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Portulaca Oleracea (Ma Chi Xian)
Indicated for blindness, leucoma (corneal opacity), promoting urination and defecation, eliminating chills and fever, killing various parasites, relieving thirst, breaking up masses and accumulations, and treating carbuncles and sores. Long-term consumption prevents graying of hair.
Mix Portulaca oleracea with comb dirt and apply externally to carbuncles. Alternatively, burn it into ash, mix with aged vinegar residue, first warm the carbuncle area, then apply; the root will be expelled. Freshly crushed juice taken orally promotes the discharge of foul matter and removes white worms. Boiled into an ointment for application on tinea capitis (white baldness). Also indicated for thirty-six types of wind-induced nodular sores: boil in a pot, clarify, add three liang of beeswax, re-boil into an ointment, apply to sores, or take orally.
Seeds: Brighten vision, used in *Xian Jing* (Immortal Classic). (Added now)
Minister Yuxi et al. respectfully note according to *Shu Ben*: Ma Xian, sour taste, cold nature, non-toxic. Indicated for various swellings, warts, foot gangrene, genital swelling, gastric reflux, various strangury, internal bleeding from metal wounds, breaking blood stasis and abdominal masses; juice washes away tight lips and facial pigmentation, antidotes for "she gong" (water bugs) and horse sweat poison. Also known as Ma Chi Xian. Suitable for children's diet.
Difficult to dry; crush with locust wood, set up a rack facing east to sun-dry; dries in two to three days, resembling dried goods from the previous year. Stems are ineffective and not used medicinally.
Apply with vinegar, etc., eat on an empty stomach; white worms will be expelled shortly.
*TU JING* records: Ma Chi Xian, old texts do not specify its origin; now found everywhere. Although named similar to Amaranth, seedlings and leaves differ significantly from common Amaranthus.
Also called Five Elements Grass, due to green leaves, red stems, yellow flowers, white roots, and black seeds. There are two varieties; large-leafed ones are unsuitable, small-leafed ones are superior.
When drying, ten jin yields eight taels to one liang of mercury. However, difficult to dry; crush with wooden mallet, set up rack facing east to sun-dry; dries in two to three days, resembling aged material. For medicinal use, remove stem nodes; generally fattens intestines and suppresses appetite. Ancient formulas: frequently used for dysentery with red and white discharge. Cui Yuanliang’s *Hai Shang Fang* records: suitable for all ages, including pregnant women. Take three he of freshly crushed juice from Portulaca oleracea, mix with one egg white, warm slightly, add juice, keep warm, drink at once; cure within two doses. Also effective for stream toxins and sores. For chronic malignant sores unresponsive to hundred remedies, or persistent pain, mash fresh Portulaca and apply; two to three applications suffice. This formula originates from Chancellor Wu Yuanheng. While in Western Sichuan, Wu suffered unbearable itching from leg ulcers; after failed treatments by many physicians, a clerk presented this formula, resulting in cure. Recorded by Li Jiang.
Chen Cangqi states: Breaks accumulations, relieves diabetes mellitus symptoms. Treats poisonous insect bites from horses. This plant is hard to kill; even when dried, it remains alive on the ground. Lei Gong says: When using, avoid large leaves, as they are not true Ma Chi Cao and contain no mercury. *Shi Liao*: Prolongs life, brightens vision. For wet tinea and tinea capitis, Ma Chi Xian ointment is excellent. To make ointment for thirty-six types of wind: take one shuo of Portulaca, two shuo of water, three liang of wax, boil into ointment. Can also be finely chopped and cooked with rice porridge to stop dysentery and treat abdominal pain. *Sheng Hui Fang*: Treats poisoning from horse bites entering the heart. Eat Ma Chi Xian soup for cure. Another formula: treats inverted flower sores. Burn one jin to ash, grind fine, mix with lard for application. *Wai Tai Mi Yao*: Treats [missing text]. Soak sores in warm rice water with Portulaca, wipe dry, apply, three times daily. *Qian Jin Fang*: Treats axillary osmidrosis. Mash Portulaca, spread on paper with mud half-cun thick, sun-dry, roast until broken, mix with honey while hot, bind arms with towel for cure. Another formula: treats infant umbilical sores not healing for long. Apply ash of burnt herb. *Zhou Hou Fang*: Treats variola (smallpox). Apply ash of burnt Portulaca to sores; roots expelled quickly. If not expelled, more... qi, facial edema, abdominal distension, scanty urine. Cook Portulaca with glutinous rice and soy sauce for eating. Porridge. Another formula: pediatric bloody dysentery. Take one he of fresh juice, mix with one spoonful of honey, take on empty stomach... eliminate chills and fever. One sheng of Portulaca seeds, grind to powder. Boil one spoonful... cinnabar, hot as fire, encircling waist... apply Portulaca leaves twice daily. *Ling Yuan Fang*: Treats stings from five toxic insects with persistent redness and pain. Mash cooked Portulaca and apply. *Chan Bao*: Postpartum blood... urinary retention, umbilical pain. Three he of fresh juice, boil briefly, add one he of honey, stir and take. *Dan Fang Jing Yuan*: Portulaca ash boils cinnabar.
*Yan Yi* states: Many people eat Portulaca, but its nature is cold and slippery. Already mentioned under Qing Dai (Indigo Naturalis).