气平。味甘。无毒。主心腹结气。虚热湿毒。腰痛。茎中寒。及目痛 烂泪出。
葳蕤气平。禀天秋降之金气。入手太阴肺经。味甘无毒。得地中和湿土之味。入足太阴
脾经
。气降味和。阴也。甘平之品。则能清能润。故亦主心腹结气也。其主虚热者。甘能补虚。
平可清热也。湿毒腰痛。及茎中寒。目痛 烂泪出。皆太阳膀胱之病也。膀胱之经。起于目
内。其直者下项挟脊。抵腰中。入循膂络肾属膀胱。膀胱本寒水之经。膀胱有湿毒。则湿
气走腰中而痛。走膀胱而茎中寒矣。于是膀胱湿火上炎于经络。目痛内 烂而泪自出也。其
主之者。膀胱之开合。皆由气化。葳蕤气平益肺。肺气降则小便通。湿行火降。而诸症平矣
。盖膀胱津液之府。肺乃津液之原。润其原。则膀胱之湿亦行也。所谓治病必求其本者如此
。
制 方:
葳蕤同黄 。治老人大便秘。同漆叶。治阴虚。兼令人有子。
气平。味苦酸。无毒。主寒湿痿痹。四肢拘挛。膝痛不可屈伸。逐血气。伤热火烂
。堕胎。久服轻身耐老。
牛膝气平。禀天秋降之金气。入手太阴肺经。味苦酸无毒。得地木火之味。入足厥阴肝
经、
手厥阴心包络。气味俱降。阴也。肺热叶焦。发为痿痹。牛膝苦平清肺。肺气清则通调水道
。寒湿下逐。营卫行而痿痹愈矣。湿热不攘。则大筋软短。而四肢拘挛。膝痛不可屈伸矣。
牛膝苦酸。酸则舒筋。苦除湿热。所以主之也。逐血气者。苦平下泄。能逐气滞血凝也。伤
热火烂者。热汤伤。火伤疮也。苦平清热。酸能收。敛则止。而疮愈也。苦味伐生生之气。
酸滑伤厥阴之血。所以堕胎。久服则血脉流通无滞。所以轻身而耐老也。
制 方:
牛膝同生地。治下元虚。专用五两酒煎。治女人阴痛。同当归、生地。下死胎。用三两
同鳖
甲三钱。治疟在阴分久不愈。胃虚加人参一两。陈皮去白五钱。同青蒿、生地、麦冬、杞
子。治血虚发热。
【葳蕤】
药性气平，味甘，无毒。主治心腹部的结聚之气、虚热、湿毒、腰痛、尿道寒冷感，以及眼睛疼痛、眼睑溃烂流泪。
葳蕤药性气平，禀受秋季下降的金气，归入手太阴肺经；药味甘甜且无毒，得自大地中和的湿土之味，归入足太阴脾经。其气下降而味道平和，属于阴类。甘平的药性，既能清热又能滋润，所以也能治疗心腹部的结聚之气。它主治虚热的原因在于：甘味能补益虚弱，平性可以清除热邪。至于湿毒引起的腰痛、尿道寒冷感，以及眼睛疼痛、眼睑溃烂流泪，这些都是太阳膀胱经受邪的病证。膀胱经起始于目内眦，其直行部分下行至项部，夹脊柱两旁，抵达腰部，进入体内联络肾脏并归属于膀胱。膀胱本是寒水之经，若膀胱有湿毒，则湿气流注于腰部导致疼痛，流注于膀胱导致尿道寒冷。于是膀胱的湿火向上熏蒸经络，导致眼睛疼痛、内部溃烂而眼泪自然流出。葳蕤之所以能治疗这些病症，是因为膀胱的开合功能都由气化作用决定。葳蕤气平能补益肺气，肺气肃降则小便通畅，湿气运行、火邪下降，各种症状也就平息了。因为膀胱是津液汇聚的府库，而肺是津液的源头，滋润其源头，那么膀胱的湿气也能得以运行。这就是所谓治病必须探究根本的道理。
制方用法：
葳蕤同黄精一起使用，可治疗老年人便秘；同漆叶一起使用，可治疗阴虚，并且还能使人易于生育。
【牛膝】
药性气平，味苦酸，无毒。主治寒湿引起的痿痹（肢体萎软无力、关节疼痛麻木）、四肢拘挛抽搐、膝盖疼痛无法屈伸，能驱逐血气中的瘀滞，治疗因火热损伤导致的疮疡溃烂，具有堕胎作用，长期服用能使身体轻便、延缓衰老。
牛膝药性气平，禀受秋季下降的金气，归入手太阴肺经；药味苦酸且无毒，得自大地的木火之味，归入足厥阴肝经和手厥阴心包络。其气味都主下降，属于阴类。肺热导致肺叶焦枯，就会引发痿痹。牛膝味苦性平能清泄肺热，肺气清肃则水道通调，寒湿被向下驱逐，营卫之气运行通畅，痿痹也就痊愈了。如果湿热不除，就会导致大筋软缩变短，从而出现四肢拘挛抽搐、膝盖疼痛无法屈伸的症状。牛膝味苦酸，酸味能舒缓筋脉，苦味能清除湿热，所以它能主治这些病症。所谓“逐血气”，是指其苦平之性向下泄降，能够驱逐气滞血凝。所谓“伤热火烂”，是指被热汤或火灼伤导致的疮疡。牛膝苦平能清热，酸味能收敛，收敛则伤口愈合，疮疡自愈。苦味会伐害生生之气，酸滑之性会损伤厥阴肝经的血分，所以具有堕胎作用。长期服用则血脉流通无停滞，所以能使身体轻便并延缓衰老。
制方用法：
牛膝同生地黄一起使用，可治疗下元虚损；单独用五两酒煎服，可治疗女性外阴疼痛；同当归、生地黄一起使用，可排出死胎；用三两牛膝同三钱鳖甲一起使用，可治疗疟疾在阴分久治不愈的情况，若胃虚加人参一两、陈皮去白五钱；同青蒿、生地黄、麦冬、枸杞子一起使用，可治疗血虚发热。
[Rheum Officinale (Weirui)]
The qi is neutral. The taste is sweet. It is non-toxic. It primarily treats Qi stagnation in the heart and abdomen, deficiency heat, damp-heat toxicity, lower back pain, cold sensation in the urethra, as well as eye pain, blepharitis with tearing.
Rheum officinale has a neutral qi, inheriting the descending metal qi of autumn, entering the Hand-Taiyin Lung Meridian. Its taste is sweet and non-toxic, deriving from the harmonious damp-earth flavor of the earth, entering the Foot-Taiyin Spleen Meridian. Its qi descends and its taste is mild; it belongs to Yin. As a sweet and neutral substance, it can clear heat and moisten dryness; thus, it also treats Qi stagnation in the heart and abdomen. The reason it treats deficiency heat is that sweetness tonifies deficiency, and neutrality clears heat. Lower back pain caused by damp-heat toxicity, cold sensation in the urethra, eye pain, and blepharitis with tearing are all diseases of the Foot-Taiyang Bladder Meridian. The Bladder Meridian originates at the inner canthus of the eye; its straight branch descends to the nape, runs alongside the spine, reaches the waist, enters internally to connect with the Kidney and belong to the Bladder. The Bladder is originally a meridian of cold water. If there is damp-heat toxicity in the Bladder, dampness flows into the waist causing pain, and flows into the Bladder causing cold sensation in the urethra. Consequently, damp-fire from the Bladder flares up along the meridians, causing eye pain, internal ulceration, and spontaneous tearing. Rheum officinale treats these conditions because the opening and closing of the Bladder depend on Qi transformation. Rheum officinale, with its neutral qi, benefits Lung Qi; when Lung Qi descends, urination becomes unobstructed, dampness moves, fire subsides, and various symptoms subside. The Bladder is the mansion of body fluids, while the Lung is the source of body fluids. Moistening the source allows the dampness in the Bladder to move. This is what is meant by "treating disease requires seeking the root."
Prescription Formulation:
Rheum officinale combined with Polygonatum sibiricum (Huangjing) treats constipation in the elderly. Combined with Gleditsia sinensis leaf (Qiyè), it treats Yin deficiency and promotes fertility.
[Achyranthes Bidentata (Niuxi)]
The qi is neutral. The taste is bitter and sour. It is non-toxic. It primarily treats wind-cold-damp bi syndrome with muscle atrophy and paralysis, spasm and contracture of the four limbs, knee pain with inability to flex or extend, expels blood stasis and Qi stagnation, treats sores and ulcers caused by heat-fire injury, induces abortion, and long-term use makes the body light and delays aging.
Achyranthes bidentata has a neutral qi, inheriting the descending metal qi of autumn, entering the Hand-Taiyin Lung Meridian. Its taste is bitter and sour and non-toxic, deriving from the wood-fire flavors of the earth, entering the Foot-Jueyin Liver Meridian and the Hand-Jueyin Pericardium Meridian. Both its qi and taste descend; it belongs to Yin. Lung heat causing scorched lung leaves leads to bi syndrome with atrophy. Achyranthes bidentata, being bitter and neutral, clears Lung heat; when Lung Qi is clear, water passages are regulated, cold-dampness is expelled downward, Ying and Wei Qi circulate freely, and bi syndrome with atrophy heals. If damp-heat is not dispelled, large tendons become soft and short, leading to spasm and contracture of the four limbs and knee pain with inability to flex or extend. Achyranthes bidentata is bitter and sour; sourness relaxes tendons, and bitterness removes damp-heat, hence it treats these conditions. "Expelling blood and Qi" refers to its bitter-neutral nature directing downward, capable of expelling Qi stagnation and blood coagulation. "Heat-fire injury and ulceration" refers to sores caused by hot liquids or fire burns. Achyranthes bidentata's bitter-neutral property clears heat, and its sour property astringes; astringency stops bleeding/oozing, leading to healing. Bitterness attacks the vital generating Qi, and sour-slippery properties damage the Blood of the Jueyin; thus, it induces abortion. Long-term use ensures smooth blood circulation without stagnation, making the body light and delaying aging.
Prescription Formulation:
Achyranthes bidentata combined with Rehmannia glutinosa (Shengdihuang) treats deficiency of the lower Yuan. Used alone, five liang decocted in wine treats vulvar pain in women. Combined with Angelica sinensis (Danggui) and Rehmannia glutinosa (Shengdihuang), it expels retained fetus. Three liang of Achyranthes bidentata combined with three qian of Testudinis Carapax et Plastrum (Biejia) treats malaria lingering in the Yin aspect for a long time; if Stomach Qi is deficient, add Ginseng Radix et Rhizoma (Renshen) one liang and Citri Reticulatae Pericarpium (Chenpi) peeled five qian. Combined with Artemisia annua (Qinghao), Rehmannia glutinosa (Shengdihuang), Ophiopogon japonicus (Maidong), and Lycii Fructus (Gouqi), it treats fever due to Blood deficiency.