气寒，味甘。无毒。
《本草》云∶主五脏六腑寒热羸瘦，五癃，利小便。疗妇人乳难内闭。久服，坚筋骨，
长肌肉，轻身。
《衍义》云∶性滑利，不益人。患痈疖，毒热内攻，未出脓者，水吞三五粒，遂作窍，
脓出。
冷，阴中之阳。
《珍》云∶赤者，治赤带；白者，治白带；赤治血燥，白治气燥。
《液》云∶仲景治坠马，及一切筋骨损方中用。《时习》补入。
气微寒，味甘、苦。甘平。无毒。
入手太阴经、少阴经。
《液》云∶主益气，止烦、止渴、止泄。与熟鸡头相合，作粥食之，可以益精强志，耳
目聪明。本草诸家共言益脾胃，如何白虎汤用之入肺？以其阳明为胃之经，色为西方之白，
故入肺也。然治阳明之经，即在胃也。色白，味甘寒，入手太阴。又少阴证桃花汤用此，甘
以补正气；竹叶石膏汤用此，甘以益不足。
《衍义》云∶平和五脏，补益胃气，其功莫逮。然稍生，则复不益脾；过熟，则佳。
气温，味辛、甘、酸，阴中之阳。无毒。
《本草》云∶主下水，排脓，寒热热中消渴。止泄，利小便，吐逆卒 ，下胀满。又治
水肿，通健脾胃。赤小豆，食之行小便，久食则虚人，令人黑瘦枯燥。赤小豆花，治宿酒渴
病，即腐婢也。花有腐气，故以名之。与葛花末，服方寸匕，饮酒不知醉。气味平辛。大豆
黄卷，是以生豆为 ，待其芽出，便曝干用。方书名黄卷皮，产妇药中用之。性平。
Qi is cold, taste is sweet. Non-toxic.
Bencao states: It treats cold and heat conditions of the five zang and six fu organs, emaciation and weakness, five types of strangury (dysuria with pain), and promotes urination. It treats women's difficulty in lactation and internal blockage of the breasts. Long-term consumption strengthens sinews and bones, increases muscle mass, and lightens the body.
Yanyi states: The nature is slippery and unctuous, not beneficial to people. For those suffering from carbuncles, sores, and boils where toxic heat attacks internally and pus has not yet emerged, swallowing three or five grains with water will open the orifices, allowing pus to discharge.
Cold, yang within yin.
Zhen states: Red ones treat red leukorrhea; white ones treat white leukorrhea; red ones treat blood dryness, white ones treat qi dryness.
Taste is pungent, slightly warm.
Bencao states: It treats abdominal pain, vomiting, and diarrhea caused by cholera-like disease (huoluan), and dissipates edema.
Ye states: Zhang Zhongjing used it in formulas for treating injuries from falling off horses and all kinds of bone and tendon damage. Shixi supplemented this entry.
Qi is slightly cold, taste is sweet and bitter. Sweet and neutral. Non-toxic.
Enters the Hand Taiyin Lung Meridian and Hand Shaoyin Heart Meridian.
Ye states: It tonifies qi, stops vexation, stops thirst, and stops diarrhea. When combined with cooked Euryale Seed (Jitouzi) and eaten as porridge, it can benefit essence, strengthen willpower, and improve hearing and vision. Various Bencao authorities claim it benefits the spleen and stomach. Why does Baihu Tang use it to enter the lung? Because Yangming is the meridian of the stomach, its color is white corresponding to the west, thus it enters the lung. However, treating the Yangming meridian is essentially treating the stomach. White in color, sweet and cold in taste, it enters the Hand Taiyin. Additionally, in Shaoyin syndrome Taohua Tang, its sweetness tonifies righteous qi; in Zhuye Shigao Tang, its sweetness supplements insufficiency.
Yanyi states: It harmonizes the five zang organs and tonifies stomach qi, with unmatched efficacy. However, if slightly raw, it fails to benefit the spleen; thoroughly cooked is best.
Qi is warm, taste is pungent, sweet, and sour, yang within yin. Non-toxic.
Bencao states: It promotes water metabolism, expels pus, and treats chills and fever, middle-jiao xiaoke (wasting-thirst). It stops diarrhea, promotes urination, and treats vomiting, sudden distension and fullness. It also treats edema and unblocks and strengthens the spleen and stomach. Chi Xiaodou (Adzuki Bean), when consumed, promotes urination; long-term consumption causes deficiency in the person, making them dark, thin, and dry. Chi Xiaodou Hua (Adzuki Bean Flower) treats hangover thirst, which is Fubi. The flower has a putrid smell, hence the name. Taken together with Ge Hua (Kudzu Flower) powder, one square inch spoonful, prevents drunkenness after drinking alcohol. Qi and taste are neutral and pungent. Da Dou Huang Juan (Soybean Sprout), made by soaking raw beans until they sprout, then drying them in the sun for use. Fangshu names it Huangjuan Pi, used in medicines for postpartum women. Nature is neutral.