典藏书目

Rhododendron molle (Yangzhizhu), acrid in taste, warm in nature, possesses great toxicity. It enters the Spleen meridian. It primarily treats rheumatism and wind-dampness hiding within the deep layers of muscles, causing numbness and bi-syndrome (painful obstruction). It treats "zei feng" (thieving wind, referring to erratic and pathogenic wind) invading the skin, causing wandering pain. It can dispel evil toxins such as ghost-gu poison, plague sores, and malignant ulcers. This herb must only be used occasionally to achieve an unexpected effect when external pathogens are difficult to disperse from the exterior; it should absolutely not be used frequently to seek strange results. In recent times, people have stir-fried this herb until yellow and made pills to treat traumatic injuries, achieving remarkable efficacy. However, the dosage should only reach 3 fen; for severe injuries, it must absolutely not exceed 1 qian.

One might ask: Rhododendron molle is a drug that confuses the mind; why do you use it to treat diseases? Alas! For those without disease, taking Rhododendron molle will confuse the mind; for those with disease, taking Rhododendron molle will eliminate the illness. This counter-intuitive use achieves an unexpected effect, surpassing the mediocrity of orthodox use.

Epimedium (Yinyanghuo), also known as Xianlingspi. Acrid in taste, warm in nature, non-toxic. The claim that it is cold is erroneous. There is no need to stir-fry it with sheep fat, nor is it necessary to remove the spines. It enters the Mingmen (Gate of Life) channel. It treats men suffering from complete yang exhaustion and inability to erect, and women suffering from complete yang exhaustion and infertility. It eliminates senile confusion and forgetfulness, removes middle-aged amnesia, benefits the Kidney, strengthens tendons, increases strength, and fortifies willpower. It tonifies the Mingmen without being overly hot, surpassing the efficacy of Cinnamon Bark (Rougui), though this is unknown to modern practitioners. Although men and women are divided into yin and yang, their five zang organs and six fu organs are exactly the same, with no minor differences. When a man's Mingmen is cold, his yang does not rise; when a woman's Mingben is cold, her yang does not flow. It is not that men with complete yang exhaustion cannot reproduce, while women with complete yang exhaustion can still conceive. The *Bencao* stating that women with complete yin exhaustion cannot conceive is a scribal error. Epimedium tonifies yang but not yin; by tonifying the yang of both men and women, the mutual generation continues endlessly. With yang within yin, men's essence becomes warm and capable of emission, and women's essence becomes warm and capable of reception. If one claims to tonify complete yin exhaustion, then there is pure yin without yang, how can reproduction occur? Such medicines are suitable for people after middle age to take morning and evening, so that those without children may have them. The *Bencao* warns against long-term use due to damage, which I suppose refers to cases where the Mingmen has fire. For those whose Mingmen has fire, initial use is inappropriate; why wait until long-term use to cause damage?

Some doubt Epimedium: it warms and tonifies the fire of the Mingmen, thus promoting yang erection. Men have the potential of the male organ, and after taking it, they erect prominently, so we know it treats complete yang exhaustion. But for women, how can this be verified? I say: Women can also be verified. Women lacking yang suffer from cold and pain in the lower abdomen; after taking Epimedium, the pain ceases. However, this is formless and insufficient for verification. There are more tangible signs for verification. Women lacking yang have a structure inside the vagina resembling the stamen of a flower, which rises and cannot be probed by finger. After taking Epimedium, the floral stamen-like structure descends and can be probed by finger. This stamen is the gateway of the uterus and the orifice of conception; it contracts when cold and extends when warm, just as the male organ flaccidifies when cold and hardens when warm. Verification by this method is infallible. Furthermore, I have more to say: Those lacking yang lack the fire of the Mingmen. The fire of the Mingmen originally resides within the Kidney, not outside it. Epimedium tonifies the fire of the Mingmen, also within the Kidney, not outside it. Why seek verification through the physical attributes of male and female yin and yang?

One asks: Tonifying the fire of the Mingmen is suitable for men but not for women. How should one treat women with active fire? I reply: The intense sexual desire in women is not due to vigorous Mingmen fire, but rather deficient Mingmen fire. When Mingmen fire is deficient, it cannot anchor the Dragon-Liver fire, causing the fire to escape into the Liver, assisting the exuberance of Liver Wood. Exuberant Liver Wood leads to desires driven by the heart. Since Wood generates Fire, what controls it? Often, there are those who long for a man but cannot obtain him. Prescriptions that drain Liver Wood fire are merely temporary expedients. Once Liver Wood is pacified, it is still appropriate to tonify the fire of the Mingmen, allowing the Dragon-Liver fire to settle peacefully in the Kidney palace, eliminating the risk of floating fire. Thus, it is evident that women must also tonify the Mingmen. If women are suitable for tonifying the fire of the Mingmen, why is Epimedium only suitable for men and not for women? Moreover, when used by women, Epimedium does more than just warm and tonify the Mingmen; it also stabilizes lower abdominal pain, removes itching at the vaginal opening, warms uterine cold, and stops leukorrhea dampness. How can one suspect it is only beneficial for men and not used in gynecology? The flexibility in medication application is indeed not limited to a single approach.

Some doubt Epimedium: it assists men's yang and is mostly used in pill forms; I have not heard of its use in decoctions. Can it be used in decoctions? I say: Any medicine used in decoctions can be used in pills; conversely, any medicine used in pills should not be exclusively excluded from decoctions. Modern physicians do not use it in decoctions because its light texture makes it inconvenient to carry in medicine boxes. I actually have a method for preparing extracts, which is particularly convenient to keep in a medicine cabinet, so I record it here. Use 5 jin of Epimedium each time, slightly crush it, soak it in a vat with boiling water for three days, boil the juice in a large pot until concentrated, set aside the concentrate first, add water again and boil until the color is pale. Remove the dregs, boil the concentrated juice again until it resembles paste, then place it in a tin pot, steam and cook until thick like paste, add a small amount of Deer Antler Glue (Lujiaojiao) for viscosity, let it cool, cut into blocks, and sun-dry to become glue. It is excellent when mixed into decoctions for administration, and also wonderful in pills.