【Drug】Anemarrhena
 【Nature and flavor】Bitter, cold.
 [return through meridians] Returns to the lung, stomach and kidney meridians.
 【Effects】Clears away heat and purges fire, nourishes yin and moistens dryness.
 [Indications] Fever, thirst, lung heat and dry cough, bone steaming and hot flashes, internal heat and thirst, dry intestines and constipation, and difficulty urinating.
 【Usage and Dosage】Decoction, 6-12g.
 [Contraindications] This product is cold and moist in nature, and has a laxative effect. Therefore, it is not suitable for people with weak spleen and stomach, or loose stools.
 【Medical records】
 "Ben Jing": "It cures thirst and heat in the middle, removes evil spirits and edema of the limbs, relieves water retention, replenishes deficiency, and invigorates Qi."
 "Bie Lu": "It can treat colds, long-term malaria, restlessness and fever, evil qi under the hypochondrium, evil in the diaphragm, and jaundice caused by wind and sweat."
 Tao Hongjing: "It is very effective in treating fever and also treats malaria, fever and restlessness."
 "Medicinal Properties": "It is mainly used to treat restlessness, irritability, bone heat, fatigue after childbirth, kidney fatigue, aversion to cold and deficiency, and dry mouth in patients with weakness.
 "Rihuazi Materia Medica": "It clears the small intestine, eliminates phlegm and stops coughing, moistens the heart and lungs, replenishes deficiency, calms the mind and stops palpitations."
 Zhang Yuansu: "It cools the heart and removes heat, treats Yangming fire, drains bladder and kidney meridian fire, heat syncope and headache, diarrhea and back pain, and fishy smell in the throat."
 Wang Haogu: "It can relieve lung fire, nourish kidney water, and treat excess fire in the gate of life."
 "Compendium of Materia Medica": "It can stabilize pregnancy, relieve restlessness in the fetus, and prevent poison from Shegongxi."
 ⑨ "Compendium of Materia Medica" says: "It can treat cough with blood, wheezing, stranguria, mouth disease, hematuria, hiccups, night sweats, spermatorrhea, paralysis, and convulsions."
 【Predecessors release medicine】
 Li Gao: "Anemarrhena has four uses: to purge the rootless kidney fire, to treat bone steaming with sweat, to stop the heat of asthenia, and to nourish the source of yin. Zhongjing used it in Baihu Decoction to treat those who could not sleep, which was irritability. Irritation comes from the lungs, and irritability comes from the kidneys. Gypsum is used as the main ingredient, and Anemarrhena is used as the auxiliary ingredient to clear the source of the kidneys. Licorice and rice are used to slow down the urination. In addition, all patients with urinary obstruction and thirst have heat in the upper Jiao Qi, latent heat in the lungs, which cannot produce water, and the bladder cuts off its source of transformation. It is appropriate to use drugs with thin Qi and light taste to purge lung fire, clear lung metal and nourish the source of water. If the heat is in the lower Jiao blood but not thirsty, it is because the real water is insufficient and the bladder is dry. There is no yin and yang cannot be transformed. The method should be to use Phellodendron and Anemarrhena with strong bitterness and coldness to nourish the kidney and bladder, so that the yin qi can flow and the yang can be transformed, and the urine can be unblocked."
 "Compendium of Materia Medica": "Anemarrhena is bitter and cold, with a thick smell and flavor, sinking and descending, and is the original medicine for the kidney meridian. It can also clear the lungs, because it can clear the dragon and thunder, and prevent it from being too strong, so that the hand Taiyin will not be burned out. It can purge the excess fire, regulate the thirst, and stop coughs and stabilize the fetus, all of which are used to clear fire. Taking too much will cause diarrhea and reduce appetite. This can only be used temporarily for those who are burned by real fire. If it is applied to people with weakness, it will be like water that makes them deeper. The bitter and cold taste carries out the killing order of heaven and earth, and is not the one that nourishes all things."
 "Compendium of Materia Medica": "Ancient books say that Zhimu can be used with Huangbai to nourish Yin and reduce fire, which means that metal and water are mutually generated. Huangbai can control the fire in the bladder and the gate of life, and Zhimu can eliminate the lung metal and control the fire of the kidney water source. Removing fire can preserve Yin, which is the so-called nourishing Yin. Therefore, Jiegu and Dongyuan both believed that it was an important medicine for nourishing Yin and reducing fire. Since Danxi, they have all used it to replenish Yin, which is really a big mistake. Zhimu has a cold nature and has no vitality. It can be used to clear fire, but how can it be used to replenish Yin?"
 "Chongqing Hall Essays": "Anemarrhena asphodeloides, clearing the heat of the lung and stomach, so that the body fluids are not consumed and the yin grows secretly. However, Zhong Sheng said that the stomach qi generates heat, and the yang is exhausted. Because the stomach heat is too strong, the yin is not enough to harmonize the yang, the body fluids gradually dry up, and it becomes a dry disease that cannot kill the grain. The yang is exhausted, that is, the body fluids are exhausted. Clearing the heat so that the yang is not exhausted, it is a medicine to save the body fluids, although it can be called a yang tonic. But later generations think that it is a cold product, not liked by stomach experts, and earnestly warn not to use it lightly. Why do people engage in fragrant, dry, warm and tonic medicines!"
 "Ben Jing Shu Zheng" states: "It is well known that Zhimu can nourish yin, clear heat and quench thirst. However, it is rarely used by ancient people to treat water retention, and later scholars do not know why. ... "Qian Jin" and "Wai Tai" use Zhimu to treat water retention. "Qian Jin" says that some people suffer from edema, with a big belly, hard as stone, thin limbs, swell up their feet and legs after a little hard work, and have shortness of breath after a little food and drink. This is a lifelong disease. If the patient does not recover after taking laxatives, he should take this medicine, which can slightly eliminate rheumatism, promote urination, and digest water and food. If you take it for a long time, it will be effective. After recovery, you can take it regularly. The drugs used are Zhimu added to Wulingsan, and Guijianyu, Danshen, Duhuo, Qinjiao, and Haizao are added. "Wai Tai" says that "Gujin Luyan" Zeqi Decoction is used to treat cold and heat caused by wind, excessive drinking, sudden swelling, body as if blown, and floating pulse. The drugs used are Zexie, Zhimu, Haizao, Fuling, Danshen, Qinjiao, Fangji, Zhuling, Dahuang, Tongcao, and Muxiang. It is said that it can eliminate rheumatism and promote urination, and it can treat cold and heat caused by wind, and sudden swelling caused by excessive drinking. It can be seen that the effect of diuresis in "Ben Jing" is seen in eliminating limb swelling, The edema of the limbs treated by Anemarrhena is the edema of the limbs caused by evil qi, which is different from the common edema of the limbs. It is because the cold and heat are strong outside, and the evil fire is inside, thirsty and drinking, the fire cannot transform water, and the water overflows everywhere. Treating with Anemarrhena is to release the fire, so that the thirst does not come and the water will not continue, and the stored water will disappear quickly. In this way, it is still treating thirst, not water. From this, we can see that if there is swelling in one place and other parts are thin, it is mostly the symptom of evil qi lingering and water and fire blocking each other. It is not only the swelling with enlarged abdomen and thin limbs in Qianjin Fang, but also the swelling with Jinkui Yaolue in Jinkui Yaolue. 》 Guizhi Shaoyao Zhimu Decoction is used to treat weak body and swollen feet. It is one of them. Jinkui Fang says that evil qi, water and fire are blocked below, Qianjin Fang says that evil qi, water and fire are blocked in the middle. If it is blocked below, it will not work unless it is dispersed. If it is blocked in the middle, how can it be discharged without diuresis? This is why Qianjin Fang uses Wuling Powder and Jinkui Fang uses Ephedra, Aconite and Saposhnikovia. However, their essence is that water and fire are blocked, so using Guizhi, Atractylodes and Zhimu together is the same. Guizhi and Atractylodes treat water blockage, while Zhimu treats fire blockage. This can be seen here.   
 "Medical Records of Chinese and Western Medicine": "Anemarrhena is not very cold or bitter. Try using it with Huangqi in equal parts. You will not feel any cold or heat at all. It is clear that its nature is not very cold. Also, boil one liang of Anemarrhena with two qian of licorice and drink it. The sweetness is stronger than the bitterness. It is clear that its taste is not very bitter. Neither the coldness nor the bitterness is very strong, and it has a lot of liquid, so it can nourish yin. Those who say that Anemarrhena can only reduce fever but cannot nourish yin are still superficial. Therefore, I must use Anemarrhena to treat symptoms of heat and rapid pulse. If Huangqi is used to replenish qi, I am afraid that there are people who cannot tolerate heat, so Anemarrhena is always used as a supplement."
 "Compendium of Materia Medica" states: "Anemarrhena is cold and moist, it can only treat real fire, it can purge the lungs to relieve the stagnant heat, it is suitable for lung abscess and dry cough, but it is taboo for cough due to deficiency heat. It can clear the stomach to save body fluids, it is suitable for eliminating the heat in the middle, but it is also taboo for weak spleen. It can clear the bladder water channel, treat the initial heat of stranguria, and eliminate the evil of the fire. It is the main agent for strengthening yang without impotence. For fever in Yangming, thirst, sweating, and strong pulse, it is supplemented with gypsum to sweep away the inflammation; for malaria in Taiyin, it is fumigated with dampness and turbidity, and sweating is very hot, it is supplemented with grass fruit to relieve spleen heat. The main treatments are all within the scope of real heat and excess."