（净拣择了蒸从午至酉出晒干于木臼中舂令皮上刺尽用酒拌再蒸从午至酉出晒干用一法
炒研去刺为末如入煎药临时调服不入汤煎 乌头为之使）
（绿色形如腰子细而香如天池茶者真即同州多伪者或炒或酒浆拌蒸亦不入汤药）
（软如绵直而细中有菊心味甘者良补气药中蜜炙用疮疡药中盐水炒用俱去皮 茯苓为之
使恶白藓龟甲）
（肥大者良用清酒浸一宿至明以棕刷上去沙土浮甲尽劈破中心去白膜一重如竹丝草样是
此偏隔人心前气不散令人上气不出凡使用先须酒浸并刷草了却蒸从午至酉出又用酥炙得所
忌铁）
（实而润头节坚者良去芦并叉头叉尾者形弯者令人吐勿用 畏萆 恶干姜藜芦白蔹芫
花）
（自采者真勿用松黄并黄蒿其二件全似只是味粗及吐人凡欲使蒲黄须隔三重纸焙令色黄
蒸半日却焙令干用之妙行血生用止血炒用）
（皱皮黄色折之烟尘起者良用酒浸一伏时捶碎去筋焙干用 地黄为之使 恶雷丸）
（枯黑如漆味不苦酸者真细锉拌生甘草相对蒸从巳至申去甘草拣净用 连翘为之使）
（一名过冬青即荔枝草吴人又呼为天麻地菘擂汁服 垣衣地黄为之使）
（去芦卖家多染色须辨之 畏盐水）
(Boiling into juice for drinking or grinding into powder for making granules are both acceptable. Jingzi (Vitex fruit) and Yiyiren (Coix seed) act as guiding herbs.)
(Solid, heavy blocks with white color are of good quality. Baizhi (Angelicae Dahuricae Radix) acts as a guiding herb; it is inhibited by Huanglian (Coptidis Rhizoma) and can stabilize Fuhuang (Realgar).)
(Clean and select thoroughly, steam from Wushi (11:00-13:00) to Youshi (17:00-19:00), take out and sun-dry, then pound in a wooden mortar until all thorns on the skin are removed. Mix with wine, steam again from Wushi to Youshi, take out and sun-dry. Alternatively, stir-fry, grind, remove thorns, and make into powder; if used in decoction, mix temporarily before taking, do not decoct together. Wutou (Aconiti Lateralis Radix Praeparata) acts as a guiding herb.)
(Green in color, kidney-shaped, fine and fragrant like Tianchi tea indicates authenticity. Many counterfeits exist in certain regions; some are stir-fried or steamed with wine/vinegar mixture and are not used in decoctions.)
(Soft as cotton, straight and thin stems with a chrysanthemum-like center and sweet taste indicate superior quality. Honey-roasted when used in Qi-tonifying formulas; salt-water stir-fried when used in sores-and-ulcers formulas. Skin must be removed. Poria acts as a guiding herb; it is incompatible with Baixianpi (Dictamni Cortex) and Gujia (Testudinis Carapax et Plastrum).)
(Plump and large indicate superior quality. Soak in clear wine overnight until dawn, scrub off sand and floating shell with a palm brush, split open, and remove the inner white membrane resembling bamboo fibers. This process prevents stagnation of Qi in the precordial region which causes dyspnea. Before use, wine-soaking and brushing are required, followed by steaming from Wushi to Youshi, then processed with butter/su appropriately. Avoid iron tools.)
(Full, moist fruits with firm nodes at the head are superior. Remove the rhizome base (Lu) and forked tips/tails; curved ones induce vomiting and should not be used. Inhibited by Bibi (Dioscoreae Hypoglaucae Rhizoma); incompatible with Ganjiang (Zingiberis Rhizoma), Lilü (Veratrum nigrum), Bailian (Ampelopsis Radix), and Yuanhua (Kadsurae Flos).)
(Self-harvested material is authentic. Do not use Songhuang (Pinus pollen) and Huanghao (Artemisia annua), which look identical but have coarse taste and induce vomiting. To prepare Puhuang (Lygodii Spora), bake between three layers of paper until yellow, steam for half a day, then dry. Key usage: raw for promoting blood circulation, stir-fried for stopping bleeding.)
(Wrinkled yellow skin that produces dust upon breaking indicates superior quality. Soak in wine for one fushi (approx. 2 hours), crush, remove tendons, and bake dry. Dihuang (Rehmanniae Radix) acts as a guiding herb; incompatible with Leiwan (Omphalia Lapidea).)
(Dark black like lacquer, without bitter or sour taste indicates authenticity. Finely chopped and steamed with raw Gancao (Glycyrrhizae Radix et Rhizoma) from Sishi (09:00-11:00) to Shenshi (15:00-17:00), then remove Gancao and clean. Lianqiao (Forsythiae Fructus) acts as a guiding herb.)
(Also known as Dongqing, i.e., Lizhicao (Plantago asiatica). People in Wu region call it Tiantadi Song; taken as pounded juice. Yuanyi (Moss) and Dihuang (Rehmanniae Radix) act as guiding herbs.)
(Stir-fry and grind. Shishi (Achilleae Millefolii Fructus) acts as a guiding herb; incompatible with Damaizi (Cannabis Fructus).)
(Remove the rhizome base; sellers often dye them, so discrimination is necessary. Inhibited by salt water.)