一名肉果。花实皆似草豆蔻而无核。故名。然虽似草蔻。而皮肉之颗。实不同类。
外有皱纹。内有斑缬纹如槟榔。最易生蛀。惟烘干密封。则稍可留。
气味苦辛温。入手足阳明太阴经。主治温中下气。暖脾胃。止泻。固大肠。治积冷心腹
胀痛。霍乱冷疰呕沫。消宿食痰饮。疗冷热虚泄赤白痢。止小儿吐逆不下乳腹痛。方书治水
肿积聚。胀满不能食。疟痹反胃。霍乱。诸逆冲上。小便数疝。肉豆蔻温中补脾有功。脾得
补而善运。其气自下。非若香附陈皮之决泄也。（丹溪）泄痢久则用之。本草兼治冷热虚泄。
盖泄久则虽热者其气亦虚。非概用以温中也。（濒湖）君人参补骨脂吴萸五味砂仁。为治肾
泄及冷泄之圣药。得缩砂陈皮人参红曲山楂藿香麦芽。为开胃进食。消食止泻之上剂。独用
修事为末。枣肉和丸。或为末。缩砂汤下。名公子登筵散。开胃进食消导有殊功。老人虚泻。
肉豆蔻三钱。面裹煨熟研。乳香一两为末。陈米粉糊丸梧子大。每服六七十丸。米饮下。脾
泄气痢。肉豆蔻一颗。米醋调面。裹煨令熟。和面研末。更以 子一两。炒研末。相和。又
以陈廪米炒焦为末。和匀。每以二钱煎作饮。调前二味三钱。旦暮各一服。便瘥。
〔论〕肉豆蔻先苦而辛。得火中之金气。火为土母。是由肺以至乎胃。而效其温中下气
之用也。后辛居胜。而终以微凉得金中之肃气。金主降收。是又由胃以至于大肠。而效其且
降且收之用者。夫气之温者常升。然不全乎金之气。则不能由肺以降。气之降者属金。然不
禀乎温之气。则更不能由大肠以收。此味能使温气降而入中土者。全乎金也。（故温中治积
冷而善运化）能使收气更归大肠者。本乎温也。（故止泄痢）以火始而以金终。故金能效收
之用。苦温则气升。其理固不易也。凡痢病于湿热而气虚者。于苦寒黄连主药中。用此味及
木香佐之。乃能奏效。此岂徒以温味济寒哉。盖为能竟其肺之用耳。夫肺气能降亦能收。乃
竟阳中少阴之用。金火合德。义固如是。而粗工用以止痢。漫曰涩剂。彼恶乎知之。（此味
但不可施之实热下痢其气不大虚之人）抑更有宜进究者。黑锡丹疗诸逆冲上。上盛下虚。及
下元阳虚
元也。此义粗悉于白芷条下。当合参之。
缪氏云。大肠素有火热。及中暑热泄暴注。肠风下血。胃火齿痛者。忌。又湿热积滞方
盛。滞下初起。皆不宜服。
〔修治〕去壳。但用肉。油色肥实者佳。用汤调糯米粉。或醋调面包。灰火中煨黄熟。
取出。以纸捶去油净。勿犯铜铁。
肉豆蔻，又名肉果。它的花和果实都像草豆蔻，但没有核，因此得名。虽然外形类似草豆蔻，但其皮肉的颗粒实际上与草豆蔻不同类。
外表有皱纹，内部有像槟榔一样的斑纹，非常容易生虫蛀。只有经过烘干并密封保存，才能稍微留存久一些。
气味苦、辛，性温。归手阳明大肠经、足阳明胃经、手太阴肺经、足太阴脾经。主要功效是温中散寒、降逆下气，温暖脾胃，止泻，固涩大肠。治疗因积冷引起的心腹胀痛，霍乱引起的呕吐清涎，消除宿食和痰饮，治疗冷热夹杂的虚性泄泻以及赤白痢疾，制止小儿呕吐、不能吮乳及腹痛。方书中记载其用于治疗水肿积聚、胀满不能进食、疟疾痹证、反胃、霍乱、各种气逆冲上的病症，以及小便频数、疝气等。肉豆蔻在温中补脾方面有显著功效，脾脏得到补益后运化功能正常，其气自然下行，这与香附、陈皮等药物的决泄作用不同。（朱丹溪）对于久泻久痢者使用此药。本草著作兼治冷热虚性泄泻，大概是因为泄泻日久，即使是热证，其正气也已虚弱，并非一概用于温中。（李时珍）若与人参、补骨脂、吴茱萸、五味子、砂仁同用，是治疗肾泄及冷泄的圣药；若与缩砂（砂仁）、陈皮、人参、红曲、山楂、藿香、麦芽同用，则是开胃进食、消食止泻的上等方剂。单独使用需炮制后研为细末，用枣肉调和制成丸剂，或研末后用缩砂汤送服，名为“公子登筵散”，在开胃进食、消导方面有特殊功效。老人虚性泄泻，可用肉豆蔻三钱，用面粉包裹煨熟后研末，配伍乳香一两研末，用陈米粉调糊制成梧桐子大小的丸剂，每次服用六七十丸，米汤送服。脾泄气痢，取肉豆蔻一颗，用米醋调面包裹，煨至熟透，与面粉一起研末，再加入薤白一两，炒后研末，混合均匀，另将陈仓米炒焦研末，混合均匀。每次取二钱煎煮成饮品，调入前述两种粉末共三钱，早晚各服一次，即可痊愈。
〔论〕肉豆蔻先苦后辛，禀受火中的金气。火为土之母，这是由肺经影响到胃经，从而发挥其温中下气的作用。后来辛味占优势，最终凭借微凉之性获得金中的肃降之气。金主肃降收敛，这是由胃经影响到大肠经，从而发挥其既降又收的作用。一般来说，温性的气常上升，但如果不完全具备金的特性，就不能由肺经下降；具有降特性的气属于金，但如果不具备温的特性，就更不能由大肠经收敛。这种药物能使温气下降并进入中焦脾胃，完全具备了金的特性（所以能温中治疗积冷且善于运化）；能使收敛之气更归于大肠，根本在于温性（所以能止住泄痢）。以火始而以金终，所以金能效法收敛的作用。苦温则气升，这个道理本来就不容易改变。凡是痢疾病因属湿热而正气虚弱者，在苦寒的黄连为主药的方剂中，配合使用此药及木香作为佐使，才能奏效。这难道仅仅是用温味来济助寒邪吗？大概是为了完成肺气的肃降功能罢了。肺气既能降又能收，这是完成了阳中之少阴的功能，金火合德，道理确实如此。但粗劣的医生用它来止痢，随意称之为涩剂，他们哪里懂得其中的深意呢？（此药只不可用于实热下痢且正气不虚的人）还有值得进一步探究的是，黑锡丹治疗各种气逆冲上、上盛下虚以及下元阳虚的情况。这一义理在白芷条下有粗略阐述，应当参考参看。
缪希雍说：大肠素有火热，以及中暑热导致的暴注下利、肠风下血、胃火齿痛者，忌用。另外，湿热积滞正盛，痢疾初起时，都不宜服用。
〔修治〕去掉外壳，只用果肉，油脂丰富、色泽肥实者为佳。用开水调糯米粉，或用醋调面粉包裹，在灰火中煨至黄熟。取出后，用纸捶打去除多余油脂。注意不要接触铜铁器。
Nutmeg, also known as Rouguo (Meat Fruit). Its flowers and fruits resemble those of Cardamomi Fructus Rotundus (Caodoukou) but lack a nucleus, hence the name. Although it resembles Caodoukou, its peel and flesh particles are actually of a different category.
The exterior has wrinkles, while the interior features mottled patterns similar to Arecae Semen (Binglang). It is highly susceptible to insect damage. Only when dried thoroughly and sealed tightly can it be preserved for a relatively long period.
The flavor is bitter and pungent, and the nature is warm. It enters the Hand-Yangming Large Intestine Meridian, Foot-Yangming Stomach Meridian, Hand-Taiyin Lung Meridian, and Foot-Taiyin Spleen Meridian. Its main indications include warming the middle jiao and directing rebellious qi downward, warming the spleen and stomach, arresting diarrhea, consolidating the large intestine, treating abdominal distension and pain caused by accumulated cold, cholera with vomiting of clear saliva, resolving retained food and phlegm-fluids, treating deficiency-type diarrhea mixed with cold and heat as well as dysentery with red and white discharge, stopping infantile vomiting, inability to suck milk, and abdominal pain. Medical formularies record its use in treating edema and accumulations, fullness preventing eating, malaria and bi-syndrome, regurgitation, cholera, various conditions where qi rebels upward, frequent urination, and hernia. Nutmeg has meritorious effects in warming the middle and tonifying the spleen. When the spleen is tonified, its transportation function becomes proficient, and its qi naturally descends; this differs from the draining and purging actions of Cyperi Rhizoma (Xiangfu) and Citri Reticulatae Pericarpium (Chenpi). (Zhu Danxi) It is used for chronic diarrhea and dysentery. Materia Medica texts also indicate its treatment of cold-heat deficiency diarrhea. This is likely because prolonged diarrhea leads to deficiency even in heat syndromes, so it is not universally used merely for warming the middle. (Li Shizhen) When combined with Ginseng Radix et Rhizoma (Renshen), Psoraleae Fructus (Buguzhi), Evodiae Fructus (Wuyu), Schisandrae Fructus (Wuweizi), and Amomi Fructus (Sharen), it serves as a supreme remedy for Kidney-diarrhea and Cold-diarrhea. When combined with Amomi Fructus (Suosha), Citri Reticulatae Pericarpium (Chenpi), Ginseng Radix et Rhizoma (Renshen), Red Yeast Rice (Hongqu), Crataegi Fructus (Shanzha), Agastache Herba (Huoxiang), and Maltyum (Maiya), it forms an upper-grade formula for opening the appetite, promoting digestion, and arresting diarrhea. Used alone, it must be processed, ground into powder, and formed into pills with jujube pulp, or taken as powder washed down with Amomi Fructus decoction. This preparation is named "Gongzi Dengyan San" (Lord's Banquet Ascending Powder), which has special efficacy in opening the appetite and promoting digestion. For elderly patients with deficiency diarrhea, take 3 qian of Nutmeg, wrap it in flour, roast until cooked, and grind into powder. Mix with 1 liang of Frankincense (Ruxiang) powder, and form pills the size of wutong seeds using paste made from aged rice flour. Take 60–70 pills each time, washed down with rice drink. For Spleen-diarrhea and Qi-dysentery, take one Nutmeg, wrap it in dough mixed with rice vinegar, roast until cooked, and grind together with flour into powder. Add 1 liang of Allii Tuberosi Rhizoma et Bulbus (Xiebai), stir-fry, and grind into powder. Mix evenly. Also, stir-fry aged barnyard rice until charred and grind into powder. Mix all uniformly. Take 2 qian, decoct as a drink, and mix with 3 qian of the aforementioned two powders. Take once in the morning and once in the evening, and the condition will resolve.
[Discussion] Nutmeg is initially bitter and then pungent, acquiring the metal qi within fire. Fire is the mother of Earth; thus, its action proceeds from the Lung to the Stomach, exerting its effect of warming the middle and directing qi downward. Subsequently, the pungent quality prevails, ultimately achieving a slight coolness by obtaining the肃 (solemn/descending) qi of metal. Metal governs descending and collecting; therefore, its action proceeds from the Stomach to the Large Intestine, exerting effects of both descending and collecting. Generally, warm qi tends to ascend. However, without the complete qi of metal, it cannot descend from the Lung. Qi that descends belongs to metal, but without inheriting warm qi, it certainly cannot collect from the Large Intestine. This substance enables warm qi to descend and enter the central earth (Spleen/Stomach), fully embodying the properties of metal (thus warming the middle, treating accumulated cold, and facilitating transformation). It causes collecting qi to return more effectively to the Large Intestine, rooted in warmth (thus arresting diarrhea and dysentery). Beginning with fire and ending with metal, metal can effectuate collection. Bitter and warm qi ascends; this principle is indeed not easily altered. In cases of dysentery caused by damp-heat with deficiency of qi, combining this substance and Atractylodis Chinensis Rhizoma (Muxiang) as assistants to the principal drug, Coptidis Rhizoma (Huanglian), which is bitter and cold, yields efficacy. Is this merely using warm flavors to assist cold? It is likely to complete the function of Lung qi. Lung qi can both descend and collect, fulfilling the role of Shaoyin within Yang. The virtue of Metal and Fire combining is indeed as such. However, incompetent physicians use it to stop dysentery, casually calling it an astringent agent; how could they understand this? (This substance should only not be applied to excess-heat dysentery in persons whose qi is not significantly deficient.) Furthermore, there is something worthy of further investigation: Heixi Dan (Black Tin Pill) treats various rebellious qi ascending, excess above and deficiency below, and deficiency of yang in the lower origin. This principle was roughly explained under the entry for Angelicae Dahuricae Radix (Baizhi) and should be consulted together.
Miao Xi said: Contraindicated for those with inherent heat-fire in the Large Intestine, acute watery diarrhea due to summer-heat and heat, intestinal wind with bloody stool, and toothache due to Stomach fire. Additionally, it is unsuitable when damp-heat and stagnation are abundant, or at the initial onset of dysentery.
[Processing] Remove the shell and use only the flesh. Those with rich oil content and plump appearance are superior. Wrap in dough moistened with water and glutinous rice flour, or dough mixed with vinegar. Roast in ash fire until yellow and cooked. Remove and beat with paper to remove excess oil. Avoid contact with copper and iron vessels.