白术性温质浓。味甘平。气微香。为脾胃要药。兼补肝肾。主治百病。功居八九。本草
历赞其益脾补气。疗五
痨七伤。消痰除湿痞满肿胀。暖胃消谷。风虚泪眼积年疟痢。生津壮水。安胎扶原。在血
主血。在气主气。不
能悉阐。时师每谓术性燥。津渴者忌用。又谓术能助气。病胀非宜。又谓无故用术。起嗽难
疗。又谓有湿则
用。无湿勿加。吁此等庸工。是别有一部本草矣。误世何堪。物理玄微。真难与言也。戴原
礼每治病胀。主治
参术。初服觉满。未几便愈。吴鹤皋医方考。亦以四君疗鼓胀痞满诸病。此皆治本法也。人
以脾胃为主脾气
健则能制水生金升降运化津液自裕何渴之有其胀者总由脾胃虚弱。不能转输营运精微。以致
饮食
难消。停留作满。亦有不因饮食而自生胀满者凡嗽多属母虚无以生金术善止嗽脾既资益肺岂
反亏
乃谓轻用起嗽。此尤害理之甚。若实嗽热嗽。虽不宜遽用。安可以此而概寒嗽虚嗽乎。湿固
需燥。用术以
健脾。脾气得健。湿能停留否。此非燥湿。乃健脾也。书云胎前主实。用此安胎。宁不犯实
实之戒乎。岂知百
病万机皆主乎脾未有脾胃实而胎不固者人徒知麦芽神曲之善消胀满。陈皮半夏之补益脾胃。
此特
为疗有形之积。与补不甚伤之脾耳。设若虚胀虚满。盒饭参术主治。若混投以前药之属。
隐耗真气。益觉
增剧大凡病属实何难治而所难者政虚矣刘完素曰白术除湿益燥。和中补气。其用有九。温中
。一也。去
脾胃中湿。二也除胃中热。三也。强脾胃。进饮食。四也。和胃生津液。五也。止肌热。六
也。四肢困倦嗜卧。目不能
开。不思饮食。七也。止渴。八也。安胎。九也。汪机曰脾恶湿。湿胜则气不得施化。津何
由生。故曰膀胱者津液之
府。气化则能出焉。用白术以除其湿则气得周流而津液自生矣陶节庵亦谓术能燥肾固气。盖
肾司水
土虚无制便成泛滥之患水既偏胜则火益衰火元气也土母也母衰而子反救乃制水以益火则气自
固而肾自平此四子者真知术之玄蕴矣。
白术性味温和，质地浓厚。味道甘平，气味微香，是调理脾胃的重要药物，兼能补益肝肾，主治各种疾病，其功效占据八九成。历代本草著作都称赞它能健脾益气，治疗五劳七伤，消除痰湿引起的痞满肿胀，温暖胃部促进消化，治疗因风虚导致的流泪、多年的疟疾和痢疾，生津液，壮肾水，安胎固本。在血分则主理血，在气分则主理气，无法一一详尽阐述。
当时的医生常说白术性质燥烈，津液不足口渴者忌用；又说白术能助气，患有胀病的人不宜使用；还说无故使用白术，会引发难以治疗的咳嗽；又说有湿气才用白术，没有湿气不要加用。唉！这些平庸的医生，仿佛另有一部《本草》书了，误人子弟到了不可收拾的地步。事物的道理深奥微妙，真的很难跟他们说清楚。
戴原礼每次治疗胀病，主要使用人参和白术。刚开始服用时感觉腹部胀满，不久后病情就好了。吴鹤皋在《医方考》中，也用四君子汤来治疗鼓胀、痞满等各种疾病。这都是治本的方法。人们认为以脾胃为主，脾气健运就能制约水气并生金（肺），升降运化，津液自然充足，哪里会有口渴呢？至于胀病，总归是因为脾胃虚弱，不能转输营运精微物质，导致饮食难以消化，停留体内产生胀满。也有不是由于饮食原因而自行产生胀满的情况。
凡是咳嗽多属于母脏（脾）虚弱，无法滋生子脏（肺）。白术善于止嗽，既然脾得到了补益，肺怎么会反而亏损呢？却说轻率使用白术会引起咳嗽，这更是违背常理到了极点。如果是实证咳嗽、热证咳嗽，虽然不应急于使用白术，但怎么能因此就一概否定寒证咳嗽和虚证咳嗽的使用呢？湿气确实需要燥湿，使用白术是为了健脾，脾气得到健运，湿气还能停留吗？这并不是单纯的燥湿，而是健脾啊。书上说“胎前宜凉/实”（此处原文意指传统观点认为胎前需清或实，但作者反驳此观点），用白术安胎，难道不违反“实实”（对实证再用补法）的戒律吗？哪里知道百病万机都主宰于脾，从来没有脾胃实证而导致胎元不固的情况。
人们只知道麦芽、神曲善于消除胀满，陈皮、半夏能补益脾胃，但这只是针对治疗有形的积滞，以及稍微损伤的脾胃而言。如果是虚胀、虚满，应当用人参和白术主治。如果混投上述那些消导类药物，会暗中耗损真气，使病情更加严重。大凡疾病属实证并不难治，所难治的是虚证。刘完素说：白术能除湿益燥，和中补气，其作用有九种：温中，是一；去除脾胃中的湿气，是二；清除胃中的热气，是三；强健脾胃，增进饮食，是四；调和胃气，生津液，是五；停止肌热，是六；四肢困倦嗜睡，眼睛睁不开，不想吃东西，是七；止渴，是八；安胎，是九。
汪机说：脾厌恶湿气，湿气胜则气机不能施化，津液从何而生？所以说膀胱是津液的府库，气化功能正常才能排出津液。使用白术来除去湿气，气机就能周流全身，津液自然生成。陶节庵也说白术能燥肾固气。盖因肾主管水土，若虚无制约就会成为泛滥的祸患。水气偏胜则火气更衰，火即元气，土为火之母，母衰而子反救，乃是通过制水来益火，这样气自固而肾自平。这四位先生才是真正懂得白术玄妙内涵的人。
Bai Zhu (Atractylodis Rhizoma) has a warm nature and dense substance. Its taste is sweet and neutral, with a faint fragrance. It is an essential herb for the Spleen and Stomach, and also tonifies the Liver and Kidney. It treats various diseases, accounting for eight or nine-tenths of its efficacy. Materia Medica texts have long praised it for benefiting the Spleen, boosting Qi, treating the Five Wasting-Tremors (Wu Lao) and Seven Injuries (Qi Shang), resolving phlegm-dampness, relieving fullness and swelling, warming the Stomach to aid digestion, treating chronic tearing due to wind-deficiency, perennial malaria and dysentery, generating fluids, strengthening Kidney water, calming the fetus, and supporting the root. In the Blood level, it governs Blood; in the Qi level, it governs Qi. These aspects cannot be fully expounded.
Contemporary physicians often claim that Bai Zhu's nature is drying, so it is contraindicated for those with fluid deficiency and thirst. They also assert that it aids Qi, making it unsuitable for distension disorders. Others say that using Bai Zhu without indication can induce difficult-to-treat coughing. Still others argue it should only be used when dampness is present and avoided otherwise. Alas! Such mediocre practitioners seem to possess a different Materia Medica. Their errors are unbearable. The principles of nature are profound and subtle; it is truly hard to discuss them with such people.
Dai Yuanli, when treating distension, primarily prescribed Ren Shen (Ginseng Radix et Rhizoma) and Bai Zhu. Patients initially felt fuller upon first taking it, but recovered shortly after. Wu Hegao, in *Yi Fang Kao* (Examination of Medical Formulas), also used Si Jun Zi Tang (Four Gentlemen Decoction) to treat various conditions like drum-distension and epigastric fullness. These are all methods of treating the root. People believe that the Spleen and Stomach are central; when Spleen Qi is robust, it controls Water and generates Metal (Lung), regulating ascent and descent, transforming and transporting fluids, thus preventing thirst. Distension generally arises from Spleen-Stomach weakness, failing to transport and distribute essence, leading to indigestion and retention causing fullness. Some experience spontaneous fullness not caused by food intake.
Coughing mostly belongs to Mother-organ (Spleen) deficiency failing to nourish the Child-organ (Lung). Bai Zhu effectively stops coughing; since the Spleen is benefited, how could the Lung suffer? To claim that mild use of Bai Zhu induces coughing is highly illogical. While real-heat coughs may not require immediate use of Bai Zhu, one cannot generalize this to exclude cold-deficiency coughs. Dampness indeed requires drying herbs; using Bai Zhu aims to strengthen the Spleen. Once Spleen Qi is strong, can dampness remain? This is not merely drying dampness, but strengthening the Spleen. Although texts state "pregnancy favors excess/clearing," using Bai Zhu to calm the fetus does not violate the prohibition against "tonifying excess." There are no cases where Spleen-Stomach excess leads to fetal instability. People only know that Mai Ya (Hordei Fructus Germinatus) and Shen Qu (Massa Medicata Fermentata) resolve fullness, and Chen Pi (Citri Reticulatae Pericarpium) and Ban Xia (Pinelliae Rhizoma) benefit the Spleen-Stomach. These specifically treat有形 (formidable/existential) accumulations and mildly injured Spleens. If the distension is deficient, Ren Shen and Bai Zhu should be the primary treatment. Mixing in these digestive herbs secretly consumes True Qi and aggravates the condition. Generally, excess diseases are easy to treat; the difficulty lies in deficiency diseases.
Liu Wansu stated: Bai Zhu removes dampness, benefits dryness, harmonizes the middle, and boosts Qi. Its uses include: 1. Warming the interior; 2. Removing dampness from the Spleen and Stomach; 3. Clearing heat from the Stomach; 4. Strengthening the Spleen and Stomach and promoting appetite; 5. Harmonizing the Stomach and generating fluids; 6. Stopping muscle fever; 7. Treating limb fatigue, lethargy, inability to open eyes, and loss of appetite; 8. Stopping thirst; 9. Calming the fetus.
Wang Ji said: The Spleen dislikes dampness. When dampness prevails, Qi cannot transform, and how can fluids be generated? Thus, the Bladder is the mansion of fluids; only through Qi transformation can they be excreted. Using Bai Zhu to remove dampness allows Qi to circulate freely, and fluids generate spontaneously. Tao Jie'an also claimed Bai Zhu dries the Kidney and consolidates Qi. The Kidney governs Water and Earth; if deficient and uncontrolled, it leads to flooding. If Water overcomes Fire (Yuan Qi), and Earth is the Mother of Fire, when the Mother is weak, the Child tries to rescue it. By controlling Water to benefit Fire, Qi becomes solid and the Kidney stabilizes. These four masters truly understood the profound mysteries of Bai Zhu.