气温。味辛。无毒。主中风入脑头痛。寒痹筋挛。缓急金疮。妇人血闭无子。
川芎气温。禀天春和之木气。入足厥阴肝经。味辛无毒。得地西方之金味。入手太阴肺经。
气味俱升。阳也。风为阳邪而伤于上。风气通肝。肝经与督脉会于巅顶。所以中风。风邪入
脑头痛也。其主之者。辛温能散也。寒伤血。血涩则麻木而痹。血不养筋。筋急而挛。肝藏
血而主筋。川芎入肝而辛温。则血活而筋舒。痹者愈而挛者痊也。缓急金疮。金疮失血。则
筋时缓时急也。川芎味辛则润。润可治急。气温则缓。缓可治缓也。妇人禀地道而生。以血
为
主。血闭不通。则不生育。川芎入肝。肝乃藏血之藏。生发之经。气温血活。自然生生不已
也。
制 方:
川芎同白芍、归身、生地。名四物汤。治血虚。同甘菊、归身、生地、白芍、甘草。治
血虚
头痛。同归身、桂心、牛膝。治子死腹中。同续断、生地、白胶、杜仲、山萸、北味、人参
、黄 、枣仁。治血崩不止。
气温。味甘。无毒。主大风头眩痛。恶风风邪。目盲无所见。风行周身。骨节疼痛
。久服轻身。
防风气温。禀天春和风木之气。入足厥阴肝经。味甘无毒。得地中正之土味。入足太阴
脾经
。气味俱升。阳也。肝为风木。其经与督脉会于巅顶。大风之邪入肝。则行于阳位。故头眩
痛。其主之者。温以散之也。伤风则恶风。恶风风邪。在表之风也。肝开窍于目。目盲无所
见。在肝经之风也。风行周身。在经络之风也。骨节疼痛。风在关节而兼湿也。盖有湿则阳
气滞而痛也。皆主之者。风气通肝。防风入肝。甘温发散也。脾主肌肉。湿则身重矣。久服
轻身者。风剂散湿。且引清阳上达也。
制 方:
防风同白芍、黄 。治表虚自汗。同荆芥、白芷、生地、地榆、黄 。治破伤风。
【川芎】
气味温热。味道辛。无毒。主治中风邪侵入脑部引起的头痛、寒湿痹证导致的筋脉拘挛、金创出血引起的筋脉时缓时急，以及妇人血闭不通导致的不孕。
川芎气味温热，禀受自然界春季温和的木气，进入足厥阴肝经；味道辛、无毒，获得大地西方金的味性，进入手太阴肺经。
其气味皆主上升，属于阳。风为阳邪，易损伤人体上部。风气与肝相通，肝经与督脉交会于头顶（巅顶）。因此，当中风邪气侵入脑部引起头痛时，使用川芎治疗，是因为其辛温之性能发散风邪。
寒邪伤及血液，血液运行涩滞则出现麻木和痹证；血液不能滋养筋脉，导致筋脉拘急挛缩。肝藏血且主管筋脉。川芎入肝经，因其辛温，能使血液运行通畅而筋脉舒展，从而治愈痹证并缓解拘挛。
所谓“缓急金疮”，是指金创失血后，筋脉会出现时而松弛、时而拘急的现象。川芎味辛能滋润，滋润可治疗拘急；气温能舒缓，舒缓可治疗松弛。
妇人顺应地道而生，以血为主要基础。若血闭不通，则无法生育。川芎入肝经，肝是藏血的脏器，也是生发之经。川芎气温能使血液活跃，自然生生不息，从而解决血闭问题。
制方：
川芎与白芍、当归身、生地黄同用，名为四物汤，治疗血虚证。
川芎与甘菊、当归身、生地黄、白芍、甘草同用，治疗血虚引起的头痛。
川芎与当归身、桂心、牛膝同用，治疗胎死腹中。
川芎与续断、生地黄、白胶、杜仲、山茱萸、北五味子、人参、黄芪、酸枣仁同用，治疗崩漏不止。
【防风】
气味温热。味道甘。无毒。主治大风引起的头晕头痛、恶风及风邪侵袭、目盲视物不清、风邪流行周身、骨节疼痛。长期服用可使身体轻健。
防风气味温热，禀受自然界春季和风木气，进入足厥阴肝经；味道甘、无毒，获得大地中正的土味，进入足太阴脾经。
其气味皆主上升，属于阳。肝属风木，其经脉与督脉交会于头顶。大风邪气侵入肝经，则行走在人体的阳位（上部），所以引起头晕头痛。治疗它，是用温性来发散风邪。
伤风则表现为恶风，这是体表的风邪。肝开窍于目，目盲视物不清，是肝经内的风邪。风邪流行周身，是经络中的风邪。骨节疼痛，是风邪在关节处兼夹湿邪所致。因为有湿邪，阳气阻滞而产生疼痛。这些症状之所以能用防风治疗，是因为风气通于肝，防风入肝经，具有甘温发散的作用。
脾主管肌肉，有湿邪则身体沉重。长期服用防风使身体轻健，是因为风剂能散除湿邪，并且引导清阳之气上升到达头部。
[Chuanxiong Rhizome]
The qi is warm. The flavor is pungent. It is non-toxic. It primarily treats headache caused by wind-stroke pathogen invading the brain, tendon spasms due to cold-bi syndrome, fluctuating tension of tendons in metallic wounds, and infertility in women due to blood obstruction.
Chuanxiong Rhizome has a warm qi, inheriting the mild wood qi of spring from nature, entering the Foot Jueyin Liver Meridian. Its flavor is pungent and non-toxic, acquiring the metal flavor of the west from the earth, entering the Hand Taiyin Lung Meridian.
Both its qi and flavor ascend; it belongs to Yang. Wind is a Yang pathogen that damages the upper body. Wind qi connects with the Liver. The Liver Meridian intersects with the Du Meridian at the vertex (Dian Ding). Therefore, when wind-stroke pathogen invades the brain causing headache, Chuanxiong Rhizome is used because its pungent-warm nature can disperse the pathogen.
Cold injures the Blood; when Blood flow becomes stagnant, numbness and bi-syndrome occur. When Blood fails to nourish the tendons, they become tight and spastic. The Liver stores Blood and governs the tendons. Chuanxiong Rhizome enters the Liver Meridian; being pungent and warm, it activates Blood and relaxes tendons, thereby curing bi-syndrome and resolving spasms.
"Relaxing and tightening in metallic wounds" refers to the phenomenon where tendons fluctuate between relaxation and tension after hemorrhage from metallic wounds. Chuanxiong Rhizome's pungent flavor provides moistening, which treats tension; its warm qi provides soothing, which treats relaxation.
Women are born following Earthly principles, with Blood as their primary foundation. If Blood is obstructed and does not flow, reproduction is impossible. Chuanxiong Rhizome enters the Liver Meridian; the Liver is the storehouse of Blood and the meridian of growth and generation. Its warm qi activates Blood, promoting continuous life processes naturally.
Prescription Formulation:
Chuanxiong Rhizome combined with Bai Shao (White Peony Root), Dang Gui Shen (Radix Angelicae Sinensis - Stem part), and Sheng Di Huang (Rehmanniae Radix) is named Si Wu Tang (Four Substances Decoction), treating Blood Deficiency.
Chuanxiong Rhizome combined with Gan Ju (Chrysanthemi Flos), Dang Gui Shen, Sheng Di Huang, Bai Shao, and Gan Cao (Licorice Root) treats headache due to Blood Deficiency.
Chuanxiong Rhizome combined with Dang Gui Shen, Gui Xin (Cinnamomi Cortex), and Niu Xi (Achyranthis Bidentatae Radix) treats retained dead fetus in the uterus.
Chuanxiong Rhizome combined with Xu Duan (Dipsaci Radix), Sheng Di Huang, Bai Jiao (Donkey-hide Gelatin), Du Zhong (Eucommiae Cortex), Shan Yu Rou (Corni Fructus), Bei Wei Mei (Schisandrae Chinensis Fructus), Ren Shen (Ginseng Radix et Rhizoma), Huang Qi (Astragali Membranacei Radix), and Suan Zao Ren (Ziziphi Spinosae Semen) treats metrorrhagia that does not stop.
[Fang Feng / Saposhnikoviae Radix]
The qi is warm. The flavor is sweet. It is non-toxic. It primarily treats dizziness and headache caused by severe wind, aversion to wind and wind pathogens, blindness or inability to see, wind circulating throughout the body, and pain in bone joints. Long-term use makes the body feel light and agile.
Fang Feng has a warm qi, inheriting the gentle wind-wood qi of spring from nature, entering the Foot Jueyin Liver Meridian. Its flavor is sweet and non-toxic, acquiring the central earth flavor from the earth, entering the Foot Taiyin Spleen Meridian.
Both its qi and flavor ascend; it belongs to Yang. The Liver belongs to Wind-Wood. Its meridian intersects with the Du Meridian at the vertex. Severe wind pathogen invading the Liver Meridian travels along Yang positions (upper body), thus causing dizziness and headache. It is treated by using warmth to disperse it.
Wind injury causes aversion to wind; this aversion to wind pathogens represents exterior wind. The Liver opens into the eyes; blindness or inability to see represents wind within the Liver Meridian. Wind circulating throughout the body represents wind in the meridians and collaterals. Pain in bone joints indicates wind in the joints accompanied by dampness. Because dampness stagnates Yang Qi, pain occurs. These conditions are all treated by Fang Feng because wind qi connects with the Liver, Fang Feng enters the Liver Meridian, and it possesses sweet-warm dispersing properties.
The Spleen governs muscles; dampness causes heaviness of the body. Long-term use making the body feel light is because wind-type agents dissipate dampness and guide clear Yang Qi upward to reach the head.
Prescription Formulation:
Fang Feng combined with Bai Shao and Huang Qi (Astragali Membranacei Radix) treats spontaneous sweating due to exterior deficiency.
Fang Feng combined with Jing Jie (Schizonepetae Spica), Bai Zhi (Angelicae Dahuricae Radix), Sheng Di Huang, Di Yu (Sanguisorbae Radix), and Huang Qi treats tetanus (broken wind).