（隰草）清心肺火
麦冬（专入心肺）。有类天冬。然麦冬甘味甚多。寒性差少。天冬所主在肺。而麦冬所
主。则
更在肺而在心。是以书载功能消痰止嗽。（治嗽须分外感内伤。如外感则声盛而浊。先缓后
急。日夜无度。痰涎稠粘而喘急。内伤则声怯而槁。先急后缓。或早甚。或暮甚。清痰小气
而喘乏。外感则其发必暴。或为寒热。或为气逆。或为鼻塞声重头痛。轻者脉亦相缓。重者
脉见弦洪。内伤其发有渐。或素有劳积虚损。日渐以甚。其症或为寒热潮热。或为形容瘦减
。或两颧常赤。或气短喉干。其脉轻亦微数。重必细数弦紧。）解热除烦。去痿除呕。（痿按
经言肺热叶焦。皮毛虚弱急薄以着。则生为足弱不能以行之症。心热火炎下厥。而生胫纵不
能任地之症。肝热口苦血干。而成拘挛筋痿之症。脾热胃干而渴。肌肉不仁。发为肉痿之症
。肾热腰脊不举。骨枯髓减。发为骨痿之症。独肺热而叶焦。高源化绝。而诸脏不得仰肺灌
溉。故痿独推于肺。而治痿又责重于阳明。）而又载同人参则能复脉生津。（名生脉散。）非
合心肺而皆治乎？盖肺朝于百脉。脉属心。心燥则肺失养而脉绝。心清则气即充而脉复。麦
冬气禀清肃。能于心中除烦。（肺清则水得生而心不烦。）譬如人当盛暑。则燔灼不宁。若值
秋风一至。则炎热顿解。而无燥郁不堪之候矣！（东垣曰。人参甘寒。泻火热而益元气。麦
冬苦寒。滋燥金而清水源。五味酸温。泻丙火而补庚金。益五脏之气也。）至于乳汁不开。
用此则能通活。热血妄行。用此则能即止。他如膈上之稠痰。得此则消。心下之支满。得此
则除。脾有积热则化。胃有火呕则止。色因血枯即润。嗽久不止即愈。诚保肺之津梁。清心
之指南也。但气寒而虚人禁用。肥大者良。去心用。入滋补药酒浸。地黄车前为使。恶款冬
。畏苦参青葙木耳。
（隰草，即麦冬）能清泄心肺之火。
麦冬专门入心经和肺经。它与人参相近，但麦冬的甘味更重，寒性稍弱。天冬主要作用于肺，而麦冬的作用则既在肺又在心。因此书籍记载其功能为消除痰液、止住咳嗽。（治疗咳嗽必须区分外感和内伤：如果是外感，声音洪亮且浑浊，先轻后重，日夜无休止，痰涎粘稠并伴有气喘急促；如果是内伤，声音怯弱干枯，先重后轻，或早晨严重，或傍晚严重，咳出清稀痰液，气息短促且气喘乏力。外感发病必然突然，可能表现为寒热往来，或气机上逆，或鼻塞声重、头痛，轻者脉象缓和，重者脉象弦大有力；内伤发病逐渐形成，或者素来有劳倦积滞导致的虚损，日渐加重，症状可能表现为寒热交替或潮热，或者形体消瘦，或者两颧常发红，或者气短喉咙干燥，轻者脉象微数，重者脉象细数、弦紧。）它能解除热邪、消除烦躁，去除痿证、止住呕吐。（关于痿证，按照经典记载，肺热导致叶焦枯槁，皮毛虚弱急薄而附着于内，就会生成为足部软弱不能行走的症状；心火炽盛下厥，会生成为小腿纵缓不能站立的症状；肝热口苦血干，会形成拘挛筋痿的症状；脾热胃干口渴，肌肉麻木不仁，发为肉痿的症状；肾热腰脊不能抬起，骨骼枯槁髓质减少，发为骨痿的症状。唯独肺热导致叶焦，水源化源断绝，其他脏腑无法仰赖肺的灌溉，所以痿证特别推重于肺，而治疗痿证又着重于阳明经。）此外还记载它与人参同用能恢复脉搏、生津液（名为生脉散）。这难道不是同时治疗心和肺吗？盖因肺朝百脉，脉属于心，心燥则肺失滋养而脉绝，心清则气充而脉复。麦冬禀受清肃之气，能在心中消除烦躁。（肺清则水得以滋生而心不烦躁。）就像人在盛夏时节，燔灼不安，如果遇到秋风一至，炎热顿时解除，而没有燥热郁结不堪的情况了！（李东垣说：人参味甘性寒，泻火热而益元气；麦冬味苦性寒，滋润燥金而清水源；五味子味酸性温，泻丙火而补庚金，益五脏之气。）至于乳汁不通，使用此药就能通利；热血妄行，使用此药就能立即停止。其他的如膈上的稠痰，得到此药就能消除；心下的痞满，得到此药就能去除；脾有积热就能化解；胃有火引起的呕吐就能停止；面色因血枯槁就能润泽；咳嗽久不止就能痊愈。这确实是保润肺津的梁柱，清心的指南针。但是因其气寒，虚人禁用。肥大者质量较好。使用时去心。入滋补药酒中浸泡。与地黄、车前子为使药。忌与款冬花同用。畏苦参、青葙子、木耳。
(Xi Cao, i.e., Ophiopogonis Radix) Clears Heart and Lung Fire.
Ophiopogonis Radix (Maidong, 麦冬) specifically enters the Heart and Lung meridians. It resembles Asparagi Radix (Tian Dong, 天冬). However, Maidong has a stronger sweet flavor and slightly less cold nature. Tian Dong primarily governs the Lung, whereas Maidong’s governance extends to both the Lung and the Heart. Therefore, texts record its functions as eliminating phlegm and stopping cough. (Treating cough requires distinguishing between exterior contraction and interior injury: if exterior, the voice is loud and turbid, starting mild then becoming severe, without pause day or night, with thick sticky saliva and rapid panting; if interior, the voice is timid and dry, starting severe then becoming mild, or worse in the morning or evening, with clear thin phlegm, shortness of breath, and panting fatigue. Exterior onset is sudden, possibly manifesting as alternating chills and fever, or rebellious Qi, or nasal congestion with heavy voice and headache; mild cases show a relaxed pulse, severe cases show a wiry and large pulse. Interior onset develops gradually, often due to chronic overwork accumulation causing deficiency damage, worsening day by day; symptoms may include alternating chills and fever or tidal fever, emaciation, persistent redness on both malar eminences, shortness of breath and dry throat; light cases show a faint and rapid pulse, heavy cases show a fine, rapid, wiry, and tight pulse.) It resolves heat and removes vexation, eliminates flaccidity syndrome and stops vomiting. (Regarding flaccidity syndrome, according to classics, Lung heat causes leaf scorching, skin and hair become weak, thin, and tight, leading to weakness in the legs unable to walk; Heart fire blazing downward leads to laxity in the shins unable to bear weight; Liver heat with bitter taste and dried blood leads to spasms and sinew flaccidity; Spleen heat with dry stomach and thirst leads to insensate muscles, manifesting as flesh flaccidity; Kidney heat with inability to raise waist and spine, with withered bones and reduced marrow, manifests as bone flaccidity. Only Lung heat causing leaf scorching cuts off the high source transformation, preventing other organs from receiving Lung irrigation; thus, flaccidity is attributed to the Lung, and treatment focuses on the Yangming meridian.) Furthermore, it is recorded that combined with Ginseng Radix et Rhizoma (Renshen, 人参), it can restore the pulse and generate fluids (known as Shengmai San / Generating Pulse Powder). Does this not treat both Heart and Lung? The Lung faces all vessels, and vessels belong to the Heart; Heart dryness causes Lung loss of nourishment and pulse cessation, while Heart clarity allows Qi to fill and pulse to recover. Maidong inherits clear and descending Qi, removing vexation in the Heart. (Lung clarity generates Water, so the Heart is not vexed.) Just as in midsummer, when burning discomfort prevails, the arrival of autumn wind instantly resolves the heat, eliminating unbearable dryness and stagnation! (Li Dongyuan stated: Ginseng Radix et Rhizoma is sweet and cold, draining fierce heat and benefiting primal Qi; Maidong is bitter and cold, moistening dry Metal and clearing the water source; Schisandrae Fructus (Wuweizi, 五味子) is sour and warm, draining Bing Fire and supplementing Geng Metal, benefiting the Qi of the five Zang organs.) Regarding blocked lactation, using this herb promotes flow; regarding reckless bleeding of hot blood, using this herb stops it immediately. Other conditions such as thick phlegm above the diaphragm are eliminated by it; epigastric fullness below the heart is removed by it; accumulated heat in the Spleen is transformed by it; vomiting caused by Stomach fire is stopped by it; complexion due to blood depletion is moistened by it; prolonged cough is cured by it. Indeed, it is the bridge for preserving Lung fluids and the compass for clearing the Heart. However, due to its cold nature, it is contraindicated for those with deficiency. Those that are plump are of good quality. Use after removing the heart. Soak in medicinal wine for tonifying formulas. It acts as an assistant with Rehmanniae Radix (Dihuang, 地黄) and Plantaginis Semen (Cheqianzi, 车前子). It is incompatible with Adenophorae Radix (Kuandouhua, 款冬花 - *Note: Text says Kuantong, likely referring to Adenophorae or similar, but standard incompatibility lists vary; sticking to text 'Kuantong'*). It fears Sophorae Flavescentis Radix (Kushen, 苦参), Celosiae Semen (Qingxiang, 青葙子), and Auricularia Judae (Mu'er, 木耳).