燥湿，宣，祛风痰
味辛而苦，能治风散血（《是斋方》∶南星、防风等分为末，治破伤风、刀伤、扑伤如
神，名玉真散。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，补肝风虚（凡味辛而散者，皆能
补肝，木喜条达故也），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，故堕胎。半
夏辛而能守，南星辛而不守。然古安胎方中，亦有用半夏者）。阴虚燥痰禁用。
根似半夏而大，形如虎掌，故一名虎掌。以矾汤或皂角汁浸三昼夜，曝用；或酒浸一宿
，蒸，竹刀切开，至不麻乃止；或姜渣、黄泥和包，煨熟用。造曲法与半夏同。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。畏附子、干姜、防风（得防风则
不麻，火炮则毒性缓，得牛胆则不燥，且胆有益肝胆之功）。
宣，散结，泻热，润肺，清火
微寒，苦泻心火，辛散肺郁（入肺经气分，心火降则肺气宁。《诗》曰∶言采其虻。虻
即贝母也。取其解郁）。润心肺，清虚痰。
治虚劳烦热，咳嗽上气，吐血咯血，肺痿肺痈，喉痹（君相之火）目眩（火热上攻），
淋沥（小肠邪热，心与小肠相表里，肺为气化之源）瘿瘤（化痰），乳闭产难。功专散结除
热，敷恶疮（唐时有人膊上生疮如人面，能饮酒食物，亦无他苦。遍投诸药悉受之，至贝母。
疮乃颦眉，灌之数日，成痂而愈），敛疮口（火降邪散，疮口自敛，非贝母性收敛也。俗以
半夏燥毒，代以贝母，不知贝母寒润，主肺家燥痰，半夏温燥，主脾家湿痰，设或误用，贻
误非浅。故凡风、寒、湿、食诸痰，贝母非所宜也，宜用半夏、南星）。
川产开瓣者良，独颗无瓣者不堪用。去心，糯米拌炒黄，捣用。浓朴、白薇为使。畏秦
艽。反乌头。
**天南星**
味辛而苦，能够治疗风邪并消散瘀血（《是斋方》记载：将天南星与防风等份研为细末，治疗破伤风、刀枪伤、跌打损伤效果如神，名为玉真散。对于破伤风患者，将药粉敷于伤口，用温酒调服二钱；若因殴打致昏迷濒死，用童子尿调灌二钱，连续服用三剂必能救活）；其气温热而性燥，能够胜湿除痰；其性峻烈且有毒，能够攻逐积滞、拔除肿毒，并能补益肝风之虚（凡是味道辛散的药物，都能补益肝脏，因为肝木喜欢条达舒畅的缘故），是天南星作为入肝、脾、肺三经的药物。
治疗惊痫、风眩（朱丹溪说：没有痰就不会发生眩晕）、身体僵硬、口噤不开、喉痹、舌疮、结核、疝气瘕块、痈毒疥癣、蛇虫咬伤中毒（将药粉调敷以约束毒势）、破结下气、利水及堕胎。其药性比半夏更猛烈（半夏和天南星都燥烈有毒，所以会导致堕胎。半夏味辛但能守中，天南星味辛但不守中。然而古代安胎方剂中，也有使用半夏的情况）。阴虚燥痰者禁用。
根部形状像半夏但较大，外形像虎掌，所以又名虎掌。用明矾汤或皂角汁浸泡三昼夜，晒干后使用；或用酒浸泡一夜，蒸熟，用竹刀切开，直到尝之不麻为止；或用姜渣、黄泥包裹，煨熟后使用。制作曲的方法与半夏相同。制作胆星的方法：腊月取黄牛胆汁，混合天南星粉末纳入牛胆中，风干，存放时间越久越好。畏附子、干姜、防风（遇到防风则不麻，火炮制则毒性减缓，遇到牛胆汁则不燥，且胆汁有益肝胆的功效）。
**贝母**
微寒，苦味能泻心火，辛味能散肺郁（入肺经气分，心火下降则肺气安宁。《诗经》说：言采其虻。虻即贝母。取其解郁之意）。滋润心肺，清除虚痰。
治疗虚劳烦热、咳嗽气逆、吐血咯血、肺痿、肺痈、喉痹（君相之火上炎）、目眩（火热上攻）、淋沥（小肠邪热，心与小肠相表里，肺为气化之源）、瘿瘤（化痰）、乳闭、产难。功效专于散结除热，外敷恶疮（唐代有人膊上生疮如人面，能饮酒进食，也无其他痛苦。遍投各种药物均被接受，轮到贝母时，疮竟皱眉，灌服数日后，结成痂而痊愈），收敛疮口（火降邪散，疮口自然收敛，并非贝母本身具有收敛性质。世俗之人认为半夏燥毒，便用贝母代替，不知道贝母寒润，主治肺家燥痰，半夏温燥，主治脾家湿痰，如果误用，贻害非浅。所以凡是风、寒、湿、食诸痰，贝母都不适宜，宜用半夏、天南星）。
**Arisaema Cum Bile (Nanxing)**
Functions: Dries dampness, disperses [pathogens], expels wind-phlegm.
Flavor is pungent and bitter; capable of treating wind pathogens and dissipating blood stasis (*Shizhai Fang* records: Arisaema and Saposhnikovia Root in equal parts ground into powder, used to treat tetanus, knife wounds, and traumatic injuries with miraculous effect, named Yuzhen San. For tetanus, apply powder to the wound and take two qian mixed with warm wine; if beaten to near death, administer two qian mixed with child's urine, three doses consecutively will surely revive); its nature is warm and drying, capable of overcoming dampness and eliminating phlegm; its action is intense and toxic, capable of attacking accumulations and drawing out swelling, and supplementing liver wind deficiency (any substance with a pungent and dispersing flavor can supplement the liver, as Wood likes free flow), serving as a herb for the Liver, Spleen, and Lung meridians.
Treats fright epilepsy, wind vertigo (Zhu Danxi said: "No phlegm, no vertigo"), stiff body, locked jaw, throat obstruction, tongue sores, scrofula, hernia masses, carbuncles, sores, tinea, snake and insect bites/poison (mix powder to bind/toxify), breaks stagnation, directs Qi downward, promotes urination, and induces abortion. Its nature is more intense than Pinellia Rhizome (both are drying and toxic, thus inducing abortion). Pinellia is pungent yet retains [its action within], whereas Arisaema is pungent but does not retain. However, ancient formulas for stabilizing pregnancy also use Pinellia. Contraindicated in Yin deficiency with dry phlegm.
The root resembles Pinellia but is larger, shaped like a tiger's palm, hence another name is Tiger Palm. Soak in alum solution or soapberry juice for three days and nights, then sun-dry; or soak in wine overnight, steam, cut open with a bamboo knife until it no longer causes numbness when tasted; or wrap in ginger residue and yellow mud, roast until cooked. The method for making pills is the same as for Pinellia. Method for making Danxing (Bile-treated Arisaema): In the twelfth lunar month, take bile from a yellow ox, mix with Arisaema powder, insert into the gallbladder, air-dry; the older, the better. Averse to Aconite Lateral Root Processed Product, Dried Ginger, and Saposhnikovia Root (with Saposhnikovia, it loses numbness; fire-processed, toxicity is mitigated; with ox bile, it becomes less drying, and bile benefits the Liver and Gallbladder).
**Fritillaria Bulb (Beimu)**
Functions: Disperses, resolves nodules, purges heat, moistens the Lung, clears fire.
Slightly cold; bitter flavor purges Heart Fire, pungent flavor disperses Lung depression (enters the Qi level of the Lung meridian; when Heart Fire descends, Lung Qi calms. *Classic of Poetry* says: "Gathering its Meng." Meng refers to Beimu. Taking advantage of its ability to resolve depression). Moistens the Heart and Lung, clears deficient phlegm.
Treats consumptive fever with irritability, cough with rebellious Qi, hemoptysis, lung abscess, pulmonary atrophy, throat obstruction (due to Ministerial Fire flaring up), dizziness (due to Heat/Fire attacking upward), dysuria (due to pathogenic heat in the Small Intestine; Heart and Small Intestine are interior-exteriorly related, Lung is the source of Qi transformation), goiter (resolves phlegm), breast obstruction, difficult labor. Its efficacy specializes in resolving nodules and clearing heat; applied externally to malignant sores (In Tang times, a person had a sore on his shoulder resembling a human face, able to drink and eat without other distress. Various medicines were tried and accepted by the sore. When Fritillaria was applied, the sore frowned. After administering it for several days, a scab formed and it healed). Contracts sore margins (when Fire descends and pathogens disperse, sore margins contract naturally; this is not due to an intrinsic astringent property of Fritillaria. Laypeople, knowing Pinellia is drying and toxic, substitute it with Fritillaria, unaware that Fritillaria is cold and moistening, treating Lung dry-phlegm, while Pinellia is warm and drying, treating Spleen damp-phlegm. Misuse causes significant harm. Therefore, for phlegm caused by Wind, Cold, Dampness, or Food Stagnation, Fritillaria is unsuitable; Pinellia and Arisaema should be used).
Those produced in Sichuan with split lobes are superior; single bulbs without lobes are unusable. Remove the heart, stir-fry with glutinous rice until yellow, crush before use. Magnolia Bark and Anemone Root serve as guiding herbs. Averse to Gentiana Macrophylla Root. Incompatible with Aconite Root.