麝香，味辛，气温，无毒。辟蛇虺，诛蛔虫、虫蛊痫疰，杀鬼精，殴疫瘴，胀急痞满咸
消，
催生堕胎，通关利窍，除恍惚惊怖，镇心安神，疗痈肿疮疽，蚀脓逐血，吐风痰，启寐魇，
点目去膜止泪。亦外治居多，而内治甚少也。
或问麝香能消水果之伤，然乎？曰∶麝香何能消水果，但能杀果木之虫耳。食果过多，
胸中
未有不生虫者也。生虫则必思果，思果则必多食果矣，初食之而快，久食之而闷。前人用麝
香，而食果之病痊，遂疑麝香之能消果也，谁知是杀虫之效哉。（〔批〕解前人之惑。）
或问近人治风症，多用麝香以透彻内外，而吾子不谈，岂治风非欤？曰∶风病不同，有
入于
骨者，有入于皮肉者，有入于脏腑者，未可一概用麝香而走窜之也，盖风入于骨髓者，不得
已而用麝香，使攻邪之药直入于骨髓，祛风而外出，此治真正中风也。其余风邪不过在脏腑
之外、肌肉之间，使亦用麝香引风入骨，反致变生大病而不可救药矣。至于世人不知禁忌，
妄用麝香，以治小儿急、慢之惊，往往九死一生，可不慎哉。
或疑麝香既不可以治风病，而前人用之，岂皆非欤？曰∶前人用麝香以治风症者，不过
借其
香窜之气，以引入经络，开其所闭之关也。近人不知前人立方本意，毋论关闭、关开，而一
概皆用，以致引风入骨，使风之不出，无风而成风症，为可憎耳。
麝香，味道辛，药性温，没有毒性。能驱避蛇蝎，杀灭蛔虫、寄生虫及癫痫疰病，驱逐鬼魅精气，抵御疫气瘴毒，使胀满急迫、痞塞满闷的症状全部消除，能促进分娩并导致流产，开通闭塞的孔窍，消除恍惚惊惧恐怖，镇定心神，治疗痈肿疮疽，腐蚀脓液并驱逐瘀血，吐出风痰，唤醒梦魇中的人，点眼去除翳膜并止泪。大多用于外治，而内服治疗的情况很少。
有人问：麝香能消除食水果造成的积滞伤害吗？是这样吗？回答说：麝香怎么能消除水果呢，它只能杀死果木中的虫子罢了。吃水果过多，胸中就没有不滋生虫子的。生了虫子就必定想吃水果，想吃水果就必定会多吃水果了，刚开始吃的时候感到痛快，久了吃就会感到胸闷。前人用麝香后，食果引起的病痊愈了，于是怀疑麝香能消解水果，哪里知道这是杀虫的功效呢。（〔批注〕解答前人的疑惑。）
有人问：近来医生治疗风症，多用麝香来透彻内外，而你却不谈这一点，难道治疗风症不对吗？回答说：风病是不同的，有侵入骨骼的，有侵入皮肉的，有侵入脏腑的，不能一概用麝香这种走窜的药来治疗。大概风邪侵入骨髓的，不得已才使用麝香，使攻邪的药物直接深入骨髓，祛除风邪并向外出散，这是治疗真正的中风病。其余的风邪不过是在脏腑之外、肌肉之间，如果也用麝香引导风邪进入骨骼，反而会导致产生大病而无法救治。至于世人不知道禁忌，胡乱用麝香来治疗小儿急惊风和慢惊风，往往九死一生，能不谨慎吗？
有人怀疑：麝香既然不可以治疗风病，那么前人用它，难道都是错的吗？回答说：前人用麝香治疗风症，不过是借助它芳香走窜的气机，用来引入经络，打开那些闭塞的关窍。近人不知道前人制定方剂的本来意图，不论关窍是闭塞还是开启，都一概使用，以致引导风邪进入骨骼，使风邪无法排出，无风而成风症，这就令人憎恶了。
Musk (Shexiang, 麝香), with a pungent flavor and warm temperature, is non-toxic. It repels snakes and scorpions, eliminates roundworms, parasites, epilepsy, and *zhuzheng* (疰病, infectious diseases characterized by lingering symptoms), drives away evil spirits, wards off epidemic miasma, resolves distension, urgency, and fullness/stagnation, induces labor and causes abortion, opens orifices and unblocks passages, dispels trance-like states and fright, calms the heart and anchors the spirit, treats carbuncles and sores, erodes pus and expels blood stasis, vomits out wind-phlegm, awakens from nightmares, and when applied to the eyes, removes membranes and stops tearing. It is mostly used for external treatment, while internal use is rare.
Someone asked: Can Musk resolve injuries caused by consuming fruits? Is this true? The answer is: How can Musk resolve fruits? It can only kill insects in fruit trees. When one consumes too many fruits, there will inevitably be worms generated in the chest. Once worms are present, one will crave fruits; craving fruits leads to overeating them. Initially, eating them feels pleasant, but long-term consumption leads to chest stuffiness. In the past, people used Musk, and illnesses caused by eating fruits were cured, leading to the suspicion that Musk could digest fruits. Little did they know, this was actually the effect of killing insects. ([Commentary] Resolving the confusion of predecessors.)
Someone asked: Recently, physicians treating wind syndromes often use Musk to penetrate internally and externally, yet you do not discuss this. Is it incorrect to treat wind syndromes? The answer is: Wind diseases differ. Some invade the bones, some the skin and flesh, and some the zang-fu organs. One cannot indiscriminately use Musk, a drug with a penetrating and roaming nature. Generally, if wind invades the bone marrow, Musk is used as a last resort, allowing anti-pathogenic herbs to enter the bone marrow directly, expelling wind outward. This is the treatment for true stroke (*zhongfeng*, 中风). For other wind pathogens merely located outside the zang-fu organs and within the muscles, using Musk to guide wind into the bones would instead cause severe, incurable diseases. Moreover, since laypeople ignore contraindications and recklessly use Musk to treat pediatric acute and chronic convulsions, outcomes are often nine deaths for every one survival. Can one not be cautious?
Some doubt: If Musk cannot treat wind diseases, were the predecessors wrong to use it? The answer is: Predecessors used Musk to treat wind syndromes merely to borrow its aromatic, penetrating qi to guide herbs into the meridians and open closed orifices. Recent practitioners, unaware of the original intent behind the predecessors' formulas, use it indiscriminately regardless of whether orifices are closed or open. This results in guiding wind into the bones, preventing its expulsion, and creating wind syndromes where none existed, which is abhorrent.