宣、发汗祛风、通、行水。
辛寒。轻浮入肺经。发汗祛风。（歌云∶天生灵草无根干、不在山间不在岸、始因飞絮
逐东
风、泛梗青青飘水面、神仙一味去沉 、采时须在七月半、选甚瘫风与大风、些小微风都不
算、豆淋酒化服三丸、铁钋头上也出汗。）利水消肿。非大实大热。不可轻试。（丹溪曰∶浮
萍发汗、胜于麻黄。）七月采紫背浮萍。拣净。以竹筛摊晒。下置水一盆映之。则易干。（鼻
衄不止、浮萍末吹之、大肠脱肛、用紫背浮萍为末、干贴之。）
泻热、软坚痰、消瘿瘤。
苦能泄结，咸能软坚，寒能涤热。消瘰 结核。症瘕阴 之坚聚。及痰饮香港脚水肿痈肿
之湿
热。去宿食。消五膈。脾寒有湿者勿服。产胶州。有大叶、马尾二种。亦作海菜食。洗去咸
水。（其用在咸、不宜过洗。）反甘草。（东垣治瘰 马刀、海藻、甘草并用、盖激之以溃
坚也
。）
功同海藻而少滑。性雄。治瘿瘤水肿。阴 隔噎。（含之咽汁、取其祛老痰也。）顽痰积
聚。
性更雄于海藻。多服令人瘦削。出登莱者。搓如绳索。出闽越者。大叶如菜。略洗去咸味。
以上水草类。
平胃气、除虚热。
甘淡微咸微寒。平胃气。（宗 曰∶治胃中虚热有功、雷 曰∶石斛镇涎。）除虚热。（别
录
曰∶逐皮肤邪热。）安神定惊。疗风痹脚弱。自汗发热。囊湿余沥。长于清胃除热。惟胃肾
有虚热者宜之。虚而无火者。不得混用。光泽如金钗。股短、中实。味甘者良。（温州最上
、广西略次、广东最下。）长虚、味苦者。名木斛。服之损人。去头根。酒浸。恶巴豆。畏
僵蚕。细锉水浸。熬膏更良。（宜于汤液、不宜入丸。）
宣通、发汗祛风、通利、行水。
性味辛寒。质地轻浮，归入肺经。能发汗祛风。（歌诀云：天生灵草无根干，不在山间不在岸，始因飞絮逐东风，泛梗青青飘水面，神仙一味去沉疴，采时须在七月半，选甚瘫风与大风，些小微风都不算，豆淋酒化服三丸，铁钋头上也出汗。）利水消肿。若非大实大热之证，不可轻易试用。（朱丹溪说：浮萍发汗之力，胜过麻黄。）七月采集紫背浮萍，拣选干净，用竹筛摊开晾晒，下面放置一盆水映照，则容易晒干。（鼻出血不止，吹入浮萍粉末；大肠脱肛，用紫背浮萍研末，干贴患处。）
泻热、软化坚结之痰、消除瘿瘤。
苦味能泄结滞，咸味能软坚散结，寒性能涤除热邪。可消除瘰疬结核、症瘕阴疽等坚硬积聚，以及痰饮、香港脚、水肿、痈肿等湿热病证。去除宿食，消除五膈。脾寒兼有湿邪者不宜服用。产于胶州，有大叶、马尾两种，也可作为海菜食用。需洗去咸水。（其药效在于咸味，不宜过度清洗。）反甘草。（李东垣治疗瘰疬马刀，海藻与甘草并用，这是为了激发药力以溃破坚积。）
下行水利，消除瘿瘤。功效同海藻相似。外形似海藻但较粗糙，质地柔韧且长。
功效同海藻但滑利之性稍弱。药性雄烈。治疗瘿瘤水肿、阴疽隔噎。（含服咽汁，取其祛除老痰的作用。）顽痰积聚。药性比海藻更雄烈，多服使人消瘦。产自登莱地区的，搓成绳索状；产自闽越地区的，叶片宽大如蔬菜。略洗去咸味即可。以上均为水草类药材。
平复胃气、清除虚热。
性味甘淡微咸微寒。能平复胃气。（缪希雍说：治疗胃中虚热有功；雷敩说：石斛能镇摄涎沫。）清除虚热。（《名医别录》说：驱逐皮肤邪热。）安神定惊。治疗风痹、脚弱、自汗发热、囊湿余沥。擅长清胃除热，只有胃肾有虚热者适宜使用。虚而无火者，不得混用。光泽如金钗，茎短、中间实心，味甘者为良。（温州产的最上等，广西产的略次，广东产的最下等。）茎长空心、味苦的，名为木斛，服用会损伤人体。去掉头根，用酒浸泡。忌巴豆，畏僵蚕。细锉后用水浸泡，熬膏效果更佳。（宜用于汤剂，不宜入丸剂。）
Dispersing, inducing sweating to expel wind, unblocking, promoting water metabolism.
Pungent and cold in nature. Light and floating, enters the Lung Meridian. Induces sweating to expel wind. (Song says: A spiritual herb born without roots or stems, neither in mountains nor on shores; initially driven by flying catkins chasing the east wind, floating green stalks drift on the water surface. One dose from immortals cures deep ailments; harvest must be in the middle of July. Whether severe paralysis or strong wind [pathogens], even slight mild wind is not considered insignificant. Dissolved in bean-sprout wine and taken as three pills, sweat will flow even from an iron pestle's head.) Promotes urination and reduces edema. Do not use lightly unless there is excess-heat or excess-cold (Excess Heat). (Zhu Danxi said: The sweating-inducing power of Floating Duckweed surpasses that of Ephedrae Herba.) Collect Purple-backed Floating Duckweed in July, select cleanly, spread on a bamboo sieve for sun-drying, place a basin of water underneath to reflect light, so it dries easily. (For intractable epistaxis, blow in powder of Floating Duckweed; for rectal prolapse, apply powder of Purple-backed Floating Duckweed dry to the site.)
Clearing heat, softening hard phlegm, eliminating goiter.
Bitterness can drain stagnation, saltiness can soften hardness, coldness can wash away heat. Eliminates scrofula and tubercles, hard accumulations such as masses and yin abscesses, as well as damp-heat conditions like phlegm-fluid retention, podagra, edema, and carbuncles. Removes retained food, eliminates five diaphragmatic obstructions. Those with Spleen-cold and dampness should not take it. Produced in Jiaozhou, there are two varieties: large-leaf and horse-tail. It can also be eaten as sea vegetable. Wash away the salty water. (Its efficacy lies in its saltiness; do not over-wash.) Incompatible with Glycyrrhizae Radix et Rhizoma. (Li Dongyuan treated scrofula and "horse knife" [linear scrofula] using both Sargassum and Glycyrrhizae Radix et Rhizoma together, stimulating the medicine to break down hardness.)
Descends to promote water metabolism and eliminate goiter. Efficacy is similar to Sargassum. Resembles Sargassum but is coarser, flexible, tough, and long.
Efficacy is similar to Sargassum but less slippery. Nature is vigorous. Treats goiter, edema, yin abscesses, and dysphagia. (Hold in mouth and swallow juice, to take advantage of its ability to dispel old phlegm.) Stubborn phlegm accumulation. Its nature is more vigorous than Sargassum; excessive consumption causes emaciation. Those from Denglai are twisted into rope-like shapes; those from Min-Yue have large leaves like vegetables. Rinse slightly to remove salty taste. The above are all aquatic plant categories.
Calm Stomach Qi, clear deficiency heat.
Sweet, bland, slightly salty, and slightly cold. Calms Stomach Qi. (Miao Xiyong said: Effective in treating deficiency-heat in the Stomach; Lei Xiao said: Dendrobium stabilizes saliva.) Clears deficiency heat. (Shennong's Classic of Materia Medica said: Drives away pathogenic heat from the skin.) Calms the spirit and settles fright. Treats wind-bi, leg weakness, spontaneous sweating, fever, dampness in the scrotum, and residual urinary dribbling. Excels at clearing the Stomach and removing heat; suitable only for those with deficiency-heat in the Stomach and Kidney. Those who are deficient without fire must not mix it. Glossy like a gold hairpin, short stem, solid in the middle, sweet taste indicates good quality. (Wenzhou produces the best grade, Guangxi is slightly inferior, Guangdong is the lowest grade.) Long, hollow, bitter-tasting ones are named Wood Dendrobium; taking them harms the body. Remove the head and root, soak in wine. Adverse interaction with Crotonis Fructus, fearful of Bombyx Batryticatus. Finely chopped and soaked in water, decocting into paste is better. (Suitable for decoctions, not suitable for pills.)