萝卜子,味辛、辣,气温,无毒。入胃、脾二经。却喘咳下气甚神,解面食至效。治风
痰,
消恶疮,善止久痢,除胀满亦奇,但宜少少用之。补气之药得之,而无大过之忧。利湿之剂
入之,而有善全之妙。多服则损气,久服则伤阴也。
或疑萝卜子能治喘胀,然古人用之于人参之中,反奏功如神。人参原是除喘消胀之药,
莱菔
子最解人参,何以同用而奏功乎?夫人参之除喘消胀,乃治虚喘虚胀也。虚症反现假实之象
,
人参遽然投之,直至其喘胀之所未能骤受,往往服之而愈喘愈服者有之。虽所增之喘胀,乃
一时之假象,少顷自然平复,然终非治之之善。少加萝卜子以制人参,则喘胀不敢增,而反
得消喘消胀之益,此所谓相制而相成也。
或问萝卜子专解人参,用人参而一用萝卜子,则人参无益矣。此不知萝卜子,而并不知
人参
者也。人参得萝卜子,其功更补。盖人参补气,骤服气必难受,非止喘胀之症也,然得萝卜
子,以行其补中之利气,则气平而易受。是萝卜子平气之有余,非损气之不足,实制人参以
平其气,非制人参以伤其气也。世人动谓萝卜子解人参,误也。
瓜蒂,味苦,性寒,有小毒。凡邪在上焦,致头目、四肢、面上浮肿,与胸中积滞,并
下部
有脉、上部无脉者,皆宜用瓜蒂以吐之也。
或问瓜蒂可疗黄胆,吾子略而不言,何也?夫黄胆之症,多从下受,用瓜蒂吐之,是从
上疗
之也,似乎相宜。然而,黄胆乃湿热壅于上、中、下三焦,下病而止治上,将居中焦于不问
乎,此瓜蒂不可治黄胆亦明矣。余所以作缺疑之论矣也。
或问瓜蒂能去鼻中息肉,子亦不论,是何说乎?曰∶鼻中生息肉者,因肺中之热也。用
瓜蒂
以吐去痰涎,则肺热除,而鼻火亦泄,似乎相宜。然而,肺热虽移热于鼻,上吐以泄鼻中之
火,势必中伤肺中之气。肺气既伤,胃气自逆,肺心反动其火,火动鼻中,更添热气,前之
息肉未消,而后之息肉又长矣,予所以削而不道也。至于瓜蒂性易上涌,不宜轻用,不独鼻
中生息肉也。若胸中无寒,胃家无食,皮中无水,心中无邪,以致诸虚各症,均宜慎用。误
用则祸不旋踵矣也。
莱菔子(萝卜子),味道辛、辣,药性温,无毒。归入胃经和脾经。对于平息喘咳、降逆下气效果显著,解除面食积滞也非常有效。治疗风痰,消除恶疮,善于止住久痢,消除胀满也有奇效,但应当少量使用。补气药物加入它,就没有补益过度的担忧;利湿药剂加入它,就有疗效完善的妙处。多服则会耗损正气,久服则会损伤阴液。
有人怀疑莱菔子能治疗喘胀,然而古人将其与人参同用,反而奏效如神。人参原本是消除喘促、消减胀满的药物,莱菔子最擅长解人参的补性,为什么两者同用却能奏效呢?这是因为人参消除喘胀,是治疗虚性喘促和虚性胀满。虚证反而呈现出假实之象,如果贸然投用人参,直到患者无法承受其补力时,往往出现越喘越服药的情况。虽然增加的喘胀只是一时的假象,片刻后自然平复,但这终究不是良好的治疗方法。少量加入莱菔子来制约人参,那么喘胀就不敢增加,反而得到消除喘胀的好处,这就是所说的相互制约而相互成就。
有人问:莱菔子专门解人参的药力,使用人参时一旦加入莱菔子,那么人参就没有益处了。这是不了解莱菔子,也根本不了解人参的表现。人参得到莱菔子,其补益功效更强。因为人参补气,骤然服用会导致气机难受,不仅仅是针对喘胀病症而言,但如果有了莱菔子,以它来运行补益中的利气作用,那么气机平和且容易受纳。这是莱菔子平抑气的有余,而不是损害气的不足,实际上是制约人参以使其气机平和,并非制约人参以伤害其气。世人动不动就说莱菔子解人参,这是错误的。
瓜蒂,味道苦,性质寒,有小毒。凡是邪气在上焦,导致头目、四肢、面部浮肿,以及胸中积滞,还有下部有脉、上部无脉的情况,都适宜用瓜蒂来催吐。
有人问:瓜蒂可以治疗黄疸,你简略而不提及,为什么呢?黄疸这种病症,多从下部感受病邪,用瓜蒂从上部催吐治疗,似乎相宜。然而,黄疸是湿热壅塞于上、中、下三焦,下部有病却只治上部,那将置中焦于不问吗?这说明瓜蒂不可治疗黄疸也是显而易见的。所以我作了存疑不录的论述。
有人问:瓜蒂能去除鼻中息肉,你也不讨论,这是什么说法呢?回答说:鼻中生息肉,是因为肺中有热。用瓜蒂催吐去除痰涎,那么肺热清除,鼻火也随之泄出,似乎相宜。然而,肺热虽然移热于鼻,通过上部催吐来泄除鼻中之火,势必会中途损伤肺中之气。肺气既然受伤,胃气自然上逆,肺心反过来煽动火势,火气动于鼻中,更增添热气,之前的息肉未消,之后的息肉又长出来了,所以我删去不予论述。至于瓜蒂药性易于引起涌吐,不宜轻易使用,不仅限于鼻中生息肉的情况。如果胸中没有寒邪,胃中没有食积,皮肤中没有水饮,心中没有邪气,导致各种虚损症状,都应当谨慎使用。误用的话,灾祸就会立刻降临。
Radish Seed (Lai Fu Zi), with a pungent and acrid taste, warm in nature, and non-toxic. It enters the Stomach (Wei) and Spleen (Pi) meridians. It is remarkably effective in relieving asthma and coughing, directing rebellious Qi downward, and resolving stagnation caused by wheat-based foods. It treats Wind-Phlegm (Feng Tan), eliminates malignant sores, effectively stops chronic dysentery, and has miraculous effects in removing distension and fullness; however, it should be used in small doses. When combined with Qi-tonifying herbs, there is no worry of excessive tonification; when added to damp-draining formulas, it ensures complete therapeutic efficacy. Overconsumption damages healthy Qi, and long-term use injures Yin fluids.
Some doubt that Radish Seed can treat asthma and distension, yet ancients used it within Ginseng Decoctions (Renshen Tang), achieving divine results. Ginseng itself is a herb for eliminating asthma and reducing distension. Since Radish Seed is known to counteract Ginseng, why do they work synergistically when used together? The reason Ginseng eliminates asthma and distension is by treating deficiency-type asthma and deficiency-type distension. Deficiency syndromes often present with false excess signs. If Ginseng is administered abruptly, patients may reach a point where they cannot tolerate its potency, leading to situations where increased asthma prompts further dosing. Although this exacerbation is merely a transient false image that naturally subsides shortly after, it is ultimately not an optimal treatment strategy. By adding a small amount of Radish Seed to restrain Ginseng, the asthma and distension are prevented from worsening, thereby gaining the benefit of resolving these symptoms. This exemplifies the principle of mutual restraint leading to mutual achievement.
One might ask: "Since Radish Seed specifically counteracts Ginseng, using it alongside Ginseng would render Ginseng ineffective." This demonstrates a lack of understanding of both Radish Seed and Ginseng. When Ginseng is combined with Radish Seed, its tonifying power is actually enhanced. Ginseng tonifies Qi; if taken suddenly, the influx of Qi can cause discomfort, which is not solely related to asthma or distension. However, with Radish Seed facilitating the movement of Qi during tonification, the Qi becomes balanced and easily assimilated. Thus, Radish Seed moderates the excess of Qi rather than damaging a deficiency of Qi. It truly restrains Ginseng to harmonize its Qi action, not to injure it. The common assertion that Radish Seed neutralizes Ginseng is erroneous.
Melon Peduncle (Gua Di), with a bitter taste and cold nature, possesses slight toxicity. It is indicated for pathogens located in the Upper Jiao (Upper Burner) causing edema of the head, eyes, limbs, and face, as well as accumulation in the chest. It is also suitable for cases where pulses are palpable in the lower body but absent in the upper body, employing emesis to expel the pathogen.
One may ask: "You briefly omit mentioning that Melon Peduncle treats Jaundice (Huang Dan). Why?" Jaundice typically originates from pathogens entering from below. Treating it via emesis from above seems appropriate. However, Jaundice involves damp-heat congestion in the Upper, Middle, and Lower Jiao. Treating only the upper aspect while ignoring the middle Jiao when the pathology stems from below indicates that Melon Peduncle is unsuitable for treating Jaundice. This clarity led me to exclude it from discussion.
Another question arises: "You also do not discuss Melon Peduncle's ability to remove nasal polyps. What is your reasoning?" Nasal polyps arise from heat in the Lung. Using Melon Peduncle to induce vomiting and expel phlegm-saliva clears Lung heat and dissipates nasal fire, which seems appropriate. However, although Lung heat transfers to the nose, inducing emesis to vent nasal fire inevitably damages Lung Qi in the process. Once Lung Qi is injured, Stomach Qi rebels upward, and the Heart and Lung stir up fire. This fire agitates the nose, adding more heat. Consequently, existing polyps fail to resolve, and new ones grow. Therefore, I omitted this application. Furthermore, Melon Peduncle strongly induces vomiting and should not be used lightly. This caution applies beyond just nasal polyps. In cases of various deficiency syndromes where there is no cold in the chest, no food retention in the Stomach, no water-dampness in the skin, and no pathogenic factors in the Heart, it must be used with extreme caution. Misuse will lead to immediate disaster.