Library

[Haigen]
Bitter in taste, slightly warm in nature, non-toxic. It primarily treats cholera (Huoluan), sudden illness caused by evil qi (Zhong'e), heart and abdominal pain, ghost qi invasion (Guiqi Zhuwu), flying corpse disease (Feishi), throat obstruction (Houbi), gu poison (Gudu), malignant sores and swellings (Yongju Ezhong), red and white wandering rashes (Chibai Youzhen), snake bites, and dog venom. It can be taken after grinding with wine or water, and external application is also effective. It grows in the valleys near the sea of Kuaiji. The stem is red, leaves resemble Polygonum perfoliatum (Maliao), and the root resembles Smilax (Baqie) but is smaller. People living by the sea use it extensively.
*Haiyao Bencao* records: Barbarians harvest it, steam it, and then use it; the rest of the properties are the same.

It treats vomiting and dysentery in children, and cholera. Take fourteen stems, boil them in water, and drink.

It treats sudden onset of mania and madness. Burn it to ash, take three finger-pinches as a dose. Taking it with decoction of three-year-old cattail pollen (Pufu) is also effective.

[Ganjiang / Dried Ginger]
Sweet in taste, non-toxic. It treats bone heat, cough with phlegm, sudden bloody diarrhea, stimulates appetite, relieves thirst, and eliminates irritability. It grows in the sands of Jiaohe. The grass head has thorns, covered with hairs that produce honey, hence another name "Grass Honey". Barbarians call it "Jieluo".

Pungent in taste, neutral in nature, non-toxic. It treats upper qi edema, water retention with vomiting and reflux, uterine bleeding (Bengzhong) in women, residual blood stasis and masses (Xuejia), and kills three types of parasites. It grows in the Kingdom of Kunlun. The seedling resembles Campsis grandiflora (Lingxiaoteng), and the root resembles Aristolochia contorta (Qingmuxiang). It is also found in Annan, known as "Feiteng".

Sweet in taste, warm in nature, non-toxic. It treats chronic diseases caused by wind-blood and cold qi, warms the middle jiao, and expels wind. The herb resembles pine, with resin on the leaves. Mountain people consume it. It grows in the valleys of Guannei.

Slightly toxic. The seeds and leaves treat gu poison and insect/stinger bites; crush and apply externally to sores. It is a vine growing by the shore, with pointed leaves and white flowers. The seeds have two halves like a closed shell.

Added in Jiyou year from *Yanyi*:

[Ganjiang / Dried Ginger]
Pungent in taste, warm and very hot in nature, non-toxic. It treats chest fullness, cough with rebellious qi, warms the middle, stops bleeding, induces sweating, dispels wind-damp bi syndrome, intestinal dysentery, cold abdominal pain, sudden illness due to evil qi (Zhong'e) and cholera, distension and fullness, various toxins from wind pathogens, qi stagnation in the skin, and stops spitting blood. Fresh ginger is particularly effective.
Minister Yuxi and others verified in *Tang Bencao*: It treats wind, directs qi downward, stops bleeding, unblocks all collaterals, induces slight sweating, and long-term use may cause dim vision.
*Tu Jing Ben Cao* details this under the entry for Shengjiang (Fresh Ginger).
*Waitai Miyao*: Treats persistent malaria. Ganjiang (Dried Ginger) and Gao Liang Jiang (Galangal Rhizome) ground into equal parts powder. Take one qian each time, decoct with one zhuan of water until reduced to seven tenths, then take. Another prescription: Treats sudden heart pain. Ganjiang powder mixed with rice water, one qian per dose. *Qianjin Fang*: Treats epistaxis. Mix Ganjiang powder with honey and pack into the nose. *Zhouhou Fang*: Treats heavy body, urgent lower abdomen, heat rushing to chest and diaphragm, heavy head unable to lift, nebula in eyes, stiffness and cramping in knees and shins. Ganjiang 4 liang, powdered. Mix with decoction, take warm, cover with blankets to induce sweat; resolution occurs with sweating. Another prescription: Treats cold dysentery. Cut Ganjiang into pieces the size of soybeans, take 60-70 pieces with rice water, three times daily and once at night. Green stool indicates cold dysentery; continuous administration is effective. Another prescription: Treats tiger and dog bites. Insert Ganjiang powder into the wound for immediate cure. Another prescription: Treats scorpion stings; chew Ganjiang and apply topically. *Wangshi Boji Fang*: Treats malaria. Stir-fry Ganjiang until black, grind to powder. Take three qian with warm wine at the onset of fever, repeat if necessary. *Guangli Fang*: Treats severe snake bites and repels snakes. Ganjiang and Xionghuang (Realgar) in equal parts. Grind together, place in a small silk bag tied to the arm (left for men, right for women); snakes avoid the scent. Apply to sting wounds. Another prescription: Treats epistaxis. Sharpen Ganjiang to a point, lightly roast, and insert into the nose. Sun Simiao treats profuse watery diarrhea. Ganjiang powder mixed with porridge water, one qian per dose, immediate effect. *Jiyan Fang*: Miraculous for bloody dysentery. Charred Ganjiang in fire until black but not ash, cool in a porcelain bowl, grind to powder. Take one qian with rice water. Another prescription: Treats cough and cold qi accumulation causing distension. Ganjiang powder mixed with hot wine, half a qian per dose. Also treats dizziness and vertigo, immediate effect. *Shanghan Leiyao*: Treats Shanghan. If a woman contracts the disease and does not cohabit with a man within 100 days of recovery, she risks yin-yang transmission disease, characterized by severe cramping, clenched hands and feet, nearly fatal. In men, it is called Yin Yi; in women, Yang Yi. Rapid sweating can cure it; if four days pass, it is incurable. This medicine should be taken. Ganjiang 4 liang, powdered, taken in one dose with decoction. Cover with clothes and blankets to induce sweat; limbs extend and recover.