补血，泻肝，涩，敛阴
苦酸微寒，入肝脾血分，为手、足太阴（肺脾）行经药。泻肝火（酸敛汗，肝以敛为泻，
以散为补），安脾肺，固腠理（肺主皮毛，脾主肌肉。肝木不克土，则脾安。土旺能生金，
则肺安。脾和肺安，则腠理固矣），和血脉，收阴气，敛逆气（酸主收敛），散恶血，利小便
（敛阴生津，小便自利，非通行之谓也），缓中止痛（东垣曰∶经曰损其肝者，缓其中，即
调血也）益气除烦，敛汗安胎，补劳退热。
治泻痢后重（能除胃中湿热），脾虚腹痛（泻痢俱太阴病，不可缺此，寒泻冷痛忌用。
虞天民曰∶白芍不惟治血虚，大能行气。古方治腹痛，用白芍四钱，甘草二钱，名芍药甘草
汤。盖腹痛因营气不从，逆于肉里，白芍能行营气，甘草能敛逆气，又痛为肝木克脾土，白
芍能伐肝故也。天民又曰∶白芍只治血虚腹痛，余不治，以其酸寒收敛，无温散之功也），
心痞胁痛（胁者，肝胆二经往来之道。其火上冲，则胃脘痛，横行则两胁痛。白芍能理中泻
肝），肺胀喘噫（嗳同），痈肿疝瘕。其收降之体，又能入血海（冲脉为血海，男女皆有之），
而至厥阴（肝）。治鼻衄（鼻血曰衄，音女六切）目涩，肝血不足（退火益阴，肝血自足），
妇人胎产，及一切血病。又曰产后忌用（丹溪曰∶以其酸寒伐生发之气也，必不得已，酒炒
用之可耳。时珍曰∶产后肝血已虚，不可更泻也。寇氏曰∶减芍药以避中寒。微寒如芍药，
古人犹谆谆告诫，况大苦大寒，可肆行而莫之忌耶？同白术补脾，同参、 补气，同归、地
补血，同芎 泻肝，同甘草止腹痛，同黄连止泻痢，同防风发痘症，同姜、枣温经散湿）。
赤芍药主治略同，尤能泻肝火，散恶血，治腹痛坚积，血痹疝瘕（邪聚外肾为疝，腹内
为瘕），经闭肠风，痈肿目赤（皆散泻之功）。
白补而收，赤散而泻。白益脾，能于土中泻木；赤散邪，能行血中之滞。产后俱忌用。
赤白各随花色，单瓣者入药。酒炒用（制其寒），妇人血分醋炒，下痢后重不炒。恶芒硝、
石斛。畏鳖甲、小蓟。反藜芦。
补血，清泻肝火，具有收敛固涩、敛护阴液的作用。
味苦、酸，性微寒，归入肝、脾两脏的血分，是手太阴肺经和足太阴脾经的引经药。清泻肝火（酸味能收敛止汗，肝脏通过收敛来达到泻火的目的，通过疏散来达到补益的效果），安抚脾肺，巩固腠理（肺主司皮毛，脾主肌肉。若肝木不克制脾土，则脾脏安宁；脾土旺盛能生助肺金，则肺脏安宁。脾与肺安宁协调，则腠理坚固），调和血脉，收纳阴气，收敛上逆之气（酸味主要作用是收敛），消散瘀血，通利小便（收敛阴液以生津液，小便自然通利，并非指具有通行疏导的功效），缓解中焦疼痛止痛（李东垣说：《内经》讲损伤肝脏者，要缓和中焦，也就是调治血液）。益气除烦，敛汗安胎，补虚劳退虚热。
治疗痢疾便后重坠感（能清除胃中的湿热），脾虚引起的腹痛（腹泻和痢疾都属于太阴病范畴，此药不可或缺，但寒性腹泻导致的冷痛忌用。虞天民说：白芍不仅能治疗血虚，更能行气。古方治疗腹痛，用白芍四钱，甘草二钱，名为芍药甘草汤。大概是因为腹痛源于营气不顺，逆乱于肌肉之中，白芍能运行营气，甘草能收敛逆气，且疼痛多因肝木克制脾土所致，白芍能伐抑肝木。虞天民又说：白芍只治疗血虚引起的腹痛，其余情况不治，因为其味酸寒而收敛，没有温散的功效），心下痞满胁肋疼痛（胁部是肝胆二经气机往来的通道。火热之气上冲，则导致胃脘痛，横行则导致两胁痛。白芍能调理中焦并清泻肝火），肺部胀满气喘嗳气（嗳同“噫”），痈肿疝气瘕块。其体性收降，又能进入血海（冲脉被称为血海，男女都有），直达厥阴经（肝脏）。治疗鼻出血（鼻血称为衄，读音为女六切）、眼睛干涩，肝血不足（退去火邪增益阴液，肝血自然充足），妇女妊娠及产后疾病，以及一切血分病变。又有人说产后忌用（朱丹溪说：因为白芍酸寒，会伐伤生发之气，实在不得已时，可用酒炒制后使用。李时珍说：产后肝血已虚，不可再行泻法。寇宗奭说：减少芍药用量以避免中寒。像芍药这样微寒的药物，古人还谆谆告诫，何况是大苦大寒之药，岂可肆意使用而不加禁忌呢？配伍白术可补脾，配伍人参、黄芪可补气，配伍当归、地黄可补血，配伍川芎可泻肝，配伍甘草可止腹痛，配伍黄连可止泻痢，配伍防风可透发痘疹，配伍生姜、大枣可温经散湿）。
赤芍药的主治功效大致相同，尤其擅长清泻肝火，消散瘀血，治疗腹部坚硬积块、血痹疝气瘕块（邪气聚集在外生殖器称为疝，在腹内称为瘕），月经闭止、肠风便血，痈肿目赤（这些都是其散泻功效的体现）。
白芍偏于补益和收敛，赤芍偏于发散和泻实。白芍有益脾作用，能在健脾的同时清泻肝木；赤芍能发散邪气，能行散血中的瘀滞。产后均忌用。赤芍和白芍的颜色随花朵颜色而定，单瓣品种入药。用酒炒制使用（以制约其寒性），妇人血分疾病用醋炒，治疗痢疾便后重坠感时不炒。畏恶芒硝、石斛。畏惧鳖甲、小蓟。反藜芦。
Nourishes blood, clears Liver fire, astringent, and consolidates Yin.
Bitter, sour, slightly cold in nature; enters the Blood aspect of the Liver and Spleen meridians; acts as a guiding herb for the Hand-Taiyin Lung and Foot-Taiyin Spleen meridians. Clears Liver fire (Sour flavor induces sweating cessation; the Liver is cleared through astringency and nourished through dispersion), soothes the Spleen and Lung, secures the Couli (The Lung governs skin and hair; the Spleen governs muscles. If Liver Wood does not overact on Spleen Earth, the Spleen remains tranquil; if Spleen Earth flourishes to generate Lung Metal, the Lung remains tranquil. When the Spleen and Lung are harmonious and tranquil, the Couli become secure), harmonizes the blood vessels, gathers Yin Qi, restrains rebellious Qi (Sour flavor primarily functions to astringe), disperses evil blood, promotes urination (Astringing Yin generates fluids, leading to natural diuresis, rather than implying a promoting/dredging action), relieves central pain and stops pain (Li Dongyuan stated: The *Neijing* says that for Liver injury, one should moderate the center, which is essentially regulating the blood). Benefits Qi, eliminates irritability, arrests sweating, calms the fetus, tonifies deficiency-fatigue, and reduces fever.
Treats tenesmus after dysentery (can clear damp-heat in the Stomach), abdominal pain due to Spleen deficiency (Dysentery and diarrhea both belong to Taiyin diseases; this herb is indispensable, but contraindicated in cold-type diarrhea with cold pain. Yu Tianmin stated: Bai Shao not only treats Blood deficiency but also greatly moves Qi. Ancient prescriptions for abdominal pain use 4 qian of Bai Shao and 2 qian of Gan Cao, named Shaoyao Gancao Tang. This is because abdominal pain arises from Ying Qi failing to follow its course and reversing within the flesh; Bai Shao can move Ying Qi, Gan Cao can restrain rebellious Qi, and since pain is often caused by Liver Wood overacting on Spleen Earth, Bai Shao can subdue the Liver. Yu Tianmin further stated: Bai Shao only treats abdominal pain due to Blood deficiency, treating nothing else, because its sour-cold nature is astringent and lacks warming-dispersing properties), epigastric fullness and hypochondriac pain (The hypochondrium is the pathway for the往来 of the Liver and Gallbladder meridians. Fire heat rushing upward causes epigastric pain; moving horizontally causes bilateral hypochondriac pain. Bai Shao regulates the middle and clears Liver fire), lung distension with wheezing and belching (belching is synonymous with 'yi'), carbuncles, swellings, hernias, and masses. Due to its descending and astringent nature, it can also enter the Sea of Blood (Chong Mai is known as the Sea of Blood, present in both men and women) and reach the Jueyin meridian (Liver). Treats epistaxis (epistaxis is called 'nü', pronounced nü-liu), dry eyes, Liver Blood deficiency (reduces fire and benefits Yin, so Liver Blood becomes sufficient), gynecological pregnancy and postpartum conditions, and all types of Blood disorders. It is also said that it is contraindicated postpartum (Zhu Danxi stated: Because its sour-cold nature attacks vitalizing Qi; if absolutely necessary, it may be used after wine-frying. Li Shizhen stated: Postpartum Liver Blood is already deficient, so it must not be drained further. Kou Zongshi stated: Reduce the dosage of Shaoyao to avoid mid-jiao cold. Even for mildly cold herbs like Shaoyao, ancients gave earnest warnings; how much more so for strongly bitter and cold herbs, which should never be used recklessly without caution? Combined with Bai Zhu to tonify the Spleen, combined with Ren Shen and Huang Qi to benefit Qi, combined with Dang Gui and Di Huang to nourish Blood, combined with Xiong Duan to clear Liver fire, combined with Gan Cao to stop abdominal pain, combined with Huang Lian to stop dysentery, combined with Fang Feng to induce eruption of smallpox/rashes, combined with Sheng Jiang and Da Zao to warm meridians and disperse dampness).
Chi Shao has similar main indications, but excels at clearing Liver fire, dispersing evil blood, treating hard accumulations in the abdomen, blood bi, hernias, and masses (evil gathering externally in the genitals is called hernia; internally in the abdomen is called mass), amenorrhea, intestinal wind bleeding, carbuncles, swellings, and red eyes (all results of its dispersing and draining actions).
Bai Shao is tonifying and astringent; Chi Shao is dispersing and draining. Bai Shao benefits the Spleen and can drain Wood within Earth; Chi Shao disperses pathogens and can move stagnation in the blood. Both are contraindicated postpartum. Chi and Bai varieties correspond to their flower colors; single-petal varieties are used medicinally. Used after wine-frying (to mitigate coldness); for women's Blood aspect disorders, used after vinegar-frying; not fried when treating tenesmus after dysentery. Adversely interacts with Mang Xiao and Shi Hu. Feared by Bie Jia and Xiao Ji. Incompatible with Li Lu.