泻热，软坚痰，消瘿瘤
咸润下而软坚，寒行水以泄热。故消瘿瘤、桔核、阴 之坚聚（腹痛曰疝，丸痛曰 ，
音颓），痰饮香港脚水肿之湿热。消宿食，治五膈。
山东海有大叶马尾二种，亦作海菜食，洗去咸水用（昂按∶其用在咸，似不宜过洗）。
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。治水肿瘿瘤，阴 膈噎（含之咽汁）。
出登莱者，搓如绳索；出闽越者，大叶如菜。洗去咸味用。
宣，搜风，去湿
辛苦微温。气缓善搜，入足少阴（肾）气分，以理伏风。
治本经伤风头痛，头晕目眩（宜与细辛同用），风热齿痛（文潞公《药准》用独活、地
黄等分为末，每服三钱），痉痫湿痹（项背强直，手足反张曰痉；湿流关节，痛而烦曰湿痹。
风胜湿，故二活兼能去湿），奔豚疝瘕（肾积曰奔豚，风寒湿客于肾家所致。瘕疝亦然）。有
风不动，无风反摇，又名独摇草（故治风）。
《本经》云∶独活一名羌活。古方惟用独活，后人云是一类二种，遂分用。以形虚大有
臼如鬼眼，节疏色黄者为独活；色紫节密，气猛烈者为羌活。并出蜀汉。又云自西羌来者名
羌活（故名胡王使者，今采诸家所分经络、主治各证，以便施用）。
泻除热邪，软化坚硬的痰结，消除瘿瘤。
味咸能润下并软化坚硬之物，性寒能行水以泄除热邪。因此能消除瘿瘤、疝气（腹痛称为疝，睾丸肿痛称为颓疝）、痰饮、香港脚及水肿等湿热之证。能消除积食，治疗五膈病。
山东海域有大叶马尾两种海藻，也可作为海菜食用，需洗去咸水后使用（汪昂按：其药效在于咸味，似乎不宜过度清洗）。
与甘草相反（李东垣治疗瘰疬、马刀疮时，将海藻与甘草并用，大概是利用这种相反作用来激发药力以溃散坚结）。
具有下行利水、消除瘿瘤的功效，与海藻相同。外形似海藻但较粗糙，质地柔弱且长。
功效与海藻相同但滑利性稍弱，药性雄烈。用于治疗水肿、瘿瘤、阴疝及噎膈（含服使其汁液咽下）。
产自登州、莱州地区的，搓揉如绳索状；产自闽越地区的，叶片宽大如蔬菜。需洗去咸味后使用。
宣通，搜剔风邪，祛除湿邪。
味辛苦，性微温。气味缓和善于搜剔风邪，入足少阴肾经的气分，以调理潜伏的风邪。
治疗《神农本草经》记载的伤风头痛、头晕目眩（宜与细辛同用），风热引起的齿痛（文潞公《药准》中用独活、地黄各等分为末，每次服用三钱），痉病、痫证及湿痹（项背强直、手足反张称为痉；湿气流注关节，疼痛且烦闷称为湿痹。风能胜湿，所以羌活、独活兼能祛湿），奔豚气及疝瘕积聚（肾脏积气称为奔豚，由风寒湿邪客居肾脏所致。疝瘕积聚也是如此）。有风时不动，无风时反而摇动，又名独摇草（因此能治疗风病）。
《神农本草经》说：独活又名羌活。古方只用独活，后人说这是一类中的两种，于是分开使用。根据形态，中空大且有孔洞如鬼眼、节疏色黄的为独活；色紫节密、气味猛烈者为羌活。都产自蜀汉地区。又说从西羌来的称为羌活（因此得名胡王使者，现在采集各家所分的经络归属和主治病症，以便于临床应用）。
Drains heat, softens hard phlegm nodules, and eliminates goiters.
Salty flavor moistens the downward direction and softens hardness; cold nature promotes water metabolism to drain heat. Thus, it eliminates goiters, hernias (abdominal pain is termed *shan*, testicular swelling is termed *tui*), phlegm-fluid retention, beriberi, and edema caused by damp-heat. It resolves retained food and treats the five types of chest obstruction (*wu ge*).
In the seas of Shandong, there are two varieties with large leaves and horse-tail shapes, which can also be eaten as sea vegetables; they should be washed to remove salty water before use (Wang Ang notes: Their efficacy lies in their saltiness, so excessive washing may not be advisable).
It is incompatible with Licorice Root (*Gancao*) (Li Dongyuan used both Sargassum (*Haizao*) and Licorice Root together to treat scrofula and chain-like lumps, likely to stimulate the action to break down hard accumulations).
It has the function of promoting urination to reduce water retention and eliminating goiters, similar to Sargassum (*Haizao*). It resembles Sargassum but is rougher, tender, and long.
Its efficacy is similar to Sargassum (*Haizao*) but less slippery; its nature is vigorous. It treats edema, goiters, yin hernias, and dysphagia/chest oppression (by holding in the mouth and swallowing the juice).
Those from Dengzhou and Laizhou are twisted like ropes; those from Min-Yue have large leaves resembling vegetables. They should be washed to remove the salty taste before use.
Promotes circulation, searches out wind pathogens, and removes dampness.
Pungent and bitter, slightly warm. Its aroma is mild and good at searching out pathogens; it enters the Qi aspect of the Foot-Shaoyin (Kidney) meridian to regulate latent wind.
It treats wind-cold headache and dizziness/vertigo recorded in the *Shennong Bencao Jing* (should be used with *Xixin*), toothache due to wind-heat (Lord Wen Lu Gong's *Yao Zhun* uses equal parts of *Duhuo* and *Di Huang* ground into powder, taken three qian per dose), spasms, epilepsy, and damp-bi syndrome (stiffness of the neck and back with backward arching of hands and feet is termed spasm; dampness flowing into joints causing pain and vexation is termed damp-bi. Wind overcomes dampness, so both *Qianghuo* and *Duhuo* can remove dampness), running piglet syndrome (*Ben Tun*) and hernia/masses (kidney accumulation is called *Ben Tun*, caused by wind-cold-damp invading the Kidney; hernias and masses are similar). It does not move when there is wind, but sways when there is no wind, hence the name "Alone-Swaying Grass" (thus it treats wind diseases).
The *Shennong Bencao Jing* states: *Duhuo* is also known as *Qianghuo*. Ancient prescriptions only used *Duhuo*; later practitioners said they are one species with two varieties, so they were used separately. Based on morphology, those that are hollow, large, have holes like ghost eyes, sparse nodes, and yellow color are *Duhuo*; those with purple color, dense nodes, and fierce aroma are *Qianghuo*. Both originate from Shu-Han regions. It is also said that those coming from Western Qiang are named *Qianghuo* (hence the name Hu Wang Shi Zhe; now collecting the meridian affiliations and treated conditions divided by various authors for easier application).