百草霜乃灶额及烟炉中墨烟。其质轻细。一名灶突墨。釜脐墨一名釜月中墨。又名锅底
墨。
味辛。气温。二物与梁上倒挂尘。皆是烟气结成。但其体质有轻虚结实之异。重者归中
下二焦。轻者入心肺之分。（濒湖） 止上下诸血。治妇人崩带胎产诸病。伤寒阳毒发狂。
黄胆。疟痢。噎膈。咽喉口舌一切诸疮。消化积滞。（入下食药中用） 方书治吐咯下血。
血积。伤饮食。及食滞成痢。并食滞腹痛。大便秘结。舌肿喉痹。咽痛缠喉等病。咯血。用
生姜一片。蘸百草霜含咽。如霜已淡。吐出再蘸。姜已无味。吐出易之。吐血止后。百草霜
同生地等味煎服。肠风下血。香附末加百草霜米饮调服。入麝香少许。其应尤捷。崩中。百
草霜二钱。狗胆汁拌匀。分二服。当归酒下。胎动下血。或胎已死。百草霜二钱。棕灰一钱。
伏龙肝五钱。为末。每服一二钱。白汤入酒及童便调下。胎产逆生横生瘦胎。及虚损经病不
调崩中。百草霜白芷等分为末。每服二钱。童便醋各少许调匀。热汤化服。舌肿起如猪胞。
忽硬。逡巡塞闷杀人。用釜下墨末。醋调浓敷舌上下。须臾即消。若先决去血。更敷之。尤
佳。咽中结块。不通水食。百草霜蜜和丸芡子大。每新汲水化一丸灌下。甚者不过二丸。转
筋入腹。釜底墨末和酒服一钱。霍乱吐下。锅底煤五分。灶额上墨五分。百沸汤一盏。急搅
数千下。以碗覆之。通口服一二口。立止。
〔论〕 夫水属黑色。而火化之精微者仍归于黑。似有归其所始之义。故先哲多用百草
霜釜底墨治诸血证。盖血原从水化。而水之能化血者。又真火成之也。其病于血者。真水不
足而邪火有余也。兹味治血。取其由水而化血。又由血而归水。故能疗血之病于火者。又凡
见血者。敷之即止。即不必血之病于火者而皆治之。总由水火合化之元。更取水火转化之气。
原非用于止涩。由水火转化之气。更取水火蜕化之妙。亦且用之益虚。故无寒热而从主剂以
奏效。握枢机以转关。推之所治各证。莫不皆然。会心人当自得之。不必沾沾于火化从治天
热也。（
化从治也。）
用涂金疮。生肌止血。但勿入敷疮药中。其黑入肉如黥。不能去也。（仲淳）
百草霜是灶台额头及烟炉中的墨状烟尘。它的质地轻细。又名灶突墨。釜脐墨又名釜月中墨。又被称为锅底墨。
味辛，气温。这两种物质与梁上倒挂的灰尘一样，都是烟气凝结而成。但它们的体质有轻虚和结实之别。重的归于中焦和下焦，轻的进入心和肺的部位。（李时珍语）
能止住上下各处的出血。治疗妇人崩漏、带下及胎产各种疾病。伤寒阳毒发狂。黄疸。疟疾和痢疾。噎膈。咽喉口舌一切疮疡。消化积滞。（用于下焦食药中）
医书记载治疗吐血、咯血、便血。血积。饮食损伤。以及食滞导致痢疾。并治疗食滞引起的腹痛。大便秘结。舌肿喉痹。咽痛缠喉等疾病。
对于咯血，用生姜一片，蘸取百草霜含在口中吞咽。如果药粉味道变淡，吐出后再蘸。姜已无味，吐出更换新的。吐血停止后，将百草霜同生地黄等药材煎服。
对于肠风下血，用香附末加百草霜，以米汤调服。加入少许麝香，疗效尤其迅速。
对于崩中（大量阴道出血），用百草霜二钱，与狗胆汁拌匀，分两次服用，用当归酒送下。
对于胎动下血，或胎儿已死，用百草霜二钱，棕灰一钱，伏龙肝五钱，研为细末。每次服用一二钱，用白开水加入酒及童便调匀后送服。
对于胎产逆生、横生、瘦胎，以及虚损经病不调、崩中等症，用百草霜和白芷等分为末。每次服用二钱，用童便和醋各少许调匀，热汤化开服用。
舌肿胀起如猪膀胱，突然变硬，片刻间堵塞闷窒致死。用锅底墨粉末，醋调成浓糊敷于舌上下。片刻即可消退。如果先刺破放血，再敷药，效果更佳。
咽中有结块，不通水食。用百草霜和蜜调和制成芡实大小的丸剂。每次用新汲取的冷水化开一丸灌服。严重的不过两丸。
转筋入腹，用釜底墨粉末和酒服用一钱。
霍乱吐泻，用锅底煤五分，灶额上墨五分，百沸汤一盏，急搅数千下，用碗覆盖。通口服一二口，立即停止。
〔论〕 水属黑色，而火化的精微物质仍然归于黑色，似乎有回归其本源的意义。所以先哲多用百草霜和釜底墨治疗各种血证。大概血液原本由水化生，而水能化生血液，又是真火成就的。那些因血致病的情况，是真水不足而邪火有余。此药治疗血证，取其由水化血，又由血归水的特性。所以能治疗因火导致的血病。另外凡是见血的，外敷即止。即使不是因火导致的血病也能治疗。总归是利用水火合化的元气，更取水火转化的气机。原本并非用于单纯的收敛止血，而是通过水火转化的气机，更取水火蜕化的妙用。甚至可用于补益虚损。所以不寒不热，依靠主剂奏效。把握枢机以转换关窍。推究其所治疗的各证，无不如此。领会的人应当自行领悟，不必拘泥于“火化从治”的天理。（所谓从治。）
Bai Cao Shuang (Soot) is the soot-like smoke found on the forehead of the stove and in the smoke furnace. Its texture is light and fine. It is also known as Zao Tu Mo (Soot from the Chimney). Fu Qi Mo (Soot from the Cauldron Navel), also known as Fu Yue Zhong Mo, is another name for it, commonly referred to as Gu Di Mo (Bottom-of-the-Pot Soot).
It tastes pungent and has a warm temperature. These two substances, along with the dust hanging upside down from beams, are all formed by the condensation of smoke. However, their physical qualities differ in being light and void versus heavy and solid. The heavier ones enter the Middle Jiao (Middle Burner) and Lower Jiao (Lower Burner), while the lighter ones enter the regions of the Heart and Lung. (Li Shizhen)
It stops bleeding from various parts above and below. It treats women's metrorrhagia (sudden heavy uterine bleeding), leukorrhea, and various diseases related to pregnancy and childbirth. It addresses Yang toxicity mania in Shanghan (Cold Damage) syndrome. Jaundice. Malaria and dysentery. Yige (Dysphagia/Obstruction of the esophagus). All kinds of sores on the throat, mouth, and tongue. It digests food stagnation. (Used in formulas for the lower jiao)
Medical texts record its use for treating hematemesis (vomiting blood), hemoptysis (coughing up blood), and hematochezia (blood in stool). Blood accumulation. Dietary injury. As well as dysentery caused by food stagnation. It also treats abdominal pain caused by food stagnation. Fecal impaction. Glossitis and pharyngitis. Sore throat and peritonsillar abscess.
For hemoptysis, take one slice of fresh ginger, dip it in Bai Cao Shuang, and hold it in the mouth to swallow. If the taste of the powder fades, spit it out and dip again. When the ginger loses its flavor, spit it out and replace it. After hematemesis stops, decoct Bai Cao Shuang together with Sheng Di Huang (Rehmanniae Radix) and other herbs for oral administration.
For intestinal wind bleeding, mix Xiang Fu (Cyperi Rhizoma) powder with Bai Cao Shuang, and administer with rice water. Add a small amount of She Xiang (Musk), which yields particularly rapid results.
For metrorrhagia, use 2 qian of Bai Cao Shuang, mixed evenly with Dog Bile. Divide into two doses, taken with Dang Gui (Angelicae Sinensis Radix) wine.
For threatened miscarriage with bleeding, or if the fetus has died, use 2 qian of Bai Cao Shuang, 1 qian of Brown Ash (Zong Hui), and 5 qian of Fu Long Gan (Dragon's House Earth/Potash). Grind into fine powder. Take 1-2 qian per dose, mixed with white water, wine, and Tong Bian (Child's Urine) for oral administration.
For dystocia (malpositioned birth), transverse lie, thin fetus syndrome, as well as deficiency-induced menstrual irregularities, metrorrhagia, etc., mix equal parts of Bai Cao Shuang and Bai Zhi (Angelicae Dahuricae Radix) into powder. Take 2 qian per dose, mixed with a little Tong Bian and Vinegar, dissolved in hot water for oral administration.
If the tongue swells like a pig bladder, suddenly becomes hard, and causes suffocation leading to death within moments, use the powder of bottom-of-the-pot soot. Mix with vinegar to form a thick paste and apply to the upper and lower surfaces of the tongue. It will subside in a short time. If blood is first pricked and drained, followed by application, the effect is even better.
If there is a lump in the throat preventing the intake of water and food, mix Bai Cao Shuang with honey to make pills the size of an Indian chestnut. Dissolve one pill in newly drawn cold water and instill it orally. For severe cases, no more than two pills are needed.
For muscle spasms moving into the abdomen, take 1 qian of bottom-of-the-pot soot powder mixed with wine.
For cholera with vomiting and diarrhea, use 5 fen of bottom-of-the-pot coal and 5 fen of soot from the stove forehead. Add one cup of boiling water, stir vigorously thousands of times, cover with a bowl, and give 1-2 sips orally to stop symptoms immediately.
[Discussion] Water belongs to the color black, and the refined essence transformed by fire still returns to black, implying a meaning of returning to its origin. Therefore, ancient sages often used Bai Cao Shuang and Fu Di Mo to treat various blood disorders. This is because blood originally transforms from water, and the ability of water to transform into blood is accomplished by True Fire. Diseases affecting blood occur when True Water is insufficient and Evil Fire is excessive. This herb treats blood disorders by utilizing the principle of transforming from water to blood, and then returning from blood to water. Thus, it can heal blood diseases caused by fire. Furthermore, for any bleeding condition, applying it externally stops the bleeding immediately. Even if the bleeding is not caused by fire, it can be treated. This is fundamentally due to the primordial energy of the harmonious transformation of Water and Fire, further drawing upon the qi of their mutual transformation. It is originally not used merely for astringency to stop bleeding; rather, through the qi of Water and Fire transformation, it utilizes the wondrous effect of their metamorphosis. It can even be used to tonify deficiency. Therefore, it is neither cold nor hot, achieving efficacy through its primary action. It grasps the pivot to turn the mechanism. Investigating the various conditions it treats, all follow this principle. Those who understand will realize this naturally, without clinging to the theory of "treating fire with fire" or heavenly principles. (Referring to following treatment.)
Used to apply to metal wounds, generating flesh and stopping bleeding. However, do not include it in topical wound powders, as its black pigment penetrates the flesh like a tattoo and cannot be removed. (Chen Shigong)