典藏书目

Background Information:
Book: Benjing Fengyuan (Supplement to the Divine Farmer's Materia Medica) | Author: Zhang Lu | Dynasty: Qing | Chapter: Ricinus Seed / Dichroa Root | Category: Comprehensive

[Original Text]
Sweet, acrid, warm; toxic. Remove the shell and use the white kernel for best quality. Consumption of fried soybeans is prohibited; violating this will cause abdominal distension.

Innovation: Ricinus belongs to Yin. Its nature is astringent and contracting. It can draw out pus and toxins, pulling pathogenic factors outward, making it an essential herb for external medicine. It can expel tangible stagnant matter; therefore, it is used to deliver the placenta after childbirth or to remove retained bones, gelatinous blood, etc. Shizhen said: "Ricinus has sweet and acrid properties with hot toxicity, and its aroma and flavor are quite similar to Croton Seed (Ba Dou). It can also benefit people by draining water qi." Its nature is mobile and penetrating, capable of opening orifices and meridians. It treats hemiplegia with aphonia, lockjaw, facial deviation, head wind, and diseases of the seven orifices. Its function is not limited to expelling tangible objects. Pelican oil can guide medicinal qi inward, while ricinus oil can pull disease qi outward; thus, it is widely used in various plasters. For hemiplegia with inability to move limbs, decoct it with sheep fat, Pangolin Scales (Chuan Shan Jia), and Musk (She Xiang) into a plaster. Massage daily until alignment gradually corrects, then grind and apply. Scrofula (Luo Li), smallpox toxins, and carbuncles/swellings will dissipate, as it guides toxins outward. One person suffered from a lump on the arm with swelling and pain; applying a paste made from crushed ricinus kernels cured him immediately. Another person suffered from Qi stagnation causing unilateral headache; crushing this herb with Frankincense (Ru Xiang) and table salt, then applying it to the Taiyang region stopped the pain instantly. A woman whose uterus failed to retract postpartum was cured by applying the crushed paste to the Dantian. This herb has repeatedly achieved miraculous results when applied externally, but it is unsuitable for internal use.

Also known as Hengshan.
Bitter, acrid, warm; toxic. The best quality comes from Sichuan production: pale yellow, fine, solid, resembling chicken bones. Stir-frying with vinegar prevents vomiting.

The *Shennong Benjing* states it primarily treats cold-heat patterns of Cold Damage (Shanghan), induces vomiting in warm malaria and ghost toxins, and resolves phlegm accumulation and regurgitation in the chest.

Innovation: Malaria involves phlegm-dampness, food stagnation, wind pathogens, and miasma affecting the Six Channels and Five Zang organs. One must distinguish between Yin/Yang and Deficiency/Excess; it cannot be generalized. Dichroa Root (Chang Shan) has the merit of seizing phlegm and intercepting malaria. It should only be administered appropriately after releasing exterior pathogens and raising Yang Qi. If used raw and in large doses, it acts upward and inevitably causes vomiting. If soaked in wine and thoroughly stir-fried, its action becomes milder, and even a dose of roughly one qian will not induce vomiting. It causes vomiting when combined with Licorice Root (Gan Cao), but promotes purgation when combined with Rhubarb (Da Huang). Since no malaria occurs without phlegm, Dichroa Root specifically targets driving out phlegm and water. Yang Shiying said: "People despise Dichroa Root for treating malaria. However, malaria patients often accumulate phlegm-saliva and yellow fluid, which may stagnate below the heart or knot in the hypochondrium, generating cold and heat. The method requires inducing vomiting and draining water; how could Dichroa Root be omitted? Thus, the *Benjing* focuses on cold-heat and warm malaria with phlegm knots and regurgitation, because malaria often arises from Cold Damage cold-heat or seasonal epidemic warmth, leading to phlegm-water accumulation below the heart." When water is in the Upper Jiao, Dichroa Root can induce vomiting; when water is in the hypochondrium, it can break through and drain the water. However, it must be assisted by blood-invigorating herbs such as Peach Kernel (Tao Ren), Curcuma Zedoaria (E Zhu), and Pangolin Scales (Chuan Shan Jia). In cases of pure heat-induced malaria or internal excess due to accumulated heat, administering Dichroa Root may result in scanty bowel movements that resemble diarrhea but are not true diarrhea. In such cases, Rhubarb (Da Huang) must be added as an assistant to promote several purgative actions before recovery is achieved. Dichroa Root is a yin-toxic herb with a violent and fierce nature. Although it has the ability to break miasma and drive out fluid retention, it easily damages True Qi. Therefore, Zhang Zhongjing never included it in his formulas for treating malaria. Furthermore, in cases where summer heat injury leads to autumn malaria, or in malaria patients with deficient-cold Yuan Qi in the Three Yin channels, Dichroa Root and Pangolin Scales act like weapons against them.