白薇 〔苦咸大寒，入胃经。〕治中风支满神昏，〔阴虚火旺，热极则生风。火气燔灼，故心下
支满，痰随火涌，故神昏不知，益阴除热则愈。〕除邪气寒热酸疼。〔热邪伤人，阴气不足，则阳独
盛而为热；心肾俱虚，则热收于内而为寒；寒热作则荣气不能内荣，而肢体酸疼，是热淫于内，故
治以咸寒。〕遗溺血淋俱用，〔皆热在下焦所致，益阴除热自安。〕调经种子宜征。〔经水先期，乃因
血热，不孕，多由阴虚内热，荣血日枯之故。益阴除热，则血自生旺，而令能孕矣。〕凡天行热病
后，余热未除，及温疟瘅疟，久而不能解者，必属阴虚，除疟邪药中，类中风除热药中，俱宜加入。
中寒泄泻者勿用。
白芨 〔辛苦涩微寒，入肝经。反乌头。〕肺伤吐血宜征，〔色白性收，合乎秋金，故入肺止血
，兼辛则收中有散。〕痈肿排脓必简。〔能入血分，有泄热散结，去腐逐瘀之功〕。痈疽溃后，勿
同苦寒药用。
白癣皮 〔苦寒，入脾经。〕治痹症死肌筋挛，〔地之湿气感人则害人皮肉筋脉，此药善除湿
热故主之也。〕理热毒风辣癞疥癣。〔寒能除热，苦能杀虫，故也。〕
下部虚寒之人，虽有湿症勿用。
苦参 〔苦大寒，入肾经。反藜芦，泔浸焙。〕除热，去湿、杀虫，〔味至苦故杀虫。〕止泪
医疸治痢，〔肝热除则泪自止，湿热去则黄自退，以其能泻血中之热，故治肠癖下血痢。〕疗足肿作疼
欲脱，〔除热去湿之功。〕除身发风疹癞疾。〔皆除热凉血杀虫之效。〕
至苦大寒伤骨，无大热者勿用。
旱莲草 〔甘酸冷，入肝、肾二经。〕益阴凉血，黑发乌须。〔血热则须发易白，又其汁黑，故
为变白之上药。〕止溺血而治赤痢，医痔痛而疗肠风。〔皆益阴凉血之功。〕炎疮血出，敷之即已；〔
血凉则止。〕头风脑漏，滴鼻可安。〔鼻窍通气于脑，故捣汁滴入。使热解而愈。〕
阴寒冷药，不利肠胃，便溏食少者戒用。
夏枯草 〔辛苦寒，入肝经。〕治目痛羞明，〔有补养肝血除热之功。〕消瘰 痈毒。〔辛能散
结，苦寒能下泄除热。〕
久用亦伤胃气。
谷精草 〔辛微温，入肝、胃二经。〕治翳膜、〔睛生白翳也，〕雀盲，〔至夜即不见物，
并无翳也。〕疗头风齿痛，〔辛散之功。〕补养肝气为治目病之上药。
决明子 〔咸平，入肝、肾二经。〕治青盲，〔俗名青昏。〕翳障，除赤肿泪流，益阴除热，
决有明目之功。
木贼草 〔甘苦平，入肝经。〕专退目翳，〔为搓擦之需故也。〕善能发汗。〔中空而轻，有
升散之功。〕
伐肝之品，不宜久用。
蒲公英 〔甘平，入肝、胃二经。〕专治乳岩痈毒，〔凉血解毒之功。〕主涂恶刺肿疼。〔千金
方云∶余以手背偶触庭木、遂痛难忍，十日疮高硕，以此涂之即愈。〕
紫花地丁 〔辛苦寒，入心、肝二经。〕疔痈必简，敷服皆奇，外科圣药。
甘蕉根 〔甘大寒，入胃经。宜捣汁入药用。〕治时疾热狂烦闷，〔甘寒清解阳明邪热之功。
〕疗小便血淋涩痛，〔凉血除热之效。〕止消渴而除黄胆，〔亦取其甘寒清胃也。〕消肿毒而涂赤游。
〔同硝、黄涂一切痈肿，小儿赤游，其效如神〕。
痈肿阴症，不 肿，不发热者忌用。
大黄 〔苦大寒，入脾、胃、肝、大肠四经。若邪气在上，必用酒浸，引上至高之分，驱热而
下。如生用，则遗至高之邪热，是以愈后或头肿，或目赤，或喉痹，或膈上热疾生也。锦纹者佳〕。
泻肠胃实热，大便不通，〔必转失气，脐腹满痛。手不可按者，方可用之。〕治初痢腹痛，里急后重。
〔祛其积滞，则痢自止。伤寒协热下痢，热结傍流，荡其热邪，涤其热结，亦自愈，皆通用之法也〕
。下瘀血，〔故桃仁承气汤用之。〕除宿食，〔故三黄枳术丸用之。〕利水肿，〔故舟车丸用之。〕
疗诸火疮，并目疾，涂诸火丹及肿毒。大苦大寒，长于下通，故为伤寒、温病、热病，实热结于中下二焦
，大便不通，及一切有形积滞，并血分积热，发为痈肿诸疾之要药，有拨乱反正之功。
其性峻利猛烈，长驱直捣，苟非血分热结，六脉沉实者，切勿轻与推荡，戒之戒之。
牵牛 〔苦寒，有毒。入肺、肾、大肠三经〕、下虫积有神，涂雀斑〔面上黑子。〕颇效。
辛辣迅速下泻之毒药。东垣深戒此品，慎勿轻用；孕妇大忌。
甘遂 〔苦寒，反甘草。面裹煨。〕伤寒水结胸症，非此不除；〔驱水逐饮之功。用一分
，不下渐加。〕痰迷心窍发狂，投之甚效。〔不嫌药之峻历者，以病势太甚，所谓有病则病当之也。
〕迅速下泻之毒药，中病即止，过则必有大祸。凡水肿以甘遂末涂腹绕脐，内服甘草汤，即水下肿消；
二物相反，而感应如神，其峻可知。
孕妇大忌。
大戟 〔辛苦寒有毒，入脾经。反甘草，水煮软，去骨用。〕驱痰饮，〔控涎丹方中，用治痰涎
流胸膈上下，使人颈项胸背胁腰手足牵引钓痛，皮肤麻痹。〕消水蛊，〔通二便，能下十二经水。〕散
痈肿，下蛊毒。〔蛊毒必辛热，辛则散，走脏腑，故假其辛寒，以搜其辛热，是以毒攻毒也。〕
阴寒迅速下泻之毒药，果形症俱实者，可暂一施，凡水肿类多脾虚，复用下泻，是谓重虚，虽快
一时，未几再作，
决不可救。孕妇大忌。
芜花 〔辛苦温有毒，反甘草。陈久者良。醋煮晒用。入肺、脾、肾三经。〕驱痰逐水，消痈
杀蛊。芫花、大戟、甘遂，性俱逐水泄湿，能直达水饮窠囊隐僻之处。仲景十枣汤，治心下硬满，痛
引两胁，干呕咳嗽，用此三味为末，大枣煎服五分，使痰饮水气，自二便而泄。陈言三因方以三味枣肉
和丸桐子大，治水气喘急浮肿之症，每服十丸，渐加至通利为度。
毒性至紧，取效甚捷，稍涉虚者，用之必殆。孕妇大忌。
附子 〔辛甘大热，有毒，入脾、肾二经。童便浸一日，去皮，切作四片，童便浓甘草汤同煮，
汁尽为度，则毒去矣。烘干生用则发散，熟用则峻补。重一两以上，矮而孔节稀者佳。〕补下焦之阳虚
，〔故八味丸，用以补右肾之真阳。〕除脏腹之沉寒。〔可升可降，浮中有沉，无所不至，走而不守，
为诸经引用之药。〕治暴猝中寒，凛栗无汗，厥逆吐
利，〔因严冬寒邪，直中少阴，唇青面白凛栗无汗，厥冷直过肘膝，吐利色青气冷，小便清白，其脉
微者宜用。〕疗风寒湿痹，手足麻木，瘫痪疼痛。〔或拘挛不能动履，必无热症者可用，若郁邪日久
为热大忌。〕止脾肾冷泄，〔如洞泄完谷，澄彻清冷，肾火虚衰，五更溏泄。然肾泄亦有不可用
热药者。〕除心腹寒痛。〔温缓脾胃之功，因热痛者，勿误投之。〕能消水气浮肿，〔必口不渴，不
烦满，大便溏，小便虽少而不赤涩，内无热者，方可用之。〕善医寒疝腹痛。〔若属湿热，则大忌之
矣。〕退阴寒，益阳火，兼除寒湿之圣品。得肉桂则入命门，益相火，引人参挽回散失之元阳，
同生姜发散在表之风寒，佐白术善除寒湿，得甘草能缓热性。
初种者为乌头，〔即川乌。〕象乌之头也。附乌头而旁生者，为附子，如子附母也。附而长三、
四寸者为天雄，功用相同。但附子性重滞，主寒疾∶乌头性轻浮，主风疾。
温病、热病、暑病、燥病，俱系热病，万无可用之理；即传经伤寒，亦系热病，与直中阴经不同；
仲景诸方，虽有用之，皆为误汗吐下而设，原非正治之法。若东南中风症，皆非真中风寒，俱当远避
。阳厥症，虽有肢体尽冷，指甲青黑，自汗发呃，吐蛔下利，身卧如塑，六脉无力，或微或绝，种种
似阴，审其内症，必气喷如火，咽干口臭，舌苔芒刺，渴欲饮冷，谵语太息，喜凉恶热，心腹胀满，按
之痛甚，小便必黄赤短少，下利必臭秽殊常，误投下咽必毙。至若阴虚内热骨蒸，血液衰少诸病，吐衄
肠红崩漏，均为大忌。老人精绝，少年失志，暑月湿热，皆令阳痿，不可误服辛热。能堕胎，孕妇亦大
忌之。世徒见疗阳虚气衰，有起死之
功，不细审辨、用之，是不操刀而杀人矣，故特着其害，以表其非轻用之药也。
草乌 〔辛热大毒，反半夏、贝母、栝蒌、白芨。〕祛风寒湿气之邪，除痹症骨节之痛。〔多
用发麻，只用分许，如舌不麻，并渐加至微麻为度，三分为准〕。
辛热大毒之品，慎勿轻用。痹症若邪郁日久为热，大忌。能堕胎，孕妇亦忌。
蓖麻子 〔辛甘有毒，盐水煮去皮研。〕口眼歪斜涂正〔不歪〕处，子肠脱出贴丹田，半身
不遂，同麝香、穿山甲、羊脂煎膏以频摩。针刺入肉，与蝼蛄屑〔牙屑〕捣敷而立出；偏头风痛，〔
同乳香〕涂太阳即止；诸般肿毒，敷患处随消。长于收吸，能拔病气出外，外治累奏奇功，不可内服。
Ba Wei (Cynanchum Atratum): Bitter, salty, extremely cold; enters the Stomach meridian. Treats stroke with chest and hypochondriac fullness and coma. (This is due to Yin deficiency with fire hyperactivity; extreme heat generates wind. The blazing fire causes subcardiac fullness, and phlegm surges with the fire, causing coma and unconsciousness. Nourishing Yin and clearing heat leads to recovery.) Eliminates pathogenic factors causing alternating chills and fever, and soreness and pain. (When pathogenic heat injures the body and Yin qi is insufficient, Yang alone becomes excessive causing fever; when both Heart and Kidney are deficient, heat is retained internally causing cold. When chills and fever occur, Ying Qi cannot nourish internally, leading to limb soreness and pain, indicating heat flooding internally, hence treated with salty-cold herbs.) Used for enuresis and bloody strangury alike. (Both are caused by heat in the Lower Jiao; nourishing Yin and clearing heat brings peace.) Suitable for regulating menstruation and promoting conception. (Early menstruation is due to blood heat; infertility is often due to Yin deficiency with internal heat causing Ying Blood to wither daily. Nourishing Yin and clearing heat allows blood to generate and flourish, enabling pregnancy.) After epidemic febrile diseases, if residual heat remains, or in warm malaria and dan malaria that persist and cannot be resolved, it must belong to Yin deficiency. It should be added to antimalarial drugs and drugs for clearing heat in apoplexy-like conditions. Contraindicated in cold-induced diarrhea.
Bai Ji (Bletilla Rhizome): Pungent, bitter, astringent, slightly cold; enters the Liver meridian. Incompatible with Aconitum carmichaelii (Wutou). Suitable for lung injury with hemoptysis. (White color and astringent nature correspond to Autumn Metal, thus entering the Lung to stop bleeding; combined with pungency, it disperses within its astringency.) Essential for expelling pus from carbuncles and swellings. (It enters the Blood level, having the function of clearing heat, dissipating nodules, removing decay, and driving out stasis.) Do not use with bitter-cold herbs after carbuncles and ulcers have ulcerated.
Bai Xian Pi (Dictamni Cortex): Bitter, cold; enters the Spleen meridian. Treats bi syndrome with necrotic skin and tendon spasms. (Dampness from the earth injuring humans harms skin, flesh, tendons, and vessels; this herb excels at removing damp-heat, thus treating it.) Regulates heat-toxic wind, leprosy, and tinea. (Cold clears heat, bitterness kills parasites, hence effective.) Contraindicated in individuals with deficiency-cold in the lower part of the body, even if dampness is present.
Ku Shen (Sophorae Flavescentis Radix): Bitter, extremely cold; enters the Kidney meridian. Incompatible with Veratrum nigrum (Lilu), soak in rice water and bake. Clears heat, removes dampness, kills parasites. (Extreme bitterness kills parasites.) Stops tearing, treats jaundice, and dysentery. (Clearing Liver heat stops tearing naturally; removing damp-heat makes jaundice recede; since it drains heat from the blood, it treats intestinal dysentery with bloody stool.) Treats foot swelling with pain and sensation of detachment. (Function of clearing heat and removing dampness.) Eliminates wind-rash and leprosy on the body. (All are effects of clearing heat, cooling blood, and killing parasites.)
Extremely bitter and extremely cold damages bones; do not use without significant heat.
Han Lian Cao (Ecliptae Herba): Sweet, sour, cold; enters the Liver and Kidney meridians. Benefits Yin, cools blood, darkens hair and beard. (Blood heat causes hair and beard to turn white easily; moreover, its juice is black, making it a superior drug for reversing whitening.) Stops hematuria and treats red dysentery; treats hemorrhoid pain and intestinal wind. (All are functions of benefiting Yin and cooling blood.) For inflamed sores with bleeding, apply externally for immediate healing. (Cooling blood stops bleeding.) For head wind and nasal drip (brain leakage), instill into nose for relief. (Nasal orifices connect to the brain, so crushed juice is instilled to resolve heat and cure.)
Yin-cold and cold herbs are unfavorable to the intestines and stomach; contraindicated in those with loose stools and poor appetite.
Xia Ku Cao (Prunellae Spica): Pungent, bitter, cold; enters the Liver meridian. Treats eye pain and photophobia. (Has the function of nourishing Liver blood and clearing heat.) Dissipates scrofula and carbuncle toxins. (Pungency dissipates nodules, bitter-cold drains and clears heat.)
Long-term use also damages Stomach Qi.
Gu Jing Cao (Galeopsidis Herba): Pungent, slightly warm; enters the Liver and Stomach meridians. Treats corneal opacity. (White opacity growing on the eye,) night blindness. (Cannot see objects at night, without any opacity,) treats head wind and toothache. (Function of pungent dispersion.) Nourishes Liver Qi, serving as a superior drug for treating eye diseases.
Jue Ming Zi (Cassiae Semen): Salty, neutral; enters the Liver and Kidney meridians. Treats amaurosis. (Commonly known as green dimness.) Corneal opacity, eliminates redness, swelling, and tearing, benefits Yin, clears heat, and has the effect of improving vision.
Mu Zei Cao (Equiseti Herba): Sweet, bitter, neutral; enters the Liver meridian. Specifically reduces eye opacity. (Required for rubbing and wiping.) Excels at inducing sweating. (Hollow and light, has ascending and dispersing properties.)
Herbs that deplete the Liver should not be used for long periods.
Pu Gong Ying (Taraxaci Herba): Sweet, neutral; enters the Liver and Stomach meridians. Specifically treats breast cancer (carcinoma) and carbuncle toxins. (Function of cooling blood and resolving toxicity.) Mainly applied for malignant thorn injuries with swelling and pain. (Qianjin Fang states: I once accidentally touched a courtyard tree with the back of my hand, resulting in unbearable pain. After ten days, the sore became high and large; applying this herb cured it immediately.)
Zi Hua Di Ding (Violae Herba): Pungent, bitter, cold; enters the Heart and Liver meridians. Essential for treating ding carbuncles; external application and internal administration are both miraculous, a sacred herb for surgery.
Gan Jiao Gen (Musa Basjoo Root): Sweet, extremely cold; enters the Stomach meridian. Should be crushed for juice in medication. Treats epidemic febrile diseases with mania and restlessness. (Function of sweet-cold clearing and resolving Yangming pathogenic heat.) Treats bloody strangury with painful urination. (Effect of cooling blood and clearing heat.) Stops thirst and eliminates jaundice. (Also takes advantage of sweet-cold clearing Stomach heat.) Reduces swelling and toxins and applies to erysipelas. (Applied with Natrii Sulfas and Rheum Palmatum to all carbuncles and swellings; for pediatric erysipelas, the effect is divine.)
Contraindicated in yin-type carbuncles and swellings that are not red, not swollen, and without fever.
Da Huang (Rhei Radix et Rhizoma): Bitter, extremely cold; enters the Spleen, Stomach, Liver, and Large Intestine meridians. If pathogenic factors are above, wine soaking must be used to guide the medicine to the highest parts, driving heat downward. If used raw, it leaves pathogenic heat in the highest parts, so after recovery, symptoms such as head swelling, red eyes, throat obstruction, or upper diaphragm heat diseases may occur. Those with brocade patterns are best.
Drains excess heat in the intestines and stomach, constipation. (Must have flatus, abdominal fullness and pain, and tenderness to touch before use.) Treats early-stage dysentery with abdominal pain, tenesmus. (Removing stagnation stops dysentery naturally. In typhoid with heat-driven diarrhea, heat binding with lateral flow, sweeping away pathogenic heat and purging heat binding also leads to self-healing; these are general methods.) Purges blood stasis. (Thus used in Tao Ren Cheng Qi Tang.) Removes old food retention. (Thus used in San Huang Zhi Zhu Wan.) Promotes urination for edema. (Thus used in Zhou Che Wan.) Treats various fire burns and eye diseases; applies to various fire erysipelas and swellings. Extremely bitter and cold, excels at downward unblocking, thus it is a key herb for typhoid, warm diseases, and febrile diseases where excess heat binds in the Middle and Lower Jiao, constipation, all tangible accumulations, and blood-level heat accumulation manifesting as carbuncles and swellings. It has the power to restore order from chaos.
Its nature is harsh, sharp, and fierce, driving straight through. Unless there is blood-level heat binding and deep, solid pulses, do not lightly administer purgatives. Beware, beware.
Qian Niu (Pharbitidis Semen): Bitter, cold, toxic. Enters the Lung, Kidney, and Large Intestine meridians. Drives out worm accumulation with divine efficacy; applies to freckles (black spots on the face) quite effectively.
A pungent, spicy, rapidly purgative toxic drug. Li Dongyuan deeply warns against this item; do not use lightly. Greatly contraindicated in pregnancy.
Gan Sui (Kansui Radix): Bitter, cold, incompatible with Glycyrrhiza uralensis (Gancao). Wrap in flour and roast. For typhoid water-binding chest syndrome, this is indispensable for removal. (Function of driving water and expelling fluid retention. Use one fen, increase gradually if no effect.) For phlegm confusing the heart orifice causing madness, administration is very effective. (Not minding the harshness of the medicine because the disease condition is too severe, meaning 'where there is disease, the disease bears the brunt'.) Rapidly purgative toxic drug; stop upon hitting the target, otherwise disaster will surely follow. For edema, apply Gan Sui powder around the navel on the abdomen, take Gancao decoction internally, then water flows and swelling subsides; the two substances are incompatible, yet their response is like magic, showing its harshness.
Greatly contraindicated in pregnancy.
Da Ji (Euphorbiae Pekinensis Radix): Pungent, bitter, cold, toxic; enters the Spleen meridian. Incompatible with Glycyrrhiza uralensis (Gancao), boil until soft, remove woody core. Drives out phlegm-fluid retention. (In Kong Xian Dan formula, used to treat phlegm-fluid flowing up and down the chest and diaphragm, causing pulling and hooking pain in neck, chest, back, ribs, waist, limbs, and numbness of skin.) Eliminates water-gu distension. (Opens urination and defecation, can drain water from twelve meridians.) Disperses carbuncles and swellings, drives out gu poison. (Gu poison must be pungent-hot; pungency disperses and travels to organs, so borrowing its pungent-cold nature to search out pungent-hot poison is using poison to attack poison.)
Yin-cold, rapidly purgative toxic drug. Only applicable temporarily if shape and symptoms are both excess. Most edema is due to Spleen deficiency; using purgatives again is double deficiency. Although fast for a moment, it recurs soon, and cannot be saved. Greatly contraindicated in pregnancy.
Yuan Hua (Genkwa Flos): Pungent, bitter, warm, toxic, incompatible with Glycyrrhiza uralensis (Gancao). Old ones are good. Boil in vinegar and sun-dry. Enters Lung, Spleen, and Kidney meridians. Drives out phlegm and pursues water, dissipates carbuncles, kills gu. Yuan Hua, Da Ji, and Gan Sui all pursue water and drain dampness, reaching hidden places of fluid retention nests. Zhang Zhongjing's Shi Zao Tang treats subcardiac hardness and fullness, pain radiating to both hypochondria, dry retching, and cough, using these three herbs as powder, taken with Jujube decoction, five qian, allowing phlegm-fluid and qi to drain via urination and defecation. Chen Yan's San Yin Fang mixes the three with jujube meat into pills the size of paulownia seeds, treating water asthma, panting, and edema, taking ten pills per dose, increasing gradually until bowel movement occurs.
Toxicity is tight, efficacy is swift; if there is any deficiency, use is dangerous. Greatly contraindicated in pregnancy.
Fu Zi (Aconiti Lateralis Radix Praeparata): Pungent, sweet, extremely hot, toxic; enters Spleen and Kidney meridians. Soak in child's urine for one day, remove skin, cut into four pieces, boil with strong Licorice decoction in child's urine until liquid is exhausted, then toxicity is removed. Dried and raw use disperses; cooked use strongly tonifies. Over one liang, short with sparse nodes is best.
Tonifies Yang deficiency in the Lower Jiao. (Thus used in Ba Wei Wan to tonify True Yang of the Right Kidney.) Removes deep cold in viscera and bowels. (Can ascend and descend, floating contains sinking, reaches everywhere, moves without staying, serves as a guiding herb for all meridians.) Treats sudden cold strike, shivering without sweat, reversal cold, vomiting and diarrhea. (Due to severe winter cold pathogen directly striking Shaoyin, lips blue, face pale, shivering without sweat, reversal cold passing elbows and knees, vomiting and diarrhea with blue color and cold qi, clear white urine, faint pulse suitable for use.) Treats wind-cold-damp bi, numbness of limbs, paralysis and pain. (Or spasm unable to move, usable only if no heat symptoms; if pathogenic constraint turns to heat over time, greatly contraindicated.) Stops Spleen-Kidney cold diarrhea. (Such as hole-like diarrhea with undigested food, clear and cold, Kidney fire deficiency, morning twilight loose stool. However, some Kidney diarrhea cannot use hot herbs.) Removes Heart-abdominal cold pain. (Function of warming and moderating Spleen-Stomach; do not mistakenly administer for heat pain.) Can eliminate water-Qi edema. (Must be without thirst, without irritability/fullness, loose stool, small amount of urine but not red/astringent, no internal heat before use.) Excellent for treating cold hernia abdominal pain. (If due to damp-heat, greatly contraindicated.) Retreats Yin-cold, benefits Yang-fire, simultaneously a holy product for removing cold-damp. With Gui Xin (Cinnamon Twig), enters Mingmen, benefits Ministerial Fire; guides Ren Shen (Codonopsis/Ginseng) to retrieve scattered Primordial Yang; with Sheng Jiang (Fresh Ginger) disperses wind-cold on the exterior; assisted by Bai Zhu (Atractylodes Macrocephala) excellently removes cold-damp; with Gan Cao (Licorice) moderates heat nature.
The initially planted one is Wu Tou (Aconiti Radix), i.e., Chuan Wu. Named for resembling the head of a crow. Growing beside Wu Tou is Fu Zi, like a child attached to the mother. Fu Zi growing three to four cun long is Tian Xiong, with same functions. But Fu Zi is heavy and stagnant, governing cold diseases; Wu Tou is light and floating, governing wind diseases.
Warm diseases, heat diseases, summerheat diseases, and dryness diseases are all heat diseases; absolutely no reason to use it. Even transmitted typhoid is a heat disease, different from direct invasion of Yin meridians. Although Zhang Zhongjing's formulas use it, they are set for mistaken sweating, vomiting, and purging, originally not standard treatment. Southeast stroke syndromes are not true wind-cold, all should be avoided. Yang reversal syndrome, although limbs are cold, nails cyanotic-black, spontaneous sweating, hiccups, vomiting roundworms, diarrhea, body lying like a statue, six pulses weak or faint/absent, all appearing Yin, examining internal symptoms must show breath spraying like fire, dry throat, bad breath, prickly tongue coating, desire to drink cold, delirious speech and sighing, liking cool disliking heat, abdominal fullness pressing painfully, yellow-red scanty urine, foul-smelling diarrhea. Mistaken administration swallows death. As for Yin deficiency with internal bone-steaming heat, blood depletion diseases, hematemesis, epistaxis, intestinal bleeding, metrorrhagia, all are greatly contraindicated. Elderly with essence exhaustion, youth with lost ambition, summer damp-heat causing impotence, all must not mistakenly take pungent-hot herbs. Causes abortion, greatly contraindicated in pregnancy. People only see treating Yang deficiency and Qi collapse having life-restoring power, without careful differentiation, using it is like killing with a knife without holding it properly. Thus specifically noting its harm to show it is not a herb for light use.
Cao Wu (Aconiti Kusnezoffii Radix): Pungent, hot, highly toxic, incompatible with Ban Xia (Pinellia), Bei Mu (Fritillaria), Gua Lou (Trichosanthes), and Bai Ji (Bletilla). Dispels wind-cold-damp pathogenic factors, removes bi syndrome joint pain. (Often causes numbness, use only a few fen; if tongue does not numb, gradually add to slight numbness, three fen as standard.)
Pungent-hot highly toxic item, do not use lightly. Bi syndrome if pathogen constrained turning to heat over time, greatly contraindicated. Causes abortion, pregnant women also contraindicated.
Bi Ma Zi (Ricini Semen): Pungent, sweet, toxic, salt-water boiled, skin removed, ground. For facial deviation, apply to the non-deviated side; for rectal prolapse, apply to Dantian; for hemiplegia, decoct with She Xiang (Musk), Shan Jian Jia (Pangolin scales), and Sheep fat into ointment for frequent massage. For needle stuck in flesh, crush with Lou Lu (Mole) powder/excrement and apply to extract immediately; for hemicrania pain, apply with Ru Xiang (Frankincense) to Taiyang point to stop pain; for various swellings and toxins, apply to affected area to dissipate. Excels at absorption, can pull pathogenic qi outward, external treatment repeatedly achieves miraculous results, cannot be taken internally.