铁受太阳之气。始生之初。卤石产焉。百五十年而成磁石。二百年孕而成铁。（取磁石
碎之。内有铁片可验。）又二百年。不经采炼而成铜。铜复化为白金。白金化为黄金。是铁
与金银。同一根源也。（土宿本草） 铁禀太阳之气。而阴气不交。故燥而不洁。性与锡相
得
此乃钢铁飞炼而成者。今人多取杂铁作屑飞之。其体重真钢者不尔也。（恭）
味咸。气平。主治镇心化痰。抑肝邪。特异。惊痫发热。铁粉水调少许服之。急惊涎潮。
壮热闷乱。铁粉二钱。朱砂一钱。为末。每服一字。薄荷汤调下。
此作针家磨 细末也。须真钢砂乃堪用。人多以柔铁砂杂和之。（柔铁即热铁）飞为粉
。人莫能辨。亦堪染皂。气味主治。功同铁粉。消积聚肿满黄胆。平肝气。散瘿。入丹溪小
温中丸。治胀满。此属脾虚不能运化。不可下之。肿胀药制法。用滴醋煮半日。去铁针。取
醋和蒸饼为丸。每姜汤服三四十丸。以效为度。亦只借铁气耳。（永类方）水肿尿少。针砂
醋煮炒干猪苓生地龙各三钱。为末。葱涎研和敷脐中。约浓寸许。缚之。待小便多为度。日
二易之。入甘遂更妙。泄泻无度。诸药不效。方同上。不用甘遂。二治须详。使水化又使水
止。俱用此一方。并次方不用甘遂。其义谓何。则可以知针砂之所主矣。脾劳黄病。针砂四
两。醋炒七次。干漆烧存性二钱。香附三钱。平胃散五钱。为末。蒸饼丸梧子大。任汤使下。
项下气瘿。针砂入水缸中浸之。饮食皆用此水。十
〔论〕 铁禀太阳之气。而阴气不交。故治水肿较诸药为胜。即胀满而不属于水者。亦
须之。以脾气不运而胀。多因于阴中无阳而湿不化也。针砂燥阴而化湿。正缘纯禀太阳之气。
而不与阴气交。所以食盐则犯其所忌。而病反增剧耳。凡去肿药用针砂及铁蛾入丸子者。一
生须断盐。盖盐性濡润。肿若再作。不可为矣。（仲南）
〔修事〕 煎汁服之。不留滞于脏腑。但借铁虎之气以制肝木。使不能克脾土。土不受
邪。则水自消矣。（日华子）凡铁精铁粉铁华粉针砂铁浆。入药皆同此意。（又）
铁华粉 此铁之精华。制法取钢 作叶。如笏或团。平面磨错。令光净。以盐水洒之。
于醋 中阴处埋之。百日。铁上衣生。即成粉矣。刮取细捣筛。入乳钵研如面。和合诸药为
丸散。（志）
气味咸平。功用强于铁粉。止惊悸虚痫。镇五脏。去邪气。
铁禀受太阳之气。在最初生成时，卤石产生于此。经过一百五十年形成磁石。再经过二百年孕育而成铁。（取磁石将其敲碎，里面有铁片可以验证。）又过二百年，不经开采冶炼而成为铜。铜再次化为白金（银）。白金化为黄金。这说明铁与金银，是同一根源。（出自《土宿本草》）
铁禀受太阳之气，但阴气不与它相交，所以性质干燥而不洁净。它的性质与锡相合。
这是钢铁经过飞炼而成的。现在的人多取杂铁做成屑状进行飞炼。其体重、质地真正的钢则不是这样。（出自甄权注）
味咸。气平。主治镇心安神、化痰。抑制肝邪，功效特异。用于惊痫发热，将铁粉用水调服少许。急惊风痰涎上涌，壮热闷乱，用铁粉二钱，朱砂一钱，研为细末。每次服用一字量，用薄荷汤调下。
这是针家磨成的细末。必须用真正的钢砂才堪用。人多以柔铁砂混杂其中。（柔铁即热铁）飞炼成粉，人们不能辨别，也可以用来染皂。气味和主治功效，与铁粉相同。用于消除积聚、肿满、黄疸。平抑肝气，消散瘿瘤。可入丹溪小温中丸，治疗胀满。这属于脾虚不能运化，不可用攻下法。肿胀药的制法：用滴醋煮半天，去掉铁针，取醋和蒸饼做成丸药。每次用姜汤送服三四十丸，以见效为度。也只是借助铁的气而已。（出自《永类方》）
水肿尿少，用针砂醋煮炒干，配猪苓、生地、地龙各三钱，研为细末。用葱汁研磨调和敷于脐中，厚度约一寸，绑缚固定。等到小便增多为止。每天更换两次。加入甘遂效果更好。泄泻无度，诸药无效，方子同上，不用甘遂。这两种病都需要详细辨析，既要使水液化解，又要使水液止住，都使用这一个方子，并且第二个方子不用甘遂。其中的道理是什么？这样就可以知道针砂的主治作用了。
脾劳黄病，用针砂四两，醋炒七次，干漆烧存性二钱，香附三钱，平胃散五钱，研为细末，用蒸饼做成梧桐子大小的丸药，任汤剂送服。
项下气瘿，将针砂放入水缸中浸泡，饮食都用此水。
〔论〕 铁禀受太阳之气，而阴气不与它相交，所以治疗水肿比诸药更为优越。即使是胀满而不属于水湿引起的，也需要用到它。因为脾气不运而导致胀满，多因于阴中无阳而湿气不化。针砂能燥湿化阴，正是因为它纯禀受太阳之气，而不与阴气相交。所以食盐会触犯它的禁忌，反而使病情加重。凡是去除肿药用针砂及铁蛾入丸剂的，一生必须断盐。因为盐性濡润，如果水肿再发作，就无法治愈了。（出自陈藏器注）
〔修事〕 煎汁服用，不留滞于脏腑。只是借助铁虎之气来制约肝木，使肝木不能克制脾土。脾土不受邪，则水自消矣。（出自日华子）凡铁精、铁粉、铁华粉、针砂、铁浆，入药都同此意。（又）
铁华粉 这是铁的精华。制法：取钢锉作叶状，如笏板或团块，平面磨错，令其光净。用盐水洒之，在醋瓮中阴处埋藏百日，铁表面生出衣垢，即成粉了。刮取后细捣筛过，放入乳钵研如面粉状，和合诸药做成丸散。（出自李珣注）
Iron receives the Qi of Taiyang (Greater Yang). At its initial generation, halite (salt rock) is produced. After one hundred and fifty years, it forms magnetite (Cishi, Magnetitum). After another two hundred years, it is conceived and becomes iron. (Take magnetite, crush it; iron flakes inside can verify this.) Another two hundred years later, without mining or smelting, it becomes copper. Copper transforms into white metal (silver), and white metal transforms into gold. Thus, iron and gold/silver share the same origin. (From *Tuxiu Bencao*)
Iron inherits the Qi of Taiyang, but Yin Qi does not interact with it; therefore, it is dry and unclean. Its nature harmonizes with tin.
This refers to steel that has been refined by flying (calcination). Nowadays, people often take mixed iron, make it into filings, and refine it by flying. Those with true weight and genuine steel are not like this. (Zhen Quan)
Salty in taste. Neutral in nature. It governs calming the Heart, resolving phlegm, and suppressing Liver pathogenic factors, with unique efficacy. For convulsive epilepsy with fever, mix a small amount of Ferrum Pulveratum (Iron Powder) with water and ingest. For acute convulsions with rising phlegm-saliva, severe fever, and confusion, use two qian of Ferrum Pulveratum (Iron Powder) and one qian of Cinnabaris (Zhusha, Cinabaritum), grind into powder. Take one zi dose each time, mixed with Mint Decoction (Bohe Tang).
This refers to fine powder ground by needle-makers. True steel sand must be used. People often mix soft iron sand with it. (Soft iron is hot iron.) Flying it into powder, people cannot distinguish it; it can also be used for dyeing soap. Its flavor, nature, and therapeutic indications are the same as Ferrum Pulveratum (Iron Powder). It eliminates accumulations, distension, fullness, and jaundice. It levels Liver Qi and dissipates goiter. It can be incorporated into Danxi Xiaowenzhong Wan to treat distension and fullness. This belongs to Spleen deficiency failing to transport and transform; purgatives should not be used. The preparation method for swelling medicines: boil with dripping vinegar for half a day, remove iron needles, take the vinegar, mix with steamed dough balls to form pills. Take thirty to forty pills each time with Ginger Decoction, until effective. It merely borrows the Qi of iron. (From *Yonglei Fang*)
For edema with oliguria, use Zhen Sha (Needle Sand) boiled in vinegar and stir-fried until dry, combined with Polyporus (Zuling), Rehmannia Root (Shengdi), and Pheretima (Dilong), three qian each. Grind into powder. Mix with scallion juice and apply to the umbilicus, about one cun thick, and bind. Wait until urine output increases significantly. Change twice daily. Adding Kansui (Gansui) is even better. For profuse diarrhea where all other medicines fail, use the same prescription above, but do not use Gansui. Both conditions require detailed differentiation: one aims to resolve water, the other to stop water loss, yet both use this single formula, and the second formula omits Gansui. What is the rationale? From this, one can understand the primary indications of Needle Sand.
For Spleen fatigue jaundice, use four liang of Needle Sand, stir-fried seven times in vinegar; two qian of Dry Lacquer (Ganqi) burned to retain its properties; three qian of Cyperi Rhizoma (Xiangfu); five qian of Pingwei San. Grind into powder, form pills the size of wu-tzu seeds using steamed dough, and administer with any decoction.
For neck goiter caused by Qi stagnation, soak Needle Sand in a water vat; drink and eat using only this water.
[Discussion] Iron inherits the Qi of Taiyang, and Yin Qi does not interact with it; therefore, it is superior to other herbs in treating edema. Even if distension is not caused by water-dampness, it is still required. Because distension due to Spleen Qi stagnation often stems from a lack of Yang within Yin, leading to failure to transform dampness. Needle Sand dries Yin and transforms dampness precisely because it purely inherits Taiyang Qi and does not interact with Yin Qi. Therefore, table salt violates its taboos and aggravates the disease. Whenever Needle Sand or Iron Moths are used in pills to reduce swelling, salt must be strictly avoided for life. Since salt is moistening and lubricating, if edema recurs, it will be incurable. (Chen Cangqi)
[Processing] Decocting and drinking the juice prevents stagnation in the Zang-Fu organs. It merely utilizes the Qi of "Iron Tiger" to control Liver Wood, preventing it from overacting on Spleen Earth. If Spleen Earth is not attacked by pathogens, water will naturally dissipate. (Ri Hua Zi) All preparations including Iron Essence, Iron Powder, Iron Flower Powder, Needle Sand, and Iron Slurry share this principle when used medicinally. (Again)
Iron Flower Powder (Tiehua Fen) This is the essence of iron. Preparation method: Take steel filings shaped like leaves, tablets, or balls. Grind the flat surface until smooth and clean. Sprinkle with salt water, bury in an earthenware jar with vinegar in a shady place for one hundred days. An oxide layer grows on the iron, forming powder. Scrape off, finely grind, sieve, and pulverize in a mortar until flour-like. Mix with other herbs to form pills or powders. (Li Xun)
Salty and neutral in nature. Its efficacy is stronger than Iron Powder. It stops palpitations and vacuity-type epilepsy. It calms the Five Viscera and expels pathogenic factors.