味甘辛,性平有毒,入肝经。主小儿风痫,手足抽掣,大人中风,口眼 斜,风痰耳聋
,风毒瘾疹,出青州紧小者良。去盐土炙黄用。
按∶蝎之主疗,莫非风症,肝为巽风,宜独入之。喜螫人,甚者令人死,雄者螫人,痛
在一处,取井泥敷之,稍温则易。雌者螫人,痛牵诸处。用瓦屋沟下流敷之,或不值天雨,
可汲新水调用,如螫手足,竟以冷水浸之微暖即易。若余处不可用水浸者,则以冷水浸布贴
之,小暖则易,观其喜寒若此则为大热之剂无疑。今诸书不载其性,惟日华子称其平。故姑
录之,此即方书所称 螂者是也。
味甘,性温无毒,入心肝二经。主心腹冷气疼痛,肠风产后血晕,小儿疳疣。去目翳,
辟疫气,解蛇毒。酒研飞炼,令去研石为佳,生者行血,炒者止血。
按∶五灵脂专主血症,心主血,肝藏血,故两入之,行气血最捷,勿宜过用以伤脏腑。
味辛,性温有毒,不载经络。主小儿口噤,鬼疰蛊毒诸蛇毒,杀精物温疟,去三虫,
心腹寒热结聚,去瘀血,堕胎。去头足慢火炙黄用,畏蛞蝓、蜒蚰、大蒜、鸡屎。
按∶蜈蚣最似百足虫。第百足虫足较细密,死而不僵,头上有白肉,面及尖嘴,其毒更
甚,勿宜轻用。
雷公云∶凡使勿用千足虫,真似,只是头上有角肉,面并嘴尖。若误用者,腥臭气,入
顶致死。凡使用蜈蚣,用柳木末放于器中,炒木末焦黑后,去木末,用竹刀刮去足用。
Scorpion (Quanxie): Sweet and pungent in flavor, neutral in nature, toxic. Enters the Liver Meridian. Primarily treats pediatric wind epilepsy (epilepsy caused by wind pathogen), with convulsions of the hands and feet; adult stroke, with deviation of the mouth and eyes; deafness due to wind-phlegm; urticaria-like skin rashes caused by wind-toxin. Those from Qingzhou that are tight and small are considered superior. Before use, remove salt and soil, stir-fry until yellow, and then use.
Commentary: The main therapeutic effects of scorpions are all related to wind syndromes. In the Five Elements theory, the Liver corresponds to the Xun trigram, which symbolizes wind; therefore, scorpions are suitable for entering exclusively into the Liver Meridian. Scorpions like to sting people, and severe cases can even be fatal. A male scorpion sting causes pain localized in one area, which can be treated by applying well mud; replace it when it becomes slightly warm. A female scorpion sting causes pain radiating throughout various parts of the body. Apply rainwater flowing from under the eaves of a tiled house; if no rain has fallen, draw fresh water for application. If the hands or feet are stung, soak them directly in cold water, replacing it as soon as it becomes slightly warm. For other body parts where soaking is not feasible, apply a cloth soaked in cold water, replacing it when it warms up slightly. Observing its preference for cold confirms that it is undoubtedly a drug with extreme heat properties. Current pharmacopoeias do not record its nature, only Ri Hua Zi describes it as neutral. Thus, it is recorded here tentatively. This is the substance referred to as "Jielang" in medical texts.
Five Lingzhi (Wulingzhi): Sweet in flavor, warm in nature, non-toxic. Enters the Heart and Liver meridians. Primarily treats cold qi pain in the heart and abdomen, intestinal wind (blood in stool) and postpartum blood syncope, pediatric malnutrition warts. It can remove corneal opacities, ward off epidemic qi, and detoxify snake venom. Best prepared by grinding with wine and refining (a processing method to make the powder fine and pure), removing any grinding stones. Raw form promotes blood circulation, while stir-fried form stops bleeding.
Commentary: Wulingzhi specializes in treating blood disorders. Since the Heart governs blood and the Liver stores blood, it enters both meridians. It rapidly moves Qi and Blood; excessive use should be avoided to prevent damage to the Zang-Fu organs.
Centipede (Wugong): Pungent in flavor, warm in nature, toxic. Its meridian tropism is not recorded in literature. Primarily treats pediatric trismus (lockjaw), Gui Zhu and Gu poison, various snake venoms, kills parasites causing warm malaria, eliminates three types of worms (intestinal parasites), treats cold-heat nodules in the heart and abdomen, removes blood stasis, and induces abortion. Remove the head and feet, stir-fry slowly until yellow, and then use. Centipedes are repelled by slugs, millipedes, garlic, and chicken manure.
Commentary: The centipede most resembles the millipede (Bazu Chong). However, the millipede's legs are finer and denser, its body does not stiffen after death, it has white flesh on its head, and its face and pointed mouth distinguish it. Its toxicity is even greater, so it should not be used lightly.
Lei Gong stated: When using centipedes, do not use millipedes (Qianzu Chong). They look similar, but millipedes have horn-like flesh on their heads, and their faces and mouths are pointed. If mistakenly used, they emit a fishy odor, and ingestion can lead to death. To process centipedes, place poplar wood sawdust in a vessel, stir-fry until the sawdust is charred black, discard the sawdust, and use a bamboo knife to scrape off the legs before use.