（瓜菜）解风寒泻热蛊毒留滞经络
丝瓜（专入经络。兼入肠胃）。性属寒物。味甘体滑。其瓜经络贯串。房隔连属。凡人
风痰湿
热。蛊毒血积。留滞经络。发为痈疽。疮疡崩漏。肠风水肿等症者。服之立能有效。以其通
经达络。无处不至。小儿痘出不快。用此近蒂三寸。连皮烧灰存性为末。沙糖水调服。并可
以敷脚肿。鼻渊时流浊水。用此瓜藤近根三寸。烧灰存性为末。酒服方寸匙亦效。小儿预防
出痘。于立冬后。用小丝瓜 。入朱砂服之。亦应。皆以借其寒滑通达之性耳。但过服亦能
滑肠作泄。故书有言。此属菜中不足食之。当视脏气以为可否也。叶捣汁生服。可解一切蛇
伤之毒。滓 患处亦佳。
（瓜菜）利水消肿解热
冬瓜（专入肠胃）。味虽甘淡。性甚冷利。故书所述治效。多是消肿定喘。（杨氏家藏方
治十
种水气浮肿。用大冬瓜一枚。切盖去瓤。以赤小豆填满。盖合签定。以纸筋泥固济。干用糯
糠两大箩。入瓜在内。煨至火尽。取出切片。同赤小豆焙干为末。糊丸。每服七十丸。煎冬
瓜子汤下。日三服。小便利为度。）止渴。及治痈肿热毒。（切片敷上。热则易之。）压丹石
毒。然惟脏腑有热者最宜。若虚寒肾冷。久病滑泄。及水衰气弱体瘦。服之则水气益泄。而
有厥逆滑脱燥渴之虞矣！汪昂既言性能止渴消肿。而又谓性不走。服甚宜人。是何自相予盾
耶？子能补肝明目。（凡药中所用瓜子者。即是此物。）瓜皮可作面脂。（以色白故。）
丝瓜（主要作用于经络，兼入肠胃）。性质属于寒凉之物，味道甘甜且质地滑利。其瓜体经络贯通，内部房隔相连属。凡是人体内有风痰、湿热、蛊毒或血瘀积滞于经络，从而引发痈疽、疮疡、崩漏、肠风、水肿等症状的患者，服用丝瓜能立即见效。这是因为它能够通达经络，无处不到。对于小儿痘疹发出不畅的情况，取靠近瓜蒂的三寸部分，连同外皮一起烧成灰但保留药性，研成粉末，用沙糖水调服；也可以外敷治疗脚部肿胀。对于鼻渊症（鼻窦炎），时常流出浑浊液体，取靠近根部的三寸瓜藤，烧成灰保留药性，研成粉末，用酒送服一方寸匕的量也有效。为了预防小儿出痘，在立冬之后，用小丝瓜加入朱砂服用，也有应验。这些都是借助了它寒凉、滑利、通达的性质。但是过量服用也会导致滑肠引起腹泻，所以医书说：这类蔬菜不宜多吃，应当根据脏腑之气来判断是否适宜食用。丝瓜叶捣碎取汁生服，可以解各种蛇咬伤的毒素；药渣敷在患处也很好。
冬瓜（主要作用于肠胃）。味道虽然甘淡，但性质非常寒冷且有利尿作用。所以医书中所述的疗效，多是消除水肿和定喘。（《杨氏家藏方》治疗十种水气浮肿，用一个大冬瓜，切开盖去掉瓤，填入赤小豆，盖上盖固定好，用纸筋泥密封加固，干稻草两大箩，将瓜放入其中，煨至火熄灭，取出切片，与赤小豆一起焙干研末，用糊丸制成，每次服用七十丸，用冬瓜子汤送下，每日三次，以小便通利为度。）止渴，以及治疗痈肿热毒。（切片敷在患处，变热后更换。）压制丹石毒（矿物药中毒）。然而只有脏腑有热的人最适合。如果是虚寒肾冷、久病滑泄，以及阴液亏损、气弱体瘦的人，服用它会导致水气更加流失，而有四肢厥冷、滑脱不禁和燥渴的危险！汪昂既然说它的性能可以止渴消肿，又说它性质不运行，服用很宜人，这岂不是自相矛盾吗？冬瓜子能补肝明目。（凡药物中使用的瓜子，就是指的这个植物的种子。）瓜皮可以作为制作面脂的材料。（因为颜色洁白。）
(Gourd vegetables) Resolve wind-cold, purge heat-toxin, resolve gu-poison, and eliminate stagnation in the collaterals.
Luffa fruit (专入经络 [primarily enters the meridians/collaterals], 兼入肠胃 [also enters the stomach and intestines]). Its nature is cold. Its taste is sweet, and its substance is slippery. The melon's meridians are interconnected, and its internal chambers are connected. For any person suffering from wind-phlegm, damp-heat, gu-poison, or blood stasis stagnating in the collaterals, manifesting as carbuncles, sores, metrorrhagia, intestinal wind, edema, etc., taking Luffa fruit can produce immediate effective results. This is because it unblocks the meridians and reaches the collaterals, penetrating everywhere. For children with slow eruption of smallpox, take three inches of the fruit near the stem, burn the skin together until ash remains but preserve its medicinal properties, grind into powder, and mix with sand sugar water for oral administration; it can also be applied externally to treat foot swelling. For rhinitis (鼻渊 [bi yuan] - nasal sinusitis) with frequent discharge of turbid fluid, take three inches of the vine near the root, burn to ash preserving its properties, grind into powder, and administer one cun chi (方寸匙 [fang cun shi]) with wine, which is also effective. To prevent smallpox in children, after Start of Winter (立冬 [li dong]), consume small Luffa fruits with Cinnabar (朱砂 [zhusha]); this also works. All these utilize its cold, slippery, and unblocking properties. However, excessive consumption can cause slippery intestines and diarrhea. Therefore, medical texts state: "This belongs to vegetables that should not be eaten excessively; one must judge whether it is suitable based on the qi of the zang-fu organs." Crushed fresh leaves taken raw can resolve all snakebite toxins; applying the dregs to the affected area is also good.
(Gourd vegetables) Promote urination, reduce edema, and clear heat.
Winter melon (专入肠胃 [primarily enters the stomach and intestines]). Although its taste is sweet and bland, its nature is very cold and purgative. Thus, the therapeutic effects described in texts are mostly about reducing edema and calming asthma. (*Yang Shi Jia Zang Fang* treats ten types of water-qi edema by using one large winter melon, cutting off the lid, removing the pulp, filling it with Adzuki beans, securing the lid, sealing tightly with mud containing paper fibers, placing it in two large baskets of dry glutinous rice husks, baking until the fire extinguishes, taking out slices, drying them together with Adzuki beans, grinding into powder, making pills with paste, taking seventy pills each time, washing down with Decoction of Winter Melon Seeds, three times a day, stopping when urination becomes smooth.) It stops thirst and treats carbuncle swelling and heat-toxin (apply slices to the affected area, replace when hot). It suppresses Dan-shi toxicity (mineral drug poisoning). However, it is most suitable only for those with heat in the zang-fu organs. If one has deficiency-cold, cold kidneys, chronic loose stools, or yin depletion with weak qi and emaciation, taking it will cause further loss of water-qi, leading to risks of cold limbs, incontinence/slippery collapse, and dryness-thirst! Wang Ang stated that its properties can stop thirst and reduce edema, yet also claimed its nature does not move and is pleasant to take. Is this not self-contradictory? Winter melon seeds (瓜子 [guazi]) can tonify the liver and improve vision. (The seeds used in medicines refer to these.) The rind can be used to make facial cream (because it is white).