别录载甘草温中下气。烦满短气伤脏咳嗽。止渴。通经脉。利血气。解百药毒。为九土
之精。安和七十二种
石。一千二百种草。李东垣曰甘草气薄味浓。可升可降。阴中阳也阳不足者补之以甘甘温能
除大热故生用
则气平。补脾胃不足。而大泻心火。灸之则气温。补三焦元气。而散表寒。除邪热。去咽痛
。缓正气。养阴血。凡
心火乘脾。腹中急痛。腹皮急缩者。宜倍用之其性能缓急而又协和诸药使之不争故热药得之
缓其热。
寒药得之缓其寒。寒热相杂者用之得其平。王好古曰五味之用。苦泄辛散酸收
咸敛
甘上行而发。而本草言甘草下气。何也。盖甘味主中。有升降浮沉。可上可下。可外可内。
有和有缓。有补有
泻居中之道尽矣。仲景附子理中汤。用甘草。恐其 上也。调胃承气汤。用甘草。恐其速
下也。皆缓之之意。
小柴胡汤有柴胡黄芩之寒。人参半夏之温。而用甘草者。则有调和之意。建中汤用甘草以补
中而缓脾
急也。凤髓丹用甘草以缓肾急而生元气也。乃甘补之意。又曰甘者令人中满。中满者勿食甘
。甘缓而壅
气。非中满所宜也凡不满而用炙甘草为之补。若中满而用生甘草为之泻能引诸药直至满所甘
味入
脾。归其所喜此升降浮沉之理也经云以甘补之以甘泻之。以甘缓之是矣李濒湖曰甘草外赤中
黄。色
兼坤离。味浓气薄。资全土德。协和群品。有元老之功。普治百邪。得王道之化。赞帝力
而人不知。敛神功而已
不与。可谓药中之良相也。然中满呕吐酒客之病。不喜其甘。而大戟芫丸甘遂海藻。与之相
反是亦优缓不可以救昏昧而君子尝见嫉于宵人之意欤。
《名医别录》记载甘草能温中、降气，治疗烦闷、短气、伤脏引起的咳嗽，止渴，通利经脉，调和血气，解除各种药物的毒性。它是九种土产药材中的精华，能使七十二种矿物药和一千二百种草类药安定和谐。李东垣说：甘草气味轻薄而味道浓厚，既可升提又可沉降，属于阴中之阳。对于阳气不足者，用甘味来补益；甘温之性能消除大热，所以生用时药性平和，能补益脾胃的不足，并大幅清泻心火；若经灸治后，其气温和，能补益三焦元气，并疏散体表寒邪，清除邪热，去除咽喉疼痛，缓和正气，滋养阴血。凡是心火侵犯脾土，导致腹部拘急疼痛、腹皮紧缩的情况，应当加倍使用甘草。因为甘草的性能能够缓解急迫，又能协调各种药物使其不相互冲突，所以热性药得到它则减缓其热性，寒性药得到它则减缓其寒性，寒热混杂的药方中使用它则能达到平衡。王好古说：五味的作用中，苦能泄降，辛能发散，酸能收敛，咸能软坚，甘能上行发散。但本草书中说甘草能下气，这是为什么呢？大概是因为甘味主要作用于中焦，具有升降浮沉的特性，可上可下，可内可外，有调和与缓急的作用，有补益与泻实的功能，居于中道的道理已经完备了。张仲景在附子理中汤中使用甘草，是担心药力上升太快；在调胃承气汤中使用甘草，是担心泻下速度过快，这都是为了减缓药势的意思。小柴胡汤中有柴胡、黄芩的寒性，人参、半夏的温性，而使用甘草，是为了调和诸药。建中汤使用甘草，是为了补益中焦并缓解脾气的急迫。凤髓丹使用甘草，是为了缓解肾脏的急迫并生成元气，这是甘味补益的意思。又说：甘味容易使人产生中满（脘腹胀满），患有中满的人不要食用甘味药，因为甘味缓滞且壅塞气机，不是中满证所适宜的。凡是不中满而使用炙甘草作为补益，若是中满而使用生甘草作为泻实，能引导其他药物直达病所。甘味入脾，归于其所喜好的脏腑，这就是升降浮沉的道理。经典中说：用甘味来补益，用甘味来泻实，用甘味来缓急，是正确的。李时珍说：甘草外红内黄，颜色兼具坤（地）与离（火）的特征，味道浓厚而气味轻薄，具备完整的土德，能协调各类药材，有元老般的功劳，普遍治疗各种邪气，得王道般的教化，辅助帝王之力而人不察觉，收敛神功而不居功，可以说是药中的良相。然而，患有中满、呕吐或嗜酒之人，不喜欢甘草的甘味；此外，大戟、芫花、甘遂、海藻等药材与甘草相反，这也是优柔宽缓不能救治昏昧之症，以及君子常被小人嫉妒的意思吧。
*Ben Cao Ming Yi Bie Lu* records that Gancao (Radix Glycyrrhizae) warms the middle, directs qi downward, treats irritability, fullness, shortness of breath, and cough due to injury of the zang organs, stops thirst, unblocks meridians, benefits blood and qi, and resolves the toxicity of hundred herbs. It is the essence of the nine types of earth-grown herbs, calming seventy-two kinds of mineral substances and one thousand two hundred kinds of grass herbs. Li Dongyuan stated: Gancao has a thin qi and strong flavor; it can ascend and descend, belonging to yang within yin. For those with insufficient yang, tonification is achieved through sweet flavors; sweet-warmness can eliminate great heat. Therefore, when used raw, its qi is neutral, tonifying spleen and stomach insufficiency while greatly clearing heart fire. When moxa-burned, its temperature becomes warm, tonifying yuan qi of the san jiao (Triple Burner) and dispersing exterior cold, eliminating pathogenic heat, relieving sore throat, moderating righteous qi, and nourishing yin blood. Whenever heart fire invades the spleen, causing abdominal urgency and pain, or contraction of the abdominal skin, it should be used in double dosage. Its nature can relieve urgency and harmonize various medicines so they do not conflict; thus, hot medicines become less heating, cold medicines become less cooling, and mixed cold-heat formulas achieve balance through its use. Wang Haogu said: Regarding the uses of the five flavors, bitter drains, acrid disperses, sour collects, salty softens, and sweet ascends and diffuses. But why does materia medica state that Gancao directs qi downward? This is because sweet flavor primarily acts on the middle jiao, possessing ascending, descending, floating, and sinking properties; it can go up or down, outside or inside, having harmonizing and moderating functions, as well as tonifying and draining effects. The way of residing in the center is complete. Zhang Zhongjing used Gancao in Fuzi Lizhong Tang fearing excessive upward movement, and in Tiaowei Chengqi Tang fearing rapid downward purgation; both intend to moderate the action. Xiao Chaihu Tang contains the coldness of Chai Hu (Radix Bupleuri) and Huang Qin (Radix Scutellariae), and the warmth of Ren Shen (Radix Ginseng) and Ban Xia (Rhizoma Pinelliae); Gancao is used there for harmonization. Jianzhong Tang uses Gancao to tonify the middle and relieve spleen urgency. Fengsui Dan uses Gancao to relieve kidney urgency and generate yuan qi, reflecting the intent of sweet tonification. It is also said: Sweetness causes middle-fullness; those with middle-fullness should avoid sweet flavors, as sweetness is moderating and clogs qi, which is unsuitable for middle-fullness. Generally, roasted Gancao is used for tonification when there is no fullness, whereas raw Gancao is used for draining when there is middle-fullness, guiding other medicines directly to the site of fullness. Sweet flavor enters the spleen, returning to what it favors; this is the principle of ascending, descending, floating, and sinking. The classics state: "Tonify with sweet, drain with sweet, moderate with sweet," which is correct. Li Shizhen said: Gancao is red on the outside and yellow inside, combining the colors of Kun (Earth) and Li (Fire). With strong flavor and thin qi, it fully embodies the virtue of Earth, harmonizes all products, possesses the merit of a senior statesman, treats hundred pathogenic factors universally, obtains the transformation of the Kingly Way, assists imperial power without people knowing, and conceals divine功 (merit) without claiming credit. It can be called the good minister among medicines. However, patients with middle-fullness, vomiting, or alcoholism do not like its sweetness. Furthermore, Daji (Radix Euphorbiae Pekinensis), Yuan Hua (Flos Genkwa), Gansui (Radix Kansui), and Hai Zao (Thallus Sargassii) are contrary to it. Is this not the meaning that moderation cannot save confusion, and that gentlemen are often envied by villains?