遂。其义谓何。则可以知针砂之所主矣。脾劳黄病。针砂四
两。醋炒七次。干漆烧存性二钱。香附三钱。平胃散五钱。为末。蒸饼丸梧子大。任汤使下。
项下气瘿。针砂入水缸中浸之。饮食皆用此水。十
〔论〕 铁禀太阳之气。而阴气不交。故治水肿较诸药为胜。即胀满而不属于水者。亦
须之。以脾气不运而胀。多因于阴中无阳而湿不化也。针砂燥阴而化湿。正缘纯禀太阳之气。
而不与阴气交。所以食盐则犯其所忌。而病反增剧耳。凡去肿药用针砂及铁蛾入丸子者。一
生须断盐。盖盐性濡润。肿若再作。不可为矣。（仲南）
〔修事〕 煎汁服之。不留滞于脏腑。但借铁虎之气以制肝木。使不能克脾土。土不受
邪。则水自消矣。（日华子）凡铁精铁粉铁华粉针砂铁浆。入药皆同此意。（又）
铁华粉 此铁之精华。制法取钢 作叶。如笏或团。平面磨错。令光净。以盐水洒之。
于醋 中阴处埋之。百日。铁上衣生。即成粉矣。刮取细捣筛。入乳钵研如面。和合诸药为
丸散。（志）
气味咸平。功用强于铁粉。止惊悸虚痫。镇五脏。去邪气。
Iron receives the Qi of Taiyang (Greater Yang). At its initial generation, halite (salt rock) is produced. After one hundred and fifty years, it forms magnetite (Cishi, Magnetitum). After another two hundred years, it is conceived and becomes iron. (Take magnetite, crush it; iron flakes inside can verify this.) Another two hundred years later, without mining or smelting, it becomes copper. Copper transforms into white metal (silver), and white metal transforms into gold. Thus, iron and gold/silver share the same origin. (From *Tuxiu Bencao*)
Iron inherits the Qi of Taiyang, but Yin Qi does not interact with it; therefore, it is dry and unclean. Its nature harmonizes with tin.
This refers to steel that has been refined by flying (calcination). Nowadays, people often take mixed iron, make it into filings, and refine it by flying. Those with true weight and genuine steel are not like this. (Zhen Quan)
Salty in taste. Neutral in nature. It governs calming the Heart, resolving phlegm, and suppressing Liver pathogenic factors, with unique efficacy. For convulsive epilepsy with fever, mix a small amount of Ferrum Pulveratum (Iron Powder) with water and ingest. For acute convulsions with rising phlegm-saliva, severe fever, and confusion, use two qian of Ferrum Pulveratum (Iron Powder) and one qian of Cinnabaris (Zhusha, Cinabaritum), grind into powder. Take one zi dose each time, mixed with Mint Decoction (Bohe Tang).
This refers to fine powder ground by needle-makers. True steel sand must be used. People often mix soft iron sand with it. (Soft iron is hot iron.) Flying it into powder, people cannot distinguish it; it can also be used for dyeing soap. Its flavor, nature, and therapeutic indications are the same as Ferrum Pulveratum (Iron Powder). It eliminates accumulations, distension, fullness, and jaundice. It levels Liver Qi and dissipates goiter. It can be incorporated into Danxi Xiaowenzhong Wan to treat distension and fullness. This belongs to Spleen deficiency failing to transport and transform; purgatives should not be used. The preparation method for swelling medicines: boil with dripping vinegar for half a day, remove iron needles, take the vinegar, mix with steamed dough balls to form pills. Take thirty to forty pills each time with Ginger Decoction, until effective. It merely borrows the Qi of iron. (From *Yonglei Fang*)
For edema with oliguria, use Zhen Sha (Needle Sand) boiled in vinegar and stir-fried until dry, combined with Polyporus (Zuling), Rehmannia Root (Shengdi), and Pheretima (Dilong), three qian each. Grind into powder. Mix with scallion juice and apply to the umbilicus, about one cun thick, and bind. Wait until urine output increases significantly. Change twice daily. Adding Kansui (Gansui) is even better. For profuse diarrhea where all other medicines fail, use the same prescription above, but do not use Gansui. Both conditions require detailed differentiation: one aims to resolve water, the other to stop water loss, yet both use this single formula, and the second formula omits Gansui. What is the rationale? From this, one can understand the primary indications of Needle Sand.
For Spleen fatigue jaundice, use four liang of Needle Sand, stir-fried seven times in vinegar; two qian of Dry Lacquer (Ganqi) burned to retain its properties; three qian of Cyperi Rhizoma (Xiangfu); five qian of Pingwei San. Grind into powder, form pills the size of wu-tzu seeds using steamed dough, and administer with any decoction.
For neck goiter caused by Qi stagnation, soak Needle Sand in a water vat; drink and eat using only this water.
[Discussion] Iron inherits the Qi of Taiyang, and Yin Qi does not interact with it; therefore, it is superior to other herbs in treating edema. Even if distension is not caused by water-dampness, it is still required. Because distension due to Spleen Qi stagnation often stems from a lack of Yang within Yin, leading to failure to transform dampness. Needle Sand dries Yin and transforms dampness precisely because it purely inherits Taiyang Qi and does not interact with Yin Qi. Therefore, table salt violates its taboos and aggravates the disease. Whenever Needle Sand or Iron Moths are used in pills to reduce swelling, salt must be strictly avoided for life. Since salt is moistening and lubricating, if edema recurs, it will be incurable. (Chen Cangqi)
[Processing] Decocting and drinking the juice prevents stagnation in the Zang-Fu organs. It merely utilizes the Qi of "Iron Tiger" to control Liver Wood, preventing it from overacting on Spleen Earth. If Spleen Earth is not attacked by pathogens, water will naturally dissipate. (Ri Hua Zi) All preparations including Iron Essence, Iron Powder, Iron Flower Powder, Needle Sand, and Iron Slurry share this principle when used medicinally. (Again)
Iron Flower Powder (Tiehua Fen) This is the essence of iron. Preparation method: Take steel filings shaped like leaves, tablets, or balls. Grind the flat surface until smooth and clean. Sprinkle with salt water, bury in an earthenware jar with vinegar in a shady place for one hundred days. An oxide layer grows on the iron, forming powder. Scrape off, finely grind, sieve, and pulverize in a mortar until flour-like. Mix with other herbs to form pills or powders. (Li Xun)
Salty and neutral in nature. Its efficacy is stronger than Iron Powder. It stops palpitations and vacuity-type epilepsy. It calms the Five Viscera and expels pathogenic factors.