典藏书目

Cang'erzi (Xanthium Fruit) [No. 66] Also known as Yangfulai, it tastes bitter with a slight sweetness. It treats headache caused by wind-cold in the head, rheumatic pain and stiffness throughout the body; it dispels wind, brightens the eyes, nourishes blood, warms the waist and knees, and is also used for scrofula (lymph node tuberculosis), sores, and carbuncles, as well as nasal sinusitis (Bi Yuan). It is suitable to be stir-fried until ripe, ground into powder, and taken with warm water, one or two qian at a time; long-term use is required for efficacy. Pork and horse meat should be avoided.

Loulu (Rhapontici Radix) [No. 67] It tastes slightly salty, has a cold nature, and possesses slight toxicity. It primarily treats malignant sores caused by heat-toxin, scrofula, mastitis (Ru Yong), hemorrhoids, and anal fistulas; it can pierce abscesses to drain pus and promote flesh growth, and stop bleeding from metal weapon injuries. It can also promote lactation, unblock meridians, eliminate red eyes, promote urination, stop hematuria and intestinal wind diarrhea, treat strangury, enuresis, and high fever in children. For treating falls and bruises, it can help reconnect bones and tendons.

Liujinu (Artemisiae Annuae Herba) [No. 68] It tastes bitter and has a warm nature. It can break up blood stasis, activate new blood, unblock the meridians of women, treat residual blood after childbirth, and resolve blood stasis due to injury. It directs qi downward, stops epigastric and abdominal pain, and stops hematuria. These conditions can all be treated with powders, administered with tea or wine. When crushed and applied externally to bleeding wounds from metal weapons, its effect is particularly rapid. It is highly effective for treating burns and scalds; simply apply the powder to the affected area.

Bianxu (Polygoni Avicularis Herba) [No. 69] It tastes bitter and astringent. It promotes urination, removes jaundice, kills parasites, clears damp-heat soaking in the lower jiao causing genital erosion, sores, scabies, hemorrhoids, and anal fistulas. Decocted and drunk, it is highly effective for treating severe abdominal pain caused by ascendant attack of roundworms in children. The "Song of the High Seas" states: "When urgent heart pain is unbearable, I have the Immortal's prescription from the sea. Bianxu decocted with vinegar passes through the throat and mouth, guaranteeing peace within moments."

Qingxiangzi (Celosiae Semen) [No. 70] Also known as Yejiguanzi (Wild Chicken Comb Seed), it tastes slightly bitter and has a slightly cold nature. It can clear liver fire and blood heat; therefore, it treats red eye disease, reduces redness and nebula, eliminates swelling, calms the liver to brighten the eyes and ears, and also dispels wind-dampness, malignant sores, scabies, and leprosy.

Aiye (Artemisiae Argyi Folium) [No. 71] It tastes slightly bitter and has a pungent aroma. When used raw, it is slightly warm; when cooked, it is slightly hot. It can circulate through the twelve meridians, especially serving as a herb for the Liver, Spleen, and Kidney. It excels at warming the middle, expelling cold, and removing dampness, moving qi in the blood, and resolving stagnation in the qi. For women with cold-stagnation of blood and qi, it is most suitable. Thus, it can stabilize the fetus, stop epigastric and abdominal pain, treat leukorrhea and metrorrhagia, warm the waist and knees, stop hematemesis and dysentery, ward off wind-cold-dampness and miasma malaria, cholera with muscle cramps, and all types of cold qi and ghost qi, kill roundworms, and treat lower body ulcers. It can be used raw and crushed for juice, or cooked and decocted for soup; used for moxibustion to treat various diseases, or stir-fried and applied hot for compresses to unblock meridians; or placed in bags to wrap and warm the umbilicus and knees. Whether for exterior or interior, raw or cooked, each has its appropriate use.

Ercao (Antennariae Herba) [No. 72] Also known as Shuqucao. It tastes slightly sour and has a warm nature. It greatly warms lung qi, stops cold cough, dissipates phlegm qi, resolves wind-cold and alternating chills and fever, and also stops diarrhea. Laying mugwort on grass rolls to make smoke tubes, using the smoke to fumigate chronic cough is particularly effective.

Landi (Indigo Naturalis) [No. 73] The leaves of Isatis have a bitter, cold taste with slight sweetness. They excel at解毒 (detoxifying) poisons from various insects and drugs, treating epidemic febrile diseases, madness caused by heat-toxin, wind-heat macules and rashes, painful swelling of carbuncles and ulcers, relieving irritability and thirst, stopping epistaxis and hematemesis, killing malnutrition ulcers, and neutralizing poison from metal wounds and arrows. For conditions involving heat combined with toxicity, crushing them for juice application is suitable.

Dianqing (Indigo Fermentati Folii Extractum) is formed from Isatis leaves and ferrous sulfate. Its nature differs slightly from Isatis leaves; its efficacy in killing parasites, stopping bleeding, and applying to various heat-toxin heat sores seems superior to that of Isatis leaves.

Qingdai (Indigo Naturalis) tastes slightly salty and cold, with a nature largely similar to Dianqing. It resolves various heat-toxins and insect toxins, treating metal wound heat sores; it can be applied dry or mixed with water for topical use. To treat various heat-sores and toxins, purslane can be added to Qingdai, crushed together, and applied. For treating epidemic headaches, plague heat-toxins, and various heat syndromes in children such as convulsions and fever, it is ground in water and ingested.

Muzei (Equiseti Hiemalis Herba) [No. 74] It tastes slightly bitter and sweet, has a warm and ascending nature, and belongs to Yang. Its nature is similar to Ephedra, so it can induce sweating and release the muscle layer, treat typhoid and malaria, dispel wind-dampness, scatter fire pathogens, treat eye diseases, reduce nebulae, stop intestinal wind bleeding and dysentery, and treat menorrhagia, metrorrhagia, and irregular menstruation in women. It also treats wind-dampness hernia pain and rectal prolapse.

Wangbuliu Xingging (Vaccariae Semen) [No. 75] Also known as Jinzhen Yintai. It tastes bitter and is neutral in nature, with a slippery and penetrating property. It is a herb for the Yangming channel, Chong vessel, Ren vessel, and Blood Sea. It treats wind-toxin, unblocks blood vessels, treats difficult labor and irregular menstruation in women, promotes lactation, promotes urination, removes wind-dampness bi-syndrome pain, stops irritability and epistaxis, treats back carbuncles and ulcerations, wandering wind and wind-rashes, extracts bamboo and wood splinters, stops bleeding from metal wounds, and can also relieve pain.

Haijinsha (Lygodii Spora) [No. 76] This herb grows in the Qianzhong region. In July, the whole plant is harvested, dried, and beaten with a stick, causing fine sand to fall from the stems and leaves. It tastes sweet and has a cold nature. It is a herb for the blood aspect of the Small Intestine and Bladder. It excels at promoting and unblocking the water passages, resolving stagnant heat and damp-heat, as well as typhoid with mania, urinary retention with swelling and fullness, heat strangury with turbid urine, bloody strangury, stone strangury, and penile pain. It resolves various heat-toxins. It can be used in pill or powder form.

Dengxincao (Junci Medulla) [No. 77] It tastes bland and is neutral in nature. It can unblock water passage obstruction leading to urinary retention, treat five types of strangury, drain lung heat, descend heart fire, remove edema, stop bleeding, unblock yin qi, reduce swelling, and relieve thirst. However, boiling it with old mats yields better results. For treating throat obstruction (Hou Bi), burning Dengxincao to ash and insufflating it is appropriate. For treating chancre ulcers, burnt ash is used, mixed with Calomelas (Qingfen) and Moschus (Shexiang) as powder for application.

Yan (Tobacco) [No. 77 again] It tastes pungent, has a warm temperature, a slightly hot nature, and an ascending quality, belonging to Yang. Burning it to inhale the smoke can intoxicate people greatly. When used, only inhale one or two puffs; excessive inhalation causes intoxication and collapse, requiring time to recover. Severe cases can be awakened with a sip of cold water. If irritability occurs, white sugar can soothe it instantly; it is indeed a strange substance. One must open the throat wide and inhale deeply down to swallow, allowing it to reach directly to the Lower Jiao. Its qi rising warms the Heart and Lungs; descending warms the Liver, Spleen, and Kidneys. After ingestion, it makes the whole body warm with slight sweating and suddenly strengthens the Primordial Yang. Used for exterior syndromes, it excels at driving out all yin pathogens and cold toxins, mountain miasma, wind-damp pathogens closing the interstices, and bone-joint pain; it is truly a divine agent taking effect in moments. Used for interior syndromes, it excels at strengthening Stomach qi, promoting appetite, dispelling yin turbidity and cold stagnation, eliminating distension and retained food, stopping vomiting, hiccups, and cholera, removing accumulations and parasites, resolving stagnation, stopping pain, moving stagnant qi and blood, lifting sinking and prolapse, and unblocking the Triple Burner, taking immediate effect.

This substance was unheard of since ancient times. It first appeared between Fujian and Guangdong during the Wanli era of our Ming Dynasty. Since then, it has been planted in the Wu and Chu regions. However, none compare to those from Fujian, which are slightly yellow in color and fine in texture, named Silk Thread Tobacco (Jinsi Yan); these have stronger potency and superior qi. Tracing the origin of its habitual use, it began during the campaign to pacify Yunnan. The army advanced deep into miasma-infested lands, and everyone fell ill except one camp, which remained safe. Upon inquiry, it was found that the soldiers all smoked tobacco. Thus, it spread widely. Now, in the southwest region, young and old alike cannot go without it morning and night. When I first obtained this substance, I was skeptical. After habitually using it several times, I realized its efficacy was as swift as described, so I recorded its properties here.

However, this substance belongs to pure Yang, excelling in movement and dispersion. It works like magic only for those with yin stagnation. It is unsuitable for those with excess yang, floating qi, irritability, and internal fire, as well as those with qi deficiency, shortness of breath, and profuse sweating. Some suspect that because it can intoxicate people instantly, it must be toxic. Yet, locals have used it for a long time without reported harm. Why? Probably because its yang qi is strong and fierce, overwhelming the human body, causing intoxication upon swallowing. Since it disperses pathogens, it inevitably consumes qi; this is logical. However, smoke disperses easily, and human qi recovers quickly. The positive nature remains inside and generates qi shortly after. This is why consumption contains supplementation, explaining why people enjoy using it without seeing damage. There is discussion regarding Areca Seed (Binglang) later; refer to it for comparison.