泻心肺三焦之火。
苦寒。轻飘象肺。色赤入心。泻心肺之邪热。使之屈曲下行。由小便出。（海藏曰∶或
用为
利小便药、非利小便、乃肺清则化行、而膀胱津液之腑、得此气化而出也。）而三焦之郁火
以解热厥。（厥有寒热二证。）心痛以平。（丹溪曰∶治心痛当分新久、若初起因寒因食、宜
温散、久则郁而成热、若用温剂、不助痛添病乎、古方多用栀子为君、热药为之向导、则邪
易失、此病虽日久不食、不死、若痛止恣食、病必再作也。）吐衄崩淋。血痢之病以息。（最
清胃脘之血、炒黑末服、吹鼻治衄。）治心烦懊 不眠。（仲景用栀子豉汤、好古曰∶烦者气
也、躁者血也、故栀子治肺烦、香豉治肾躁、亦用作吐药、以邪在上焦、吐之则邪散、经所
谓、其高者因而越之也、按栀豉汤、吐虚烦客热、瓜蒂散、吐痰热客寒。）五黄。（古方多用
栀子茵陈。）五淋。目赤。紫癜白疠。 疮疡。（皮腠肺所主故也。）损胃伐气。虚者忌之
。心腹痛不因火者。尤为大戒。世人每用治血。不知血寒则凝。反为败证。（本草汇曰∶治
实
则
血自归经、治虚火之血、养正为先、气壮则自能摄血、丹溪曰∶
治血不可单行单止、亦不可纯用寒凉。气有余而逆为火、顺气即是降火。）内热用仁。表
热用皮。生用泻火。炒黑止血。姜汁炒止烦呕。（烧灰吹鼻、止衄。）
（栀子）能清泻心、肺及三焦的实火。
其性味苦寒，质地轻扬飘浮，象应于肺；颜色赤红，入于心经。它能清泻心与肺的邪热，使热气屈曲下行，通过小便排出。（张元素说：有人将其作为利尿药使用，其实并非直接利尿，而是肺气清肃则津液输布正常，膀胱作为津液之腑，借助这种气化作用而排尿。）同时解除三焦郁结之火引起的热厥证。（厥证分为寒厥和热厥两种。）平息心痛。（朱震亨说：治疗心痛应当区分新病和久病，如果是初期因受寒或饮食停滞引起，适宜用温散的方法；日久则郁结化热，如果此时再用温热药，岂不是助长疼痛加重病情吗？古方中多将栀子作为主药，配合热药作为引导，这样邪气容易消散。这种病即使日久不进食也不会死亡，但如果疼痛停止后放纵饮食，疾病必定复发。）止血，使吐血、鼻衄、崩漏、淋证以及血痢等疾病停止。（栀子最擅长清泄胃脘部的血热，炒成黑末服用，或吹入鼻腔治疗鼻衄。）治疗心中烦闷懊恼、失眠。（张仲景使用栀子豉汤，李杲说：烦属于气分病变，躁属于血分病变，所以栀子治疗肺气的烦乱，香豉治疗肾气的躁动；它也用作催吐药，因为邪气在上焦，通过呕吐可以使邪气发散，正如《内经》所说：病位高的，就顺势使其向上涌出。按：栀豉汤用于吐出虚烦客热，瓜蒂散用于吐出痰热客寒。）治疗五种黄疸。（古方中多用栀子配伍茵陈。）治疗五种淋证、眼睛红肿、紫癜、白疠（银屑病类疾病）、疮疡。（因为皮肤腠理由肺所主管，故可治此类皮肤病。）但栀子损伤胃气、耗伤正气，体虚者忌用。心腹痛如果不是由火热引起，更是大忌。世人常用来治疗出血症，却不知道血遇寒则凝滞，反而会导致败证。（《本草汇》说：治疗实证则血自然回归经脉，治疗虚火导致的出血，以扶正养气为先，气壮则自然能统摄血液。朱震亨说：治疗出血不可单纯行血或单纯止血，也不可纯用寒凉药物。气有余而上逆化为火，顺气即是降火。）内热用栀子仁，表热用栀子皮。生用泻火，炒黑止血，姜汁炒制止烦呕。（烧成灰吹入鼻腔，止住鼻衄。）
( Gardeniae Fructus ) clears and drains the fire of the Heart, Lung, and Sanjiao (Triple Burner).
Its nature is bitter and cold. Its light and floating quality corresponds to the Lung; its red color enters the Heart channel. It drains pathogenic heat from the Heart and Lung, causing it to descend through a curved path and exit via urination. (Zhang Yuansu stated: Some use it as a diuretic, but it does not directly promote urination; rather, when Lung Qi is clear, fluid metabolism proceeds normally, and the Bladder, as the organ of fluids, excretes urine through this Qi transformation.) It resolves heat-jue (cold extremities due to heat) caused by stagnant fire in the Sanjiao. (Jue syndrome has two types: cold jue and heat jue.) It calms heart pain. (Zhu Zhenheng stated: When treating heart pain, one must distinguish between new and chronic conditions. If initially caused by cold or food stagnation, warm dispersal is appropriate. If chronic, stagnation transforms into heat; using warm agents would only aggravate the pain. Ancient formulas often used Gardeniae Fructus as the chief herb, with hot herbs as guides, so that pathogens dissipate easily. Although this condition may persist for a long time without eating without being fatal, if one indulges in food after pain cessation, the disease will recur.) It stops bleeding, resolving conditions such as hematemesis (vomiting blood), epistaxis (nosebleed), metrorrhagia (uterine bleeding), stranguria (dysuric disorders), and bloody dysentery. (It is most effective in clearing blood-heat in the stomach region; taken as a blackened powder, or blown into the nasal cavity, it treats epistaxis.) It treats mental restlessness, vexation, insomnia. (Zhang Zhongjing used Gardeniae and Fermented Soybean Decoction. Li Gao stated: Vexation belongs to Qi pathology, while agitation belongs to Blood pathology. Thus, Gardeniae Fructus treats Lung Qi vexation, while Fermented Soybean treats Kidney Qi agitation. It is also used as an emetic because pathogens are in the Upper Jiao; vomiting causes them to scatter, as stated in the Classics: "Where the pathogen is high, induce vomiting." Note: Gardeniae and Fermented Soybean Decoction expels deficiency-vexation and guest-heat; Cucumis Trichosanthes Powder expels phlegm-heat and guest-cold.) It treats five types of jaundice. (Ancient formulas often combined Gardeniae Fructus with Yinchen [Artemisiae Scopariae Herba].) It treats five types of stranguria, red eyes, purpura, white li (psoriasis-like diseases), and sores and ulcers. (Because skin and pores are governed by the Lung, it can treat these dermatological conditions.) However, it damages Stomach Qi and depletes healthy Qi; those who are deficient should avoid it. For heart and abdominal pain not caused by fire, it is strictly contraindicated. People often use it to treat bleeding, unaware that cold congeals blood, which may lead to deteriorating conditions. (Bencao Hui stated: In excess patterns, blood returns to its vessels naturally; in deficiency-fire bleeding, nourishing righteousness is primary. Strong Qi naturally controls blood. Zhu Zhenheng stated: Treating bleeding cannot be done solely by moving blood or stopping blood, nor purely with cold-cooling herbs. Excess Qi rising upward transforms into fire; regulating Qi is equivalent to descending fire.) Use the kernel for internal heat, and the peel for external heat. Raw use drains fire; charred use stops bleeding; stir-fried with ginger juice stops vexation and vomiting. (Charred and blown into the nose stops epistaxis.)