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Capítulo 31 de 33
神农本草经
The original text is divided into two parts: the first part covers two items from the lower grade of the Vegetables section — Ku Hu (Bitter Gourd) and Shui Jin (Water Celery); the latter part appends Bi Zi, which originally belonged to the retreating drugs of the Tang Dynasty Ben Cao, and is not among the two items of the lower grade Vegetables section.
Bitter in taste, cold in nature. The ancients believed it mainly treated severe water qi conditions (edema caused by accumulation of body fluids), and for swelling of the face, eyes, and four limbs it could exert an inducing diuresis and downward-moving effect, but taking it easily causes vomiting. It mostly grows in riverine and marshy areas. Later commentators said it is produced in the Jin region. Ancient character books and commentaries mostly regarded "Hu," "Pao," and "Hulu" as different names for the same thing.
Sweet in taste, neutral in nature. The ancients believed it mainly treated women's Chi Wo (approximately referring to abnormal bloody vaginal discharge or dribbling menstruation), capable of stopping bleeding, nourishing essence, protecting the blood vessels, and replenishing qi and blood, making one's flesh full and strong, and increasing appetite. Also known as Shui Ying, it grows in ponds and marshes. Later commentators said it is also produced in the South Sea region. Ancient character books considered it to be the same type as Qin and Chu Kui — that is, what is today called aquatic celery-type plants.
Sweet in taste, warm in nature. The ancients believed it mainly treated pathogenic qi in the abdomen, could expel San Chong (an ancient collective term for various parasites), treat snake and insect bites, Gu toxins, as well as what the ancients called Gui Zhu and Fu Shi (roughly referring to conditions of prolonged course, as if pathogenic qi lurks within). It grows in mountain valleys. The Tang Dynasty Ben Cao relegated it to the appendix. Later commentators said it is produced in Yongchang. Tao Hongjing said physicians of his time already did not use this substance, and physicians and pharmacologists of both ancient and modern times mostly did not recognize it; it is also known by the alias Xiong Zi, but its form is unclear. Zhang Yuxi conjectured that the tree resembles the fir and the seeds resemble betel nuts. Ancient character books considered that the character "Bi" might originally be written as "Pai".
Although this section is titled "Vegetables," its inclusion in the lower grade indicates that the ancients did not regard these plants as ordinary mild vegetables but rather as items with relatively strong medicinal properties, mostly used for attacking pathogenic factors. Ku Hu is bitter and cold for draining water, Shui Jin is sweet and neutral for nourishing the blood vessels, and Bi Zi is sweet and warm for killing worms and warding off filth — the three differ completely in nature, flavor, and direction, precisely reflecting the Ben Cao approach of "correcting the body's deviations with medicinal deviation."
Ku Hu is bitter and cold; the ancients used it to treat "great water" and "swelling of the face, eyes, and four limbs," indicating it belongs to the category of promoting diuresis and dispelling dampness. When dampness stagnates internally, the ancients might either drive it downward or use induced vomiting to disperse it from above. The original text specifically points out that it "causes one to vomit" — this is both a manifestation of its drastic medicinal nature and a suggestion that the ancients had already observed the vomiting method's ability to disperse water qi. This coexistence of "draining water—vomiting" descriptions reflects early Ben Cao's understanding of the direction of drug action.
Shui Jin is sweet and neutral, contrasting with the bitter-cold attacking and draining nature of Ku Hu. Its classification under Vegetables, together with its recorded effects of "stopping bleeding and nourishing essence, protecting the blood vessels, replenishing qi, making one plump and strong, and increasing appetite," embodies the ancient concept of "unity of medicine and food": certain plants edible in daily life, if mild and balanced in nature and flavor, can serve in the diet to regulate and nourish qi and blood and to fill and strengthen the body. This also implicitly contains the idea that "the spleen and stomach are the foundation of acquired constitution" — "increased appetite" and "plumpness and strength" both emphasize the importance of appetite and the generation and transformation of qi and blood.
Bi Zi's treatment of "pathogenic qi in the abdomen," "San Chong," "snake bites," "Gu toxins," "Gui Zhu," and "Fu Shi" attributes worms, snake venom, Gu toxins, and various prolonged conditions to the category of "pathogenic qi." This reflects the early medicine's simple classification of causes: anything that enters from outside, lurks within the body, and is difficult to eliminate quickly may be called "pathogenic." Its record of "removing San Chong" shows that the ancients already recognized that certain abdominal diseases were related to worms and attempted to expel them with drugs.
Modern botany and food safety research indicate that bitter gourd contains cucurbitacin bitter components with strong irritant properties; accidental ingestion can cause severe vomiting, abdominal pain, diarrhea, and in severe cases even poisoning. This is highly consistent with the Ben Jing record of "causing one to vomit." Although the ancients observed its water-draining effect, it must never be consumed as an ordinary vegetable today, nor should one self-administer it for "reducing swelling." Its so-called "draining water" effect should be regarded as an ancient empirical description, not equivalent to modern medical diuretic treatment.
Shui Jin refers to water celery and related plants. Modern nutritional science considers it rich in dietary fiber, vitamins, and various phytochemicals, and as a daily vegetable it is beneficial to health. Statements such as "stopping bleeding and nourishing essence, protecting the blood vessels, and replenishing qi" are more traditional medicinal summaries and lack rigorous modern clinical evidence; they should be viewed rationally.
Bi Zi was already "never used by physicians" and "no longer recognized" in Tao Hongjing's time, indicating its name-reality confusion has persisted for at least over a thousand years. Although later scholars speculated it might be related to Torreya seeds, this is not a definitive conclusion. Therefore, in modern study it should be regarded as an "uncertain item" in the philological history of Ben Cao, and its effects should not be directly applied to modern medicine. As for terms like "Gui Zhu" and "Fu Shi," one should also recognize that they contain the ancients' mystified imagination of unidentified chronic diseases and cannot be understood literally.
This content is based on classical Chinese medicine texts and is provided solely for traditional cultural study and research. It does not constitute any medical diagnosis, medication, or treatment advice; please consult a healthcare professional if you feel unwell.