苦辛咸平,入肺、大肠经。下气定喘,软坚化痰,为疏理风气、水湿专药。密绢包
人酌用。根∶能续筋。
苦辛温润,入肺而化气开结,理虚嗽,止血,为治血痰专药。阴虚肺热,不宜多用
用。亦可盐水或蜜水炒用。白者,名女菀,功用相近,但入气分为异。
性味辛温,入肺而润燥化痰,除烦止咳,为肺虚咳嗽专药。去梗用花,虚甚蜜炙。
苦酸性平,入足厥阴,少阴。炒用性温,益肝肾,强筋骨,能引诸药下行。生用利
散恶血。酒炒入肝,盐水炒入肾。川产,长于利湿;杜产,名天明精,一名地松,去
气陷便泄、精滑者并忌。
苦温纯阳,入肾命而主降治疝,壮元阳,祛冷湿,为肾虚腹中冷痛之专药。炒研用
虚火炎者忌。
味苦大辛,生温熟热。入三阴而祛寒理血,止痛调经,为暖子宫专药。灸火通十二
气,治寒湿痹痛。野艾∶但能灸火,不入汤剂。
性味甘温。烧灰,治血崩金疮。子∶散结,治乳痈。油∶辛热损目。有木、草二种。
性味甘凉,专去湿热,治赤白下利,带下崩中。子,治肠风。苗,涂疮痔。与青葙
类两种。
[Inula Flower] Bitter, pungent, and salty in flavor; neutral in nature. Enters the Lung and Large Intestine meridians. It directs Qi downward, calms wheezing, softens hardness, and resolves phlegm. It is a specific herb for dispersing Wind-Qi and dampness. When used, it should be wrapped in fine silk and administered according to the patient's condition. The root: can knit sinews.
[Polygala Root] Bitter and pungent, warm and moistening. Enters the Lung meridian to transform Qi, open stagnation, regulate deficiency coughs, and stop bleeding. It is a specific herb for treating blood-stained sputum. In cases of Yin deficiency with Lung heat, it should not be used excessively. It may also be stir-fried with salt water or honey water. The white variety is named *Nüwan* (Female Polygala), with similar functions but primarily acting on the Qi level, which distinguishes it from the previous one.
[Winter Bud Flower] Pungent and warm in nature. Enters the Lung meridian to moisten dryness and resolve phlegm, relieve irritability, and stop coughing. It is a specific herb for Lung deficiency coughs. Use only the flowers after removing the stems; if deficiency is severe, stir-fry with honey.
[Achyranthes Root] Bitter and sour, neutral in nature. Enters the Foot Jueyin Liver and Foot Shaoyin Kidney meridians. After stir-frying, it becomes warm, benefiting the Liver and Kidneys, strengthening bones and sinews, and guiding other herbs downward. Raw use promotes the dispersion of stagnant blood. Stir-fried with wine enters the Liver; stir-fried with salt water enters the Kidney. Those produced in Sichuan are better at promoting dampness drainage; those from Du region are named *Tianming Jing* or *Disong*. Contraindicated in cases of Qi sinking with diarrhea or seminal emission.
[Dipsacus Root] Bitter and pungent, slightly warm. Enters the Liver and Kidney meridians to regulate injuries and knit sinews, unblock meridians, and calm the fetus. Use after stir-frying with wine.
[Fennel Fruit] Bitter and warm, purely Yang in nature. Enters the Kidney Mingmen to direct Qi downward and treat hernia, strengthen primal Yang, and dispel cold-dampness. It is a specific herb for cold pain in the abdomen due to Kidney deficiency. Use after stir-frying and grinding. Contraindicated in cases with deficient fire flaring upward.
[Mugwort Leaf] Bitter and highly pungent. Raw usage is warm; cooked usage is hot. Enters the Three Yin meridians to dispel cold, regulate blood, stop pain, and regulate menstruation. It is a specific herb for warming the uterus. Moxibustion can circulate Qi through the Twelve Meridians and treat bi-syndrome caused by cold-dampness. Wild Mugwort: can only be used for moxibustion, not for decoctions.
[Bletilla Tuber] Sweet and warm in nature. Burned to ash, it treats metrorrhagia and metallic wounds. Its seeds: disperse nodules and treat mastitis. Its oil: pungent and hot, damages the eyes. There are two types: arboreal and herbaceous.
[Celosia Seed] Sweet and cool in nature. Specifically clears damp-heat, treating dysentery (red and white), leukorrhea, and metrorrhagia. Its seeds: treat intestinal wind (hematochezia). Its seedlings: applied topically for sores and hemorrhoids. Similar to Celosia, there are two varieties.
[Perilla Leaf/Herb] Pungent and cold in nature. Nourishes Yin and stops hematemesis and epistaxis. Grows between field ridges in Jiangsu and Zhejiang.
[Belamcanda Rhizome] Bitter and highly cold. Clears heat and detoxifies. Juice extracted and poured into the throat effectively opens blockages. The dregs applied topically to carbuncles and swellings help them suppurate and disperse.
[Trichosanthes Fruit/Gourd Peduncle] Sweet and cold in nature. Clears heat and induces vomiting of phlegm. Extract juice, add a little vinegar, and administer orally to induce immediate expectoration, thereby relieving throat obstruction. Its seeds: facilitate childbirth.