气味咸、温，有小毒。主结气，胁下满，惊悸，除水，去五脏间寒热，补中益气。
陈修园曰∶旋复花气温，禀风气而主散；味咸，得水味润下而 坚。味胜于气，故以味
为主
。唯其 坚，故结气胁下满等症，皆能已之；唯其润下，故停水惊悸，及五脏郁滞而生寒热
等症，皆能已之。借咸降之力，上者下之，水气行，痰气消，而中焦自然受补矣。（《本经
》名金沸草。《尔雅》名盗庚。七、八月开花，如金钱菊。相传叶上露水滴地即生。）
桔梗 气味辛、微温，有小毒。主胸胁痛如刀刺，腹满肠鸣幽幽，惊恐悸气。
张隐庵曰∶桔梗治少阳之胁满，上焦之胸痹，中焦之腹满，下焦之肠鸣。又惊则气上，
恐则
气下，悸则动中，是桔梗为气分之药，上中下皆可治也。张元素不参经义，谓桔梗乃舟楫之
药，载诸药而不沉。今人熟念在口，终身不忘，以元素杜撰之言为是，则《本经》几可废矣
！医门豪杰之士，能明神农之《本经》、轩岐之《灵》《素》、仲祖之《论》《略》，则千
百方书，皆为糟粕。设未能也，必为方书所囿，而蒙蔽一生矣。可畏哉！
味辛寒。主症瘕、积聚、结气，（水饮所结之疾。）饮食寒热，破坚逐邪，（亦皆水气
之疾。）通利水道。（肺气降则水道自通。）
徐灵胎曰∶葶苈滑润而香，专泻肺气，肺为水源，故能泻肺，即能泻水，凡积聚寒热从
水气
来者，此药主之。
大黄之泻，从中焦始；葶苈之泻，从上焦始。故《伤寒论》中承气汤用大黄，而陷胸汤
用葶
苈也。
气味咸、温，有小毒。主治气机郁结，胁下胀满，惊悸不安，消除水饮，去除五脏间的寒热邪气，补益中气，益气力。
陈修园说：旋复花气温，禀受风气而具有发散作用；味咸，禀受水味而具有润下的特性。其味胜于气，所以以味的作用为主。正因为其性坚，所以气机郁结、胁下胀满等症状，都能治愈；正因为其性润下，所以停饮导致的惊悸，以及五脏郁滞产生的寒热等症状，都能治愈。借助咸味降泄的力量，使上逆之气下行，水气运行，痰气消散，中焦自然得到补益。（《神农本草经》中名为金沸草。《尔雅》中名为盗庚。七、八月开花，形状像金钱菊。相传叶子上的露水滴滴到地上就能生根。）
桔梗 气味辛、微温，有小毒。主治胸胁疼痛如刀刺，腹部胀满且肠鸣音低沉，惊恐及心悸气乱。
张隐庵说：桔梗治疗少阳经的胁下胀满，上焦的胸痹，中焦的腹满，下焦的肠鸣。另外，惊则气机上逆，恐则气机下陷，悸则扰动中焦，因此桔梗是调理气分的药物，上、中、下三焦都可以治疗。张元素不参考经典医理，说桔梗是舟楫之药，承载其他药物而不沉降。现在的人熟记于心，终身不忘，认为张元素杜撰的话是对的，那么《神农本草经》几乎就可以废弃了！医学界的豪杰之士，如果能阐明神农的《本经》、黄帝岐伯的《灵枢》《素问》、张仲景的《伤寒论》《金匮要略》，那么千百种方书，都成了糟粕。如果做不到这一点，必然被方书所局限，从而蒙蔽一生。这难道不可怕吗？
葶苈 味辛寒。主治症瘕、积聚、气机郁结，（由水饮凝结而成的疾病。）饮食引起的寒热不适，破除坚积，驱逐邪气，（也都是水气为患的疾病。）通利水道。（肺气肃降则水道自然通畅。）
Taste: Salty, Warm; Slightly Toxic. Indications: Qi stagnation (Qi stagnation), fullness under the hypochondrium (fullness in the hypochondriac region), palpitations (palpitation), removal of fluid retention (fluid retention), elimination of cold and heat between the five zang organs (five zang organs), tonification of the middle jiao (middle jiao) and supplementation of qi (qi).
Chen Xiuyuan stated: Xuanfuhua (Inulae Flos) has a warm temperature, inheriting the nature of wind to primarily disperse; its salty taste inherits the nature of water to moisten and descend. Its flavor is superior to its temperature, thus its action is primarily based on its flavor. Precisely because of its firming nature, it can cure conditions such as qi stagnation and hypochondriac fullness; precisely because of its moistening and descending nature, it can cure conditions such as palpitations caused by retained fluids, and cold-heat symptoms arising from stagnation in the five zang organs. Borrowing the power of salty descent, it directs upward-moving substances downward; as fluid qi moves and phlegm qi dissipates, the middle jiao naturally receives tonification. (Named Jinfeicao in *Shennong Bencao Jing*; named Daogeng in *Erya*. It blooms in the seventh and eighth months, resembling Chrysanthemum coronarium. It is said that dewdrops falling from its leaves onto the ground will take root.)
Jiegeng (Platycodonis Radix) Taste: Pungent, Slightly Warm; Slightly Toxic. Indications: Chest and hypochondriac pain as if pierced by a knife, abdominal fullness with low-pitched borborygmi (borborygmus), fright, palpitations, and qi disorder.
Zhang Yin'an stated: Jiegeng treats hypochondriac fullness of the Shaoyang channel (Shaoyang channel), chest bi (chest obstruction) of the upper jiao (upper jiao), abdominal fullness of the middle jiao, and borborygmi of the lower jiao (lower jiao). Furthermore, fright causes qi to move upward, fear causes qi to sink downward, and palpitations disturb the center. Therefore, Jiegeng is a herb for regulating qi, effective for the upper, middle, and lower jiao. Zhang Yuansu did not refer to classical medical theories, claiming that Jiegeng is a "boat and oar" herb that carries other herbs so they do not sink. People today recite this constantly and never forget, considering Zhang Yuansu's fabricated words correct. If so, *Shennong Bencao Jing* could almost be abolished! Heroes in the medical field who can clarify Shennong's *Bencao Jing*, Huangdi and Qibo's *Lingshu* and *Suwen*, and Zhang Zhongjing's *Shanghan Lun* and *Jingui Yaolue*, will find that thousands of prescription books are merely dregs. If one cannot achieve this, one will inevitably be confined by prescription books and blinded for a lifetime. Is this not terrifying?
Tinglizi (Descurainiae Semen seu Lepidii Semen) Taste: Pungent, Cold. Indications: Zhengjia (masses), jijuzhi (accumulations), qi stagnation (diseases formed by fluid retention); dietary cold-heat discomfort; breaking firm accumulations and driving out pathogens (also diseases of fluid qi); promoting free flow of the water passages (when lung qi descends, water passages naturally open).
Xu Lingtai stated: Tinglizi is slippery, moist, and fragrant, specifically purging lung qi (lung qi). The lung is the source of water; therefore, by purging the lung, it purges water. It is the primary herb for masses and cold-heat conditions originating from fluid qi.
The purgative action of Dahuang (Rhei Radix et Rhizoma) begins in the middle jiao; the purgative action of Tinglizi begins in the upper jiao. Therefore, in *Shanghan Lun* (Treatise on Cold Pathogenic Diseases), Chengqi Tang uses Dahuang, while Xiaoxiong Tang uses Tinglizi.