补血、去瘀、润燥、宣、行气、搜风。
辛温升浮。为少阳引经。（胆。）入手足厥阴。（心包、肝。）乃血中气药。升清阳而开诸
郁。
（丹溪曰∶气升则郁自降、为通阴阳气血之使。）润肝燥而补肝虚。（肝以泻为补、所谓辛以
散之、辛以补之。）上行头目。下行血海。（冲脉。）搜风散瘀。止痛调经。治风湿在头，诸
种头痛。（东垣曰∶头痛必用之、如不愈、加引经药、太阳羌活、阳明白芷、少阳柴胡、太
阴苍术、少阴细辛、厥阴吴茱萸、丹溪曰∶诸经气郁、亦能头痛。）偏正头风。腹痛胁风。
气郁血郁。血痢寒痹。筋挛。目泪多涕。（肝热。）风木为病。（诸风眩掉、皆属肝木。）及痈
疽疮疡。（痈从六腑生、疽从五脏生、皆阴阳相滞而成、气为阳、血为阴、血行脉中、气行
脉外、相并周流、寒湿搏之、则凝滞而行、迟为不及、火热搏之、则沸腾而行、速为太过、
气郁邪入血中、为阴滞于阳、血郁邪入气中、为阳滞于阴、致生恶毒、百病皆由此起、芎归
能和血行气、而通阴阳。）痘疮不起。（头面上不起发者、用之尤宜。）男妇一切血证。（芍地
酸寒为阴、归芎辛温为阳、故四物汤取其相济、以行血药之滞耳、川芎辛散、岂能生血者乎
、治法云∶妇人经过三月、用川芎末、空心热汤调一匙服、腹中微动者是胎、不动是经闭。
）凡气升痰喘。虚火上炎。呕吐咳逆。不宜用之。单服久服。令人暴亡。蜀产为川芎。秦产
为西芎。江南为抚芎。以川产大块。里白不油。辛甘者良。白芷为使。畏黄连、硝石、滑石
。恶黄 、山茱萸。（齿败口臭、水煮芎 含之、佳。）
补血，祛除瘀血，滋润燥邪，宣通阳气，行气，搜剔风邪。
气味辛、温，性质升浮。作为少阳经的引经药。（胆经。）兼入足厥阴和手厥阴经。（心包络、肝经。）是血分中的气药。能提升清阳之气而开通各种郁结。
（朱丹溪说：气机上升则郁结自然下降，是通达阴阳气血的使者。）滋润肝燥并补益肝虚。（肝脏以泻为补的原则，即所谓用辛味药发散郁结，用辛味药补益肝脏。）上行至头部和眼部，下行至血海。（冲脉。）搜剔风邪，消散瘀血，止痛并调理月经。治疗风湿之邪在头部引起的各种头痛。（李东垣说：治疗头痛必用此药，如果无效，需加入引经药：太阳经用羌活，阳明经用白芷，少阳经用柴胡，太阴经用苍术，少阴经用细辛，厥阴经用吴茱萸；朱丹溪说：各经气机郁滞，也能引起头痛。）治疗偏头痛和正头痛（头风），腹痛及胁肋部的风邪。治疗气郁和血郁，血痢和寒性痹证，筋脉拘挛，眼泪多且鼻涕多。（因肝热所致。）治疗风木系统引发的疾病。（各种风病导致的眩晕、震颤，都归属于肝木系统。）以及痈疽疮疡。（痈生于六腑，疽生于五脏，都是由于阴阳之气相互阻滞而成。气属阳，血属阴，血运行于脉管之中，气运行于脉管之外，二者相并周流全身。若受寒湿搏结，则凝滞不行，运行迟缓属于不及；若受热火搏结，则沸腾妄行，运行过快属于太过。气机郁滞导致邪气陷入血中，形成阴气阻滞阳气；血行郁滞导致邪气陷入气中，形成阳气阻滞阴气，从而产生恶毒之症。百病皆由此而起，川芎和当归能调和血液、运行气机，从而通达阴阳。）治疗痘疮不起发。（头面部痘疹不能透发者，使用此药尤为适宜。）男女各类血证。（芍药、地黄酸寒属阴，当归、川芎辛温属阳，所以四物汤取其阴阳相济，以消除血药的滞涩。川芎辛散，难道能生血吗？治疗方法中说：妇女停经三个月，服用川芎末，用热开水调服一匙，腹中有微动感觉的是怀孕，没有动感觉的是闭经。）凡是气机上逆导致的痰喘，虚火上炎，呕吐咳逆，不宜使用。单独服用或长期服用，会导致突然死亡。四川出产的叫川芎，陕西出产的叫西芎，江南出产的叫抚芎。以四川产的大块、内部色白且不油腻、味道辛甘的为优良。白芷可作为使药。畏惧黄连、硝石、滑石。厌恶黄檗、山茱萸。（牙齿腐烂口臭，用水煮川芎含漱，效果佳。）
Nourishes blood, removes stasis, moistens dryness, diffuses yang, moves qi, and searches out wind pathogens.
Pungent and warm in nature, ascending and floating. It serves as a guiding herb for the Shaoyang channel. (Gallbladder.) It enters the Foot-Jueyin and Hand-Jueyin channels. (Pericardium, Liver.) It is a qi-moving herb within the blood category. It raises clear yang and opens various types of stagnation.
(Zhu Danxi stated: When qi ascends, stagnation naturally descends; it acts as an agent to unblock the flow of yin-yang, qi, and blood.) It moistens liver dryness and supplements liver deficiency. (The principle that "draining benefits the liver," meaning using pungent herbs to disperse stagnation and using pungent herbs to tonify the liver.) It travels upward to the head and eyes, and downward to the Blood Sea. (Chong Mai / Penetrating Vessel.) It searches out wind and dissipates stasis, relieves pain, and regulates menstruation. It treats headaches caused by wind-dampness in the head, and various types of headache. (Li Dongyuan stated: This herb must be used for headaches; if ineffective, add guiding herbs: Qianghuo for Taiyang, Baizhi for Yangming, Chaihu for Shaoyang, Cangzhu for Taiyin, Xixin for Shaoyin, and Wuzhuyu for Jueyin; Zhu Danxi stated: Qi stagnation in any channel can also cause headaches.) It treats migraines and frontal headaches (Toufeng), abdominal pain, and wind pathogens in the hypochondrium. It treats qi stagnation and blood stagnation, bloody dysentery, cold bi-syndrome, tendon spasms, excessive tearing, and rhinorrhea. (Due to liver heat.) It treats diseases arising from Wind-Wood pathology. (All wind diseases causing dizziness and tremors belong to Liver-Wood.) It also treats carbuncles, ulcers, and sores. (Carbuncles arise from the Six Fu organs, ulcers from the Five Zang organs; both result from the mutual obstruction of yin and yang. Qi belongs to yang, blood belongs to yin. Blood circulates within the vessels, while qi circulates outside the vessels. They flow together throughout the body. If obstructed by cold-dampness, they coagulate and stagnate; slow movement indicates insufficiency. If agitated by fire-heat, they boil and move rapidly; fast movement indicates excess. When qi stagnates and pathogens enter the blood, yin obstructs yang. When blood stagnates and pathogens enter the qi, yang obstructs yin, leading to the generation of malignant toxins. All diseases originate from this. Chuanxiong and Danggui harmonize blood and move qi, thereby unblocking yin and yang.) It treats cases where smallpox pustules fail to erupt. (For pustules on the head and face that fail to rise and emerge, its use is particularly appropriate.) It treats all types of blood disorders in men and women. (Shaoyao and Shudi are sour and cold, belonging to yin; Danggui and Chuanxiong are pungent and warm, belonging to yang. Thus, Siwu Tang utilizes their mutual balance to eliminate the stagnation of blood-invigorating herbs. Is Chuanxiong, being pungent and dispersing, capable of generating blood? In treatment methods: For women with amenorrhea for three months, administer one spoonful of Chuanxiong powder mixed with hot water taken on an empty stomach. A slight movement in the abdomen indicates pregnancy; no movement indicates amenorrhea.) It should not be used for conditions involving rising qi leading to phlegm-induced wheezing, flaming up of deficient fire, vomiting, or coughing with counterflow qi. Single administration or long-term use may lead to sudden death. The variety produced in Sichuan is called Chuanxiong. The variety produced in Qin (Shaanxi) is called Xixiong. The variety produced in Jiangnan is called Fuxiong. The large pieces from Sichuan, which are white inside, not oily, and have a pungent and sweet taste, are considered superior. Baizhi serves as an assistant herb. It is incompatible with Huanglian, Xiaoshi, and Huashi. It is adverse to Huangbo and Shanzhuyu. (For rotten teeth and halitosis, holding boiled Chuanxiong in the mouth is beneficial.)