最上者出吴中吴兴，其越衢婺睦等处者皆好。七八月采之。外黑里白。又寿春生者气
更芳烈。味亦浓苦。疗痰下气最胜。 延来者大类柴胡。（此即所谓北柴胡）但柴胡色赤而
脆。前胡色黄而软。为不同。根味甘辛有苦。气微寒。入手太阴手少阳足阳明经。阳中之阴。
降也。主治破结下气。推陈致新。（气下则火降。痰亦降矣。所以有推陈致新之续。为痰气
要药。）散心腹结气。膈上热实。疗痰满。胸胁中痞。反胃呕逆。气喘咳嗽。痰厥头风痛。
治伤寒寒热。及时气内外俱热。热邪骨节烦闷。并小儿一切疳气。同白前杏仁桑白皮桔梗甘
草。能豁风热痰壅喘嗽。下气。同羌活葛根柴胡黄芩栝蒌根。治时疫寒热。入礞石滚痰丸。
代黄芩。治一切实痰有殊功。
〔论〕柴胡始苦而后微甘。是从下而上。前胡折之有香气。其味始甘。次辛。辛后有苦。
苦
谓为得土金之气。而感秋冬之令者是也。（即其采根于七八月可征）第柴胡自下而上。致其
用于胃与肺。而前胡之自上而下者。亦致其用于胃与肺。故所治胸胁痞满。心腹结气。及寒
热邪气等病。功用概同。而实有不同者。一升阳于上。为元气之春夏。一降阳于下。为元气
之秋冬也。大抵前胡下气之功。先在散结。（凡阴之不降。皆由阳结。散结者就阳中而散之。
故能与柴胡皆致其功于胃与肺也。）凡外淫之侵其正气者。皆能令结。但邪盛而暴者。为即
结。邪轻而缓者。久则结。气结则化热。必借此散结之用。使邪得去而后可以奏功。即内伤
气实而结者。亦堪推此义以投之。惟中气虚而结。与阴虚而气结为病者。未可漫尝尔。
缪氏云。前胡能散有余之邪热实痰。而不可施诸气虚血少之病。凡虚火煎阴。凝痰发咳。
或
〔辨治〕 野蒿根其形真似前胡。只是味粗酸苦。若误用令人反胃不受食。真前胡味甘
微苦。皮黑肉白。有香气。凡使。水洗。刮去黑皮并芦。或用竹沥浸润晒干。
最优质的前胡产自吴中吴兴地区，在越州、衢州、婺州、睦州等地出产的也属于上品。一般在七八月份采收。其外观外皮黑色，内部肉质白色。另外，寿春出产的前胡气味更加芳香浓烈，味道也更为浓厚苦涩。它在治疗痰饮、降逆气方面效果最佳。延州出产的前胡与柴胡（Bupleuri Radix）大类相似。（这就是所谓的北柴胡），但柴胡颜色偏赤且质地脆硬，而前胡颜色偏黄且质地柔软，这是它们的不同之处。前胡根部味甘、辛，带有苦味，药性微寒，归入手太阴肺经、手少阳三焦经和足阳明胃经，属于阳中之阴，具有沉降的作用。主要功效是破除结滞、降逆气，推陈出新。（气机下降则火气随之下降，痰饮也随之化解，所以有推陈出新的说法，是治疗痰气阻滞的要药。）能消散心腹部的结气，清除膈膜以上的热实之邪，治疗痰多胀满、胸胁部痞闷不适、反胃呕吐、气喘咳嗽、痰厥引起的头风痛。治疗伤寒引起的寒热往来，以及时行疫病内外俱热的症状，热邪导致的骨节烦闷，并治疗小儿各种疳积之气。与前胡、白前、杏仁、桑白皮、桔梗、甘草同用，能豁除风热痰壅引起的喘咳，降逆气。与羌活、葛根、柴胡、黄芩、栝蒌根同用，可治疗时行疫病的寒热症状。加入礞石滚痰丸中，替代黄芩，治疗各种实痰有显著功效。
〔论述〕柴胡的味道起初苦而后微甘，这是药势自下而上的表现；前胡折断后有香气，味道先甘，次辛，辛之后有苦，这种味道特征被认为是获得了土和金的气化特性，并感应了秋冬的时令气候。（从其七八月采收根部这一事实可以印证这一点）。虽然柴胡药势自下而上，作用于胃和肺；而前胡药势自上而下，也作用于胃和肺，因此它们所治疗的胸胁痞满、心腹结气及寒热邪气等病症，总体功效相似，但实际上有所不同：柴胡是升发阳气于上，对应元气运行的春夏季节；前胡是沉降阳气于下，对应元气运行的秋冬季节。大体上前胡降气的功效，首先在于散结。（凡是阴气不能下降，都是因为阳气结滞，散结就是在阳气层面进行疏散，所以前胡能与柴胡一样将药效作用于胃和肺。）凡是外邪侵袭正气，都能导致气机结滞。但邪气强盛而急暴的，会立即形成结滞；邪气轻微而缓慢的，时间久了才会形成结滞。气机结滞则会化热，必须借助前胡散结的作用，使邪气得以祛除后才能奏效。即使是内伤导致气实而结滞的情况，也可以依据此理来使用。只有中气虚弱导致的结滞，以及阴虚导致的气机结滞病症，才不可随意尝试使用。
缪氏说，前胡能疏散有余的邪热和实痰，但不能用于气虚血少的病症。凡是虚火煎熬阴液，凝结痰浊引发咳嗽，或者……
〔鉴别与治疗〕野蒿根的形状非常像前胡，只是味道粗涩酸苦，如果误用会导致反胃、无法进食。真正的前胡味甘微苦，外皮黑色，肉质白色，有香气。凡是用前胡，需用水清洗，刮去黑皮和芦头部分。或者用竹沥浸润后晒干。
The highest quality Qianhu (Peucedani Radix) comes from Wuxing in the Wuzhong region, while those from Yuezhou, Quzhou, Wuzhou, and Muzhou are also considered superior. They are harvested in the seventh and eighth lunar months. The exterior is black, and the interior flesh is white. Furthermore, Qianhu produced in Shouchun has a more intense aromatic fragrance and a stronger, bitter taste. It is most effective in treating phlegm and descending rebellious Qi. Qianhu from Yanlai is largely similar to Chaihu (Bupleuri Radix). (This refers to what is known as Northern Chaihu.) However, Chaihu is reddish in color and brittle, whereas Qianhu is yellowish and soft; this is their difference. The root of Qianhu tastes sweet and pungent with a hint of bitterness, has a slightly cold nature, enters the Hand-Taiyin Lung Meridian, Hand-Shaoyang Sanjiao Meridian, and Foot-Yangming Stomach Meridian, belongs to Yin within Yang, and has a descending action. Its main indications include breaking up stagnation, descending Qi, eliminating the old to promote the new. (When Qi descends, Fire also descends, and Phlegm is thereby resolved; hence the term "eliminating the old to promote the new." It is an essential herb for treating Phlegm-Qi disorders.) It dissipates stagnation in the heart and abdomen, clears heat-fullness above the diaphragm, treats fullness due to phlegm, chest and hypochondriac stuffiness, retrograde vomiting and regurgitation, asthma, cough, headache and wind-pain caused by Phlegm-Jue, and cold-heat alternations due to Shanghan (Cold Damage), as well as internal and external heat in seasonal epidemics, bone and joint irritability caused by pathogenic heat, and various types of childhood Ganic syndrome (malnutrition). When combined with Baiqian (Caulis Asari Radiantis), Xingren (Semen Armeniacae Amarum), Sangbaipi (Cortex Mori), Jiegeng (Platycodonis Radix), and Gancao (Glycyrrhizae Radix et Rhizoma), it can resolve wind-heat phlegm obstruction causing wheezing and cough, and descend Qi. When combined with Qianghuo (Notopterygii Rhizoma et Radix), Gegen (Puerariae Lobatae Radix), Chaihu (Bupleuri Radix), Huangqin (Scutellariae Radix), and Gualugen (Trichosanthis Radix), it treats cold-heat alternations in seasonal epidemics. In the Mengshi Guntan Wan (Magnolia Bark and Calamine Pill for Rolling Down Phlegm), replacing Huangqin, it shows special efficacy in treating all kinds of excess phlegm.
[Discussion] Chaihu tastes bitter initially and then slightly sweet, indicating its action moves upward from below. Qianhu releases an aroma when broken, tasting sweet first, then pungent, followed by bitterness. This flavor profile suggests it obtains the Qi of Earth and Metal and responds to the autumn and winter seasons. (This is evidenced by harvesting its roots in the seventh and eighth months.) Although Chaihu acts upward and affects the Stomach and Lungs, Qianhu acts downward and also affects the Stomach and Lungs. Therefore, their therapeutic effects on conditions such as chest and hypochondriac fullness, heart and abdominal stagnation, and cold-heat pathogenic factors are generally similar, yet fundamentally different: one raises Yang upward, corresponding to the Spring-Summer phase of Yuanqi (Primal Qi); the other sinks Yang downward, corresponding to the Autumn-Winter phase of Yuanqi. Generally, Qianhu's ability to descend Qi primarily lies in dispersing stagnation. (Whenever Yin fails to descend, it is due to Yang stagnation; dispersing stagnation involves resolving it within the Yang aspect, which allows Qianhu to exert its effect on the Stomach and Lungs just like Chaihu.) Any external pathogenic invasion affecting healthy Qi can cause stagnation. If the pathogen is strong and acute, stagnation forms immediately; if mild and slow, it forms over time. Qi stagnation transforms into heat, necessitating the use of dispersing agents to eliminate the pathogen before efficacy can be achieved. Even in cases of internal injury causing excess Qi and stagnation, this principle applies. However, for conditions where stagnation arises from deficiency of Middle Qi or Yin deficiency leading to Qi stagnation, it should not be used indiscriminately.
Mr. Miao stated that Qianhu can disperse excess pathogenic heat and excess phlegm but is contraindicated in conditions of Qi deficiency and blood insufficiency. For instance, in cases where deficient fire scalds Yin, condensing phlegm and triggering cough, or...
[Differentiation and Treatment] Ye'ao Gen (Rhizoma Artemisiae Annuae) resembles Qianhu in shape but has a coarse, sour, and bitter taste. Misuse leads to retrograde vomiting and inability to eat. True Qianhu tastes sweet with a slight bitterness, has black skin and white flesh, and possesses an aromatic scent. When preparing it, wash with water, scrape off the black skin and rhizome head. Alternatively, soak in Zhuli (Bamboo Sap) and dry.