宣，引吐
辛寒至苦，有毒。
入口即吐，善通顶，令人嚏，风痫证多用之（张子和曰∶一妇病风痫，初一、二年一作
，后渐日作，甚至一日数作，求死而已。值岁大饥，采百草食，见野草若葱，采蒸饱食，觉
不安，吐胶涎数日，约一二斗，汗出如洗，甚昏困，后遂轻健如常人。以所食葱访人，乃憨
葱苗，即藜芦是矣。时珍曰∶和王妃年七十，中风不省，牙关紧闭。先考太医吏目月池翁诊
视，药不得入。不获已，打去一齿，浓煎藜芦汤灌之，少顷噫气，遂吐痰而苏。药不瞑眩，
厥疾不瘳，诚然）。
取根去头。用黄连为使。反细辛、芍药、诸参。恶大黄。畏葱白（吐者、服葱汤即止）。
古名通草
轻，通，行水，泻小肠火
甘淡轻虚。上通心包，降心火，清肺热（心火降。则肺热清矣），化津液（肺为水源，
肺热清，则津液化，水道通），下通大、小肠，膀胱，导诸湿热由小便出（故导赤散用之。
凡利小便者，多不利大便，以小水愈通，大便愈燥也。木通能入大肠，兼通大便），通利九
窍，血脉关节。
治胸中烦热，遍身拘痛（杨仁斋云∶遍身隐热、疼痛拘急、足冷，皆伏热伤血。血属于
心，宜木通以通心窍，则经络流行也），大渴引饮（中焦火），淋沥不通（下焦火，心与小肠
相表里，心移热于小肠，则淋秘），水肿浮大（利小便），耳聋（泄肾火，通窍）目眩，口燥
舌干（舌为心苗），喉痹咽痛（火炎上焦），鼻 （热壅清道，则气窒不通）失音（清金），
脾热好眠（脾主四肢，倦则好眠。心为脾母，心热清，脾热亦除），除烦退热，止痛排脓，
破血催生，行经下乳（火不亢于内，气顺血行，故经调有准，乳汁循常）。汗多者禁用（东
垣曰∶肺受热邪，津液气化之源绝，则寒水断流；膀胱受湿热，癃闭约束，则小便不通，宜
此治之。寒水，太阳膀胱也。朱二允曰∶火在上则口燥，眼赤、鼻干，在中则心烦、呕哕、
浮肿，在下则淋秘、足肿，必借此甘平之性，泻诸经之火，火退则小便自利，便利则诸经火
邪，皆从小水而下降矣。君火宜木通，相火宜泽泻，利水虽同，所用各别）。
藤有细孔，两头皆通（故通窍）。
宣散，引导呕吐。
味辛、寒至极苦，有毒性。
入口即引起呕吐，善于通达头顶，使人打喷嚏，风痫证（由风邪引起的癫痫类疾病）多使用它。（张子和说：有一位妇女患风痫病，初起一两年发作一次，后来逐渐每天发作，甚至一天发作数次，痛苦得只求速死。正值大饥荒之年，她采集百草充饥，看到野草像葱一样，采摘蒸熟饱食后，感到不适，连续几天吐出胶状涎液，约一两斗，出汗如洗澡般，非常昏沉困倦，之后便变得轻松健康如同常人。询问所吃的“葱”，原来是憨葱苗，就是藜芦了。李时珍说：和王妃七十岁时，中风昏迷不醒，牙关紧闭。家父太医吏目月池翁诊视，药物无法灌入。不得已，敲掉一颗牙齿，浓煎藜芦汤灌服，片刻后打嗝，随即吐出痰液而苏醒。药不引起剧烈反应，重病难以痊愈，确实如此。）
取根部，去掉根头。以黄连为引经药。与细辛、芍药、各类参药相反。厌恶大黄。畏惧葱白（若发生呕吐，服用葱汤即可停止）。
古称通草。
质地轻，能通利，行水气，泻小肠之火。
味甘、淡，质地轻虚。上通心包络，降心火，清肺热（心火下降，则肺热自清），化生津液（肺为水之上源，肺热清除，则津液化生，水道通畅），下通大肠、小肠及膀胱，引导各种湿热从小便排出（所以导赤散中使用它。凡是通利小便的药物，大多不通大便，因为小便越通利，大便越干燥。但木通能进入大肠，兼通大便），通利九窍，血脉关节。
治疗胸中烦热，全身拘挛疼痛（杨仁斋说：全身隐热、疼痛拘急、脚冷，都是伏热伤及血分所致。血归属于心，宜用木通通心窍，使经络气血流行），大渴引饮（中焦有火），淋沥不通（下焦有火，心与小肠相表里，心热移于小肠，则导致淋证或尿闭），水肿浮大（通过利小便消除），耳聋（泄肾火，通耳窍），目眩，口燥舌干（舌为心之苗窍），喉痹咽痛（火炎上焦），鼻塞（热壅塞清道，则气息窒塞不通），失音（清肺金），脾热嗜睡（脾主四肢，疲倦则好眠。心为脾之母，心热清则脾热亦除），除烦退热，止痛排脓，破血催生，行经下乳（火不亢盛于内，气顺血行，故月经调准时，乳汁循常道分泌）。汗多者禁用（李东垣说：肺受热邪，津液气化之源断绝，则寒水断流；膀胱受湿热困扰，癃闭约束，则小便不通，宜用此药治疗。寒水指太阳膀胱经。朱二允说：火在上则口燥、眼赤、鼻干，在中则心烦、呕哕、浮肿，在下则淋秘、足肿，必须借助其甘平之性，泻诸经之火，火退则小便自利，便利则诸经火邪皆从小便下降。君火宜用木通，相火宜用泽泻，利水作用虽同，所用药物各别）。
藤茎有细孔，两头皆通（所以能通窍）。
Dispersing, inducing vomiting.
Pungent, cold to extremely bitter, toxic.
Induces vomiting upon entering the mouth, excels at unblocking the vertex, causes sneezing, and is frequently used for wind-phlegm epilepsy (Zhang Zihe stated: A woman suffered from wind-phlegm epilepsy; initially occurring once every one or two years, it gradually progressed to daily episodes, and even several times a day, causing her to wish for death. During a severe famine year, she gathered various herbs to eat. Seeing a wild herb resembling green onions, she picked, steamed, and ate it until full. She felt uncomfortable and vomited gelatinous saliva for several days, totaling about one or two *dou* (a traditional unit of volume), sweating profusely as if washed, becoming very drowsy and exhausted, after which she recovered health like a normal person. Upon inquiring about the "green onion" she ate, it turned out to be the sprout of *Allium victorialis*, which is Veratrum (*Lilü*). Li Shizhen stated: The Princess Consort of He fell into a coma due to stroke at age seventy, with clenched jaws. My father, Taiyi Limu Yuechi, examined her, but medicine could not be administered. As a last resort, a tooth was knocked out, and a concentrated decoction of Veratrum was forced down her throat. After a short while, she belched, then vomited phlegm and regained consciousness. If a drug does not cause adverse reactions (*mingxuan*), severe diseases cannot be cured, which is indeed true.)
Use the root, removing the root head. Use *Coptidis Rhizoma* (*Huanglian*) as an guiding agent. It is incompatible with *Asari Radix* (*Xixin*), *Paeoniae Radix Alba* (*Shaoyao*), and all types of *Ginseng* (*Shen*). It dislikes *Rhei Radix et Rhizoma* (*Dahuang*). It fears *Allii Fistulosi Bulbus* (*Congbai*) (If vomiting occurs, taking green onion soup will stop it).
Ancient name: Tongcao.
Light, unblocking, promoting water metabolism, clearing fire of the Small Intestine.
Sweet, bland, light and void. Unblocks the Pericardium upwards, descends Heart Fire, clears Lung Heat (When Heart Fire descends, Lung Heat is cleared), transforms body fluids (The Lung is the source of water; when Lung Heat is cleared, body fluids are transformed, and water passages become smooth), unblocks the Large Intestine, Small Intestine, and Bladder downwards, guides damp-heat out through urination (Therefore, it is used in Daochi San. Generally, herbs that promote urination do not promote bowel movements, as increased urine flow leads to drier stools. However, Mutong can enter the Large Intestine and also promotes bowel movements), unblocks the nine orifices, blood vessels, and joints.
Treats irritability and heat in the chest, generalized stiffness and pain (Yang Renzhai said: Generalized latent heat, painful stiffness, and cold feet are all caused by latent heat injuring the blood. Blood belongs to the Heart; Mutong should be used to unblock the Heart orifices, allowing meridians to circulate freely), excessive thirst with desire to drink (Fire in the Middle Jiao), dribbling dysuria or urinary retention (Fire in the Lower Jiao; the Heart and Small Intestine are exterior-interior related; Heart heat transferring to the Small Intestine causes strangury or retention), edema with swelling (by promoting urination), deafness (draining Kidney Fire, unblocking orifices), vertigo, dry mouth and tongue (The tongue is the sprout of the Heart), bi-syndrome of the throat and sore throat (Fire flaming upward in the Upper Jiao), nasal congestion (Heat obstructing the clear pathways causes qi stagnation and blockage), aphonia (clearing Metal/Lung), lethargy due to Spleen heat (The Spleen governs the four limbs; fatigue leads to sleepiness. The Heart is the mother of the Spleen; clearing Heart heat also removes Spleen heat), relieving irritability and reducing fever, stopping pain and discharging pus, breaking blood stasis and inducing labor, regulating menstruation and promoting lactation (When fire is not hyperactive internally, qi flows smoothly and blood moves, thus menstruation is regular and milk flows normally). Contraindicated in cases of excessive sweating (Li Dongyuan stated: When the Lung is affected by heat pathogens, the source of fluid transformation is cut off, leading to a cessation of cold water flow; when the Bladder is constrained by damp-heat, causing strangury and retention, this herb is suitable for treatment. Cold water refers to the Taiyang Bladder channel. Zhu Eryun stated: Fire above causes dry mouth, red eyes, and dry nose; fire in the middle causes irritability, vomiting, and edema; fire below causes strangury/retention and swollen feet. One must rely on its sweet and neutral nature to drain fire from all channels. When fire recedes, urination becomes free, and fire pathogens from all channels descend via urine. For Ministerial Fire, Mutong is appropriate; for Ministerial Fire [specifically referring to Sanjiao/Gallbladder context often associated with Zexie], Ze Xie is appropriate. Although both promote diuresis, their applications differ].)
The vine has fine pores, open at both ends (therefore, it unblocks orifices).