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Capítulo 27 de 33
神农本草经
Overall Paraphrase
This section is an organized compilation of the 17 medicinal substances listed in Shen Nong's Classic of the Materia Medica, Woods — Lower Grade. The original text is in an itemized format, and is here paraphrased sequentially as follows. All "indications" below are records of ancient experiential knowledge, intended solely for traditional cultural study and not to be taken as a basis for modern medicinal use.
Badou (Croton Fruit) 🌿
Taste pungent, nature warm. The ancients held that it chiefly treats cold damage, warm malaria, and alternating chills and fever; it can break up zhengjia accumulations (abdominal masses), hard accumulations, retained fluid (dwelling water-fluid), and phlegm-adhesions; it eliminates major abdominal swelling and edema; it can purge the five viscera and six bowels, open blockages and obstructions, free the passageways of water and grain, and remove putrid and foul matter; it was also used against what the ancients called "ghost toxins," "gu-infestations," and other pathogenic evils, and can kill insects and fish. Also named Bashu. It grows in river valleys. Later commentaries add: another name is Baya (croton seed), produced in Bajun; harvested in the eighth month, dried in the shade, with the heart and skin removed.
Shujiao (i.e., Sichuan Pepper) 🌿
Taste pungent, nature warm. The ancients held that it chiefly treats cough with counterflow qi caused by pathogenic evils; it warms the center, expels dead flesh from the bones, joints, and skin, treats painful impediment from cold-damp, and can direct qi downward. It is also recorded that prolonged taking can prevent the hair from turning white, make the body light and agile, and extend the years of life. It grows in river valleys. Later commentaries add: another name is Bajiao or Tangyi; produced in Wudu and Bajun; the fruit is harvested in the eighth month and dried in the shade.
Zaojia (Honey Locust Fruit) 🌿
Taste pungent and salty, nature warm. It chiefly treats wind impediment, dead flesh, pathogenic evils, wind-type headache, and tearing eyes; it can open the nine orifices and expel what are called "spirit-essence agents." It grows in river valleys. Later commentaries add: produced in Yongzhou and Lu-Zou county; those shaped like a pig's tooth are considered best; harvested in the ninth and tenth months and dried in the shade.
Liuhua (Willow Flower/Catkins) 🌿
Taste bitter, nature cold. It chiefly treats wind-water jaundice and blackened heat-affected complexion of the face. Another name: Liuxu (willow catkins). Its leaves can treat horse mange and scabbed sores; the fruit chiefly treats ulcerated abscesses and expels pus and blood; the juice of the seeds can quench thirst. It grows in marshlands. Later commentaries add: produced in Langya.
Lianshi (Chinaberry Fruit) 🌿
Taste bitter, nature cold. It chiefly treats warm epidemic disease and cold damage, intense heat, agitation, and mania; it kills the three worms, treats scabies and sores, and promotes the free flow of water and the urinary passage. It grows in mountain valleys. Later commentaries add: produced in Jingshan.
Yuliren (Bush Cherry Seed) 🌿
Taste sour, nature neutral. It chiefly treats major abdominal edema, facial and limb swelling, and promotes the free flow of water and the urinary passage. Its root chiefly treats swollen gums and dental caries. Another name: Jueli. It grows in river valleys. Later commentaries add: another name is Chexiali or Di; the root is harvested in the fifth and sixth months.
Mangcao (Mang Herb) 🌿
Taste pungent, nature warm. It chiefly treats wind-type head swellings, breast abscesses, and abdominal masses from hernia; it eliminates bound qi, scabies, and itching, and kills insects and fish. It grows in mountain valleys. Later commentaries add: another name is Chundao; produced in Shanggu and Yuanju; leaves harvested in the fifth month and dried in the shade; it is also stated that it can be used to poison fish.
Leiwan (Omphalia) 🌿
Taste bitter, nature cold. It chiefly treats killing the three worms, expelling toxic qi, and clearing heat from the stomach; the ancients held that it benefits men but not women; it may be made into a rubbing ointment, and is said to eliminate the hundred diseases of children. It grows in mountain valleys. Later commentaries add: other names are Leishi and Leishi-fruit; produced in Shicheng and in the earth of Hanzhong; the root is harvested in the eighth month and dried in the sun.
Tongye (Paulownia Leaf) 🌿
Taste bitter, nature cold. It chiefly treats malign erosions, sores of the genitals, the five types of hemorrhoids, and kills the three worms. Its flowers may be applied to pig sores; feeding it to pigs can make them gain weight up to threefold. It grows in mountain valleys. Later commentaries add: produced on Tongbai Mountain.
Zibaipi (Catalpa Bark) 🌿
Taste bitter, nature cold. It chiefly treats heat conditions and eliminates the three worms. Its leaves, pounded and applied to pig sores, can make pigs gain threefold in weight when fed to them. It grows in mountain valleys. Later commentaries add: produced in Henei.
Shinan (Chinese Photinia) 🌿
Taste pungent and bitter. It chiefly nourishes the qi of the kidneys, treats internal damage and yin decline, and benefits the sinews, bones, skin, and hair. Its fruit can kill gu toxins, break up accumulations, and expel wind impediment. Another name: Guimu. It grows in mountain valleys. Later commentaries add: produced in Huayin; fruit harvested in the second and fourth months, dried in the shade.
Huanghuan (Yellow Ring Vine/Daley Birch) 🌿
Taste bitter, nature neutral. It chiefly treats gu toxins, ghost-infestation, ghostly phantasms, and pathogenic evils within the viscera and bowels; it removes cough with counterflow qi and chills and fever. Another name: Lingquan, another: Dajiu. It grows in mountain valleys. Later commentaries add: produced in Shujun; root harvested in the third month, dried in the shade; Shen Kuo considered this to be wisteria.
Soushu (Deutzia) 🌿
Taste pungent, nature cold. It chiefly treats heat within the body and skin, eliminates pathogenic evils, stops involuntary urination, and may be used as bath water. It grows in mountain valleys, fields, and old abandoned mounds and ruins. Later commentaries add: another name is Jugu; produced on Neng'er Mountain; harvested in the fourth month.
Shuli (Alder Buckthorn) 🌿
The original text does not record nature and taste. It chiefly treats chills and fever, scrofula, and sores. It grows in the fields. Later commentaries add: other names are Niuli, Shuzi, etc.; harvested at any time of the year.
Yaoshigen (Medicinal Root) 🌿
Taste pungent, nature warm. It chiefly treats pathogenic evils, various impediments with pain and soreness, can restore severed injuries, and supplement bone marrow. Another name: Lianmu. It grows in mountain valleys. Later commentaries add: produced in Shujun; harvested at any time.
Luanhua (Goldenrain Tree Flower) 🌿
Taste bitter, nature cold. It chiefly treats eye pain with tearing, damage to the canthus, and reduces swelling of the eyes. It grows in river valleys. Later commentaries add: produced in Hanzhong; harvested in the fifth month.
Manjiao (Wild Pepper) 🌿
Taste bitter, nature warm. It chiefly treats wind-cold-damp impediment, joint pain throughout the body, eliminates counterflow cold of the extremities and knee pain. Another name: Jiajiao. It grows in river valleys and among mounds and graves. Later commentaries add: other names are Zhujiao, Zhijiao, Goujiao; produced in Yunzhong; harvest stems and roots, boil to make wine.
Thus the woods, lower grade, total 17 species; the old edition listed 18, and now Yuanhua (lilac daphne flower bud) has been moved to the herbs section.
Position of "Lower Grade" in the Three-Grade Classification:
Shen Nong's Classic of the Materia Medica divides medicinals into three grades: upper, middle, and lower. Lower-grade items mostly "attack evil" and "treat disease"; their natures are harsh and violent, with many being toxic, and they are not suitable for prolonged use. The present section reflects precisely this principle: Badou, Mangcao, Leiwan, Huanghuan, and others are mostly items that attack hard masses, expel water, kill worms, and break accumulations.
Two Main Lines: Pungent-Warm and Bitter-Cold:
The natures and tastes of the medicinals in this section can be roughly divided into two categories.
One is pungent-warm: Badou, Shujiao, Mangcao, Yaoshigen, Manjiao – these are mostly dispersing, scattering cold, expelling dampness, and breaking accumulations;
The other is bitter-cold: Liuhua, Lianshi, Leiwan, Tongye, Zibaipi, Luanhua – these mostly clear heat, dry dampness, kill worms, and promote free flow.
This embodies the fundamental approaches of "heat is treated with cold, cold is treated with heat, excess is treated with purging."
"Free Passage as Function" in the Concept of Attacking Evil:
Badou "opens blockages and obstructions" and "frees the way of water and grain," Yuliren "promotes the free flow of water and the urinary passage," Zaojia "opens the nine orifices" – all demonstrate that lower-grade medicinals often act through sweating, vomiting, purging, and promoting diuresis to give pathogenic evils a way out. The ancients believed that stubborn edema, accumulations, bi pain, and similar conditions required strong attacking and expelling force to resolve.
Indications Concentrated on Stubborn, Severe, and Acute Conditions:
Common indications in this section include edema, accumulations, impediment pain, worm infestations, ulcers and sores, gu toxins, etc. In antiquity, these were largely incurable, severe, or acute conditions; hence, the drastic lower-grade medicinals were chosen, reflecting the notion of "severe illness calls for severe medicine."
Mostly Potent or Toxic Substances – Not to Be Used Lightly:
Modern research confirms that some lower-grade agents do indeed contain toxic or intensely active components. For example, Badou contains croton oil, which can cause violent diarrhea when taken internally and demands strict processing and dosage control. Mangcao and Huanghuan are toxic and are now rarely used or only applied externally. Leiwan contains proteolytic enzymes that show some effect against certain parasites, but the ancient methods of "making a rubbing ointment" and "eliminating the hundred diseases of children" lack modern evidence.
"Killing ghost toxins, gu-infestations, phantom agents," etc. Are Ancient Naïve Classifications:
Terms such as "ghost toxin," "gu-infestation," and "ghostly phantasms" are the ancients' simple classifications for contagious, psychiatric, and intractable illnesses and should not be interpreted literally as superstition. Modern medicine provides far more precise etiological explanations.
"Prolonged use lightens the body and extends years" and "fattening pigs threefold" are not to be imitated:
The statement that Shujiao "with prolonged use keeps hair from turning white, lightens the body, and extends years" reflects an ancient desire for longevity and should not serve as a basis for modern health practices; "fattens pigs threefold" is an exaggerated veterinary note. These contents should be regarded with rationality.
Problems of Correct Identity and Textual Transmission:
For example, Shujiao is simply Sichuan pepper; Mangcao is not star anise and must be distinguished carefully to avoid toxic ingestion; Huanghuan may be a type of wisteria – a point of ongoing controversy. All this reminds us that studying the materia medica must be combined with modern botany and pharmacology for accurate identification.
Related Concepts:
Three-grade classification, four natures and five tastes, free passage as function, sweating, vomiting, and purging methods, processing (paozhi), worm accumulations, gu toxins as archaic disease names.
Further Reading:
The "Prefatory Records" (Xulu) of Shen Nong's Classic of the Materia Medica discussing the three grades and the seven-relationship combinatory rules; relevant entries in the Bencao Gangmu under the Woods section; formulations containing Badou in the Shanghan Lun and Jingui Yaolüe, such as Sanwu Beiji Wan and Jiegeng Baisan (for theoretical study only, not for self-formulation); comparable developments of Leiwan, Shujiao, and others in later compendia.
BuGua Reminder: This content is based on classical Chinese medical texts, intended solely for the study and reading of traditional culture; it does not constitute any medical diagnosis, medication, or therapeutic advice. Seek professional care if unwell.