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Wuzhuyu (Evodiae Fructus)
Pungent in flavor, warm and extremely hot in nature, slightly toxic. Primarily warms the middle jiao (middle burner), directs rebellious qi downward, alleviates pain, treats cough and asthma with alternating cold and heat, dispels dampness and blood stasis (damp-blood obstruction), drives out wind pathogens, opens the cou li (interstitial spaces), eliminates phlegm-cold accumulation, relieves abdominal colic, resolves various cold-excess indigestion, treats sudden invasion of evil qi causing heart and abdominal pain, rebellious qi, and regulates the five zang organs.
Root: Kills three types of intestinal parasites. The white bark of the root kills pinworms, treats throat bi (throat swelling and obstruction), stops cough and asthma, arrests diarrhea, aids digestion, treats residual postpartum blood stasis in women, and treats white tinea.
Also known as KT . Grows in Shanggu Chuan Valley and Yuanju. Harvested on the ninth day of the ninth lunar month, dried in shade. (Polygoni Multiflori Semen is its guiding herb; incompatible with Danshen, Niter, and Kaolin; fears Purple Quartz.)
Tao Hongjing stated: The "Book of Rites" refers to it as , while common people call it KT (pronounced sha) zi. This is likely due to unfamiliarity with the character , mistaking it for KT due to visual similarity, leading to transmission by tradition. Roots growing southward or eastward are superior. It is also used in Daoist formulas to eliminate the Three Corpses. The "Tang Ben Cao Zhu" notes: "The 'Erya · Shi Mu' states: Jiao KT chou, . Lu's 'Caomu Shu' states: The Jiao KT category also has a name KT ; Tao was mistaken."
Ministers Yuxi et al., according to "Yao Xing Lun": Wuzhuyu, bitter and pungent, extremely hot, toxic. Effectively treats heart and abdominal diseases, accumulated cold pathogens, qi stagnation and fulminant pain under the heart, heart pain, treats Huoluan (cholera-like syndrome) with muscle cramps, cold qi in the stomach, severe vomiting, diarrhea, and unbearable abdominal pain can be cured; treats generalized bi syndrome, indigestion of cold food, promotes bowel movement and resolves qi stagnation in the large intestine. Scraping the skin treats lacquer dermatitis, treats sudden invasion of evil qi, stabbing abdominal pain, uncontrollable dysentery, and treats tapeworms. "Bo Ya" states: KT is Yuejiao, which is Zhuyu. (Pronounced kao). Meng Shen stated: Zhuyu treats heart pain, directs qi downward, removes nausea and rebellion, and cold viscera. Additionally, the peel stops toothache. For those suffering from wind-induced itching and pain, take one sheng of Zhuyu and five sheng of clear wine, boil together, obtain 1.5 sheng of liquid, remove dregs, and wash the affected area with the warm liquid. For facial paralysis due to wind-stroke inability to speak, take one sheng of Zhuyu and one sheng of clear wine, boil four or five times. Cool and take half sheng, three times daily; slight sweating indicates improvement. According to records: It kills ghost-related qi. Open-eyed Zhuyu is unfit for consumption. For fish bones stuck in the abdomen causing stabbing pain, boil one zhan of liquid and drink to stop pain. For bones embedded in flesh that cannot emerge, chew and apply; the bone will rot and exit. For foot qi rushing to the heart, mix with fresh ginger juice and drink; highly effective. Ri Hua Zi stated: Strengthens the spleen, unblocks joints, treats Huoluan, diarrhea and dysentery, transforms phlegm, breaks mass formations, expels wind, treats abdominal pain, kidney qi deficiency, foot qi, edema, and discharges postpartum residual blood. Also stated: Zhuyu leaves are hot and non-toxic. Treat Huoluan, direct qi downward, stop heart and abdominal pain, and cold qi. For internal and external kidney traction pain, grind with salt and apply externally; miraculous effect. If dry, re-soak and repeat; treat Huoluan leg tendon spasms mixed with mugwort and vinegar soup; excellent. Chen Cangqi stated: Concentrated decoction of root soaked into hemorrhoids is effective. Burned to ash and taken orally also treats hemorrhoids. Also "Erya" states: Li Shi is . Its fruit chamber grows as . Additionally, Chizhao grass is also called Yang , also called Shuzhaqiu. These share names only. Resembles small hawthorn but red; humans eat it. Grows in highlands.
Tu Jing stated: Wuzhuyu grows in Shanggu Chuan Valley and Yuanju, now found everywhere, especially abundant in Jiangzhe and Shuhan. Trees grow over one zhang tall, bark greenish-blue. Leaves resemble Toona but broader and thicker, purple. Blooms red-purple in March. Bears fruit resembling peppercorns in July-August, pale yellow when tender, deep purple when mature. Harvested on the ninth day of the ninth lunar month, dried in shade. "Fengtu Ji" states: Customs favor the ninth day of the ninth month as Shangjiu; Zhuyu becomes aromatic and ripe with red color on this day; its calyx can be inserted into the hair to ward off evil qi and resist winter cold. Also "Xu Qixie Ji" states: Huan Jing of Runan studied under Fei Changfang. Fei Changfang told him: On the ninth day of the ninth month, your home faces disaster; you should leave home immediately, make crimson pouches filled with Zhuyu to tie on arms, climb high mountains, drink chrysanthemum wine, and this disaster can be avoided. Huan Jing followed this advice, his whole family climbed a high mountain; returning in the evening, they saw chickens, dogs, cattle, and sheep suddenly die. Fei Changfang heard and said: This was substitution. Hence, people every year on this day climb high mountains, drink wine, wear Zhuyu pouches, originating from this. Tradition holds Zhuyu qi rises upward, saying it clashes with the diaphragm, so it should not be used as a dietary tonic.
With five sheng of water, decoct to obtain three sheng. Take seven he each time, three times daily; also treats dry retching with salivation and headache. Additionally, branches growing southward treat sudden obstruction of urination and defecation (guan-ge syndrome). Cut a piece the length of the middle joint of the second finger of the hand, hold in mouth for immediate effect. From Yao Sengyuan's formula. Roots are also used medicinally. "Shan Fan Fang" treats spleen labor heat with white worms in the spleen causing frequent vomiting. Take a large east-growing Zhuyu root one chi long, hemp seeds eight sheng, orange peel two liang, chop these three ingredients, soak in one dou of wine overnight, warm gently over low fire, strain three times. Take one sheng on an empty stomach at dawn; upon completion, worms are expelled, dead or semi-digested, or yellow fluid is discharged. When preparing medicine, maintain silence, do not discuss the preparation process, ensuring worm expulsion verification.
Lei Gong stated: Generally, remove leaves, pits, and impurities first. Use a large basin, wash with salt water one hundred turns until saliva-free, sun-dry, then suitable for pills and powders. For processing ten liang, use two liang of salt, grind to powder, add to four dou of flowing east water, wash in one hundred portions for distinct efficacy. If boiling with vinegar, boil vinegar thirty times first, then add Zhuyu, until vinegar is exhausted, sun-dry. For every ten liang, use one yi of vinegar. Dietary therapy: Slightly warm. Treats dysentery, stops diarrhea, thickens intestines and stomach. Obese and healthy individuals should not consume excessively. Shenghui Fang: Treats yin toxicity cold damage with cold limbs, suitable for moxibustion/warming. One sheng of Zhuyu, moistened evenly with wine, placed in two silk bags, steamed until extremely hot, applied to soles of feet; stop warming when qi flows smoothly and warmth is uniform; repeatedly effective. Waitai Miyao: Collects verified warming methods: Crush three sheng of Zhuyu, mix with wine and cook, wrap in cloth and apply to painful masses. Re-cook when cool, alternate application. Follow the moving mass, apply until resolved. Another formula: Treats carbuncles, back sores, and breast abscesses. One sheng of Zhuyu, pounded, mixed with sour wine, applied to sores. Another formula: Genital wetness and itching. One sheng of Zhuyu, three sheng of water, boiled three times, strained, washed; itching resolves. Qianjin Fang treats tapeworms. Wash four liang of Zhuyu root to remove soil, slice, soak overnight in one sheng water and one sheng wine. Divide into two doses at dawn. Generally, fine roots from northeast shaded areas are best. Roots larger than a finger are unusable. Another formula: Treats internal and external heart and abdominal pain. One sheng of Zhuyu, three sheng of wine, decoct to half sheng. Take all at once on an empty stomach. Qianjin Yi: Postpartum weakness, night sweats, and aversion to cold. A chicken-egg-sized amount of Zhuyu, soaked in three sheng of wine for half a day, boiled and drunk. Another formula: Treats wind-rash in adults and children. One sheng of Zhuyu, five sheng of wine, decoct to one sheng, wipe with cloth soaked in liquid. Another formula: Treats head wind. Hair washing: Two sheng of Zhuyu, five sheng of water, decoct to three sheng, soak cotton and wipe hair roots; good. Zhouhou Fang treats stroke with inability to speak. Fermented soybeans and Zhuyu, one sheng each, five sheng of water, decoct to two sheng, take gradually. Another formula: Treats intestinal hemorrhoids, chronic bloody stool, lower body itching and pain like insect bites. Dig a pit, heat until red, pour wine, pound two sheng of Zhuyu into it, place a board with small holes over the pit, sit on it while hot, get off when cool; three to four treatments suffice. Sun Simiao's Emergency Formula for red dysentery with umbilical pain: One he of Zhuyu swallowed with black bean soup is effective. Jingyan Fang treats unbearable intermittent spleen yuan qi pain. One liang of Zhuyu, one liang of peach kernels, stir-fry together until Zhuyu is charred black, remove Zhuyu, take peach kernels, remove skins and tips, grind finely, three stalks of scallion whites, baked熟, soaked in wine, divide into three warm doses. Jingyan Houfang supplements water qi herbs. Two liang of red Zhuyu, boiled rotten with rice vinegar, ground finely into paste, formed into pills like paulownia seeds, taken with pepper soup, seven pills at a time, on an empty stomach. Bingbu Shouji: Treats acid reflux where vinegar qi attacks upward like strong vinegar. One he of Zhuyu, three cups of water, decoct to seventy percent, take all at once. Even if strong, must force intake; recently someone felt heart pierced, after taking this formula, no recurrence for twenty years. Another formula: Treats stroke abdominal pain or prolapsed rectum. Three sheng of Zhuyu, five sheng of wine, decoct to two sheng, divide into three warm doses. Another formula: Pediatric fire burns. Also called Baojiang Chuang or Huolan Chuang. Boil Zhuyu in wine and wipe on lesions. Yangshi Chanru: Treats sudden heart pain from evil invasion. Five he of Wuzhuyu, three sheng of wine, boiled three times, divided into three doses.
Yanyi stated: Wuzhuyu must be soaked in deep hot water to remove bitter acrid juices six or seven times before use. Current texts, annotations, and processing methods do not mention this, representing omissions. This herb directs qi downward most rapidly; those with deficient intestines suffer worsened symptoms upon ingestion.