Library

This is *Paris polyphylla* var. *chinensis* (Jin Xian Chong Lou), bitter, slightly cold, and toxic. It can neutralize Realgar (Xiong Huang), Cinnabar (Dan Sha), Borax (Peng Sha), and salt.

Bitter, neutral, and toxic. Harvest the roots, soak them in rice washing water overnight, drain, boil with bamboo leaves, sun-dry, and use.

Acrid, sweet, and neutral. Wash away sand and mud with warm water, soak in wine for one or two nights, steam, dry, bake until dry, grind into powder; processing with wine is beneficial. (*Dioscorea* / Shu Yu) and pine branches are incompatible with fungi.

Sour, sweet, acrid, bitter, and salty, warm. For tonifying prescriptions, steam with honey until cooked, then soak in rice washing water, bake dry, and use. For cough remedies, use raw, including the medicinal material itself. There is a distinction between southern and northern varieties; those from the south are dry and shriveled, while those from the north are moist. *Cistanche* (Cong Rong) serves as an assistant herb; it is incompatible with *Asparagus cochinchinensis* (Weirui) and can overcome the toxicity of *Aconitum carmichaelii* (Wutou). *Schisandra chinensis* (Wuweizi) sourced from Korea is superior.

Sweet, acrid, and slightly hot. Wash clean with water, remove the skin and stem ends, soak in wine overnight, steam, bake, and use.

Sweet, warm. Remove the shell and use the white kernel; those that are oily and black are unsuitable.
Li Zhongli stated: Remove the shell and use the kernel, but kernels are extremely difficult to obtain; modern physicians sometimes use the shell together with the kernel.

Sweet, warm, and slightly toxic. The shape is flat and large, resembling a Go stone. Remove the shell and use the kernel, or use after removing the oil. Old ones have dark grey-black shells; those with yellow shells, green-skinned white kernels, and white flesh are best. Those with excessive oil or thin and shriveled kernels are unsuitable.

Bitter, slightly acrid, and cold. Remove leaves and vines, split open, remove the membranous layer, take the clean seeds, bake, and use. The root is Qing Mu Xiang (Aristolochia root).
*Aristolochia debilis* (Ma Dou Ling) produces vines and leaves in spring, resembling *Metaplexis japonica* (Luo Bo) but astringent, opening yellow-purple flowers, bearing fruit like a bell with four or five lobes. The root has a slight fragrance, hence it is called Qing Mu Xiang, and *Aristolochia* [seed/pod] is no longer harvested. The spikes grow, light yellow in color, with an aroma intense as musk. Nowadays, people prefer consuming it raw; gentlemen should be cautious and discerning!

Sweet, bitter, acrid, hot, and toxic. Wash with water to remove floating impurities, sun-dry, grind, and take the finest powder, discarding the bran. Some are half-raw and half-cooked. Black ones are named Hei Chou (Black Morning Glory Seed), and white ones are named Bai Chou (White Morning Glory Seed). The taste... [text missing/corrupt], works well with Qing Mu Xiang and Dried Ginger (Gan Jiang).

This is *Campsis grandiflora* (Ling Xiao Hua).
Sour, slightly cold. Both the flower and root enter medicine. The flower should not be approached closely; inhaling its scent harms the brain, and dew from the flower entering the eyes causes dizziness,