本经不分赤白。东垣云。赤者利小便下气。白者止痛散气血。俗云。白补赤泻。纲目
云。白芍益脾。能于土中泻木。赤芍散邪。能行血中之滞。产后气血已虚。不可更泻。故禁
用。非仅以其酸寒也。日华子谓主女人一切病。并及产后用宜酒炒。愚意不若勿用为稳。
名医别录称生六安山谷。苏颂谓广南者佳。纲目谓蜀中者胜。今真石斛干者色正黄。
形如蚱蜢髀。所谓金钗石斛也。其生者高不及寸。极似矮小瓦松。丛生连根。种之磁盘。亦
堪爱玩。然六境罕有。产英邑深山中。峭壁千寻。可望而不可即。采者自巅顶缒巨 而下及
山腰。用器极力搜剔。令纷纷坠落。始就涧谷检取。亦至危险矣。且每斤干才数两。故采者
绝少。今地志误为合肥方物。好事者间向征求。李虚舟大令云。境无崇山。何由得此。每用
为笑。近友人归自粤西。偶及三七。云彼地亦甚贵。以上官熬膏。需索无厌也。取之铢锱。
用之土苴。吾乡玉面金芽。尤物非幸。其不及此。犹喜未有读本草者耳。
石菖蒲。陶隐居谓一寸九节者良。叶有脊如剑者真。其相类而叶无脊者兰荪也。又云
。露根不可用。李濒湖谓菖类有五。惟生水石间。叶有剑脊。瘦根密节。高尺余者。乃石菖
蒲。移植盆盎以为观玩。愈剪愈细也。凡用。泔浸。饭上蒸。借谷气尤佳。今六之西南诸山
溪石上多有。且一寸不啻九节。移植亦极易生。但露根甚多。采者未必能审择矣。
《神农本草经》中并未区分赤芍与白芍。李东垣说：赤芍能通利小便、降逆下气；白芍能止痛、疏散气血。民间俗语说：白芍属补，赤芍属泻。《本草纲目》说：白芍能益脾，能在土中制约肝木（即防止肝木克伐脾土）；赤芍能疏散邪气，能通行血中的瘀滞。产后气血已经虚弱，不能再使用泻法，所以禁用赤芍，不仅仅是因为它的性味酸寒。日华子认为赤芍主治妇女各种疾病，以及产后用药适宜用酒炒制。我认为不如不用更为稳妥。
《名医别录》称石斛生长在六安的山谷中。苏颂说广南产的石斛最好。《本草纲目》说蜀地产的石斛更胜一筹。现在真正的干石斛颜色正黄，形状像蚱蜢的大腿，这就是所谓的“金钗石斛”。鲜石斛生长高度不超过一寸，极像矮小的瓦松，丛生且连着根，种植在盘碟中，也值得喜爱玩赏。然而六安境内很少见到，它产于英邑的深山中，峭壁高达千寻，只能远望而不可触及。采药人从山顶用绳子吊着巨大绳索下到山腰，用器具极力挖掘搜寻，使其纷纷坠落，然后到涧谷中捡取，这也非常危险了。而且每斤药材只有几两干货，所以采药的人极少。现在地方志错误地将其列为合肥的地方特产，好事者偶尔向当地索取。李虚舟大令说：“我们境内没有高山，从哪里能得到这种药材？”常被当作笑谈。最近朋友从粤西回来，偶然提到三七，说那里也很珍贵，上面的官员熬膏药，需求无厌，索取细微之物，使用却如草芥般浪费。我家乡的玉面金芽（指某种珍贵植物），虽是珍奇之物并非侥幸可得，但比起石斛来，还庆幸这里没有读《本草》的人去发掘它罢了。
石菖蒲，陶弘景说一寸有九节的为好。叶子中间有脊棱像剑一样的才是真品。那些相似但叶子没有脊棱的是兰荪。他又说，露出根部的不能使用。李时珍说菖蒲类有五种，只有生长在水边石头间的，叶子有剑形脊棱，根部瘦细且节密，高一尺左右的，才是石菖蒲。移植到盆盎中作为观赏玩赏，越修剪越细小。凡是入药，需用淘米水浸泡，放在饭上蒸熟，借助谷气效果更佳。现在六安西南的各山溪石头上很多，而且一寸不止九节，移植也极易成活。但是露出根部的很多，采药的人未必能仔细挑选。
The *Shennong Bencao Jing* (Divine Farmer's Materia Medica) does not distinguish between red peony root and white peony root. Li Dongyuan stated: Red peony root promotes urination and directs rebellious Qi downward; white peony root relieves pain and disperses Qi and Blood. Folk sayings claim: White is tonifying, red is draining. The *Bencao Gangmu* (Compendium of Materia Medica) states: White peony root benefits the Spleen and can drain Liver Wood within the Earth element (i.e., prevent Liver from overacting on Spleen); red peony root disperses pathogenic factors and moves stasis in the Blood. After childbirth, Qi and Blood are already deficient, so draining methods should not be used further; thus, red peony root is contraindicated, not merely because of its sour and cold nature. Ri Huazi claimed it treats all diseases in women and is suitable for postpartum use when stir-fried with wine. I believe it is safer to avoid using it altogether.
The *Mingyi Bielu* (Record of Famous Physicians) states that Dendrobium grows in the valleys of Lu'an. Su Song said Dendrobium from Guangnan is superior. The *Bencao Gangmu* stated that Dendrobium from Shu is best. Currently, genuine dried Dendrobium is bright yellow in color and shaped like the thigh of a grasshopper, known as "Gold Hairpin Dendrobium" (*Jinchai Shihu*). Fresh Dendrobium grows less than one cun high, resembling small *Sedum sarmentosum*, growing in clumps connected by roots, and can be planted in dishes for appreciation. However, it is rare in our region. It is produced in the deep mountains of Ying County, on cliffs thousands of feet high, visible but inaccessible. Collectors lower themselves from the peak using ropes to the mountainside, using tools to dig vigorously until pieces fall down, which they then collect in the streams and valleys below. This process is extremely dangerous. Moreover, only a few liang of dry material can be obtained from one jin of fresh material, so very few people collect it. Local gazetteers mistakenly list it as a specialty of Hefei, and enthusiasts occasionally request it from there. Li Xuzhou, the magistrate, remarked, "Our region has no high mountains, how could such things exist?" This became a subject of ridicule. Recently, a friend returned from Western Guangdong and mentioned *Panax notoginseng*, saying it is also very expensive there. Superiors demand it endlessly for making pastes, taking trivial amounts while wasting them like dirt. Precious items like "Jade Face and Golden Sprouts" in my hometown are rare treasures, yet compared to Dendrobium, I am still glad that there are no readers of the *Materia Medica* here to exploit it.
*Acorus tatarinowii* (Shichangpu): Tao Hongjing stated that those with nine nodes per inch are good. Those with a ridge on the leaf like a sword are authentic. Similar plants without leaf ridges are *Lansun*. He also said that specimens with exposed roots should not be used. Li Shizhen stated there are five types of Acorus; only those growing among stones near water, with sword-like ridged leaves, thin roots with dense nodes, and about one chi high, are true *Acorus tatarinowii*. When transplanted into pots for ornamentation, they become finer with pruning. For medicinal use, they should be soaked in rice washing water and steamed over rice; borrowing the Qi of grain is particularly beneficial. Currently, they are abundant on the rocks of streams in the southwestern mountains of Lu'an, often having more than nine nodes per inch, and are easy to transplant and survive. However, many have exposed roots, and collectors may not be able to select carefully.