大燥、开顽痰。
辛苦大热。搜风胜湿。开顽痰。治顽疮。以毒攻毒。颇胜川乌。然至毒无所酿制。不可
轻投
。野生。状类川乌。故亦名乌喙。姜汁炒，或豆腐煮。（十便良方、治腰脚冷痛、草乌头三
个、去皮脐为末、醋调贴、须臾痛止。）
燥、祛风湿、治面疾。
辛甘。大热纯阳。阳明经药。能引药势上行。治面上百病。（阳明之脉萦于面、白附能
去头
面游风、可作面脂、消瘢疵。）祛风痰。治心痛血痹。诸风冷气。中风失音。阴下湿痒。燥
毒之品。似中风证。虽有痰。亦禁用。小儿慢惊勿服。根如草乌之小者。皱纹有节。炮用。
（陶隐居曰∶此药久绝、无复真者、今唯凉州生。）
燥湿、宣、祛风痰。
味辛而苦，能治风散血。（南星防风等分为末、名玉真散、治破伤风、刀伤扑伤如神、
破伤
风者、药敷疮口、温酒调下二钱、打伤至死、童便调灌二钱、连进三服、必活。）气温而燥
。能胜湿除痰。性紧而毒。能攻积拔肿。为肝脾肺三经之药。治惊痫风眩。（丹溪曰∶无痰
不作眩。）身强口噤。喉痹舌疮。结核疝瘕。痈毒疥癣。蛇虫咬毒。（调末箍之。）破结下气
。利水堕胎。性更烈于半夏。（与半夏皆燥而毒、故皆堕胎、南星辛而不守、半夏辛而能守
、所以古安胎方中、亦有用半夏者。）按南星治风痰。半夏治湿痰。功用虽类而实殊也。非
西北人真中风者。勿服。阴虚燥痰大忌。根似半夏而大。看如虎掌。故一名虎掌。以矾汤或
皂角汁。浸三昼夜。曝用。或酒浸一宿。蒸熟。竹刀切开。以不麻为度。或姜渣黄泥和包。
煨熟用。造曲法。以姜汁矾汤。和南星末作饼。楮叶包。待生黄衣。日干。造胆星法。腊月
取黄牛胆汁。和南星末。纳入胆中。风干。年久者弥佳。（得牛胆则燥性减、且胆有益肝胆
之功。）畏附子、干姜、防风。（得防风则不麻、火炮则毒性缓、所谓火能革物之性。自附
子至南星、皆大毒之品。）
大燥，能开通顽固之痰。
味辛苦，性大热。能搜剔风邪、胜除湿邪。开通顽固之痰。治疗顽固疮疡。以毒攻毒。效果颇优于川乌头。然而其毒性极大且无制约之法，不可轻易使用。
野生。形状类似川乌头。所以也叫乌喙。用姜汁炒制，或用豆腐煮。（《十便良方》记载：治疗腰脚冷痛，取草乌头三个，去皮和脐部后研为细末，用醋调匀外贴，片刻后疼痛即止。）
燥湿，祛风湿，治疗面部疾病。
味辛甘，性大热，属纯阳之药。入阳明经药物。能引导药势向上行。治疗面部各种疾病。（阳明经脉环绕面部，白附子能去除头面部的游风，可制作成面脂，消除瘢痕瑕疵。）祛除风痰。治疗心痛血痹。各种风邪冷气。中风失音。阴部潮湿瘙痒。属于燥烈有毒的药物，如果是类似中风的证候，即使有痰，也禁用。小儿慢惊风勿服。根部像缩小的川乌头。皱纹且有节。需炮制后使用。
（陶隐居说：此药已久绝，没有真正的真品了，现在只有凉州出产的。）
燥湿，宣通，祛风痰。
味道辛而苦，能治疗风邪、散瘀血。（南星与防风等分研为细末，名为玉真散，治疗破伤风、刀伤扑伤如神效。破伤风患者，将药敷在疮口，温酒调服二钱；被打至假死状态，用童便调灌二钱，连续服用三服，必能活命。）气温而燥。能胜湿除痰。性质紧束而有毒。能攻积滞、拔肿毒。是肝、脾、肺三经的药物。治疗惊痫风眩。（朱丹溪说：无痰不作眩。）身体强直、口噤不开。喉痹舌疮。结核疝瘕。痈毒疥癣。蛇虫咬伤中毒。（调和药末箍围患处。）破结气、下气。利水、堕胎。药性比半夏更猛烈。（与半夏都燥烈而有毒，所以都能堕胎。南星辛散而不守中，半夏辛散而能守中，所以古代安胎方中，也有使用半夏的。）按：南星治疗风痰，半夏治疗湿痰。功用虽然类似但实际不同。如果不是西北人真正患中风者，不要服用。阴虚燥痰者大忌。根部像半夏但较大。看起来像虎掌。所以一名虎掌。用矾汤或皂角汁浸泡三昼夜，晒干使用。或用酒浸泡一夜，蒸熟。用竹刀切开，以不麻嘴为度。或用姜渣黄泥和包，煨熟使用。制造曲的方法。用姜汁矾汤，和南星末做成饼。楮叶包裹。待生黄衣。晒干。制造胆星的方法。腊月取黄牛胆汁。和南星末。纳入胆中。风干。年代越久越好。（得到牛胆则燥性减少，而且胆有益肝胆之功。）畏附子、干姜、防风。（得到防风则不麻，火炮则毒性缓，所谓火能改变物的本性。从附子到南星，都是大毒之物。）
Greatly drying, opens up stubborn phlegm.
Pungent and bitter, greatly hot in nature. Expels wind and overcomes dampness. Opens up stubborn phlegm. Treats stubborn sores. Uses toxicity to counteract toxicity. Its efficacy is quite superior to that of Chuanwu (Rhizoma Aconiti Kusnezoffii). However, it is extremely toxic without any restraining agents, and should not be administered lightly.
Wild-grown. Resembles Chuanwu in appearance. Hence also named Wuhui (Aconitum heterophyllum). Stir-fried with ginger juice, or boiled with tofu. (Shibian Liangfang records: For treating cold pain in the waist and legs, take three Caowutou (Rhizoma Aconiti Carmichaeliani), remove skin and umbilicus, grind into powder, mix with vinegar for external application; pain stops shortly.)
Dries dampness, expels wind-dampness, treats facial diseases.
Pungent and sweet, greatly hot, pure yang in nature. Enters the Yangming channel. Can guide medicinal effects upward. Treats various diseases of the face. (The Yangming channel winds around the face; Baifuzi can remove wandering wind from the head and face, can be made into facial cream, and eliminates scars and blemishes.) Expels wind-phlegm. Treats heart pain and blood bi. Various wind-cold qi. Stroke with loss of voice. Damp itching in the yin region. It is a drying and toxic substance; if the syndrome resembles stroke, even if there is phlegm, it is strictly contraindicated. Do not use for pediatric slow convulsion. The root is like a smaller version of Chuanwu. Wrinkled and jointed. Must be processed before use.
(Tao Hongjing said: This herb has been extinct for a long time, no true authentic ones remain; now only those produced in Liangzhou exist.)
Dries dampness, unblocks, expels wind-phlegm.
Tastes pungent and bitter, can treat wind pathogens and dissipate blood stasis. (Nanxing (Rhizoma Arisaematis) and Fangfeng (Radix Saposhnikoviae) ground equally into powder, named Yuzhen San, treats tetanus, knife wounds, and blunt trauma with miraculous effect. For tetanus patients, apply medicine to the wound surface, take two qian mixed with warm wine; for those beaten to apparent death,灌 two qian mixed with child's urine, continue for three doses, must survive.) Warm in temperature and drying. Can overcome dampness and eliminate phlegm. Tight in nature and toxic. Can attack accumulation and draw out swelling. It is a herb for the Liver, Spleen, and Lung channels. Treats fright epilepsy and wind vertigo. (Zhu Danxi said: No phlegm, no vertigo.) Stiff body and locked jaw. Throat obstruction and tongue sores. Tubercles, hernia, and masses. Carbuncles, toxins, scabies, and tinea. Snake and insect bite poison. (Mix powder and apply as a poultice.) Breaks stagnation and directs qi downward. Promotes urination and induces abortion. Its nature is more fierce than Banxia (Rhizoma Pinelliae). (Both are drying and toxic, hence both induce abortion. Nanxing is pungent and does not retain, while Banxia is pungent and retains, therefore ancient pregnancy-preserving formulas also used Banxia.) According to analysis: Nanxing treats wind-phlegm, Banxia treats damp-phlegm. Although their functions are similar, they are actually different. Do not take unless it is a true stroke patient from the Northwest. Strictly contraindicated for yin deficiency with dry phlegm. The root resembles Banxia but is larger. Looks like a tiger's palm. Hence another name is Huzhang (Tiger Palm). Soak in alum water or soapberry juice for three days and nights, then sun-dry. Or soak in wine overnight, steam until cooked. Cut with a bamboo knife, stop when numbness ceases. Or wrap with ginger residue and yellow mud, bake until cooked. Method for making Qu (fermented starter): Mix Nanxing powder with ginger juice and alum water to make cakes. Wrap with paper mulberry leaves. Wait for yellow mold to grow. Sun-dry. Method for making Dansing (Gallbladder Star): In the twelfth lunar month, take bile from a yellow cow. Mix with Nanxing powder. Insert into the gallbladder. Air-dry. The older, the better. (Obtaining ox gallbladder reduces drying nature, and gallbladder benefits the Liver and Gallbladder.) Feared by Fuzi (Radix Aconiti Lateralis Preparata), Ganjiang (Rhizoma Zingiberis), and Fangfeng (Radix Saposhnikoviae). (With Fangfeng, it becomes non-numbing; with fire processing, its toxicity slows down, meaning fire can change the nature of substances. From Fuzi to Nanxing, all are highly toxic substances.)