《圖經衍義本草》Vol. 16

Aconite (fùzǐ) has a pungent, sweet flavor and a warm nature. Its medicinal properties are intensely hot, and it is highly toxic. It is used to treat coughs caused by wind-cold, rebellious Qi, and disorders brought on by pathogenic influences. It warms the middle burner and treats wounds caused by knives or swords, abdominal masses and accumulations, blood masses caused by stagnant blood, weakness of the sinews and bones from cold-damp, difficulty bending and stretching, knee and foot pain, cold and weak limbs that make walking impossible, wind-cold affecting the lower back and spine, cold pain in the chest and abdomen, spasms of the sinews and vessels during cholera, and red or white dysentery. It is also said to strengthen the sinews and bones, enhance Yin Qi, and induce miscarriage.

Aconite grows in the valleys of Qianwei and around Guanghan. The roots gathered in winter are called “aconite,” while those gathered in spring are called “wutou” (crow’s head).

As for traditional medicinal pairings, dìdǎn is said to assist aconite. Aconite is said to be incompatible with centipede, and to be counteracted by fangfeng, black beans, licorice, astragalus, ginseng, and wūjiǔ. These are the traditional materia medica’s accounts of medicinal interactions.

Tao Hongjing says that aconite is gathered in early August, and that specimens with eight corners are considered superior. When using the “Three Jian”—a group of medicines including aconite, wutou, and tianxiong—it is generally lightly processed over a gentle fire until the skin cracks, without scorching it. Only in the “Ginger and Aconite Decoction” is raw aconite used. Folk prescriptions often combine aconite with licorice, ginseng, and fresh ginger to temper its toxicity.

Chen Cangqi says in the Bencao that aconite may be soaked in vinegar, shaved to the thickness of the little finger, and placed in the ear; this is said to treat deafness. It may also be peeled, roasted until the skin cracks, coated with honey, and roasted again so that the honey seeps in. Hold it in the mouth without swallowing the liquid; this is said to treat throat impediment, a condition involving obstruction and pain in the throat.

The Tujing says that related information is given under the entry for “side root” (cèzǐ).

Chen Cangqi also says that aconite does not naturally have eight corners; Tao Hongjing’s “eight-cornered” is simply a somewhat forced name. Ancient prescriptions often used eight-cornered aconite, and vendors also called it “eight-cornered” because of its shape.

Lei Gong says that the medicines must be identified carefully when used, so that wutou, wūhuì, tianxiong, side root, and mùbiēzǐ are not confused. Wutou has relatively few stems and shoots; its root is long and dark, with few pointed projections at the sides. Wūhuì has a blue-green outer skin, with raised bumps about the size of soybeans, usually eight or nine around it; its base is indented, and its color is as black as forged iron. It should be processed by alternating gentle and strong heat until the skin cracks, then split open for use.

Tianxiong has a short, squat root without pointed projections, with about eleven small buds attached around it and a blue-green outer skin. Roast it until the skin cracks, then remove the skin, tip, and base before use; it may also be prepared by methods such as shade-drying. Side root refers to the small, rounded roots that grow beside aconite.

Those shaped like date pits are suitable for use raw and are highly effective for treating wind rash. The term “wood turtle seed” refers to a bird-beak-shaped growth attached beside aconite. It is not used as medicine and must not be taken, as it can cause blindness. If an aconite daughter root has a flat base, nine ridges, an iron-like color, and weighs one liang, its properties are considered intact and it may be used.

To process it, take ten liang of aconite daughter roots and alternate gentle and strong heat. Roast them until the skin cracks, then remove the cracked parts. Use a knife to scrape away the bud at the top and the tip at the base, and make a slight incision. In the afternoon, dig a pit about one chi deep in the ground beside a house. Put the roots in and leave them overnight; take them out the next day and dry them over heat. Do not use ash from burning mixed woods during processing; willow wood is best. For the yin-processing method, remove the tips, outer skin, and bases from raw aconite daughter roots, then slice them thinly and soak them for five days and nights in flowing water from the east together with black beans. Remove the slices and dry them in the sun. In the usual yin-processing method, after peeling and removing the tips, use five liang of raw black beans and six sheng of east-flowing water for every ten liang of aconite daughter roots.

The Sheng Hui Formulae records that, to treat a severely swollen boil, aconite daughter roots may be ground into powder, mixed with vinegar, and applied as a dressing; reapply when it dries. The Qian Jin Yi Fang gives the same account.

The Wai Tai Mi Yao records that, to treat hemiplegia, paralysis on one side of the body, cold accumulations, and zhu disorders, take one liang of raw aconite daughter roots, without processing them with any ash, chop them roughly, and soak them for seven days in one sheng of ash-free wine. Drink every other day, one small he at a time, until recovery.

The Qian Jin Yi Fang records that, to treat severe wind disorders, cold phlegm, distending fullness from accumulated masses, and various forms of impediment, take one large aconite daughter root weighing half a liang, or use two. Process them and soak them in wine: soak for five days in spring and winter, and three days in summer and autumn. Take one he at a time, twice daily, until the illness resolves. Another formula treats sudden lockjaw when the mouth cannot be opened: grind aconite daughter root into powder, place it in a tube, pry open the mouth, and blow the powder into the throat.

The Experience-Based Formula records that, to treat vomiting and food regurgitation, take one large aconite daughter root and one jin of ginger. Chop them finely, cook them, and pound them until they form a paste. Take it with rice broth.

Another account in the Later Experience-Based Formula treats persistent mouth sores in adults by grinding raw aconite daughter root into powder, mixing it with vinegar and flour to make a paste, and applying it to the sole of the foot. Men should apply it to the left foot and women to the right, changing it twice daily. Another formula treats vomiting and watery diarrhea after a febrile illness, accompanied by a cold body, a faint pulse, and unrelenting agitation: take one aconite daughter root, remove the skin and navel, divide it into eight pieces, and add one qian of salt and two … of water.

The methods of processing medicines and formulae described above are recorded in classical texts; aconite daughter root is toxic, and this passage is presented only as a reading of historical sources.

Decoct the medicinal liquid to one sheng, let it cool until warm, and drink it. It is said to take effect immediately.

The Doumen Formulary records a remedy for stomach reversal, in which food rises back up after eating. Take the largest aconite tuber available and place it on a roof tile. Heat it around the sides, gradually moving it closer to the flame. When the tuber cracks, soak it in fresh ginger juice. Dry it over the fire and soak it again, repeating the process until about half a bowl of ginger juice has been used. Pound and sift the aconite into powder. Take one qian at a time with rice water made from foxtail millet. The condition is said to be cured in no more than three doses.

Another remedy is used for cold affecting the kidneys, called the “original organs” in the source, and to stimulate the appetite. Prepare aconite by roasting it, then remove the skin and tip and pound and sift it into powder. Add two qian of the powder to two bowls of water, along with salt, dates, and ginger, and decoct until reduced to one bowl. Drink it on an empty stomach. The remedy is said to dispel accumulated cold, warm the lower burner—the lower abdomen and areas such as the kidneys and bladder—strengthen digestion, and replenish original Qi, allowing one to eat and drink without impediment.

The Jianyao Jizhong records a remedy for persistent swelling of both legs caused by beriberi, an ancient term for various lower-limb disorders. Take one liang of black aconite, remove the skin and root end, and use it raw. Pound it into a coarse powder and mix it with fresh ginger juice to make a paste. Apply it to the swollen area. When the medicine dries, mix and apply it again, continuing until the swelling subsides.

Sun Yonghe records a remedy for severe, uncontrollable diarrhea and cholera. Take seven qian of aconite, roast it, remove the skin and root end, and grind it into powder. For each dose, take four qian with two bowls of water and half a qian of salt. Decoct until reduced to one bowl and drink while warm. It is said to stop the diarrhea immediately.

Zhang Wen-Zhong records a treatment for eyes that suddenly become red, swollen, and painfully irritated, making them impossible to open and causing continuous tears. Scrape off the outer skin of an aconite tuber and grind it into a powder as fine as silkworm droppings. Place it at the corner of the eye until the symptoms ease.

The Cui Family Formulary records a remedy for deafness and for jaws clenched by wind pathogens and unable to open. Take one eight-sided aconite tuber and soak it in vinegar for three nights until softened. Sharpen one end slightly and place it in the ear. Apply fourteen moxa cones over it, each cone burned down to count as one application. The source says that when the Qi passes into the ear, the deafness will be cured.

Sun Zhao’s mnemonic says this remedy treats “cold flourishing and obstructing Yang” in cold damage: the patient is agitated and feverish but does not want to drink. The recommended medicine is Thunderbolt Powder. Burn one aconite tuber to charcoal while retaining its medicinal properties, grind it into powder, and take one dose mixed with honey water. It is said to cure the condition. The explanation is that the treatment first drives out the cold, causing the heat to rise and induce sweating; the illness then improves.

Another remedy for headache uses equal parts roasted aconite and calcined gypsum, ground into powder. Add a small amount of borneol and musk, and take half a qian with tea or wine.

The Secret Essentials of Cultivating the Real records a remedy for recurrent headaches, said to be highly effective. Take one raw aconite tuber, remove the skin and root end, and boil it in a pot with one ge of mung beans until the beans are cooked. Remove the aconite and eat only the mung beans; it is said to take effect immediately. Each aconite tuber can be used to boil mung beans five times.

To take it, grind it into powder and swallow it.

Aconite is pungent and sweet in flavor, warm and intensely hot in nature, and highly toxic. It chiefly treats windstroke and aversion to wind. Bathing followed by sweating can dispel cold-damp impediment pain. It is also used for coughing with counterflow of Qi, asthma, accumulations and gatherings, alternating chills and fever, cold phlegm in the chest, difficulty swallowing food, cold pain in the heart and abdomen, pain around the navel, pain in the shoulders and back, inability to bend forward or raise the head, eye pain, and inability to look at things for long. It can also induce miscarriage.

The juice of aconite, when boiled down, is called “Shewang” (“Arrow Poison”) and can be used to poison birds and beasts. Shewang is bitter in flavor and highly toxic. It is used to treat corpse-transportation illness (a kind of malign influence said in ancient times to invade the body and cause illness), abdominal masses, and windstroke impediment pain in the head. Aconite is also called Xidu, Jizi, and Wuhui.

Commentary by Yuxi and others: The Common Medicines for Gu Poisoning records that Shewang is warm in nature and highly toxic.

Wuhui (the character “hui” is pronounced “hui”) is pungent in flavor, slightly warm in nature, and highly toxic. It chiefly treats wind-damp, damp cold in men’s kidneys, itching of the scrotum, alternating chills and fever, joint pain, pain pulling into the lower back that prevents walking, and abscesses and swellings with accumulated pus. It can also induce miscarriage. Wuhui grows in the valleys of Langling; after harvesting, it is dried in the shade. Specimens longer than three inches are called Tianxiong.

Mangcao can serve as an assisting herb for Wuhui. Wuhui is incompatible with Banxia, Gualou, Beimu, Bailian, and Baiji, and should not be used with them. It is antagonistic to Lili, so they should not be combined.

Tao Yinjü says: The aconite currently harvested for medicinal use grows on the same root as Fuzi. When its stem first emerges in spring, it resembles a crow’s head, which is why it is called Wutou. When aconite has two branches and the base resembles a pair of ox horns, it is called Wuhui; “hui” means a crow’s beak. Some people also harvest it in the eighth month, crush the stems, squeeze out the juice, and then boil it down each day to make Shewang. Hunters smear it on arrows to shoot birds and beasts; if a person is struck, they too will die, so rescue measures must be taken at once.

The Tang Herbal Commentary says: Wuhui is simply another name for Wutou. The stems and shoots of this plant sometimes divide into three branches, while specimens with two branches are less common. Even when Tianxiong and Fuzi grow with two branches, they retain their original names. So if Wutou with two branches is called Wuhui, what should Tianxiong and Fuzi with two branches be called?

Commentary by Yuxi and others: Wu says that Wutou is also called Lang, Qianqiu, Dugong, Guofu, and Gengzi. Shennong, Leigong, Tongjun, and Huangdi say it is sweet in flavor and toxic. It begins growing in the first month. Its leaves are thick, its stem is square and hollow, and its leaves grow in pairs of four, resembling Artemisia. Because it resembles a crow’s beak, it is called Wuhui. Its prohibitions, antagonisms, and compatibility relationships are the same as those of Wutou. The Erya says, “Ji…” The original text ends here unfinished.

The Commentary on Jincao says: Jincao is aconite, which people in the Jiangdong region call “jin” (pronounced like “jin” in English).

Cui Shi’s Monthly Ordinances for the Four Classes of People says that aconite may be gathered in the third month.

The Treatise on the Nature of Medicines says that aconite is used with Yuanzhi as its guiding herb and should not be taken with fermented soybean liquid. Aconite tastes bitter and sweet; it is extremely hot in nature and highly toxic. It treats aversion to wind, sensitivity to cold, damp impediment, rebellious Qi, cold phlegm obstructing the heart and chest, abdominal pain, xianpi (abdominal accumulations), and Qi masses. It can also strengthen sexual function. It may be used for intermittent chills after wind-stroke, alternating chills and fever, abundant phlegm and cold Qi in the chest, inability to eat, cough with rebellious Qi, and toothache. It can also disperse accumulations, expel cold pathogens, and strengthen resolve.

The text also says that wuhui is used with a guiding herb and should not be taken with fermented soybean liquid. Wuhui tastes bitter and pungent and is extremely hot in nature. It treats weakness of the kidney Qi in men and genital sweating. It is also used for pain caused by wind, warmth, and damp pathogens, as well as chills and fever that persist for a long time and swollen sores.

Chen Cangqi says that shewang has all the effects of aconite, and can also be used for fistulas, sores with hardened roots, luoli (a disease resembling tuberculosis of the lymph nodes in the neck), toxic swellings, and snakebites. First apply the medicine to the skin around the affected area, then gradually move closer to the sore. After application, a slight tingling sensation will occur, as if the medicine’s effects are penetrating deeper. It may be applied if the sore contains mature pus or yellow fluid. If there is no pus or fluid, only fresh blood, or if the injury is new and the skin and flesh have just been broken, it must not be applied, or death will follow immediately. Like poison used to kill wild animals, it may also be applied to arrowheads; an animal struck by an arrow will fall within ten paces.

The Rihuazi says that tuber aconite tastes sour and pungent, is hot in nature, and is toxic. When used fresh, peel it, crush it, and strain out the juice. Let the juice settle, then dry it in the sun at once. The resulting medicinal paste is called “shewang.” Hunters use it to make poisoned arrows. Those poisoned by it may be treated with licorice, indigo leaves, red bean leaves, duckweed, cold water, or jini.

The Illustrated Materia Medica says that related information can be found under the entry for “sidezi.”

The Formulas from the Sagely Beneficence records: To treat cold impediment and pain in the lower back and legs caused by wind pathogens, take three fen of Sichuan aconite, remove the skin and root tip, and use it fresh. Crush and grind it into powder, mix it with strong vinegar, spread it on an old piece of cloth, and apply it to the affected area. The pain will stop after a short while. Another formula treats long-standing scabies and ringworm: take seven fresh pieces of Sichuan aconite, crush them, add two large bowls of water, and boil until reduced to one large bowl. Strain out the dregs, warm the liquid, and wash the affected area.

The Arcane Essentials from the Outer Pavilion records: To treat wind-related headache and head pain, on the La day take one sheng of aconite, roast it until yellow, and grind it into powder. Put the powder in a silk bag and soak it in three sheng of wine. Warm the wine before drinking.

The Thousand Gold Pieces Prescriptions records: To treat ringing in the ears like the sound of flowing water, itchy ears, and wind-like sounds in the ears—which, if left untreated, may eventually lead to deafness—take one fresh aconite. Dig it up and, while it is still moist, pare it into the shape of a jujube pit…

When the ear is severely blocked, change the medicine morning and evening. Recovery should take no more than three days. Another prescription: To treat poison from sand fleas, apply Shewang (a poison used in ancient times to make poisoned arrows) to the affected area. It works well.

Experience-Based Prescriptions: To treat various kinds of Cold Qi, dispel Wind-Phlegm, and relieve pain throughout the body; to replenish original Qi, increase vitality, secure Jing and nourish the marrow, and help prevent illness. Take one jin of Sichuan aconite and place it in a porcelain bowl with a capacity of about five sheng. Soak it in a young boy’s urine, adding more each day and allowing it to overflow. Soak for fourteen days, until the aconite is completely softened. Remove and discard any decayed pieces. Cut the rest with a bamboo knife, slicing each piece into four. Rinse seven times with freshly drawn well water, then soak, changing the water daily for seven consecutive days. Including the initial soaking, the total soaking time is twenty-one days. Remove the aconite and dry it over a fire. Once it is white, grind it and sift it into a fine powder. Use paste made by cooking flour with wine to form pills the size of mung beans. Take ten pills on an empty stomach with salt broth or wine, then eat a little rice porridge to settle the medicine. When the Cold Qi is severe, the number of pills may be increased.

Later Experience-Based Prescriptions: The “Sole Sage Pill” for treating dysentery. Take one fine Sichuan aconite and roast it over a wood fire. When the smoke is nearly gone, remove it, place it on the ground, and cover it with a small cup. After a while, grind it finely. Mix with wine and wax to form pills the size of hemp seeds. Take three pills each time. For bloody dysentery, take them with a cooled decoction of coptis, licorice, and black beans. For white dysentery, take them with a cooled decoction of licorice and black beans. For diarrhea or abdominal pain, take them with water. In every case, take the pills on an empty stomach and avoid hot foods.

Master Mei’s Prescriptions: For bites from snakes or vipers (venomous snakes), apply Shewang to the wound and reapply it frequently.

Another prescription: For women with blood-related Wind, deficiency and Cold, irregular menstruation, vexing heat in the palms and soles, or deficiency-related swelling and numbness of the head and face. Take one jin of Sichuan aconite, four liang of clear oil, and four liang of salt. Simmer them together in a pot until the aconite splits and turns the color of mulberries. Remove the aconite’s outer skin and root scar. Then take four liang of Fulingzhi, combine it with the aconite, and grind the mixture into a fine powder. Put it in a mortar and pound until evenly blended. Use steamed bread to form pills the size of Chinese parasol tree seeds. Take twenty pills on an empty stomach with warm wine or salt broth. This also treats Wind disorders in men.

Another prescription: To replenish the original organs, improve appetite, and strengthen the sinews and bones. It is called the “Two Tigers Pill.” Take four liang each of aconite and aconite root, soak them in strong vinegar for three nights, then remove and slice them. Dig a small pit in the ground and heat it with charcoal until red hot. Pour the medicines and three dou of fine vinegar into the hot pit, cover it with a basin, and leave it overnight before removing them…

Sift away the sandy soil. Take four liang of the finest green salt, grind it to a fine powder, and stir-fry it with the medicines prepared earlier until they turn reddish yellow. Pound everything into a fine powder, mix it with vinegar and flour to form a paste, and make pills the size of wutong seeds. Take fifteen pills on an empty stomach with cool wine, or with salt water. This remedy is also suitable for women.

Another prescription is highly effective for abscesses and swellings, and for limbs dragged by wind disease, a distorted mouth and eyes, difficulty speaking, and unsteady walking. It is called “Black Dragon Pills”: five liang each of Sichuan aconite, with the skin and root tip removed, and Trogopterus feces. Grind the two ingredients into a fine powder, add borneol and musk, and mix thoroughly. Then add drops of water to form pills the size of marbles. Take one pill at a time: first grind it with fresh ginger juice, then mix it with warm wine and drink. Take it twice a day, once on an empty stomach and once before dinner. It is said that one person took only thirty pills; after five to seven pills, they could lift their hand and move their foot, and after ten pills, they could comb their hair without help.

The Shengjin Prescription treats scorpion stings: take a little aconite powder, mix it evenly with aged vinegar, and apply it to the wound.

The Lingyuan Prescription treats a wound contaminated by horse sweat that has become red, swollen, and intensely painful. Treat it promptly; delay allows the toxin to penetrate deeply and makes it difficult to cure. Apply raw aconite powder to the wound. After a while, yellow fluid will drain from it, after which it will heal.

Chu Yushi treats a nail that has grown into the flesh, caused a wound, and failed to heal for years: take the tip of Sichuan aconite and phellodendron bark in equal parts and grind them into powder. Clean the affected area, then apply the medicine.

The Xiuzhen Milue records the “Three Spirits Pill” for diarrhea and dysentery: take three liang of kusnezoff monkshood root, one liang raw, one liang stir-fried, and one liang burned until its nature is retained. Grind it into a fine powder, mix with vinegar and flour to make a paste, and form pills the size of mung beans. Take five pills on an empty stomach. For diarrhea, swallow them with well water; for bloody dysentery, with licorice decoction; for white dysentery, with dried ginger decoction; and for dysentery with both blood and white discharge, with fresh ginger and licorice decoction.

A prescription orally transmitted by Sun Zhao treats Yin-toxin cold damage, with symptoms including cold hands and feet, a deep and faint pulse, headache, and a heavy feeling in the lower back. It also treats cough and retching caused by Yin-toxin, among other symptoms. Take equal parts Sichuan aconite and dried ginger. First grind them coarsely and stir-fry until their color changes. Allow them to cool, then grind them into a fine powder. For each dose, take one qian, add one cup of water and a pinch of salt, and boil until reduced by half. Drink warm.

The Gujin Luyan treats abscesses and swellings where fleshy growths protrude: take five aconite roots and soak them in three sheng of bitter wine for three days. Use the liquid to wash the affected area three or four times each night.

The Yangshi Chanru treats ringing in the ears that continues day and night: burn aconite to ash, grind it in equal parts with sweet flag, wrap the powder in cotton, and place it in the ear. Use it twice daily; it is said to be effective.

In the Tang dynasty, Li Baochen was poisoned when a villain put jǐn (a poisonous plant related to monkshood) in his wine. After drinking it, Li lost his voice for three days and then died.

Empress Wu once put jǐn in some food. After the Helan woman ate it, she died suddenly.

The Yanyi says: Monkshood, wūhuī, aconite, tiānxióng, and cèzǐ are five medicinal materials that come from the same plant, but are named separately according to their size, length, and shape. In later times, when treating deficiency and cold, one must use aconite, selecting specimens with a flat top, a large, rounded shape, and a weight of more than half a liang. These are considered to retain the herb’s full medicinal power without being excessively harsh. For treating wind disorders, tiānxióng is often used in larger quantities, and large specimens should also be chosen. Because it has many sharp points and its nature is hot, it does not readily move downward, so it is used to disperse. These are the general uses of monkshood and aconite. The other three are used as appropriate to their properties. Methods of preparation are recorded in medical formulas.

Tiānxióng

Tiānxióng has a pungent, sweet taste and a warm nature; its medicinal properties are very hot, and it is highly toxic. It mainly treats impediments caused by wind, cold, and dampness—numbness, pain, or restricted movement in the limbs—as well as wandering joint pain and spasms or flaccidity of the sinews and vessels. It can also disperse accumulations and pathogenic influences, treat weapon-inflicted wounds, strengthen the sinews and bones, and make the body light and walking vigorous. It is also used for intermittent pain in the head and face, lumps and accumulations in the chest and abdomen, heaviness in the joints that prevents walking, and pain between the bones. It is also said to supplement Yin, strengthen the will, and make a person courageous and resilient. In addition, tiānxióng can cause miscarriage. It is also called “White Curtain” and grows in the valleys around Mount Shaoshi. Its roots are gathered in the second month and dried in the shade. It may be used together with Polygala, but should not be combined with fǔbì.

Tao Hongjing says: The tiānxióng gathered for medicinal use today is mostly collected around the middle of the eighth month. It resembles aconite but is more slender and elongated; larger specimens can reach three or four cun in length. Tiānxióng, monkshood, and aconite originally all came from Jianping, which is why they are called the “Three Jian.” Today, those from Mount Heng in Yidu are the best and are called “Western Jian”; those from the Qiantang area are called “Eastern Jian.” The medicinal strength of the two differs greatly, hence the saying, “Western water still surpasses Eastern white.” When the herbs are treated with ash, too much moisture is a bad sign.

The Tang Ben Zhu says: Tiānxióng, aconite, monkshood, and the like are best when produced in Mianzhou and Longzhou in Shu. Those from other places may also be made into medicines, but their medicinal power is weaker, and the difference is substantial; those from Jiangnan are entirely unsuitable. Tao Hongjing called the three herbs the “Three Jian” because they all came from Jianping, but this is incorrect. In its note on “putting jǐn into meat,” the Guoyu says that jǐn is monkshood. The Erya says that “jí” is jǐn grass, and Guo Pu’s commentary identifies it as monkshood.

This plant originally came from the Shu region and the Hanzhong area. Its original name was “jin,” but later it was misreported as “jian,” and the name “Jianping” was then used to explain it. The leaves of shilongrui resemble those of jin, so it is also called “water jin”; today, this name is further corrupted to “water lang.” Some people also write it as “jian,” which has the same pronunciation. Does this plant really come from Jianping as well? A check of the dictionaries turns up no character “lang.” Zhen Liyan also discussed this question in his Bencao Yinyi.

Tianxiong, fuzi, and cezi are all gathered and processed in the eighth month, while wutou is gathered in early in the fourth month. A claim now circulates that wutou is gathered in the second month, but this is probably out of season.

Yuxi and others consulted the Huainanzi, which says, “Tianxiong can strengthen a rooster’s resolve.” The commentary says that if three pieces of tianxiong are put into a rooster’s intestines, pounded, and eaten raw, they can make a person brave.

The Yaoxing Lun says that tianxiong is a chief ingredient. It must not be taken with fermented soybean liquid. Its nature is extremely hot, and it is highly toxic, so it must be prepared with dried ginger before use. It treats wind-phlegm, painful obstruction caused by cold, weakness in the legs and feet, and toxic wind. It can also relieve wheezing and kill the poisons of birds and insects.

The Rihua Zi says that tianxiong treats various wind and Qi disorders, strengthens male sexual function, warms the organs associated with the Kidneys, benefits the lower back and knees, boosts Jing and Qi, brightens the eyes, opens the nine orifices, improves the skin, and harmonizes the blood vessels. It can also treat paralysis of the limbs; disperse xuanpi and zhengjie, masses that accumulate inside the body; expel pus and relieve pain; mend broken bones; disperse stagnant blood; and replenish deficiency and cold. It is also used for cholera, cramping of the sinews, and a hunched back. In addition, it dispels wind-phlegm, resolves fluid retention between the chest and diaphragm, induces sweating, and stops yin sweating—sweating in the genital area.

When making pills or powders, it should be prepared, then peeled and decrowned. When adding it to a decoction, it may be used raw with the skin on; this is said to work very well and to act quickly. The Rihua Zi also says: tianxiong is large and long, with few spurs and a hollow interior; wuhui resembles tianxiong, but fuzi is larger and shorter, with spurs and a firm, compact texture; wutou is inferior to fuzi; cezi is smaller than wutou, and those that grow clustered together are called “tiger’s palm.” These are different forms of plants belonging to the tianxiong group. They differ as parent and offspring, and in medicinal strength, but the distinction is simply between an old root and a young plant. All the medicines mentioned above must not be taken with fermented soybean liquid.

The Tujing says that a detailed account can be found under the entry for “cezi.”

Chen Cangqi says that tianxiong has a short tuber without a pointed tip, surrounded by eleven side roots resembling fuzi, and covered in grayish skin. This is tianxiong. It should first be prepared; once the outer skin has dried and cracked, remove the skin, the tip, and the base before use. It can also be prepared by drying in the shade; either method is acceptable.

The Bieshuo, after carefully reviewing the points above, finds the earlier accounts fairly comprehensive. However, what is called tianxiong is the case in which wutou is first planted and, after growing for a year, produces no side roots such as fuzi or cezi.

The one that grows on its own and becomes relatively large is called a lateral tuber. People in Shu avoid having it grow when cultivating the plant. They consider its appearance inauspicious, like the appearance of a white muscardine silkworm during silkworm rearing.

Lateral tuber: Pungent in flavor, intensely hot in nature, and highly toxic. It is used to treat abscesses and swellings, wind impediment, joint pain, pain in the lower back and legs, cold conditions, illnesses marked by alternating chills and fever, and scrofula (a disease such as tuberculous infection of the cervical lymph nodes). It can also induce miscarriage.

Tao Yinjü (Tao Hongjing) says: A lateral tuber is a large side shoot growing beside an aconite tuber, picked off and prepared for use. In the past, lateral tubers were not used, but physicians have recently used them to treat beriberi, often with good results. The term “Three Jian” is said colloquially to refer to parts growing from the same root. The Bencao Jing, however, lists them under different places of origin and considers each suited to different uses, which is why the distinction arose. Old medical formularies say that Mount Shaoshi produces Tianxiong and Langling produces Wutou, describing each as a local product. Today, these places of origin are no longer distinguished. Mount Shaoshi is connected to Mount Songgao. Langling County belonged to Runan Commandery in Yuzhou and is now in the north.

The Tang Ben Zhu says: A lateral tuber is simply a side growth from the root of Wutou, growing together with Fuzi and Tianxiong. The smaller ones are called lateral tubers, and the larger ones Fuzi. It is unreasonable, in present usage, to call the small projections beside Fuzi “lateral tubers.” In areas south of Yangdi, east of the lower Yangtze, in Shannan, around Mount Songgao, and in the Qi and Lu regions, Fuzi sometimes grows side shoots as large as soybeans. Fuzi produced north of Kuizhou and in Jiannan has side shoots no larger than millet or foxtail millet; it is difficult to gather enough for medicinal use. Recently, people around the capital have been using small Fuzi, with good results, and have never gathered the side shoots separately. If a formulary truly calls for “eight-horned Fuzi,” it should say to take eight Fuzi tubers. If it calls for the side shoots of Fuzi, it should clearly say “take the projections.” The wording as it stands does not make sense.

Yuxi and others examined the Shu commentary on the Bencao and noted that lateral tubers were seldom used in the past, but are now used to treat beriberi, with very good results. According to Tao Hongjing, a lateral tuber is a large side shoot picked from beside Fuzi. Su Jing, however, says that lateral tubers are the smaller side shoots growing from the root of Wutou alongside Fuzi, while the larger ones are Fuzi. This account lacks sufficient evidence. Su Jing also says that the side shoots of Fuzi are no larger than millet or foxtail millet and are therefore difficult to use as medicine; this, he explains, is why the account above was given.

It now appears that side shoots beside Fuzi do sometimes grow as large as date pits or areca nuts, and can look like complete fruits; they are not necessarily small. It is therefore reasonable to understand the names this way: what grows beside Wutou is called Fuzi, and what grows beside Fuzi is called a lateral tuber. Tao Hongjing says that when Wutou first emerges, it looks like a crow’s head, which is why it is called Wutou. When it grows into two branches, it looks like a crow’s beak…

Thus, the slender, elongated form, reaching three or four inches in length, is called “Tianxiong.” Those that grow separately beside the root, like taro, are called “Fuzi”; those that grow attached to the root are called “Cezi.” These five names—Wutou, Wuhui, Tianxiong, Fuzi, and Cezi—actually refer to parts of the same plant, distinguished by their shape and location.

The plant grows to about two feet tall. Its leaves resemble those of stone buttercup and mugwort, its flowers are purplish red, and its fruit is purple-black. Today, specimens from Longzhou and Mianzhou are considered the finest. According to an old processing method, the medicinal material is soaked for half a day in a mixture of raw and boiled water, taking care not to let its medicinal vapors dissipate. It is then wrapped in white ash, which is repeatedly replaced until the material is dry. Other methods use rice porridge, wine lees, or fermentation starter, but none is as good as the first.

Wu says: “Cezi is also called ‘Lang.’ Shennong and Qibo considered it highly toxic. It is harvested in the eighth month and dried in the shade. Cezi is the larger, pointed offshoot that grows beside Fuzi. The cautions concerning its medicinal properties are the same as those for Fuzi.”

The Treatise on the Nature of Medicines says: “When used as a medicine, Cezi treats painful rheumatic obstruction caused by Cold qi, as well as the cramping, pain, and stiffness of the sinews and bones caused by severe wind disorders.”

The Illustrated Classic says: “Wutou and Wuhui grow in the valleys of Mount Langling; Tianxiong grows in the valleys of Mount Shaoshi; and Fuzi and Cezi grow in the valleys of Qianwei and Guanghan. Today, all these medicinal materials come from Shu. In fact, however, all four come from the same plant. In Longzhou, they are cultivated as follows: before the Winter Solstice, fertile dry fields are plowed five to seven times and fertilized with pig manure, then sown. After that, the land is plowed, weeded, and earthed up each month until the plants mature after the eighth month of the following year. The plants grow three or four feet tall, with four-sided stems, leaves like mugwort, and bluish-purple flowers that grow in spikes. The fruit is small and purple-black, like mulberries.

“Only Fuzi is planted at first; the four different forms appear only when the plants mature. After harvesting, they are processed together. The method is as follows: in the sixth month, first tread and prepare starter from wheat and barley. Half a month before harvesting, cook barley into porridge, then add the starter to ferment it into vinegar. Once the vinegar has fermented, strain out the lees. The vinegar should not be too sour; if it is, dilute it with water. Next, remove the rootlets from the harvested Fuzi and soak it in a clean, new earthen jar for seven days, stirring once each day. After seven days, take it out and spread it on a fine-mesh sieve. Leave it to dry in a gentle breeze and mild sunlight for more than a hundred days, until completely dry. If exposed to strong sunlight, the medicinal material will wrinkle, and its outer skin will separate from the interior. Those two or three inches long are called Tianxiong; the pointed projections cut from beside the Fuzi are called Cezi.”

The accounts here of soaking in raw and boiled water, wrapping in ash, or soaking in vinegar describe methods of processing medicinal materials recorded in antiquity. The text also explicitly states that these substances are highly toxic; the processing methods it mentions should not be taken as modern instructions for safe use.

The smallest of the aconite tubers is also called “side tuber.” The original root planted is called “Aconite Mother Root”; all the others, large or small, are called “aconite.” Tubers with eight ridges are considered the finest.

When a prescription calls for aconite, it must first be processed by roasting until it splits open, then peeled and trimmed of its navel. Many aconite plants are grown in Zhangming County, Mianzhou, and the best comes from Chishui Township. However, the local harvest season differs from the one described in the Bencao Jing, probably because the varieties and growing methods have changed. Aconite produced in the interior is also quite different from the local kind and is now used less often.

According to the Bencao Jing, tubers harvested in winter are called aconite, while those harvested in spring are called Aconite Mother Root. The Guangya says that “xidu” means aconite: a plant one year old is called “ce” (a variant of “side”), one two years old “crow’s beak,” one three years old “aconite,” one four years old “Aconite Mother Root,” and one five years old “tianxiong.” Today, all five forms can grow from plants cultivated for a single year. Perhaps modern cultivation is more carefully managed, allowing the plants to flourish especially well. Still, their medicinal strength may not match that of herbs grown for longer.

Cui’s record describes a treatment for cold-type abdominal pain and pain that extends through the heart area, abdomen, sides, and ribs, when no other medicines are suitable: simmer aconite in honey. Take five large tubers, remove their tips, protrusions, and outer skins, and cut them into quarters. Simmer them in one jin of white honey until thoroughly soaked. Remove them, dry, pound, and sift them, then use refined honey to make pills the size of Chinese parasol tree seeds. Take twenty pills with cold salt water; the record claims this will eliminate the condition completely.

Another method is to mix the honey liquid used to simmer the aconite with five he of cinnamon twig decoction. Drink three he at first; if there is no reaction, increase the dose to five he. A sensation like drunkenness is taken to mean the medicine has worked.

The Chuanxin Fang records that if a patient with “yin-toxin cold damage,” an ancient term for a type of severe cold-damage syndrome, becomes restless, dazed, and confused, and is in critical condition, take one large aconite tuber weighing about half a liang and split it into four pieces at once. Split a large piece of fresh ginger into three pieces, each about the length of a middle finger, and add a pinch of glutinous rice. Boil the three ingredients in one sheng of water until reduced to six he, then strain and drink warm in one dose. Afterward, dress the patient warmly and cover the body, watching for sweat. Whether or not sweating occurs, wait until the mind is calm, then give a formula such as Water-Resolving Powder or Great White Pass-Opening Powder. Do not let the patient drink cold water. If thirsty, boil the dregs again and give the resulting liquid. The book says that many people used this treatment at the time and that it was quite effective, so it records the method in detail.

Chen Cangqi says that side tuber, taken with cold wine, can treat wind rash over the whole body. Lei Gong says that “side tuber” refers to the small aconite tubers that grow beside the main root.

Jujube pit refers to the pit of the jujube tree. It comes from cultivated jujube trees and can be used raw to treat wind rash, with very good results.

Mu bie zi: A seed grows inside a beak-shaped fruit. Its shape resembles the eye of a male crow seen from the side, so it is called “mu bie zi.” It must not be used as medicine: taking it by mistake can cause blindness.

Pinellia is pungent in taste and neutral in nature. When used raw, it is slightly cold; after processing, it is warm. It is toxic. It is used to treat alternating chills and fever caused by cold damage, fullness and hardness below the heart (in the upper abdomen), rebellious Qi, sore or swollen throat, dizziness, distension in the chest, cough with rebellious Qi, rumbling intestines, persistent sweating, and phlegm-heat congestion between the heart and abdomen or in the chest and diaphragm, with cough and wheezing. It is also used for acute pain and hard, blocked fullness below the heart, vomiting caused by seasonal epidemics, and other conditions. It can disperse abscesses and swellings, promote fetal descent, treat sallow complexion, and give the face a healthy glow. Raw Pinellia induces vomiting; after processing, it promotes downward passage. Before use, wash it repeatedly in hot water until its slippery coating is gone.

Pinellia is also called Shoutian, Diwen, Shuiyu, and Shigu. It grows in mountain valleys around Huaili. Its roots are dug up in the fifth and eighth months and dried in the sun. Belamcanda can counteract Pinellia. Pinellia is incompatible with soap pod, is counteracted by realgar, fresh ginger, dried ginger, and Amur cork tree bark, and is opposed by turtle shell. It must not be used together with aconite.

Tao Yinjü says: Huaili belongs to Fufeng. Pinellia from Qingzhou is the finest, though it also grows in the Wu region. The specimens with white flesh are best, and it is no disadvantage if the medicinal material has been stored for some time. Before use, wash it more than ten times in hot water to remove its slippery coating; otherwise, it will irritate the throat. Fresh ginger is also added to formulas to counteract Pinellia’s toxicity.

The commentary in the Tang Materia Medica says: Pinellia grows in many places. The kind found in lowland marshes is called “sheep’s-eye Pinellia”; round, white specimens are best. Those produced south of the Yangtze are very large, reaching one inch in diameter, and are especially prized locally. In recent times, Pinellia from different regions has been used interchangeably, though its effects and characteristics vary greatly. When asked, people from the south said that Pinellia’s shoots resemble Youba. Tao Yinjü’s commentary, however, says that Tiger Palm closely resembles Pinellia, and mentions iris when discussing Youba. These passages conflate several different plants, and Tao Yinjü ultimately did not distinguish them clearly.

Yuxi and others, citing the Shu Materia Medica, say: Processed Pinellia promotes downward passage and transforms phlegm. The Illustrated Classic says: Pinellia has a single stem, with three leaves at its tip. Its root has two layers, the upper one small and the lower one large. Roots gathered in the fifth month are relatively hollow and small; those gathered in the eighth month are fuller. After digging them up, wrap them in plant ash for two days, then wash them clean in hot water and dry them in the sun.

The Treatise on the Nature of Medicines says: Pinellia must not be used with sheep’s blood, seaweed, or maltose, but may be combined with bupleurum. It is highly toxic and must be rinsed ten times with hot water until all the slimy fluid is gone; this removes its toxicity. It can also be processed with an equal amount of fresh ginger. This helps transform phlegm, stimulate the appetite, and strengthen the spleen.

Pinellia stops vomiting, transforms phlegm, relieves phlegm congestion in the chest, directs Lung Qi downward, and treats cough. It is a medicinal substance newly added to the records.

Crushed raw Pinellia, applied externally, can treat abscesses and swellings that have persisted without subsiding, and can also reduce lumps such as goiters. Pinellia may be added for people who are deficient in Qi and also have phlegm.

Rihuazi says: Pinellia is acrid in flavor. It treats vomiting after eating, reflux, the cramping of sinews and vessels caused by cholera, cold in the stomach and intestines, excessive phlegm, and malaria.

The Illustrated Classic of Materia Medica says: Pinellia grows in the mountain valleys around Huaili. It is now found throughout the country, with the finest coming from Qizhou. In the second month, it sprouts a single stalk, whose tip bears three pale green leaves shaped much like bamboo leaves and glossy on the surface. Pinellia from south of the Yangtze has leaves resembling peony leaves. Leaves grow in layers from the root, with the larger ones above and the smaller ones below. The outer skin is yellow and the root flesh is white. The roots are dug up in the fifth or eighth month, wrapped in plant ash for two days, washed in hot water, and dried in the sun. Some say that roots gathered in the fifth month are hollow and small, while those gathered in the eighth month are firm and large. In general, the best are round, white, and well aged.

Pinellia that grows in wet lowland areas is very small and is called “sheep’s-eye Pinellia.” There is also Youba, which looks much like Pinellia, but has shoots about one or two feet tall and roots as large as eggs. It mostly grows beneath trees. Some consider it a smaller variety of Tiger Palm, so the two are easily confused.

Pinellia is an important medicine for cold in the stomach, vomiting, and dry retching. Zhang Zhongjing used Major Pinellia Decoction to treat reflux and vomiting: three sheng of Pinellia, three liang of ginseng, and one sheng of white honey, with twelve dou of water. Stir the mixture 240 times and boil it down to three sheng. Take one sheng warm, twice a day. This prescription is also used to treat retained fluid in the space between the diaphragm and chest.

Pinellia and Poria Decoction is used to treat vomiting, difficulty swallowing food, dizziness, and palpitations: one sheng of Pinellia, half a jin of ginger, and three liang of Poria. Slice the ingredients, add seven sheng of water, and boil down to one sheng. Take it warm.

Palpitations beneath the heart—that is, a restless throbbing in the pit of the stomach—can be treated with Pinellia and Ephedra Pills. Use equal parts Pinellia and Ephedra, grind them into powder, and mix with honey to make pills the size of small beans. Take three pills at a time, three times a day.

Pinellia is also used in prescriptions for Cold Reversal, Red Pills, Four Counterflows, and vomiting, as well as in Aconite and Glutinous Rice Decoction and formulas for Cold Damage. To prepare it, take one sheng of Pinellia, wash away the slippery coating, dry it over a fire, and pound it into powder. Then take one sheng of wheat flour, add water, knead it evenly, and form it into balls the size of marbles. Boil them in water; once the flour is cooked, the medicinal pills are ready. Begin by taking four or five pills twice a day, then gradually increase the dose to fifteen pills. Prepare and take them fresh. If the condition improves but treatment needs to continue, make another batch in the same way. Avoid maltose syrup and lamb while taking the medicine.

Lei Gong said: When using pinellia, do not mistake it for pangzi, another medicinal plant recorded in the original text that looks very much like pinellia. It tastes slightly sour when bitten and cannot be used as medicine. To prepare pinellia, take four liang of pinellia, two liang of ground white mustard seed, and six liang of vinegar. Stir the mustard seed powder into the vinegar until cloudy, then add the pinellia. Wash it three times before use. Pinellia has a sticky, slippery coating of saliva-like liquid on its surface. If it is not washed off thoroughly, it can cause Qi to rebel and the Liver Qi to become stagnant, angry, and distended.

The Shenghui Formula treats vomiting and inability to eat caused by seasonal illness: Take half a liang of pinellia, soak and wash it seven times to remove the slippery coating. Take one liang of fresh ginger and chop it together with the pinellia. Add one large cup of water and decoct until six-tenths remains. Strain out the dregs and drink warm in two portions, at any time.

Another formula treats scorpion fistula, a sore and fistula caused by scorpion venom, with all five channels already connected: Grind pinellia into powder, mix it with water, and apply it to the affected area.

The Experience-Based Formula treats disharmony of Stomach Qi: Take two liang each of pinellia and tiannanxing, and grind them into powder. Pour five sheng of water into a jar, stir in the powder, and leave it to soak overnight. Pour off the clear water, dry the powder by heating, then grind it finely again. For each dose, take two qian of the powder, add two cups of water and three slices of fresh ginger, and decoct until six-tenths remains. Drink warm. The source says the condition improves after five doses.

The Doumen Formula treats phlegm and Qi obstructing the chest and diaphragm, to transform phlegm and stimulate the appetite: Wash the pinellia, dry it by heating, then pound and sift it. Mix it with fresh ginger juice to form a cake. Wrap the cake in damp paper and warm it over a low fire until fragrant and cooked through. Add one cake the size of a pellet and half a qian of salt to two cups of water. Decoct until one cup remains, then drink warm. The formula can relieve obstruction and discomfort in the chest and diaphragm and excess phlegm. It is also used for discomfort caused by drinking alcohol or eating too much; the text describes its effects as striking.

The Concise Formula for Saving the People treats longstanding internal cold, inability to eat, and persistent vomiting, which it attributes to cold influences lodged in the Stomach: Take five liang of pinellia, wash it, and grind it into powder. For each dose, take three qian of the powder and one liang of wheat flour. Add water and knead the mixture, then cut it into pieces the size of game tiles. Boil them in water until the flour is cooked, then season with fresh ginger and vinegar before eating.

The Collected Proven Formulas, Ancient and Modern treats throat blockage, with swelling in the throat and difficulty swallowing: Take one square-inch spoonful of pinellia powder. Make a hole in the top of an egg and pour out the yolk and white. Add aged bitter wine until the shell is nearly full, then add the pinellia powder and stir well. Place the egg on a ring-shaped support over charcoal and cook it. When ready, pour the medicine into a cup. Let it cool slightly, then swallow it.

The Formula Kept in Chancellor Qian’s Case treats scorpion stings: Grind pinellia with water and apply it to the affected area. The text says it can relieve pain immediately.

Meishi Fang for persistent vomiting after an attack of cold damage: Take Pinellia, wash it clean, dry it in the sun, and grind it into powder. Swallow one qianbi—an ancient unit of medicine—with ginger decoction.

Zimu Milu for abdominal distension in children: Take a small amount of Pinellia, wash it clean, crush it, and grind it into powder. Mix it with wine and form millet-sized pills. Give two pills at a time with ginger decoction. If the child does not improve, increase the dose; give it twice daily. Pinellia may also be roasted over a fire and ground into powder, then applied to the navel; this works well too.

Another prescription treats the “Five Fatal Emergencies,” five sudden, life-threatening conditions: hanging, being crushed beneath a wall, drowning, nightmare possession by spirits, and childbirth. In any of these cases, take one liang of Pinellia, crush it, and sift it into powder. Form soybean-sized pills and place them in the nostrils; the patient will recover. This is Bian Que’s method.

The Imperial Pharmacy treated obstruction in the chest and diaphragm, and wind-phlegm, with Pinellia in any quantity. Soak it overnight in sour rice-washing water, then rinse it five to seven times with warm water to remove its odor. Dry it in the sun and pound it into powder. Mix the powder with rice-washing water to form a cake, dry it in the sun, and grind it again. For each dose, add one qian of borneol and grind until evenly blended. Then mix it with concentrated rice-washing water to form pills the size of a chicken head. Put them in a gauze bag and hang them in a ventilated place to dry in the shade. Take one pill at a time with good tea or a light mint decoction.

A prescription for sudden death recorded in The Inner Biography of the Lady of Mount Heng, Primordial Lord of Purple Void: Take a small amount of Pinellia powder, about the size of a soybean, and blow it into the nostrils.

The Yanyi says: People today know only that Pinellia removes phlegm, but do not discuss how it benefits the Spleen by separating and draining dampness. The Spleen is vulnerable to dampness; when dampness becomes excessive, the Spleen is encumbered and cannot regulate fluids. The scriptures say, “When water Qi is excessive, diarrhea results.” A man was getting up frequently at night to urinate. Someone advised him to chop one liang of fresh ginger and put it in a porcelain jar with washed Pinellia and thirty jujubes. Add one sheng of water and simmer it into a medicinal decoction. He was told to drink a few sips from time to time, and he recovered after several days.

Tiger Palm tastes bitter and is warm, slightly cold in nature, and highly toxic. It treats heart pain, alternating chills and fever, Qi stagnation, accumulations, fuliang (a type of abdominal mass), and injuries to the sinews, weakness and atrophy, spasms, or slackness and loss of strength. It opens and frees the urinary passages and dispels dampness in the genital region and wind-induced dizziness. It grows in the mountain valleys of Hanzhong and around Yuanju. Gather it in the second and eighth months and dry it in the shade. Shu lacquer can serve as its envoy; it is incompatible with Langcao.

Tao Hongjing says: This medicine also grows nearby. It resembles Pinellia, but is larger, with small lumps growing around it like the palm of a tiger. Nowadays it is usually cut apart before use, sometimes into three or four pieces. It is seldom actually used in formularies and prescriptions.

The Tang Ben Zhu says: This medicine is the perennial plant Youba. Its shoot has a single stalk, and the stalk …

The rhizome of Tiger Palm is fairly large: the larger ones are like a fist, the smaller like an egg, and their shape resembles a flattened persimmon. Round buds grow around the rhizome, giving it the appearance of a tiger’s paw; this is how it got its name. The new rhizome of Youba is also large, two or three times the size of Pinellia, but it lacks these buds around its sides. Tao Hongjing said that Tiger Palm resembles Pinellia, so some people have explained Youba as a kind of Pinellia. But it is incorrect to identify Youba’s shoots as iris. To this day, some people in the south still use Youba as Pinellia.

The Illustrations and Treatise of the Shu Dynasty records that eight or nine leaves grow at the top of Tiger Palm’s stem. Its flowers bloom on the stem, and small buds grow around the rhizome, shaped like an animal’s paw.

Wu says that Tiger Palm was used as a medicinal herb by Shennong, Leigong, Qibo, and Tongjun. It tastes pungent and is poisonous, though another account says it tastes bitter and is non-toxic. It is harvested around the start of autumn or in the ninth month. The Treatise on the Nature of Medicines says that Tiger Palm tastes sweet and should not be taken in decoction. It can be used to treat wind-induced dizziness, blurred vision and vertigo, hernias and abdominal masses, intestinal pain, and seasonal epidemics of cold damage; it also helps strengthen Yin.

The Illustrated Treatise records that Tiger Palm grows in the mountain valleys of Hanzhong and in Yuanju, and is now also found around Hebei. When it first sprouts, its rhizome is like a bean. As it gradually grows, it becomes flat like Pinellia. After growing for many years, the rhizome becomes round, about one cun in diameter. The larger ones are like eggs, with two or three, or even five or six, round buds growing around them. Shoots appear in the third or fourth month and grow to more than a foot tall; usually there is only one stem. Leaves grow on the stem, shaped like an outstretched claw, with five or six leaflets spreading apart. The leaves are pointed and rounded. Each clump has seven or eight stems, and sometimes a flower stalk grows upright like a mouse’s tail. A spoon-shaped leaf grows from the middle of the flower stalk, wrapping around the stem to form a spathe with a small opening at the side. The spathe is pointed at both ends, and the flower in the middle is a faint bluish brown. The fruit is about the size of a sesame seed. When ripe, it turns white and falls to the ground on its own; each seed can grow into a clump.

After the shoots wither in the ninth month, harvest the roots. Soak them for five to seven days in a vessel filled with hot water, replacing the water once it cools. Change it three or four times a day to wash away the sticky substance, then dry the roots in the sun for later use. They may also be further processed by heating over a fire. People in Jizhou now grow this plant in vegetable gardens and also call it Tiannanxing.

In Jiangzhou there is another plant with leaves as large as a hand, green on the upper surface and purple underneath, and with small buds around it like those of Tiger Palm. It grows three to five leaves and resembles an evergreen plant. It is said to be used for heart pain, chills and fever, and accumulations of Qi. It does not flower or bear fruit, and is included here only because it shares the name Tiger Palm.

Youba is used to treat poisonous swellings and heat binding.

Tao Hongjing said: Youba originally grew in Shixing, but nowadays people also cultivate it around the capital. It resembles a crow’s fan, grows close to the ground, and bears purple flowers. Its root resembles aconite. Grinding it with bitter wine (vinegar) and applying it to a swollen area is also effective. It is not used in combination with other medicines.

The Tang Materia Medica commentary says: The root of youba described by Tao Hongjing is actually the root of the iris, also called yuantou. People in the south nowadays mistake youba for pinellia. This is clearly an error: they recognize neither pinellia nor the difference between youba and iris.

Chen Cangqi’s Materia Medica records: Pinellia grows to three chi tall in marshes or cultivated fields. Its root is about the size of a little finger and round in shape; this is what is called “sheep’s-eye pinellia.” Youba has shoots one or two chi tall, resembling konjac. Its root is egg-shaped, and it grows beneath trees; this is what is properly called youba.

Su Yuxi and others added, citing the Illustrated Classic of Shu: In spring, youba sends up a single stalk, straight at the tip, with eight or nine leaves. Its root is round and flattened, with white flesh. The Illustrated Classic says that the related details are given under the entry for “pinellia.”

Iris is bitter in flavor, neutral in nature, and poisonous. It treats gu poison, pernicious influences, ghost-infestation disease (thought in ancient times to result from ghosts or spirits entering the body), and various kinds of poisoning. It disperses abdominal masses and accumulations, promotes urination, expels the three worms (creatures anciently believed to inhabit the body), treats dizziness, and drives away pernicious influences. It is also called wuyuan. It grows around Mount Jiuyi and is gathered in the fifth month.

Tao Hongjing said: Physicians identify it as a shoot of blackberry lily, but do not use the name “iris.” Its therapeutic uses also differ, so it must be another plant. Some prescriptions also use yuantou, which should be its root; its effects are similar to those of iris, though the Materia Medica does not clearly record this.

The Tang Materia Medica commentary says: The leaves of this plant resemble those of blackberry lily, but are broader and shorter, and it does not send up a long stalk. Its flowers are purplish blue. The root resembles galangal, with yellow skin and white flesh; it is slightly poisonous and irritates the throat when chewed. It differs from blackberry lily. Some people cultivate it nowadays, and it can be found in every region. Blackberry lily bears red flowers and sends up a long stalk; its root is yellow and jointed. The youba described by Tao Hongjing is precisely the root and stem of iris.

Su Yuxi and others, citing the Shu Materia Medica, say: This plant is called iris, and its root is called yuantou, also known as yuangen. The Illustrated Classic further says that its leaves resemble those of blackberry lily and grow close to the ground. Its root is black, resembles galangal, and has large, connected joints. It is now found everywhere. The roots are gathered in the ninth or tenth month and dried in the sun.

Chen Cangqi said: Iris can be used for diseases such as “flying corpse” and roaming gu. If pernicious poison enters the throat and the patient is close to losing their breath, peel the root and insert it into the throat, rubbing the affected area until it bleeds; this was considered especially effective.

Rhubarb, also called “the General,” tastes bitter and has a cold or very cold nature; it is non-toxic. It is chiefly used to purge stagnant blood from the body and treat blocked meridians, as well as conditions involving alternating cold and heat. It can also disperse abdominal masses and accumulations, clear retained fluids, expel food that has built up, cleanse the stomach and intestines, remove the old and bring forth the new, and keep the movement of food and drink unimpeded. It harmonizes the middle burner, aids digestion, and helps the five viscera remain in balance. It can also regulate stomach Qi, direct rebellious Qi downward, dissolve phlegm nodules and heat accumulated in the intestines, and relieve distention and fullness in the chest and abdomen. It is also used to treat women with blocked meridians caused by cold congealing the blood, abdominal distention, and old clotted blood accumulated in the lower abdomen. Rhubarb is also called “Yellow Goodness.” It grows in mountain valleys around Hexi and Longxi. The roots are gathered in the second and eighth months and dried over fire.

Combined with peony, skullcap, oyster shell, asarum, and poria, rhubarb can be used to treat fright, anger, palpitations below the heart, and rebellious Qi. Combined with saltpeter, purple fluorite, and peach kernels, it can be used to treat blocked blood vessels in women. Skullcap serves as rhubarb’s assistant herb, helping the chief herb work in a prescription. Rhubarb has no particular incompatibilities with other medicines.

Tao Hongjing says: The rhubarb gathered today in the northern parts of Yizhou, at Wenshan and Xishan, is not as fine as the top-grade rhubarb from Hexi and Longxi, but it is still usable. Good rhubarb has purple, brocade-like markings on its cut surface; it tastes very bitter and astringent and is deep black in color. Rhubarb dried in the shade in western Sichuan is superior to rhubarb from the north dried in the sun. Some is also dried over fire; its outer skin is slightly scorched, but it resists insect damage and keeps well for a long time. This medicine acts with great force, and coarse, thick pieces are unsuitable for taking. It is highly valued in popular prescriptions, and Daoists sometimes use it to dispel phlegm disorders, but it is not an essential medicine for cultivating one’s nature. It is probably called “the General” because its medicinal force is fierce and its effects swift.

The Tang Materia Medica comments: Rhubarb is highly toxic and moist in nature; it readily absorbs moisture, spoils, and suffers insect damage. The quality dried over fire is better. The sun is not strong in the second and eighth months, so the roots may not dry in time; if they have not dried completely, they are unsuitable for use. The leaves and stems of rhubarb resemble those of sheep’s-foot, but are coarser, longer, and thicker. The fine roots also resemble those of old sheep’s-foot, while the large roots can be as thick as the mouth of a bowl and about two feet long. To process them, heat stones, cut the rhubarb crosswise into sections about an inch long, and place them on the hot stones to roast. When they are slightly dry, thread a cord through holes in them, then continue drying until they are completely dry; this is best. The rhubarb grown north of Youzhou and Bingzhou gradually becomes thinner, and its medicinal force is weaker than that of rhubarb from Shu. Today it is produced in Dangzhou and Liangzhou, as well as in the Qiang regions and Shu. The stems of rhubarb taste sour and can be eaten raw; they can also be used to clear heat, but eating too much is harmful to the body. Tao Hongjing’s claim that rhubarb from Shu is inferior to that from Longxi is mistaken.

The following explanation is added on the basis of Chen Cangqi’s Materia Medica: When using rhubarb, choose the variety according to the strength of its medicinal action required.

For medicinal use, one should choose herbs produced in Hexi that bear brocade-like markings. Rhubarb comes steamed, raw, and cooked, so these forms should not be treated as identical.

According to the materia medica records of Shu, cited by Yuxi and others, rhubarb leaves resemble castor leaves, and its root resembles a large taro, with fine roots growing beside it like burdock. Smaller roots also resemble sheep’s sorrel. The Illustrated Classic of Materia Medica records that rhubarb has a brittle stem six or seven chi tall.

The Treatise on the Nature of Medicinals says that rhubarb from Shu can serve as an assistant medicinal and dispel alternating chills and fever. Avoid drinking cold water when taking it. It tastes bitter and sweet; it aids digestion, nourishes the five viscera, regulates women’s menstruation, reduces edema, resolves phlegm and turbid accumulations of cold and heat, expels retained food, and promotes the passage of the bowels and urine. Applied externally, it treats hot, toxic swellings and pain. It is also used for chills and fever in children, seasonal epidemics, vexing heat, and to remove pus and disperse blood stasis.

The Rihuazi says rhubarb frees the flow of the various Qi, harmonizes the blood vessels, eases the joints, and dispels stagnant fluids. It treats uneven sensations of cold and heat in the limbs, pestilence and miasma, and heat disorders, and promotes urination and bowel movements. It can also be applied to sores, boils, abscesses, swellings, and poisonous sores. Rhubarb from Mati Gorge in Guozhou is less potent than the finest grade.

The Illustrated Classic of Materia Medica says rhubarb grows in the valleys of Hexi and around Longxi. It is now also produced in Shu, Hedong, and the prefectures of Shaanxi. The best is rhubarb from Shu with brocade-like markings; the next best comes from Qin and Long and is called “Tufan rhubarb.”

Rhubarb puts out green leaves in the first month. The leaves resemble castor leaves, and the larger ones are as broad as fans. Its root resembles taro; the largest are as thick as a bowl’s rim and one or two chi long, with fine roots beside them like burdock. It flowers yellow in the fourth month, though some plants have bluish-red flowers resembling buckwheat blossoms. The stem is purplish green and shaped like bamboo. The roots are gathered in the second and eighth months, stripped of their black skin, and dried over a fire. The kind produced in the Jiang-Huai region is called “local rhubarb.” It flowers yellow in the first month and bears small fruits.

Dingzhou also produces a kind called “sheep’s-sorrel rhubarb,” which is highly effective for treating scabies and itching. When it first sprouts, its seedlings and leaves resemble sheep’s sorrel. After growing for several years, its leaves resemble those of pokeweed, but are narrower and more sharply pointed. In the fourth month, five to seven flower spikes emerge from the prostrate branches. The flowers are the same color as the leaves, and the fruits resemble buckwheat grains, but are light and small. They ripen yellow in the fifth month and are also called “golden buckwheat.” The seedlings are gathered in the third month and the fruits in the fifth; both are dried in the shade. The roots are gathered in the ninth month. When cut open, they too show brocade-like markings; after being sun-dried, they are also called “local rhubarb.”

Su Gong says that when harvesting and processing rhubarb, one should first heat stones, cut the rhubarb crosswise into pieces about one cun long, and roast them on the hot stones for a day. Once they have dried slightly, pierce them, string them on a cord, and continue drying until they are completely dry. Nowadays, local rhubarb is often cut crosswise into pieces…

Sichuan rhubarb that was once prepared by heating is cut into firm slices shaped like a cow’s tongue, hence the name “cow’s-tongue rhubarb.” The medicinal effects of these two kinds of rhubarb are the same. The Bencao Jing says that rhubarb can “expel the old and bring forth the new”: that is, it attacks and removes accumulated stagnation, allowing old accumulations in the body to be expelled. Its effect is pronounced. Ancient prescriptions for treating accumulated stagnation often used rhubarb, and Zhang Zhongjing also used it frequently when treating cold damage.

There is also the “Three-Ingredient Emergency Pill,” an emergency remedy made from three medicines. The Minister of Works Pei Xiu prepared it as a powder to treat disorders of the heart and abdomen and sudden acute illnesses. The prescription calls for one liang each of rhubarb, dried ginger, and croton. Choose top-quality ingredients, pound and sift them, then mix with honey. Pound the mixture repeatedly, a thousand times, and form it into pills the size of small beans. Take three pills per dose, reducing the amount as appropriate for the elderly and children. The powder is less effective than the pills.

For sudden abnormal illnesses, called “malevolent influence” or “guest intrusion” in antiquity, symptoms may include distension and fullness in the heart and abdomen, sudden stabbing pain like a needle or knife, rapid breathing, clenched jaws, or sudden loss of consciousness resembling corpse collapse. Take the pills with warm water or wine. If they cannot be swallowed, lift the head and administer them so the medicine enters the throat; the condition should improve after a short while. If there is still no effect, take another three pills. The abdomen should begin to rumble and churn, followed by vomiting or bowel evacuation, after which the symptoms should ease. If the jaws are already clenched, the teeth may be pried apart to administer the medicine. Once it enters the throat, the condition should improve.

Cui Zhiti used a rhubarb decoction to treat children’s “spontaneous wasting and abdominal lumps, scrofula,” and related conditions. Some children had dry, brittle hair and a raised, yellowish head; others had intermittent diarrhea, among many other symptoms. All these conditions could be treated with the rhubarb decoction. Take nine liang of fresh rhubarb with clearly defined grain; if the herb is even slightly decayed, it must not be used. Peel it, weigh it, pound and sift it, then add three sheng of fine rice vinegar and mix well. Place the mixture in a copper bowl, then set the bowl over boiling water in a large pot to cook it indirectly. Keep the charcoal fire moderate, and stir the medicine with a bamboo or wooden spatula. When the mixture becomes thick enough to form pills, remove it from the heat and store it in a small porcelain vessel.

For a three-year-old child, give seven pills per dose, each about the size of a Chinese parasol tree seed, twice a day. Continue until green or red pus is discharged. If no pus comes out, or only a little does, gradually increase the number of pills. If a large amount is discharged, reduce the number. In severe cases, the child may need seven or eight courses to clear the root of the illness completely. Dosages for adults and children should be adjusted to the circumstances. This medicine is used only to drain pus and disperse accumulations; it does not cause children to have diarrhea. During treatment, avoid poisonous substances. If the child is breastfed, the nursing mother must follow the same dietary restrictions.

In Cui Yuanliang’s Maritime Prescriptions, rhubarb is used for conditions involving cold in the lower back and legs and disorders attributed to wind. Take two large slices of rhubarb, cut them into pieces the size of a game piece, and stir-fry them with a little butter until the butter has been absorbed. Take care not to scorch the rhubarb, or its medicinal effect will diminish. Then pound and sift it into powder. Each day, take it on an empty stomach with three he of water… The original text breaks off here.

Take two slices of fresh ginger, cut to the size of copper coins, and boil them until the liquid has come to a boil more than ten times. Remove the ginger slices. Put two qian of rhubarb powder in a bowl, mix it with the ginger broth, and take it all at once on an empty stomach. If any ginger broth remains, drink it slowly until it is gone. This can help the body expel cold pus and other harmful matter, allowing the illness to improve.

When the ancients treated illness with medicines of strong, forceful properties, they had to take account of whether each person’s body was weak or robust. Such medicines could not be given indiscriminately to everyone. When Yao Sengyuan, a physician of the Northern and Southern Dynasties, had just taken office in the Liang court, Emperor Wu of Liang developed a fever and wanted to take rhubarb. Yao Sengyuan said, “Rhubarb is a strong medicine that purges quickly. Your Majesty is advanced in years and should not take it lightly.” The emperor ignored him and nearly died. Emperor Yuan often suffered from abdominal pain. The physicians all said that he should be treated with mild medicines to gradually regulate and clear the obstruction. Yao Sengyuan said, “The pulse is strong and forceful. This indicates a long-standing accumulation inside the body, and it will be difficult to recover without rhubarb.” Emperor Yuan followed his advice and recovered.

This shows that some physicians today use one powerful medicine to treat many different illnesses. If it happens to cure one illness, they praise the formula as miraculous; when it causes harm, they do not admit that the medicine was used improperly. Such cases are numerous. How can we fail to take warning from them?

The Tang Materia Medica says: “The leaves of rhubarb resemble those of castor, and its root resembles a large taro, with slender roots growing beside it, like burdock.” The Illustrated Classic of Materia Medica says: “Rhubarb grows six or seven feet tall. Its stem is brittle, and its flavor is sour; it can sober a person.” Lei Gong says: “To prepare rhubarb, first cut it into thin slices. Choose pieces whose cut surfaces show watery, swirling patterns and whose texture is firm and heavy. Steam them from the hour of the Snake until the hour of the Goat, then dry them in the sun. Next, sprinkle them with wax water and steam them from the hour of the Goat until the hour of the Pig. Repeat this process of steaming and sun-drying seven times. Then sprinkle the rhubarb with diluted honey water and steam it for a full day. When the pieces can be broken open to reveal a black, greasy, paste-like interior, dry them in the sun. The preparation is then properly finished.”

The Sagely Beneficent Prescriptions gives a treatment for epidemic fever with pox-like eruptions: take half a liang of Sichuan rhubarb, lightly dry-fry it, add one large cup of water, and decoct until the liquid is reduced to seven-tenths. Strain out the dregs and divide the liquid into two doses. Another formula treats delirium during a febrile illness and various forms of jaundice: take five liang of Sichuan rhubarb, chop it, dry-fry it until faintly red, and pound it into powder. Boil it with five sheng of water made from snow gathered in the twelfth lunar month until it forms a paste. Take half a spoonful, mixed with cold water, at any time.

The Arcane Essentials from the Imperial Library gives a formula for treating abdominal masses: pound and sift ten liang of rhubarb, mix it with three sheng of vinegar and two spoonfuls of white honey, and boil it until it can be formed into pills the size of parasol-tree seeds. Take thirty pills at a time with ginger broth, continuing until diarrhea occurs. Those with milder symptoms should take a smaller dose.

The Thousand-Gold Prescriptions gives a treatment for postpartum blood stasis surging toward the heart or for retained placenta…

Pound one liang of rhubarb into a fine powder and simmer it with half a sheng of aged vinegar until it forms a paste. Shape the paste into pills the size of Chinese parasol tree seeds. Dissolve five pills in warm vinegar and have the patient take them. After a short while, they will pass stagnant blood. This formula is also used for internal injuries caused by falling from a horse.

The Qianjin Yi records a treatment for women with blood stasis and abdominal pain: take three liang of rhubarb, pound it, and sift it. Boil it in two sheng of wine, bringing it to a boil ten times, then take the whole dose at once.

The Jingyan Houfang records a formula of four liang of rhubarb and four liang of morning glory seeds, half raw and half dry-fried. Grind them into powder, then use refined honey to form pills the size of Chinese parasol tree seeds. Take ten pills with tea each time; if a somewhat stronger effect is desired, take fifteen. The text says the formula is more suitable for use in winter and will not excessively disturb the stomach and intestines.

The Meishi Fang records that for sudden swelling and pain on one side of the scrotum, rhubarb powder may be mixed with vinegar and applied externally. Replace it with fresh medicine once it dries.

The Doumen Fang records a treatment for lower back pain: take half a liang each of rhubarb and ginger, cut them into pieces about the size of small beans, and stir-fry them in a pan until yellow. Add two bowls of water and decoct. Take the dose all at once at the fifth watch, just before dawn. After daybreak, the text says, “bad blood” from the lower back will be expelled, shaped like chicken liver. Stop taking the medicine once it has been expelled.

The Jianyao Jizhong records a treatment for vomiting blood: take one liang of Sichuan rhubarb and pound it into a powder. For each dose, take one qian with one he of fresh Rehmannia juice and half a zhan of water. Boil until it has bubbled three to five times, then take it at any time.

The Guangli Fang records a treatment for heat in the joints that has persisted over time, leaving the body yellow and emaciated: take four fen of rhubarb and decoct it in five dahe of a boy’s urine until reduced to four he. Strain out the herbs and take the liquid in two doses on an empty stomach, with an interval between them roughly equal to walking four or five li.

The Shanghan Leiyao records a treatment for acute jaundice: soak two liang of coarsely chopped rhubarb overnight in three and a half sheng of water. Early the next morning, decoct it and strain off two and a half sheng of liquid. Add two liang of mirabilite and stir well before taking it. The text says that soon afterward it will promote bowel movements.

Yao Hezhong records a treatment for children with heat in the head who frequently keep their eyes closed: take one fen of rhubarb, coarsely chop it, and soak it overnight in three he of water. A child who has reached one year of age should take half a he each day. Apply the remaining liquid to the crown of the head, reapplying it when it dries.

The Bieshuo says that, according to experience, rhubarb is usually dried after harvesting over a fire and heated stones so it can be brought to market quickly. As a result, almost no rhubarb is available in an unprocessed, raw state. Before use, it need not undergo further extensive processing, such as repeated steaming and boiling.

The Extended Explanation says: The benefits and drawbacks of rhubarb (a medicinal herb) have already been discussed in detail above. When Zhang Zhongjing treated vomiting of blood and nosebleeds caused by deficiency of Heart Qi, he used the Heart-Clearing Decoction, whose ingredients include rhubarb, scutellaria root, and coptis root.

Someone asked, “Since the condition is deficiency of Heart Qi, why not use a Heart-Supplementing Decoction, and instead use a Heart-Clearing Decoction?” The reply was: “If it were simply deficiency of Heart Qi, vomiting of blood and nosebleeds would not occur. The bleeding happens because pathogenic Heat takes advantage of the deficiency and invades. So bitter, cold medicines are used to clear and drain the Heat pathogen. At the same time, supplementing Heart Qi can address both aspects of the condition. This formula is effective for everyone with these symptoms, though the dosage should be adjusted according to the degree of deficiency or excess.”

Tinglizi

Tinglizi (the seeds of a medicinal plant) tastes pungent and bitter and is cold or very cold in nature. It is non-toxic. It treats abdominal masses and accumulations, Qi stagnation, indigestion, and alternating chills and fever. It can break up hard accumulations, expel pathogenic influences, promote urination, and drain fluid retained in the bladder along with stagnant Heat. It is also used for pathogenic fluid beneath the skin, swelling of the face and eyes, and hot, itchy eruptions that appear after sudden windstroke. It can also promote urination in the lower abdomen. Prolonged use weakens the body. Other names include Dingli, Tianhao, Dashì, and Dashi. It grows on level ground, in marshes, and in fields around Gaocheng. The seeds are gathered after the Beginning of Summer and dried in the shade; they are best used with wine.

Elm bark can serve as its assistant herb. It is considered incompatible with silkworm larvae and stone parsley.

Tao Hongjing says: Tinglizi from Pengcheng is the best, though it is now found in nearby areas as well. The plant is commonly called male shepherd’s purse. Its seeds are small and yellow, and very bitter; they should be dry-fried before use.

The Jin’an adds: This medicine also treats obstruction of Lung Qi, upward surging Qi, cough, and shortness of breath, and dispels phlegm and fluid in the chest.

Yuxi and others quote the Shu Materia Medica: The shoots of Tinglizi resemble those of jìní. They emerge in late spring, and the plant grows to two or three chi tall. Its flowers are yellow and it bears pod-shaped fruit. The seeds are small and yellow. They ripen in the fifth month; gather them and dry them in the sun.

The Treatise on the Nature of Medicines says: As an assistant ingredient, Tinglizi tastes sour and is slightly toxic. It promotes urination and drains Lung Qi downward, and can be used for shortness of breath and cough.

The Erya says: Tian is Tinglizi. The commentary says that its fruits and leaves both resemble mustard, and that it is also called dog shepherd’s purse.

The Rihuazi Materia Medica says: Tinglizi promotes the flow of the small intestine and the movement of fluids, and treats edema caused by deficiency.

The Illustrated Classic of Materia Medica says: Tinglizi grows on level ground, in marshes, and in fields around Gaocheng. Today it is found throughout the prefectures of Jingdong, Shaanxi, and Hebei. The variety from Caozhou is traditionally considered the best. Shoots appear in early spring. The leaves are about six or seven cun long and resemble those of shepherd’s purse. The root is white, and the branches and stems are green. In the third month, it blooms with pale yellow flowers and bears pod-shaped fruit. Its seeds are slightly smaller than millet, somewhat elongated, and yellow. The seeds are gathered after the Beginning of Summer and dried in the sun. According to the Monthly Ordinances, the first month of summer contains the entry “the withered grasses…”; the source text ends here.

The commentaries of Xu Shen and Zheng Kangcheng both say that “micao” refers to plants such as shepherd’s purse and tingli. These wither and die in summer, so they should be harvested at this season.

Zhang Zhongjing used the “Tingli and Jujube Lung-Draining Decoction” to treat lung abscess (abscess and swelling in the lungs), with symptoms of panting and inability to lie flat. Fry tingli until yellow, pound it into a fine powder, and form pills the size of a pellet. Each time take twenty jujubes, add three sheng of water, and decoct until two sheng remain; put in one pill, decoct further until one sheng remains, and take it at once. For branching fluid retention (zhiyin; accumulation of fluids in the body that affects breathing) causing obstructed Qi, this formula is also used.

Cui Zhiti’s formula treats upward-rushing Qi and cough, with breathing strained and obstructed so that one cannot lie flat, as well as generalized edema, swelling on one side of the face, or swollen feet. Take three sheng of tingli seeds, lightly fry over low heat, pound, and sift into a powder. Soak in five sheng of clear wine: seven days in winter, three days in summer. At first take a peach-sized portion each time, three times a day and once at night; in winter, take twice by day and twice at night. Adjust the dose according to physical strength, aiming for a slight laxative effect once or twice. If the illness is acute and severe and one cannot wait for the prescribed number of soaking days, one may also wring out the medicinal liquid through fine, tightly woven cotton cloth and take it immediately.

This kind of tingli grows upward on a single stem, and seed pods form at the leaf tips; the pods are thick and short. There is another plant, goujie grass, whose leaves produce slender, long seed pods near the root. When collecting the medicine, these two plants must be clearly distinguished.

Qiezhong Fang contains a formula for treating cough by holding a paste pill in the mouth: take one liang of tingli seeds produced in Caozhou and fry them with a paper barrier until black; then take one liang each of Zhimu and Beimu. Pound the three medicines together and sift. Separately take half a liang of jujube flesh and one and a half liang of sugar, process them separately, mix them into the medicinal powder, and blend into pills the size of a pellet. Each time wrap one pill in new cotton cloth, hold it in the mouth, and slowly swallow the liquid. For more severe cases, no more than three pills are needed. Physicians today also commonly use this formula.

Lei Gong says: do not use chixuzi; it closely resembles tingli seeds but tastes slightly sweet with a bitter note. Tingli seeds are bitter as soon as they enter the mouth. In processing, place tingli seeds together with glutinous rice and roast them briefly on a drying rack; when the glutinous rice is done, remove the rice and pound only the tingli seeds for use.

Shenghui Fang treats upward-rushing Qi with acute panting and generalized edema: take one sheng of sweet tingli, fry it with a paper barrier until purple, pound it extremely fine, put it into a raw silk bag, and soak it in five sheng of clear wine for three days. After that, scoop one spoonful each time, mix it with rice-porridge liquid, and take it three or four times a day.

Waitai Miyao treats poor Qi flow after food and drink have been swallowed: three liang of tingli seeds, fried....

Grind the huang into a fine powder. Boil thirty jujubes in three sheng of water until one sheng of juice remains, then add the powdered medicine. Take one portion about the size of a jujube, simmer it in water until seven he remain, and drink it all at once.

The Qianjin Fang, for abdominal distension, accumulations, and abdominal masses: Take one sheng of tinglizi seeds and soak them in five sheng of wine for seven days. Take three he each day.

The Qianjin Yifang, for head wind: Crush the tinglizi seeds and pour hot water over them to draw out the medicinal liquid. Wash the head with this liquid to relieve pain.

The Jingyan Fang records a remedy passed down by the Pei family of Hedong for edema and sudden swelling. Take three liang of tinglizi seeds and pound them six thousand times, until they form a paste. Add four liang of powdered Han fangji. Take a green-headed duck and, over the medicinal mortar, cut its head open so the blood drips into the mortar. When the blood has run out, put the duck’s head in as well and pound five thousand more times. Form the mixture into pills the size of firmiana seeds. For severe illness, take ten pills on an empty stomach with plain water; when there is some improvement, take five. Take them frequently, stopping after five days. This medicine promotes urination and works very well.

The Meishi Fang, for generalized edema and difficulty urinating: Take two liang of tinglizi seeds and twenty jujubes. Boil them in one large sheng of water until one small sheng remains. Remove the jujubes, then continue simmering the tinglizi seeds in the jujube liquid and form the mixture into pills the size of firmiana seeds. Take ten pills at a time with water.

Another remedy, for obstructed Lung Qi, rapid, labored breathing, and inability to lie flat: Take three liang of roasted tinglizi seeds and thirty jujubes. Boil the jujubes in three sheng of water until two sheng remain. Continue simmering until one sheng remains, strain out the solids, and drink in two doses.

The Jianyao Jizhong Fang, for children with edema and abdominal swelling, accompanied by pus and blood in the stool and difficulty urinating: Take half a liang of lightly roasted tinglizi seeds, pound them into a paste, and mix with jujube flesh. Form into pills the size of mung beans. Give five pills at a time with jujube decoction, once in the morning on an empty stomach and once in the evening. Adjust the amount according to the child’s age.

The Xu Shiquan Fang, for poison entering the abdomen, critical illness, and conditions caused by horse sweat: Take one liang of roasted tinglizi seeds, grind them finely, soak them in one sheng of water, and drink the mixture to expel bad blood.

The Cuishi Fang, for edema: Take three liang of tinglizi seeds, place them in a container, and steam them in a zeng until cooked. Pound them ten thousand times and form them into pills the size of firmiana seeds, without adding honey. Take five pills at a time, gradually increasing to seven. A slight laxative effect is enough; do not take too many, or appetite may suffer. If taken during an outbreak of edema, stop once the bowels have moved and the Qi has subsided. This remedy is very effective for edema. When Xiao, the imperial son-in-law, suffered from edema, he recovered after taking it.

The Shanghan Leiyao says: Use tinglizi to treat kidney impediment and dry lips.

The Zimu Milu records: To treat a child’s ringworm of the scalp, pound tinglizi into a fine powder. Wash the affected area with hot water, then apply the powder.

Yao Hezhong records: To treat roundworms in children, take one fen of tinglizizi, grind it raw into a fine powder, add three he of water, and decoct until one he remains. Have the child take the full amount over the course of a day.

The Shenghui Fang gives another prescription for treating retained phlegm-fluid that obstructs breathing, abdominal swelling that has resisted prolonged treatment, edema, and persistent wheezing. Take three liang of sweet tinglizi and roast it between sheets of paper until it turns purple, then pound it into a paste. Form one pill the size of a marble, add a medium bowl of water and four jujubes, and decoct until half the liquid remains. Strain out the dregs and take it at any time.

The Yanyi says: The seeds of tinglizi are used as medicine. They come in two flavors, sweet and bitter, but are alike in shape. Since the records describe tinglizi as pungent and bitter, the sweet kind should not also be included as a medicinal. In general, its main effect in treating illness is to promote urination and purge. Thus, the old books say that prolonged use can weaken a person: this clearly means that the bitter medicine promotes discharge. The Yaoxing Lun explains this in detail; it is only wrong to say that tinglizi tastes sour.

Platycodon Root

Platycodon root is pungent and bitter, slightly warm in nature, and mildly toxic. It treats stabbing pain in the chest and sides, abdominal fullness, intestinal rumbling, and fearful palpitations. It promotes the circulation of the five viscera and the stomach and intestines, replenishes blood and Qi, dispels alternating chills and fever and wind impediment, warms the middle burner, aids digestion, and treats sore throats and poison caused by parasites.

Platycodon root is also known as Liru, Fangtu, Baiyao, Gengcao, and Jini. It grows in the valleys of Mount Songgao and around Yuanju. Its roots are gathered in the second month and dried in the sun. In medicinal combinations, the nodes and skin of platycodon root serve as assistant ingredients. Combined with oyster shell and polygala, it treats anger and agitation; combined with sodium nitrate and gypsum, it treats cold damage. Platycodon root is incompatible with bletilla, longan, and gentian.

Tao Hongjing says: Platycodon root can be found in many nearby regions. Its leaves are called “Yinren.” They emerge in the second or third month and can be cooked and eaten. Platycodon root is highly effective against poison caused by parasites. In folk prescriptions, this medicine is sometimes called Jini. There is now another plant that is truly Jini and can counteract medicinal toxins; it is often mistaken for ginseng. It is not the platycodon root discussed here, though its leaves look very similar. The difference is that the underside of Jini leaves is smooth and glossy, without down, and the leaves do not grow in pairs as ginseng leaves do.

The Tang Ben Zhu says: Young ginseng plants resemble plants of the Acanthopanax genus. Their stems are short, thick, and nearly round, branching into three or four shoots, each topped with five leaves. Tao Hongjing was mistaken to say that Jini is easily confused with ginseng.

The leaves of jieqian and jiegeng sometimes grow differently as well. Some leaves alternate along the stem, while others grow in opposite pairs of three or four at a time; the stems all grow straight upward. Since the leaves are easily confused, distinguish them by checking whether the root has a “heart”: jiegeng has one, while jieqian does not.

After consulting the Treatise on the Nature of Medicinals, Yuxi and others recorded that jiegeng serves as an assistant ingredient in a prescription. It tastes bitter, is neutral in nature, and is non-toxic. It can clear the bowels, disperse blood, and eliminate stagnant Qi and phlegm. It is used to treat obstructed Lung Qi, shortness of breath, coughing, and rebellious Qi. It can also be used for cold pain in the abdomen, sudden illness attributed to malign influences, and convulsions in children.

The Rihuazi Materia Medica records that jiegeng can disperse various forms of stagnant Qi and treat cholera, cramping of the sinews, and distending pain in the chest and abdomen. It can strengthen the five strains, nourish the original Qi, dispel malign influences, and prevent epidemics. It can also replenish deficiency, transform phlegm, disperse abdominal masses, nourish the blood, expel pus, and treat internal fistulas and swollen, toxic throat disorders. White rice porridge may be taken after it to counteract its medicinal effects.

The Illustrated Classic says that jiegeng grows in the valleys of Mount Songgao and around Yuanju, and is now found in many regions. Its root is about as thick as the little finger and yellowish white. In spring, it sends up shoots with stems more than a foot tall. The leaves resemble apricot leaves, but are longer and oval, growing in opposite pairs of four. The tender leaves can also be boiled and eaten. In summer it bears purplish blue flowers that look much like morning glories; it produces seeds after autumn. The roots are gathered in the eighth month, cut into thin slices, and dried for later use. The leaves are called “yinren.”

Jiegeng has a heart in its root; jieqian does not. Jieqian can also counteract poison, and the two plants are easily confused. But the underside of jieqian’s leaves is smooth and glossy, without fine hairs, which can be used to tell them apart. Jiegeng from Guanzhong has yellow roots, much like those of hollyhock. Its stems are slender and green, and its leaves are small and green, resembling chrysanthemum leaves. Ancient prescriptions also use jiegeng on its own.

The Collected Proven Cases, Ancient and Modern records an emergency treatment for someone who suddenly fell ill from gu poisoning, an illness that the ancients attributed to poisonous gu. The person passed blood resembling chicken liver, continuously day and night, losing a great deal of blood; the five viscera were damaged, though the heart alone remained unharmed. Others suffered nosebleeds and seemed close to death. In such cases, finely pound jiegeng, mix it with wine, and take one square-inch spoonful at a time, three times a day, for seven days. If the patient cannot swallow the medicine, pry open the mouth with an instrument and pour it in. The patient may feel unsettled in the chest after taking it, but this will soon pass. Stop the medicine after seven days, then eat pork liver soup to restore strength. The text says this method works very well.

The Collected Effective Prescriptions records that tightness in the chest, chills and shivering, a rapid pulse, and a dry throat without thirst, accompanied by frequent expectoration of foul, fishy phlegm, may eventually lead to the coughing up of pus resembling rice porridge. This condition is called Lung abscess. Take two liang each of roasted jiegeng and licorice, add three sheng of water, and boil until one sheng of liquid remains. Divide it into two doses, morning and evening. After taking it, the patient will bring up pus and blood, and the condition will improve.

Lei Gong says: Whenever using jiegeng, do not mistake it for mugeng. Mugeng looks very much like jiegeng, but when bitten…

Platycodon root (the name of an authentic medicinal material) has a fishy, astringent taste and is unsuitable for eating directly. To prepare it, first remove the hard tip at the top, about two or three tenths of an inch long, then remove the branches on both sides. Chop it finely on a locust-wood cutting board. Soak it in lily-bulb water for a full day and night, strain it, then simmer over low heat until dry and set aside. For each four taels of prepared Platycodon root, add five fen of fresh lily bulb, pound them into a paste, and soak the paste in water.

The Shenghui Formula records a treatment for horse-throat obstruction (swelling and pain that block the throat) and for toxic Qi congestion: take two taels of Platycodon root with the crown removed and chopped, add three large cups of water, and boil down to one cup. Strain out the herbs and drink warm in three doses at any time. Another formula treats sudden nausea and pain in the chest and abdomen during pregnancy: chop one tael of Platycodon root, add one medium cup of water and three slices of fresh ginger, and boil down to six tenths. Strain out the herbs and drink warm whenever needed.

The Waitai Secret Essentials records a treatment for sudden collapse after an invasion by malign Qi, with loss of consciousness and inability to speak: burn one tael of Platycodon root to ash, take it with rice water, then swallow a piece of musk about the size of a bean. This is said to work well.

The Qianjin Formula records a treatment for throat obstruction and toxic Qi: boil two taels of Platycodon root in three sheng of water until reduced to one sheng, then drink the whole dose at once. Another formula treats nosebleeds: grind Platycodon root to powder and take it with water, using one square-inch spoonful, the amount held by an ancient measure for medicinal powders. Continue for seven days, four or five times daily. It may also be used to stop vomiting blood or blood in the stool.

The Baiyi Formula records that if a blow causes blood stasis to remain in the intestines and fail to disperse for a long time, with recurring attacks, take Platycodon root powder with warm water, using one dao-gui, an ancient small measure.

The Experience-Based Formula records a treatment for wind-related toothache and swelling: grind Platycodon root to powder, mix it with date flesh, and roll it into pills the size of a soap-nut seed. Wrap a pill in cotton cloth and bite down on it at the affected spot. If there is swelling, rinse the mouth with an infusion of schizonepeta.

The Concise Guide to Benefiting the People records a treatment for persistent phlegmy cough and labored, rapid breathing: pound one and a half taels of Platycodon root and sift it into a fine powder. Boil it in half a sheng of a child’s urine until reduced to four ge. Strain out the herbs and drink warm.

The Secret Record of Mother and Child records a treatment for a child who suddenly collapses after an invasion by malign Qi: burn Platycodon root to ash, measure out three qian and seven fen, and take it with rice water.

Du Ren records a treatment for heat in the upper burner, sores in the mouth, on the tongue, and in the throat, and coughing up pus and blood: grind one tael of Platycodon root and two taels of licorice into a fine powder. For each dose, take two qian, add one cup of water, and boil down to six tenths. Strain out the herbs and drink warm after meals, swallowing slowly. This is also used for Qi congestion in the lungs.

The Mei Master’s Formula records a treatment for sudden poisoning, with stool like goose liver and continuous bleeding day and night, even to the point of damage to the internal organs: pound Platycodon root and extract its juice. Take seven ge. This is said to work well.

The Yan Yi says that Platycodon root can be used for heat in the lungs, shortness of breath, coughing with rebellious Qi, and lung abscesses.

Tao Hongjing, who went by the name Yinjü, said that this herb, used in folk remedies, was called “jini.” Today, a plant called jini is said to be easily confused with ginseng, but it is not jie geng (balloon flower). A note in the Tang-dynasty Newly Revised Materia Medica argues that Tao Hongjing was wrong to describe jini as easily confused with ginseng. A closer examination shows otherwise: Tao was speaking of the root, which is why he said it resembles ginseng. The Tang annotation, by contrast, uses the shoots to refute him; it is the annotator who was mistaken.

Henbane

The seeds of henbane (langdang) taste bitter and sweet, are cold in nature, and are poisonous. They were used to treat toothache and to expel toothworms. They were also used for numbness of the limbs, spasms of the sinews and vessels, mania, wind-induced seizures, and bodily convulsions and spasms. Taking too much can make a person run about wildly. Records also say that long-term use can make the body light and nimble, allow a person to run faster than a horse, strengthen resolve and physical power, and enable communication with spirits. The plant is also called “hengtang” or “xingtang.” It grows by the sea, in mountain valleys, and around Yongzhou; the seeds are gathered in the fifth month.

Tao Hongjing said that henbane grows throughout the country today. Its seeds closely resemble the pits of schisandra berries, but are much smaller. Only prescriptions for treating mania use them. He believed that long-term use would cause no harm as long as the dose was not excessive; the claims that it “enables communication with spirits” and “makes one vigorous in movement” were already considerable benefits. However, henbane does not appear in the Daoist scriptures on immortality, and physicians today often write its name as “langtang.”

Chen Cangqi’s Materia Medica records that henbane seeds can treat xuanpi, a condition involving lumps in the abdomen; calm the mind and steady the will; and sharpen hearing and eyesight. They can also dispel evil influences, drive out wind, and turn white hair black. The text describes the herb as warm in nature, not cold. Dry the seeds in the sun and, every other day, take an amount that can be pinched between the fingers on an empty stomach, swallowing it with water. Do not crush the seeds, the text says, because crushed seeds may cause madness. Another method is to soak the seeds in urine until they have absorbed it all, then dry them in the sun and take them as described above.

According to Yuxi and others, the Illustrated Classic of Materia Medica of Shu describes henbane leaves as resembling those of wangbuliuxing and woad. The stems and leaves are covered in fine hairs, and the flowers are white. The fruit casing resembles a small jar; the seeds are flat and fine, about the size of millet, and greenish yellow. The plant grows in many places. Its seeds are gathered in the sixth and seventh months and dried in the sun.

The Treatise on the Nature of Medicinal Substances says henbane can also be used on its own. It tastes bitter and pungent, is slightly warm in nature, and is highly poisonous. Used raw, it causes diarrhea and may produce visions of ghosts and frenzied behavior; when roasted, it can stop cold-type diarrhea. It was also used for toothache and worm-eaten teeth: the seeds were placed in a cavity and held between the teeth, supposedly causing the worms to come out. One preparation method calls for boiling henbane in limewater for an entire day, removing it and discarding the fruit casings, then drying it in the sun. It is then made into pills with aconite, dried ginger, aged tangerine peel, cassia bark, and magnolia bark, for treating various forms of cold and recurrent qi dysentery that has persisted for years.

These are accounts of henbane’s medicinal properties and uses in ancient materia medica. The text repeatedly describes it as “poisonous” or “highly poisonous.” These prescriptions are historical medical records and should not be taken as a basis for gathering or ingesting the plant.

This herb is very warming in nature. When its medicinal effects take hold, mung bean juice can be used to counter them. If the herb is dry-fried until scorched and ground into a fine powder, it can treat prolapse of the rectum.

The Rihua Bencao says: This herb is warm and poisonous. Licorice, shengma, and rhinoceros horn can all counteract its toxicity. Smoke from burning it can be used to treat worm-eaten teeth, and it can also be used to wash damp, sweaty areas of the genitals.

The Illustrated Classic of Materia Medica says: Henbane grows by the seashore, in mountain valleys, and around Yongzhou; today it is found in many places. The plant grows about two or three chi tall. Its leaves resemble those of rehmannia, wangbuliuxing, and safflower, and are about three finger-widths across. It blooms with purple flowers in the fourth month, and its stems and leaves are covered in white hairs. In the fifth month it bears fruit, enclosed in a shell like a small poppy capsule or pomegranate. The seeds inside are tiny and greenish white, like grains of rice. Henbane is also called “celestial fairy seed.” Gather it in the fifth month and dry it in the shade.

On examining the matter closely, I find that the Bencao Jing says henbane is cold in nature, while later writers mostly describe it as extremely hot. The Records of the Grand Historian, in “The Biography of Chunyu Yi,” records that a beauty of the King of Zichuan was pregnant but unable to give birth. Chunyu Yi gave her a pinch of henbane to take with wine, and before long she delivered the child. If the herb can induce labor, how can it be a hot medicine for treating cold conditions? Ancient prescriptions also often use henbane by itself to treat sudden attacks of mania. Whether it is cold in nature is therefore difficult to determine.

The Xiaopin Fang records a prescription for treating mania: Take three sheng of henbane, grind it to a powder, and soak it in one sheng of wine for several days. Remove it, pound it, then mix it with onion juice and strain out the dregs. Simmer it in a water bath until it is thick enough to form pills. Take three pills each time, each about the size of an adzuki bean, three times a day. If after taking it the mouth and face feel tight, the head feels as though insects are crawling inside it, and red patches appear on the forehead, hands, and feet, these are signs that the illness is improving. Continue taking the medicine until it is used up; the effect is said to be excellent.

The Qiezhong Fang records a prescription for treating intestinal bleeding: Take one sheng of henbane, prepare it, dry it in the sun, pound it, and sift it. Then take half a jin of fresh ginger and squeeze out the juice. Put both ingredients in a silver pot with two sheng of wine without added ash, and simmer over a fire until the mixture is thick like syrup, adding more wine as it cooks. Stop adding wine once the total reaches about five sheng. Continue simmering until the mixture can be made into pills the size of Chinese parasol tree seeds. Take three pills daily with wine, gradually increasing to five or seven. If the mixture sticks to your hands while rolling the pills, dust them with dodder seed powder. Carefully control the heat while simmering: if it is too strong, the medicine can scorch and lose its potency. A slight fever after the first dose is nothing to be surprised at. Those with severe illness should develop diarrhea after taking it for three days; once the pathogenic influence has been expelled, the diarrhea will stop. The prescription is said to be highly effective.

Lei Gong says: When preparing this herb, take care not to mistake it for cangmingzi, which looks similar.

When it produced no effect, people at the time would often mix it with other ingredients before using it. Its seeds are faintly reddish. To prepare ten liang, boil them in one yi of vinegar until the vinegar has completely evaporated. Then boil them separately in the milk of a yellow ox until they turn black. This preparation is the seed of langdang (henbane, a poisonous plant). Dry it in the sun, then grind and sift it separately. Take care not to confuse it with anything else: otherwise, it may disturb the mind and spirit, causing great agitation. The eyes may also develop symptoms described in the text as “xian fire”; the wording here is probably corrupt.

Another account says: On careful examination, langdang’s effects are not as remarkable as people claim, but its toxicity is severe. Even after boiling it for a day or two, and waiting until teeth have grown, it should still be used with caution.

Caohao

Caohao is bitter in flavor, cold in nature, and non-toxic. It treats scabies, itching, scabbing, and malignant sores; kills lice; clears pathogenic heat lodged between the joints; and also benefits the eyes. It is also called qinghao and fanghui, and grows along the rivers and marshes of Huayin.

Tao Hongjing says: Caohao grows everywhere and is what people now call qinghao. People also mix it with coriander and eat it.

A note in the Xinxiu Bencao says: Crush fresh caohao and apply it to wounds caused by swords or other weapons. It can stop heavy bleeding, promote the growth of new flesh, and relieve pain, with excellent results.

Here we add an account from Chen Cangqi’s Bencao: Caohao treats ghost qi, corpse-ju (a category of illnesses that the ancients believed could be contagious or persist stubbornly), and disorders in women involving irregular blood and qi, abdominal fullness, alternating chills and fever, and chronic diarrhea and dysentery. Use the seeds in autumn and winter, and the tender shoots in spring and summer. Crush and squeeze them for their juice, or dry and grind them into powder and take it with urine. If the medicine seems too cold in nature, it can be boiled in wine. Caohao can also be burned to ash; filter the liquid through eight or nine layers of paper, mix it with lime, and use it to remove polyps and moles.

Yuxi and others, citing the Shu Bencao Tujing, say: Caohao’s leaves resemble those of yinchenhao, but their undersides are not white. The plant grows to about four chi tall. Gather the tender shoots in the fourth or fifth month and dry them in the sun. People in the Jiangdong region call it “x hao” because its smell resembles that of “x”; people in the north call it qinghao. The Erya says that hao is also called qin. The Book of Songs, in “Lesser Odes,” mentions “eating hao from the fields.” Lu Ji believed this meant qinghao. In Jingzhou, Yuzhou, Runan, Ruyin, and other places, it is called qin. Sun Yan says that in the Jing-Chu region, hao is called qin. Guo Pu says that what people today call qinghao, which has a strong fragrance and can be roasted and eaten, is this plant called qin.

The Rihuazi says: Qinghao strengthens the center qi and boosts original qi, making the body light and agile. It also replenishes deficiency, improves the complexion, promotes hair growth and darkens the hair, and may help delay aging. It can also be used to treat suanfa (as written in the source; the condition is unclear), heart pain, and heat jaundice. Fresh caohao may be crushed for its juice and taken, or crushed and applied externally. To treat diarrhea and dysentery, mix five qian and seven fen of the powdered medicine into rice broth and take it. Burn it to ash, mix with lime, and decoct it to treat malignant, virulent sores. The stem can also be used as medicine. The original text breaks off here.

Cloudberry is sweet in taste, cold in nature, and non-toxic. It can improve eyesight and stimulate the appetite. Used after stir-frying, it can treat weakness from chronic illness and strengthen the body. Soaked in the urine of a healthy person, it can treat malignant sores, scabies, ringworm, and wind rash, and can also kill lice. Boil it in water and wash the affected area. Another account says that foul-smelling artemisia is cool in nature and non-toxic. It can treat weakness from chronic illness, regulate the flow of Qi (vital energy), stimulate the appetite, stop night sweats, and dispel malign influences and demonic toxins. It is also called artemisia herb.

The Illustrated Materia Medica says: “Artemisia herb is qinghao, or sweet wormwood. It grows among the rivers and marshes around Huayin, and is now found everywhere. Tender shoots emerge in spring, with very fine leaves. People also pick them while fresh and tender and eat them mixed with other fragrant herbs. By summer, the plant can grow to three to five feet tall. After autumn, it produces small, pale yellow flowers, beneath which grow seeds about the size of millet. Harvest the seeds in the eighth or ninth month and dry them in the shade for later use. The roots, stems, seeds, and leaves of qinghao can all be used medicinally. Roasted dried herb, steeped as a drink, has a particularly fine fragrance. Qinghao is also called fanghui.”

When using qinghao, do not combine the seeds with the leaves, or the roots with the stems. Using all four parts together may instead cause illness. Soaking it in a child’s urine is preferable. Qinghao is especially suited to treating steaming bone fever, a symptom of chronic weakness in which heat is felt within the bones, as if rising like steam. Ancient prescriptions often use qinghao by itself.

Ge Hong’s prescription records: “To treat wounds caused by swords, knives, or other sharp metal implements, pound qinghao and apply it to the wound, then bind it with cloth. Once the bleeding stops, the wound will heal.”

Cui Yuanliang’s Sea-Borne Prescriptions records a formula for steaming bone fever and demonic Qi, an old term for certain symptoms of chronic weakness: “Take five large dou of a child’s urine, allow it to settle, and set it aside. Then take five dou of qinghao, preferably harvested in the eighth or ninth month while bearing seeds, and chop it finely. Put both ingredients in a large pot and boil over high heat until reduced to three large dou. Strain out the herb and wash the pot clean. Return the liquid to the pot and simmer until reduced to two large dou. Add ten pig’s gallbladders and simmer until reduced to one and a half large dou. Remove from the heat and let cool, then store in a new porcelain vessel. To prepare a dose, take two or three liang of licorice, roast it and grind it to a powder, then mix it with the liquid and pound a thousand times to make pills. Take twenty pills on an empty stomach with rice porridge, gradually increasing to thirty.”

Lei Gong says: “Medium-sized qinghao plants are best. At harvest, if the plant is knee-high, gather it while leaning back; if it is waist-high, gather it while bending forward. Do not combine the seeds with the leaves, or the roots with the stems; mixing all four parts may cause an obstinate illness. After gathering the qinghao leaves, soak them, whatever the quantity, in the urine of a seven-year-old child for seven days and seven nights. Then remove them and dry them in the sun for later use.”

The Dietary Therapy says: “Qinghao is cold in nature. It can replenish Qi, promote hair growth, make the body light and agile, strengthen the middle Qi, delay aging, improve eyesight, and dispel wind toxins. Pounded and applied to sores, it can stop bleeding and promote the growth of new flesh.”

It will grow in spring, with a whitish color; this is the natural kind. Pickle it in aromatic vinegar and eat it as a relish. It is beneficial to the body.

To treat steaming bone disorder, a condition in which heat is felt within the bones: soak it in urine for one or two nights, dry it in the sun, and grind it into a fine powder. Make pills from the powder. This is effective for reducing fever and treating fever caused by deficiency and exhaustion.

To treat “ghost qi,” a category of pathogenic influence described in ancient times: grind its seeds into powder and swallow one square-inch spoonful with wine. The illness will then be cured.

Burn it to ash, leach the ash with water to obtain the liquid, then add lime and boil. This can treat severe sores, as well as the scars and pitted marks left after sores heal.

The Baiyi Fang says: To treat bee stings, chew qinghao and apply it to the affected area. It will heal immediately.

The Doumen Fang says: To treat emaciation from exhaustion in men, finely chop qinghao and boil it together with three sheng of water and five sheng of a young boy’s urine. When the liquid has reduced to one and a half sheng, strain out the herb and continue simmering the liquid in a vessel until it becomes a paste. Form it into pills the size of wutong seeds. Take twenty pills on an empty stomach and again before bed, washed down with warm wine.

The Yanyi says: Caohao is what is now called qinghao. It grows everywhere and is among the first plants to sprout in spring. People gather it to eat as a vegetable. Its roots are red, and its leaves are fragrant. Today, plants called qinghao also come in different varieties. Among the different kinds of hao, one should choose those that are blue-green. In the hao thickets around Suizhou and Yinzhou in Shaanxi, one or two unusually deep-green clumps may occasionally be found. Local people call them “fragrant hao.” Their stems and leaves resemble those of ordinary hao, but ordinary hao is pale green, while this kind is deep green and therefore strongly scented. The kind used by the ancients was probably this deep-green variety; otherwise, which kind of hao is not green?

Inula Flower

Inula flower tastes salty and sweet. Its nature is warm with a slight coldness; it promotes free flow and is mildly toxic. It treats qi binding, fullness and distension below the ribs, and palpitations. It dispels water qi, removes cold and heat between the Five Zang, supplements the center qi and directs qi downward. It disperses phlegm bound in the chest and expels thick, sticky phlegm and saliva. It is also used for phlegm and retained fluid between the heart, chest, ribs, and sides; water retained in the bladder; damp impediment caused by wind; dead flesh in the skin; and discharge from the eyes. It promotes the bowels, opens the blood vessels, and gives the complexion a healthy glow. It is also called Daishen, Jinfucao, and Shengshen. Its root can be used to treat wind-dampness. It grows on level ground, in marshes, and in mountain valleys. Gather the flowers in the fifth month and dry them in the sun; they take twenty days to dry completely.

Tao Hongjing says: Inula flower grows in nearby low-lying, damp places. Its flowers resemble chrysanthemums but are larger. There is also a plant called xuanfu whose root comes from Henan and is found in the north as well. Its shape resembles chuanxiong. This root is used only to prepare “xuanfu paste” and has no other use; it is not the root of the inula flower discussed here.

The Tang Ben Zhu says: The root of xuanfu is listed among the middle-grade medicines. Tao Hongjing says its shoots resemble ginger, and its root…

Inula flower (also known as Golden Coin Flower) resembles a chrysanthemum. Its flowers are deep yellow, its leaves are willow-shaped, and its stems are slender. It usually grows on level ground beside water and in valleys. Shoots emerge after the second month, and the stems grow one or two chi tall. It blooms in the sixth month; the flowers are gathered in the seventh or eighth month and, after being dried in the sun for about twenty days, are ready for medicinal use. The plant can be found throughout the regions, and some people also cultivate it in gardens. In distinguishing the medicinal plants, the text notes in particular that a plant shaped like galangal but more slender is mountain ginger, not the root of Inula flower. Inula flower also does not resemble Ligusticum or galangal.

According to the Illustrated Classic of Shu, Inula flower has leaves like water mint and yellow flowers like a chrysanthemum. Records of its medicinal properties say that it is sweet in taste and non-toxic, and can be used for stagnant Qi in the ribs and flanks, alternating chills and fever, edema, fluid accumulation in the bladder, abdominal distension, poor appetite, and vomiting. The Ri Hua Zi also describes it as non-toxic, and says it can brighten the eyes, treat wind disorders of the head, and promote the circulation of the blood vessels. Its leaves can be used to stop bleeding from metal-inflicted wounds. Ancient books also record its alternate names and the parts used medicinally: the flowers are used under the name Xuanfu, and the root under the name Fuxuan.

The Illustrated Classic says that after gathering Inula flowers, one should remove the outer covering around the flower head, the calyx, and the stalk, then take the florets and steam them from the hour of the Snake in the morning until noon. They should then be dried in the sun and kept for use.

The Outer Terrace Secrets records a topical treatment for tendon injuries using the root of Inula flower: wash and pound the root, apply it over an area matching the size of the wound, and change the dressing once or twice daily until the injury has healed. Another formula says that when a tendon has been cut or severed by an injury, the root may be pounded to extract its juice, which is dripped into the wound; the remaining pulp is then applied over the injured area. After fifteen days, the tendon will have rejoined. The book says this remedy came from the experience of a servant in the household of Su Jingzhong. Inula flower is also used in formulas by Zhang Zhongjing, Hu Qia, and other physicians.

After washing the medicinal material, pound it into a fine powder and form it into pills with refined honey, each about the size of a paulownia seed. At night, before going to sleep, take five to seven pills with tea; at most, take ten.

The Meishi Formula records: To treat wounds caused by swords or other sharp weapons and stop bleeding, pound the tender shoots of xuanfuhua and apply them to the wound. The bleeding will stop.

The Extended Meaning says: The leaves of xuanfuhua resemble large chrysanthemums and mugwort. It flowers in the seventh or eighth month. Its blossoms are about the size of paulownia seeds, pale yellowish green, dense, round, and downward-facing. This is one of its distinctive features. Its fragrance surpasses that of chrysanthemums; it can disperse phlegm and fluid retention and dispel pathogenic wind from the head and eyes. Its flavor is sweet, bitter, and acrid, and it too is a herb that promotes dispersion. Xuanhua flowers in the fourth or fifth month and is a different plant, not the xuanfuhua discussed here. The relevant details are given at length in Volume Eight.

Illustrated and Expanded Materia Medica, Volume Sixteen