气热，味辛，纯阳。
《本草》云∶治胃中冷逆，霍乱腹痛，反胃呕食，转筋泻痢。下气，消宿食。
《心》云∶健脾胃。
气温，味甘，纯阳。甘，微温，性平。无毒。入手少阳经、足太阴经，足少阴、
命门之剂。
《象》云∶治虚劳自汗，补肺气，入皮毛，泻肺中火。如脉弦自汗，脾胃虚弱，疮疡
血脉不行，内托，阴证疮疡必用之。去芦用。
《珍》云∶益胃气，去肌热，诸痛必用之。
《心》云∶补五脏诸虚不足，而泻阴火、去虚热，无汗则发之，有汗则止之。
《本草》云∶主痈疽久败疮，排脓止痛，大风癞疾，五痔鼠 ，补虚；小儿百病，妇人
子脏风邪气，逐五脏间恶血，补丈夫虚损，五劳羸瘦，腹痛泄痢。益气，利阴气。
有白水 、赤水 、木 ，功用皆同。惟木 茎短而理横，折之如绵，皮黄褐色，肉中
白色，谓之绵黄 。其坚脆而味苦者，乃苜蓿根也。又云，破症癖，肠风血崩，带下，赤白
痢，及产前、后一切病，月候不调，消渴痰嗽。又治头风热毒，目赤，骨蒸。生蜀郡山谷、
白水、汉中，今河东陕西州郡多有之。 与桂同功，特味稍异，比桂但甘平，不辛热耳。世
人以苜蓿根代之，呼为土黄 ，但味苦，能令人瘦，特味甘者能令人肥也。颇能乱真，用者
宜审。治气虚盗汗并自汗，即皮表之药；又治肤痛，则表药可知；又治咯血，柔脾胃，是为
中州药也；又治伤寒、尺脉不至，又补肾脏元气，为里药。是上、中、下、内、外三焦之药
。
今《本草》、《图经》只言河东者，沁州绵上是也，故谓之绵 。味甘如蜜，兼体骨柔
软如绵，世以为如绵，非也。别说云，黄 本出绵上为良，故《图经》所绘者，宪水者也，
与绵上相邻，盖以地产为“绵”。
若以柔韧为“绵”，则伪者亦柔。但以干脆甘苦为别耳。
东垣云∶黄 、人参、甘草三味，退热之圣药也。《灵枢》曰∶卫气者，所以温分肉而充皮
肤，肥腠理而司开阖。黄
既补三焦、实卫气，与桂同，特益气异耳。亦在佐使。桂则通血也，能破血而实卫气，通
内而实外者欤。桂以血言，
一作色求，则 为实气也。恶鳖甲。
气味：气热，味辛，属于纯阳之品。
《本草》记载：治疗胃中寒冷引起的呃逆、霍乱腹痛、反胃呕吐食物、转筋（肌肉痉挛）、腹泻和痢疾。能降气，消除积食。
气味：气温，味甘，属于纯阳之品。甘，微温，性平。无毒。归入手少阳经、足太阴经，以及足少阴经、命门经的药物。
《象》（李东垣）说：治疗虚劳导致的自汗，补益肺气，作用于皮毛，清泻肺中的火邪。如果脉象弦且自汗，脾胃虚弱，疮疡导致血脉不通，需要内托排毒时，阴证疮疡必须使用此药。使用时需去除芦头。
《珍》（张元素）说：补益胃气，清除肌表之热，各种疼痛病症必用此药。
《心》（王好古）说：补益五脏的各种虚损不足，清泻阴火，去除虚热；无汗时能发汗，有汗时能止汗。
《本草》说：主治痈疽久不愈合的败疮，排脓止痛，大风癞疾（麻风病），五种痔疮及鼠瘘（淋巴结核），补虚；治疗小儿百病，妇人子宫受风邪侵袭，驱除五脏间的恶血，补益男子虚损，五种劳损导致的消瘦羸弱，腹痛泄痢。能益气，利阴气。
有白水黄芩、赤水黄芩、木黄芩，功用都相同。只有木黄芩茎短而纹理横生，折断时像棉絮一样，皮呈黄褐色，肉质白色，称为绵黄芩。那些质地坚脆且味道苦的，是苜蓿根。又说，能破除症癖（腹内结块），治疗肠风便血、崩漏、带下、赤白痢疾，以及产前、产后一切疾病，月经不调，消渴痰嗽。又治疗头风热毒，目赤肿痛，骨蒸潮热。产于蜀郡山谷、白水、汉中，现在河东、陕西各州郡多有出产。黄芩与桂枝功效相似，只是味道略有不同，相比桂枝只是甘平，而不具备辛热的特性。世人用苜蓿根代替，称为土黄芩，但味道苦，能使人消瘦，只有味道甘的才能使人肥胖。很容易混淆真假，使用者应当仔细辨别。治疗气虚导致的盗汗和自汗，这是作用于体表的药物；又治疗皮肤疼痛，可知其为表药；又治疗咯血，柔润脾胃，这是作用于中焦的药物；又治疗伤寒尺脉不至，补益肾脏元气，这是作用于里部的药物。因此它是作用于上、中、下三焦以及内、外部的药物。
现在的《本草》、《图经》只说河东产的，沁州绵上产的是最好的，所以称为绵黄芩。味道甘甜如蜜，兼体质骨柔软如棉，世人认为像棉，其实不对。另外的说法称，黄芩原本出自绵上为良，所以《图经》所绘制的，是宪水所产的，与绵上相邻，大概是以产地命名为“绵”。
如果把柔韧当作“绵”，那么伪品也是柔韧的。只是以干脆、甘苦作为区别罢了。
李东垣说：黄芩、人参、甘草这三味药，是退热的圣药。《灵枢》说：卫气，是用来温煦分肉并充实皮肤的，使腠理肥密并主管开阖。黄芩既然补益三焦、充实卫气，与桂枝类似，只是在益气方面有所不同。也作为佐使药。桂枝则通行血液，能破血而充实卫气，通内而实外吗？桂枝从血的角度论述，若从色来求取，则黄芩是充实气的。畏忌鳖甲。
Properties and Flavor: The qi is hot, the flavor is pungent, belonging to pure yang.
*Bencao* states: It treats cold stagnation in the stomach causing hiccups, abdominal pain due to cholera-like disorder, regurgitation and vomiting of food, muscle cramps (zhuanjin), diarrhea, and dysentery. It directs qi downward and resolves retained food.
Properties and Flavor: The qi is warm, the flavor is sweet, belonging to pure yang. Sweet, slightly warm, nature is neutral. Non-toxic. Enters the Hand Shaoyang Meridian, Foot Taiyin Meridian, as well as the Foot Shaoyin Meridian and Mingmen.
*Xiang* (Li Dongyuan) says: It treats spontaneous sweating due to deficiency exhaustion, tonifies Lung qi, acts on the skin and hair, and drains fire from the Lungs. If the pulse is wiry with spontaneous sweating, or in cases of Spleen-Stomach weakness, where sores and ulcers cause blood vessel obstruction requiring internal support (neituo), it must be used for yin-type sores and ulcers. Remove the rhizome head before use.
*Zhen* (Zhang Yuansu) says: It benefits Stomach qi, removes heat from the muscles, and is essential for various pain conditions.
*Xin* (Wang Haogu) says: It tonifies all deficiencies of the Five Zang organs, drains Yin fire, and removes deficiency heat; when there is no sweat, it induces sweating; when there is sweat, it stops it.
*Bencao* states: It primarily treats chronic suppurative sores that fail to heal, discharges pus and relieves pain, treats severe leprosy (dafeng laiji), five types of hemorrhoids and scrofula (shulou), tonifies deficiency; treats a hundred diseases in children, wind-pathogen invasion of the uterus in women, expels evil blood between the Five Zang organs, tonifies deficiency and loss in men, emaciation due to the five labors, abdominal pain, and diarrhea/dysentery. It benefits qi and promotes the flow of Yin qi.
There are Baishui Huangqi, Chishui Huangqi, and Mu Huangqi; their functions are identical. Only Mu Huangqi has short stems with transverse texture, breaks like cotton, has yellow-brown bark, and white flesh, called Mian Huangqi. Those that are hard, brittle, and bitter in taste are roots of *Medicago sativa* (Muxu). Furthermore, it breaks up masses (zhengpi), treats intestinal wind bleeding, metrorrhagia, leukorrhea, red and white dysentery, and all diseases before and after childbirth, irregular menstruation, thirst with phlegm-cough. It also treats head wind-heat toxin, red eyes, and bone-steaming fever. It grows in the valleys of Shujun, Baishui, and Hanzhong; currently, it is abundant in Hedong and various prefectures of Shaanxi. Huangqi has similar functions to Guizhi, differing only slightly in taste; compared to Guizhi, it is merely sweet and neutral, not pungent and hot. People substitute it with *Medicago sativa* root, calling it Tu Huangqi, but its bitter taste causes emaciation, whereas the sweet one causes weight gain. It easily confuses authenticity, so users should examine carefully. Treating qi-deficiency night sweats and spontaneous sweating makes it a surface-acting drug; treating skin pain confirms it as a surface drug; treating hemoptysis and softening the Spleen-Stomach makes it a Middle Jiao drug; treating Shanghan with absent Chi pulse and tonifying Kidney Yuan qi makes it an interior drug. Thus, it is a drug acting on the Upper, Middle, and Lower Jiao, as well as interior and exterior.
Current *Bencao* and *Tujing* mention only those from Hedong, specifically those from Mianshang in Qinzhou, hence called Mian Huangqi. Its taste is sweet like honey, and its body/bone is soft like cotton. People think "like cotton" refers to texture, which is incorrect. Another theory states that Huangqi originally produced in Mianshang is superior, so what is drawn in *Tujing* is from Xianshui, adjacent to Mianshang, likely named "Mian" after the place of origin.
If "Mian" refers to flexibility/toughness, then fake products are also flexible. The distinction lies merely in being crisp, sweet, and bitter.
Dongyuan (Li Dongyuan) says: Huangqi, Renshen, and Gancao are the holy medicines for reducing fever. *Lingshu* states: Wei Qi (Defensive Qi) warms the muscle intervals and fills the skin, making the Couli dense and controlling opening and closing. Since Huangqi tonifies the Three Jiao and solidifies Wei Qi, it is similar to Guizhi, differing only in benefiting qi. It also serves as an assistant drug. Guizhi circulates blood, can break blood stasis while solidifying Wei Qi, perhaps circulating internally to solidify externally? Guizhi speaks from the perspective of blood; if seeking by color, then Huangqi solidifies qi. It is antagonistic to Biejia.