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Aconite Lateral Root is a processed product of the daughter root of Aconite Mother Root, a plant of the Japanese buttercup herb family. It is cultivated and mainly produced in Sichuan, Shaanxi, and other regions. It has a pungent and sweet taste, is extremely hot in nature, and is toxic. It belongs to the heart, kidney, and spleen meridians. Its effects include restoring yang to save from collapse, tonifying fire and assisting yang, and expelling wind-cold dampness. Clinical names include Fupian, Prepared Common Monkshood Daughter Root, and Pao Fupian (daughter root).

bubble_chart Compendium of Materia Medica

Shennong Bencao Jing: It has a pungent taste and is warm in nature. It treats wind-cold cough, pathogenic qi, warms the middle, treats incised wounds, breaks abdominal masses, blood stasis, cold-dampness, atrophy-flaccidity, spasms, and knee pain that prevents walking.

Mingyi Bielu: It has a sweet taste, is extremely hot in nature, and is highly toxic. It treats cold and weak feet, wind-cold in the waist and spine, cold pain in the heart and abdomen, cholera muscle cramps, diarrhea with red and white discharge, strengthens muscles and bones, and enhances yin. It is also used for early abortion and is considered the chief of all medicines.

Bencao Shiyi: Soak Aconite Lateral Root in vinegar, cut it into small pieces, and insert it into the ear to treat deafness. Peel and roast it until it cracks, apply honey, and roast again to let the honey penetrate. Hold it in the mouth without swallowing to treat pharyngitis.

Kaibao Bencao: It has a pungent and sweet taste, is extremely hot in nature, and is highly toxic. It treats cold and weak feet, wind-cold in the waist and spine, cold pain in the heart and abdomen, cholera muscle cramps, diarrhea with red and white discharge, strengthens muscles and bones, and enhances yin. It is also used for early abortion and is considered the chief of all medicines.

Yaolei Faxiang: It moves without staying and can also remove severe kidney cold in the middle. When paired with White Atractylodes Rhizome, it is called Zhufu Tang, a sacred medicine for removing cold-dampness. Adding a small amount to warm medicines can circulate through all meridians and serve as a guiding medicine. It also treats amenorrhea.

《Medicinal Property Rhyme》: It has a pungent taste, is hot in nature, and is highly toxic. It is floating and belongs to the yang within yang. It floats without sinking and moves without stopping, removing deep cold from the six fu-organs and warming the cold extremities of the three yang.

Tangye Bencao: It is hot in qi and extremely pungent in taste, purely yang. It is pungent, sweet, warm, extremely hot, and highly toxic. It circulates through all meridians and serves as a guiding medicine.

It enters the hand Shaoyang meridian and is a life gate tonic.

《Xiang》云: It moves without staying and can also remove severe kidney cold in the middle. When paired with White Atractylodes Rhizome, it is called Zhufu Tang, a sacred medicine for removing cold-dampness. Adding a small amount to damp medicines can circulate through all meridians and serve as a guiding medicine. It treats amenorrhea and is roasted with slow fire.

《Zhen》云: It treats spleen dampness and kidney cold.

《Materia Medica》云: It treats wind-cold cough, pathogenic qi, warms the middle, treats incised wounds, breaks abdominal masses, blood stasis, cold-dampness, spasms, knee pain, cold and weak feet, inability to walk, wind-cold in the waist and spine, cold pain in the heart and abdomen, cholera muscle cramps, diarrhea with red and white discharge, strengthens muscles and bones, enhances yin, and is used for early abortion. It is considered the chief of all medicines.

《Ye》云: It enters the hand Shaoyin meridian and is a life gate tonic. It floats, moves, and sinks, reaching everywhere. Aconite Lateral Root is pungent and extremely hot, belonging to yang within yang, so it moves without stopping, unlike Dried Ginger, which stops without moving. It should not be used unless the body surface is cold and the limbs are cold. It is used to treat cold limbs.

《Materia Medica》又云: Earthworm is its assistant. It is incompatible with centipede and fears Saposhnikovia Root, black soybean, Liquorice Root, Astragalus Root, and Ginseng. It is harvested in winter as Aconite Lateral Root and in spring as Aconite Mother Root.

Bencao Yanyi Buyi:《Yanyi》 discusses the five grades as the same substance, named according to their forms and used accordingly. This statement is profound but not perfect. In Zhang Zhongjing's Eight Flavor Pill, Aconite Lateral Root guides the Shaoyin, and its tonification is naturally Rehmannia. Later generations mistakenly consider Aconite Lateral Root as a tonic. Aconite Lateral Root moves without staying, using its strong and purgative nature to move Rehmannia's stagnation, allowing it to reach distant areas. Similarly, Aconite Mother Root and Big Aconite Root are strong and large, suitable as assistants for lower body medicines. No one has highlighted their harmful effects, and they are often used as wind-treating medicines, causing many deaths. They are necessary for treating cold and wind. I often boil and soak them in child's urine to reduce their toxicity and enhance their downward-moving power. Adding salt is especially effective. It is also used for early abortion and is considered the chief of all medicines. Use with caution!

Bencao Fahui: Cheng Liaoshe said: The pungent warmth of Aconite Lateral Root stabilizes yang qi and tonifies the stomach. He also said: For dampness in the meridians, use the pungent heat of Aconite Lateral Root to expel it. He also said: Pungent disperses, and the pungent nature of Aconite Lateral Root disperses cold.

Jiegu said: Black Aconite Lateral Root, its nature is moving and not stationary, and it can also remove chest cold in the middle. With White Atractylodes Rhizome as an adjuvant, it is called Atractylodes and Aconite Decoction, a holy medicine for removing cold-dampness. It should be added sparingly in dampness-removing medicines. It circulates through all meridians and is a guiding medicine, also used to treat amenorrhea. The "Secret of Indications" states: It is highly hot in nature, with a pungent and sweet taste, and a thick qi with a thin flavor. It is appropriately light and heavy, can ascend and descend, and is yang in nature. It has three uses: first, to remove deep cold from the viscera; second, to supplement insufficient yang qi; third, to warm the spleen and stomach. However, it should not be used excessively. Slow fire processing of materia medica, peel and remove the navel before use. It is also said: Aconite Lateral Root, with its thick heat qi, is yang within yang, hence the classics speak of fever. It is also said: Without Aconite Lateral Root, the yang deficiency of the lower energizer cannot be supplemented.

Bencao Gangmu: Wufu poison, not used unless in critical illness, but when a small amount is added as a guide in tonic medicine, its effect is very swift. Some people become unbearably agitated after taking just a small amount, yet in ancient times, it was commonly used in tonic formulas. Could it be that the luck of the times has changed? The Prince of Jingfu, who was thin and cold, had no other illness. He drank a decoction of Aconite Lateral Root daily and also chewed Sulfur, continuing this for several years. Zhang Baihu of Qizhou Wei, who took Pilose Antler and Aconite Lateral Root throughout his life, lived to over eighty, healthier than usual. The Song Dynasty's Yishuo records: Zhao, the prefect, indulged in wine and women, and every day he drank a decoction of Dried Ginger and cooked Aconite Lateral Root, swallowing a hundred pills of Sulfur Golden Elixir, which enabled him to eat heartily; otherwise, he would be too weak to support himself, and he lived to ninety. Others would be harmed by taking just one pill. These individuals all had a particular constitution of the zang-fu organs, which cannot be generalized by common principles. Also, the "Suo Sui Lu" mentions: In the extremely cold climate of Huatai, people eat Aconite Lateral Root like eating chestnuts, which is due to the relaxation of qi.

Aconite Lateral Root is heavy and sluggish, warming the spleen and expelling cold. Aconite Mother Root is light and dispersing, warming the spleen and dispelling wind. For cold diseases, use Aconite Lateral Root; for wind diseases, use Aconite Mother Root. It is also said: For all philtrum wind, one should not first use wind medicine or Wu and Fu. If one first uses qi medicine, then it is appropriate to use Wu and Fu later. Also, all uses of Wu and Fu should be taken cold, as heat is used because of cold. For pudendal coldness below, with deficient yang floating above, treating with cold will increase yin qi and worsen the illness, while treating with heat will cause rejection and non-acceptance. Taking hot medicine cold, after swallowing, the cold body dissipates, and the hot nature is released, and the pestilent qi is cured. Not violating its nature, and achieving great benefit, this is the wonder of reverse treatment. In the past, Zhongjing treated cold abdominal colic with Fried-Honey Anal plug Aconite Mother Root. The "Jin Xiao Fang" treats pharyngitis with honey-roasted Aconite Lateral Root, holding it in the mouth and swallowing the juice. Danxi treated hernia with Aconite Mother Root and Gardenia, also using heat because of cold. Dongyuan treated the nephew of Feng Hanlin for exuberant yin repelling yang cold-damage disease, with red face and eyes, extreme thirst, and a pulse that came seven or eight times, but scattered when pressed. He used Ginger and Aconite Lateral Root decoction with Ginseng, reporting half a catty, and the patient sweated and recovered, which is the wonder of the divine.

﹝Attached﹞Treats three yin cold-damage disease, yin toxin cold abdominal colic, cold in the middle apoplexy, phlegm syncope qi syncope, exogenous convulsive disease epilepsy, children's slow fright, wind-dampness paralysis, swelling and beriberi, head wind kidney syncope headache, fulminant diarrhea yang collapse, chronic dysentery spleen diarrhea, cold malaria miasma, chronic illness vomiting hiccup, stomach dysphagia, Yongju not astringent, chronic fistula disease cold sores. Combined with onion juice, it is used to plug the ears to treat deafness.

﹝Wu﹞Assists yang and retreats yin, with effects similar to Aconite Lateral Root but slightly slower.

Bencao Jingshu: Aconite Lateral Root fully receives the fiery and dry qi of the earth, and also gains the heat qi of heaven, so its flavor and qi are very pungent and hot, slightly sweet and bitter, and very toxic. The qi is thick and the flavor is thin, yin within yang, descending more and ascending less, floating and sinking without limit. It enters the hand jueyin, life gate, hand shaoyang triple energizer, and also the foot shaoyin and taiyin channels. Its nature is to move and not to stay, with Liquorice Root it becomes slower, with Cassia Bark it supplements the life gate. BenjingMainly treats wind-cold cough pathogenic qi, cold-dampness limpness, spasms and knee pain, foot pain and cold weakness, inability to walk, these illnesses are all caused by wind-cold dampness three Xieke effects. Xieke upper energizer then cough, Xieke lower energizer then becomes limpness, spasms and knee pain, foot pain and cold weakness, inability to walk. This medicinal property is very hot and good at moving, so it is also good at dispelling wind-cold dampness three evils, three evils dispelled then all symptoms naturally heal. Abdominal mass and blood stasis, all are blood aspect deficient cold, congealed and not moving, blood gets heat then moves, so it can treat them. It mainly treats incised wounds, also means incised wounds are wind-cold struck, blood stasis not active symptoms, not incised wounds with blood flow not stopping. BieluAlso mainly treats lumbar spine wind-cold, foot qi cold weakness, heart and abdomen cold pain, and deficiency-cold of spleen guest middle energizer as cholera, guest lower energizer liver and kidney parts as muscle cramp. With various qi tonics then warms the middle, blood tonics then strengthens yin and hardens muscles and bones. Fire can consume things, qi nature extremely hot, enters blood and is good at moving, so it is good at early abortion, as the leader of all medicines. With Ginseng, Atractylodes, Astragalus Root, Poria, then warms the spleen and stomach, dispels spleen dampness, expels kidney cold, supplements lower energizer yang deficiency. Assisted by Cassia, then dispels zang-fu organs deep cold, triple energizer cold extremities, dampness abdominal pain, stomach cold worm movement, qi deficiency amenorrhea, tonifying yang deficiency, disperses deficiency congestion. Also can enter foot taiyang, shaoyin, so treats the governing vessel illness, spine strong and reversal. The governing vessel follows the spine upwards, and the foot taiyang bladder channel, the bladder is the house of the kidney, so it treats it. Big Aconite Root, Aconite Mother Root, side son, originally are the same, but their forms and qualities differ, old and tender may differ, but the great heat and great poison have never been different.

Mistakes to Avoid: Aconite Lateral Root is endowed with the fire energy of the earth and the heat energy of the heavens, combining yin and yang, inherently hot and fiery in nature, and its toxicity is evident. Its properties are capable of dispelling pudendal coldness, enhancing yang fire, and eliminating cold-dampness; it is a crucial herb for guiding tonifying qi and blood medicines into the life gate and is a superior formula for boosting ministerial fire. However, if used mistakenly in cases of yin deficiency with internal heat, blood and fluid depletion, cold-damage disease, warm disease, Rebing, heat reversal, and other syndromes, it can be fatal. The dangers are listed below: Physicians, who hold the power of life and death, should study and deeply understand these points, as it is a great boon to humanity. In cold-damage disease heat reversal, although the external symptoms may resemble cold reversal, the internal conditions are not the same. Why? In heat reversal disease, if it is due to cold-damage disease pestilence, it initially presents with fever, headache, and thirst; later, although the headache may subside and the exterior heat may dissipate, the face will still be flushed, the cheeks red, and there will be difficulty in urination and defecation, with dark and scanty urine, indicating a condition requiring purgation. Postpartum blood deficiency, with opisthotonos, is called convulsion. Convulsion means rigidity. It is caused by excessive blood loss, sudden deficiency of yin qi, yin deficiency leading to internal heat, which generates wind, thus externally manifesting as wind pattern, but actually due to insufficient yin blood failing to nourish the sinews, a sign of severe deficiency in the liver channel of the foot jueyin. This should be treated by nourishing yin, tonifying blood, and clearing heat to recover. Therefore, whenever a patient exhibits internal heat, dry mouth, thirst, desire to drink, cough with copious phlegm, dysphoria, heat in the five centers, steaming bone fever, fatigue heat with aversion to cold, yin deficiency with internal heat and external cold, rising deficient fire causing toothache, spleen yin deficiency leading to tastelessness in food, yellow and scanty urine, difficulty in urination, constipation or dryness accumulation, internal heat and stuffiness, preference for cold drinks and fresh fruits, aversion to fire and sunlight, fear of human and wooden sounds, easily aroused deficient yang, incessant nocturnal emissions, postpartum fever, postpartum continuous bleeding, foul-smelling sores, late abortion with chills and high fever, summerheat stroke with fainting, yin deficiency dizziness, summerheat stroke with sudden diarrhea, fiery diarrhea, mixed red and white stools, children's summerheat stroke, food injury (dyspepsia) causing diarrhea, scanty and dark urine, thirst and desire to drink, blood deficiency abdominal pain, relieved by pressure, fiery vomiting, externally resembling regurgitation with aversion to heat and irritability, temporarily relieved by cold, central heat with abdominal cramps, summerheat stroke cholera with vomiting and diarrhea, or dry cholera, or consumptive malaria with severe chills and fever, or red and white turbidity, red and white strangury, hematuria, hematochezia, menorrhagia, vomiting of blood, gingival hemorrhage, bleeding from the tongue, blurred vision, shortness of spirit, tinnitus, night sweating, bloody sweating, excessive sweating with aversion to heat, elderly with exhausted essence and impotence, young people with excessive indulgence damaging their essence, leading to uncontained essence and seminal emission, sinusitis, women with blood depletion and infertility, blood depletion amenorrhea, kidney deficiency with dribbling urination, blood deficiency with dry stool accumulation, yin deficiency with bitter mouth and dry tongue, heart channel heat with chaotic dreams, lower body dampness-heat with heavy and sluggish movement, dampness-heat wilting impediment, dampness-heat

Bencao Mengquan: Pungent and sweet in taste, warm and very hot in nature. It is floating, representing yang within yang. It is highly toxic. It is derived from the Aconite Mother Root, hence named Aconite Lateral Root. It is incompatible with Ginseng, Astragalus Root, Liquorice Root, and Saposhnikovia Root. It is averse to centipede. Its nature is floating yet contains sinking properties, specializing in moving rather than staying. When combined with other herbs, it can facilitate the passage through various meridians, serving as a guiding and assisting agent. It alleviates cold extremities and dispels deep cold from the five zang-organs. For locked jaw, grind into powder and blow into the goose pipe; for boils and sores, mix with strong vinegar and apply. For persistent aphtha, mix with vinegar and flour, apply to the soles; for sudden swelling from beriberi, mix with vinegar juice and apply to the affected area. For fistula disease, slice into coin-sized pieces, seal and apply moxibustion. It warms the knees and strengthens walking, fortifies bones and muscles, and strengthens yin. In the Eight-Ingredient Pill, it enhances primordial yang and benefits the kidneys. Without Aconite Lateral Root, lower energizer yang deficiency cannot be treated, hence the Eight-Ingredient Pill includes cinnamon and aconite to tonify kidney yang; the Six-Ingredient Pill excludes them to tonify kidney yin. Zhu Danxi said: Adding it as a guide for Shaoyin may not be correct. In the Atractylodes and Aconite Decoction, it disperses cold-dampness and warms the spleen. For true cold in the yin meridians, the Ginger and Aconite Decoction can be used. This must be used raw, not processed. It assists Ginseng and Astragalus in achieving success, and Rehmannia in building efficacy. For severe internal heat, use promptly without hesitation. This herb treats external contraction syndromes; unless the whole body is cold and the limbs are cold, it should not be used indiscriminately. As the classic says: Strong fire consumes qi. For internal damage syndromes, even with severe exterior heat and thin pulse due to qi deficiency, it is appropriate to use promptly. As the classic says: Warmth can eliminate great heat. Common doctors do not know this and mistakenly use it as a tonic formula. Using it daily can be fatal. Pregnant women should avoid it as it can cause early abortion. The root harvested at the Beginning of Spring (1st solar term) is called Aconite Mother Root. Its properties and processing are the same as Aconite Lateral Root. Benjing says: Harvested in spring is Aconite Mother Root, in winter is Aconite Lateral Root. Avoid fermented soybean juice, averse to false hellebore. Incompatible with Pineilia Trichosanthis Fruit, Fritillaria Bulb, and Japanese Ampelopsis Root. Common Bletilla Pseudobulb and Japanese Ampelopsis Root. Milkwort Root as a guide, passes through all meridians. Treats migratory impediment, dispels wind phlegm, disperses cold evil, alleviates cold pain. Breaks stagnant qi, removes epigastric fullness. Also causes early abortion, pregnant women must avoid. Soft extract named Shewang must be recognized, applying or decocting can kill birds and beasts. If mistakenly ingested, chew Liquorice Root immediately. Blue-green algae can also neutralize it.

《Materia Medica Chenya》: Aconite Lateral Root, Big Aconite Root, and side roots are seeds of Aconite Mother Root. Those growing singularly are called Big Aconite Root, those growing laterally are called Aconite Lateral Root, those growing sideways are called side roots. Side roots are Qingyang, Aconite Lateral Root is Xianming, Big Aconite Root is Juyang. Hence Aconite Lateral Root governs Xianming, moistens all tendons, binds bones and facilitates joints. Xianming yang deficiency leads to slack tendons, causing limpness, contracture, knee pain, and inability to walk. It also governs pectoral qi failing to regulate breathing, causing cough, and blood losing qi control, causing abdominal masses. All these are due to wind-cold and cold-dampness causing impediment, leading to heat symptoms. If lung heat causes leaf scorching, leading to limpness, it should be avoided. For deep cough, dead cold-dampness qi, slack joints, and solidified masses, only true fire transformation can open unblocking ears.

Qingyang is Shaoyang; Xianming is Yangming; Juyang is Taiyang. Xianming yang deficiency limpness and Taiyin yin deficiency limpness differ by a hair's breadth but are vastly different.

Yaoxing Jie: Black Aconite Lateral Root, pungent and sweet in taste, very hot in nature, highly toxic, passes through all meridians. Treats deep cold in six fu-organs, three heat reversals, abdominal masses, cold-dampness contracture, cholera muscle cramps, weak knees, and causes early abortion. Earthworm as a guide, averse to centipede, incompatible with Ginseng, Liquorice Root, Astragalus Root, Saposhnikovia Root, and black soybean.

Note: Aconite Lateral Root is yang within yang, its nature is floating not sinking, its use is moving not staying, hence it enters all meridians, suitable for early abortion and dispelling abdominal mass diseases. Pungent and sweet, very hot, it can tonify the failing fire of the life gate to generate spleen earth, hence Zhang Zhongjing used it in Cold-Extremities Decoction to restore kidney qi, in Middle-Regulating Decoction to tonify the spleen, and in Eight-Ingredient Pill to tonify the kidneys and spleen. Like a fierce general, used well it achieves quick success, used poorly it causes great harm. Zhu Danxi thought Zhang Zhongjing used it to move Rehmannia's stagnation without tonifying, but ancient formulas using black aconite alone can restore yang, can it not tonify? Zhu Danxi's words are not entirely correct. However, he may have been cautioning against misuse. Properly processed, its toxicity is removed and it moves downward. For chronic cold yang collapse, lightly roast it.

Yaojian: Pungent in taste and hot in nature, highly toxic, with strong aroma and flavor, floating in nature, yin within yang. Its nature is floating and not sinking, its function is moving and not stationary. Attaches to the deep cold of the six fu-organs, replenishes the cold extremities of the three yin. Zhongjing's Eight-Ingredient Pill uses it as a guide for the Shaoyin, precisely taking advantage of its vigorous and purgative nature to move the stagnation of Rehmannia. People think it is for tonification, but that is a mistake. When used in blood medicines, it can move the meridians and tonify blood. When used in qi medicines, it can move the meridians and tonify qi. It should not be used lightly for conditions that are not severely deficient and cold. Pregnant women should not use it.

Jingyue Quanshu: The taste is pungent and sweet, pickled ones are very salty, the nature is very hot, yang within yang. It is toxic. It is incompatible with Ginseng, Astragalus Root, Liquorice Root, black soybean, Mung Bean, Rhinoceros Horn, child's urine, common wedgelet fern leaf, Saposhnikovia Root. Its nature is floating yet contains sinking, it moves and does not stay. Because it is good at moving through the meridians, it is said to have the same effect as alcohol. It can remove deep cold from the exterior and interior, cold extremities and chills, warm the middle and strengthen yin, warm the five zang-organs, restore yang qi, relieve vomiting, hiccups, cholera, regurgitation, dysphagia, heart and abdominal pain, distension, diarrhea, limb spasms, cold and damp evils, stomach cold and roundworms, cold phlegm and cold abdominal colic, wind-dampness and paralysis, yin abscesses and carbuncles, long-standing fistula disease and cold sores, repel yang pharyngitis, yang deficiency and difficulty in urination and defecation, as well as women's menstrual cold and irregularity, and children's slow fright. It greatly helps to bring fire back to its source, subdues deficient heat, assists Ginseng and Astragalus in their effects, and especially enhances the efficacy of Atractylodes and Rehmannia. Whether it is an exterior or interior pattern, as long as the pulse is thin and spiritless, and there is qi deficiency without excess, it should be urgently used. Therefore, Yu Tuan said: Aconite Lateral Root possesses a strong and vigorous quality, has the energy to break through barriers and seize generals, leads qi tonics through the twelve meridians to recover scattered and lost primordial yang; leads blood tonics into the blood aspect to nourish insufficient true yin; leads dispersing medicines to open the striae and interstices to expel wind-cold on the exterior; leads warming medicines to the lower energizer to remove cold dampness in the interior. Wu Shou said: Aconite Lateral Root is an essential medicine for yin pattern, for all cold-damage disease transmission and change in the three yin, and for cold in the middle with yin, even if the body is very hot but the pulse is deep, it must be used; or if there is cold extremities and a deep thin pulse, it is especially urgent to use it, as it has the power to retreat yin and restore yang, and the ability to bring the dead back to life. In recent times, yin pattern cold-damage disease is often suspected but not dared to be used, truly waiting until yin is extreme and yang is exhausted before using it, it is already too late. Moreover, for cold-damage disease with yin, both interior and exterior are yin, if this is not used, what else can save it? The words of these two gentlemen are very true and must be carefully considered. However, it is contraindicated in pregnancy as it can quickly induce abortion. Mixed with scallion juice and stuffed into the ears, it can also treat deafness.

The preparation method of Aconite Lateral Root, according to ancient texts, includes boiling with child's urine alone, using ginger juice and salt water, using Liquorice Root and Coptis Rhizome, or using several ingredients together, among which the appropriateness should be carefully discerned. The nature of Aconite Lateral Root is hot and fiercely urgent, it moves and does not stay, locals pickle it with heavy salt, so its taste is salty and its nature is descending. The reason we use it now is precisely to use its hot nature to restore primordial yang, to supplement the spleen and kidney, to assist the effects of Ginseng, Astragalus, and Prepared Rehmannia Root, etc. If it is prepared with Coptis Rhizome, how can it be used to restore yang? If prepared with salt water, it will instead assist its descending nature. If prepared with child's urine, it will inevitably carry the smell of urine, not only further assisting its descent, but also for those with great spleen qi deficiency, it is very easy to cause vomiting and hiccups, as soon as the smell is detected, it will cause nausea, so the medicine has not yet entered the mouth, but the harm has already been done, and its sinking is especially fast, how can it reach the spleen? Only the preparation with ginger juice is quite appropriate, but as it uses pungent to assist pungent, it seems to lack balance, if it is indeed for direct attack on pudendal coldness and other syndromes, and the heat is desired, this method is good; but for regular use and to obtain its tonic properties, this is not necessary.

The use of Liquorice Root is not restricted, generally it is used according to the amount of Aconite Lateral Root. The reason Liquorice Root must be used is because the nature of Aconite Lateral Root is urgent, and it becomes gentle after being combined with Liquorice Root; the nature of Aconite Lateral Root is toxic, and it is detoxified after being combined with Liquorice Root; the nature of Aconite Lateral Root is moving, and it benefits the heart and spleen after being combined with Liquorice Root; the nature of Aconite Lateral Root is dispersing, and it regulates nutrient-defense after being combined with Liquorice Root, this is nothing else, but to assist with benevolence and then achieve its courage.

Also, for medicines with toxic nature, how can they not be avoided? Even as the "materia medica" says some are toxic, some are not, I strongly disagree, and do not know that there is no medicine without toxicity. Therefore, hot ones have heat toxin, cold ones have cold toxin, if used appropriately, anything that can cause illness is nothing but toxin. Even like daily tea and rice, which are originally the right flavors to nourish people, if overused or misused, they can also poison people, let alone medicines with biased flavors and natures? But the toxicity has its size, and the use has its expediency, this must be carefully considered. Moreover, the nature of Aconite Lateral Root, although said to be toxic, is actually not very toxic, but if prepared correctly and used appropriately, what toxicity is there? Nowadays, people do not know its wonders, and even fear Ginseng and Prepared Rehmannia Root together. Ginseng, Prepared Rehmannia Root, Aconite Lateral Root, and Rhubarb Rhizoma are actually the four pillars of medicine, when the disease becomes fearful, and the situation is beyond the help of ordinary means, these four things are indispensable, if one hesitates, it will surely delay the matter. Nowadays, people only use Aconite Lateral Root when absolutely necessary, but by then it is already too late. If it is too late, then they blame it, is Aconite Lateral Root really a useless thing?

Alas! The reason why humans live is due to yang qi, healthy qi. The reason why humans die is due to yin qi, pathogenic qi. Ginseng and Prepared Rehmannia Root are the good ministers of a peaceful world; Aconite Lateral Root and Rhubarb Rhizoma are the good generals of a chaotic world. Soldiers cannot be used for long, so good generals are used temporarily; chaos cannot be forgotten, so good ministers are indispensable. Moreover, although Aconite Lateral Root is fierce, its nature supports yang, and it is not comparable to nitre and rhubarb; nitre and rhubarb seem mild, but their nature is yin and purgative, and they are not comparable to cinnamon and aconite. Hua Yuan-hua said: Those who obtain yang will live, those who obtain yin will die. Neijing says: If the gates are not guarded, people tread on Mirabilite and Rhubarb Rhizoma as if on a smooth road, and regard Ginseng, Aconite, and Prepared Rehmannia Root as snakes and scorpions. Is this foolishness? Or wisdom?

Bencao Beiyao: Greatly drying, restoring yang, tonifying kidney and life-gate fire, expelling wind-cold dampness.

Aconite Lateral Root is pungent, sweet, toxic, extremely hot, and purely yang in nature. Its property is floating rather than sinking, and its function is moving rather than staying, traversing the twelve meridians and reaching everywhere. It can guide qi tonics to restore scattered primordial yang, guide blood tonics to nourish insufficient true yin, and guide dispersing herbs to open the striae and interstices, expelling wind-cold on the exterior. When combined with Dried Ginger and Cinnamon Twig, it warms the meridians and dissipates cold to induce sweating. It guides warming herbs to reach the lower energizer, expelling cold-dampness in the interior. It can also guide fire downward. It is also used in paste form applied to the soles of the feet. When included in the Eight-Ingredient Pill, it assists Rehmannia and others in tonifying yin. It treats three yin cold-damage diseases. Wu Shou said: Aconite Lateral Root is an essential herb for yin pattern. In all cases of cold-damage disease transmission and transformation into the three yin, with cold in the middle and yin involvement, where the body is extremely hot but the pulse is deep and thin; or in cases of Jueyin abdominal pain, severe to the point of blue lips and retracted scrotum, it must be used urgently. If one waits until yin is extreme and yang is exhausted before using it, it is already too late. Li Dongyuan treated exuberant yin repelling yang, cold-damage disease with a red face and eyes, extreme thirst, and a pulse of seven or eight beats, but which disperses upon pressure, by adding half a catty of Ginseng to the Ginger and Aconite Decoction, resulting in sweating and recovery. This is the divine and sagely method. Cold in the middle apoplexy, apoplexy is called "strike," gradual damage is called "damage." Mild cases are common cold, severe cases are damage, and even more severe cases are strike. Qi syncope and phlegm syncope, those with deficiency-cold and reversal should use it. In cases of cold-damage disease with exuberant yang repelling yin, a cold body and hidden pulse, heat reversal resembling cold, mistaken use will lead to immediate death. Appropriate formulas include Chengqi and Baihu Decoctions. Cough due to wind-cold. Vomiting and hiccups, stomach cold. Diaphragm obstruction, diaphragm obstruction is often caused by qi and blood deficiency, stomach cold, and stomach withering. Liquids can go down but food cannot, indicating withering at the pharynx, the epiglottis in the throat; food goes down but causes epigastric pain and is soon vomited, indicating withering at the cardia, the upper opening of the stomach, this is the upper energizer, called obstruction; food goes down and is vomited after a long time, indicating withering at the pylorus, the lower opening of the stomach, this is the middle energizer, called diaphragm; eating in the morning and vomiting in the evening, indicating withering at the ileocecal valve, the lower opening of the large and small intestines, this is the lower energizer, called counterflow stomach. There are also cases of phlegm-fluid retention, food accumulation, and static blood obstructing appetite, such as cold phlegm and stomach cold, which should be treated with Ginger, Aconite, Ginseng, and Atractylodes; stomach withering should be moistened, using Four Substances and Cow Lance Asiabel Root, with blood stasis adding leek juice. This should be compared with the sections on leek juice and cow's milk for treatment. Spleen diarrhea, insufficient life fire. Cold dysentery and cold diarrhea, cholera with muscle cramps, deficiency-cold of the spleen invading the middle energizer causing cholera, cold invading the lower energizer liver and kidney causing muscle cramps. Heat cholera is contraindicated. Spasms and migratory impediment, abdominal masses, abdominal masses, Governing Vessel disease, stiff spine and reversal, children's slow fright, smallpox with gray-white color, Yongju not closing, all types of deep cold and stubborn cold syndromes, the Classic says: yin exuberance leading to internal cold, yang deficiency generating external cold. Assisting yang and repelling yin, killing evil and dispelling ghosts, not recorded in the Materia Medica. Unblocking meridians and early abortion. For all yin pattern using Ginger and Aconite, the medicine should be taken cold, using heat for cold. Because pudendal coldness is below, deficient yang floats upward, treating with cold increases yin; treating with heat causes rejection. Using hot medicine cold, after swallowing, the cold body dissipates and the hot nature is released, achieving great benefit without conflict, this is the wonder of contrary treatment. There is also using cold medicine hot for heat syndromes, this is using cold for heat, the principle is the same. The Classic says: treat the normal with normal methods, treat the contrary with contrary methods. Using cold to treat heat, using heat to treat cold, this is normal treatment; or using cold to treat cold, using heat to treat heat, this is contrary treatment. The Classic says one must subdue the main and first address the cause, using cold or hot medicine as corrigents to guide, also called following treatment. Wang Haogu said: using Aconite Lateral Root to supplement fire must guard against drying water. For yin-deficient individuals, long-term use of yang-tonifying medicine will increase deficient yang, deplete true yin, dry up essence and blood daily, and qi will have nothing to attach to, leading to many untreatable cases. Used raw for dispersing, used cooked for drastic tonification. Zhao Sizhen said: Zhang Zhongjing's Ephedra, Asarum, and Aconite Decoction uses cooked Aconite with Ephedra, combining exterior-relieving with tonifying medicinals; Cold-Extremities Decoction uses raw Aconite with Dried Ginger, subtly combining tonification with dispersing. Zhu Danxi said: Aconite Lateral Root moves through the meridians, Zhang Zhongjing's Eight-Ingredient Pill uses it as a guide for Shaoyin, later generations mistakenly used it as a tonic. Aconite Lateral Root moves and does not stay, using its vigorous nature to move downward and unblock Rehmannia's stagnation. Habitually used as a wind medicine and tonic, it has killed many. Ang notes: Aconite Lateral Root is sweet and hot in nature, drastically tonifying primordial yang, reviving those with faint yang on the verge of extinction, nothing else can achieve this, hence Zhang Zhongjing's Sini, Zhenwu, and Bailong Decoctions frequently use it. It greatly benefits the people, and the ancients used it daily in common formulas, it is not a forbidden herb, Zhu Danxi only considered it a meridian-moving herb, and using it as a tonic has killed many, his words are excessive. Zhu Danxi's method emphasizes enriching yin, hence he often criticizes yang herbs, this is his bias. Wang Jiezhai said: qi deficiency uses Four Gentlemen Decoction, blood deficiency uses Four Ingredients Decoction, extreme deficiency should add cooked Aconite.The four monarchs and four substances are mild and gentle formulas, which require the robust nature of Aconite Lateral Root to be effective. Aconite Lateral Root, a hot medicinal herb, is generally not to be used lightly, but when the illness demands it, it can be used even during the hot summer. It is incompatible with Ginseng, Astragalus Root, Liquorice Root, Saposhnikovia Root, Rhinoceros Horn, Mung Bean, and child's urine, and antagonistic to Fritillaria Bulb, Pinellia, Trichosanthis Fruit, Common Bletilla Tuber, and Japanese Ampelopsis Root. For those poisoned by it, a decoction of Coptis Rhizome, Rhinoceros Horn, and Liquorice Root can be used as an antidote, and yellow earth water can also be used to counteract the poison.

Benjing Fengyuan: Aconite Lateral Root has a strong and pungent flavor, capable of traversing all twelve meridians without obstruction. It warms the spleen and stomach, alleviates diaphragm blockage, replenishes the life gate, and rescues yang deficiency. It relieves cold pain in the heart, abdomen, waist, and knees, opens blockages in the limbs caused by dampness and weakness, treats persistent hiccups from cold-damage disease, strengthens the Governor Vessel and spine, and rescues severe cold abdominal colic. It also helps in healing chronic ulcers that do not close and treats weak spleen and slow convulsions in children, but it must be processed before use. Aconite Lateral Root is a crucial herb for yin syndromes, especially for cold-damage disease with yin syndrome, cold extremities, direct attack on the three yin meridians, and cold in the middle with yin. Even if there is body heat with a deep and thin pulse, or a floating and weak pulse, this herb is indispensable. For cases of cold abdominal pain with a deep and thin pulse, or even cyanotic lips and retracted scrotum, raw Aconite must be used urgently to warm and disperse the cold. Benjing treats wind-cold cough, which is likely a mistake for pudendal coldness hiccup. The conditions treated by Benjing are all caused by pudendal coldness invading due to deficiency. Its treatment of incised wounds is for chronic wounds with qi and blood deficiency and cold, which fail to heal, not for fresh bleeding wounds. Bielu also mentions its use for wind-cold in the waist and spine, weak and painful legs, and cold pain in the heart and abdomen, all relying on its ability to warm the meridians and dissipate cold. Aconite Lateral Root, with its robust nature, can break through blockages and guide qi tonics through the twelve meridians to restore scattered yang. It leads blood tonics into the blood aspect to nourish insufficient true yin, disperses wind-cold on the surface, and guides warming herbs to the lower energizer to expel internal cold-dampness. When paired with White Atractylodes Rhizome, it becomes a supreme remedy for cold-dampness, but raw Aconite is necessary to open the meridians. For severe qi deficiency with heat, cooked Aconite should be used with ginseng and astragalus to enhance their effects. Obese individuals with dampness should also use a small amount of Aconite to move through the meridians. Aconite Lateral Root combined with Dried Ginger and Prepared Liquorice Root forms the Cold-Extremities Decoction, treating cold syndromes of the shaoyin meridian. With Cinnamon Twig, Liquorice Root, ginger, and jujube, it forms the Cinnamon Twig and Aconite Decoction, treating mutual contention of wind and dampness, body pain, and inability to turn. With White Atractylodes Rhizome, Liquorice Root, ginger, and jujube, it forms the Atractylodes and Aconite Decoction, treating wind deficiency with severe dizziness. With Ephedra and Asarum, it forms the Ephedra, Asarum and Aconite Decoction, treating shaoyin disease fever with a deep pulse. With Rhubarb Rhizoma, Scutellaria, and Coptis, it forms the Aconite Heart-Draining Decoction, treating epigastric fullness with chills and sweating. With Rhubarb Rhizoma and Asarum, it forms the Rhubarb and Aconite Decoction, treating lateral pain with fever and a tight pulse. With ginseng, Atractylodes, Poria, and Peony Root, it forms the Aconite Decoction, treating shaoyin disease with back chills. With Poria, White Atractylodes Rhizome, Peony Root, and Fresh Ginger Rhizome, it forms the True Warrior Decoction, treating shaoyin disease with abdominal pain, dysuria, and limb pain. With Dried Ginger and Fistular Onion Stalk, it forms the White Unblocking Decoction, treating shaoyang disease with diarrhea and a faint pulse, or cold extremities without a pulse, retching, and a red face, adding Fistular Onion Stalk to unblock yang qi. These combinations are miraculous, capable of reviving the dying, with raw or cooked Aconite used as per the formula. Zhao Sizhen said: raw Aconite with Dried Ginger tonifies while dispersing; cooked Aconite with Ephedra combines exterior-relieving with tonifying. Whether to use raw or cooked depends on the situation. The Eight-Ingredient Pill by Cui Shi uses Aconite as a guide for the shaoyin meridian, but later generations mistakenly consider it a tonic. Li Dongyuan treated exuberant yin repelling yang with a red face and eyes, excessive thirst, and a rapid but scattered pulse using Dried Ginger and Aconite Decoction with half a jin of ginseng, achieving a cure with sweating. Li Shizhen noted that for pudendal coldness below and deficient yang above, treating with cold worsens yin qi, while treating with heat is rejected. Taking hot medicine cold allows the cold nature to dissipate and the hot nature to act, curing the pestilent qi. This is the method of using heat for cold. Aconite Lateral Root is heavy and warms the spleen to expel cold; Aconite Mother Root is ascending and warms the spleen to dispel wind. For cold diseases, use Aconite Lateral Root; for wind diseases, use Aconite Mother Root. Both are moving and not stationary, hence early abortion is the chief of all medicines. However, for pregnancy with a tight pulse, fever, fetal distension, chills, and a cold lower abdomen, the "Golden Chamber" uses Aconite Decoction to stabilize the fetus, a divine application. For cold-damage disease with fever and headache resolved, but heat transmitted to the three yin meridians causing cold extremities and a deep pulse, this is a sign of deep cold with deep heat, typically starting with fever and headache, then after seven to ten days, cold extremities and a deep pulse appear. This is heat reversal, with constipation. Misuse for pestilence with heat hidden in cold extremities, or yin deficiency with internal heat, and fire stagnation causing chills, leads to rapid deterioration. Aconite Lateral Root is essential for restoring yang from yin, but modern doubts delay its use until yin is extreme and yang is exhausted, too late. For yin headache, cold feet, upper heat and lower cold, internal yin pathogen excess, and external yang qi deficiency, urgently use ginseng to strengthen the pulse and Aconite Lateral Root to warm the meridians and dispel cold. Without this, what else can save?

Bencao Chongyuan: Aconite Lateral Root possesses a robust constitution and a warm, hot nature, hence it is highly toxic. Benjing lists it as a lower-grade medicine, with most being highly toxic or toxic, Suwen refers to such toxic medicines as attacking pathogens. By attacking the pathogens, the healthy qi is restored, thus attacking is also a way of supplementing. Aconite Lateral Root is pungent in taste and warm in nature, born in the bright red waters, inheriting the great heat qi, and enhancing the taiyang's superficial yang, assisting the shaoyang's fire heat. The taiyang's yang heat qi, if not circulating through the skin and hair of the entire body, will result in wind-cold cough pathogenic qi. Aconite Lateral Root enhances the taiyang's superficial yang, hence it can treat it. The shaoyang's fire heat qi, if not moving through the joints of the muscles, will result in cold-dampness causing lameness, spasms, knee pain, and inability to walk. Aconite Lateral Root assists the shaoyang's fire heat, hence it can treat it. Abdominal masses are due to yang qi deficiency and cold qi congealing internally. Blood stasis is due to yin blood accumulating to form stasis. Incised wounds are due to knife and axe injuries leading to ulceration. Aconite Lateral Root possesses warm heat qi to disperse pudendal coldness, inherits yang fire qi to grow muscles, hence it can treat all these conditions.

When the internal fire of a mortal declines and the yang qi disperses outward, it is urgent to use processed Aconite Lateral Root to support the source of fire, allowing the divine mechanism to ascend without collapsing downward and to circulate without escaping outward. Treating the condition at its early stage yields relatively easy success. Unfortunately, worldly physicians do not understand medical principles or recognize the mechanism of disease. They wait until the pulse fades, the body turns cold, and the spirit departs, leaving only the corporeal form, before claiming that Aconite Lateral Root should be used. Aconite Lateral Root is a remedy for illness; how can it restore life? Some even practice medicine their entire lives yet forever regard Aconite Lateral Root as a venomous snake or scorpion. They often warn others, saying: "Aconite Lateral Root must not be consumed. If taken, it will cause madness and bleeding from the nine orifices; it will ignite internal fire, leading to sudden abscesses and toxins; it will rot the five zang-organs internally, and the poison will manifest the following year." Alas! How can such physicians treat cases requiring Aconite Lateral Root? Would they willingly step back for the sake of benefit and reputation, admitting their deficiency? Would they humbly acknowledge their mediocrity and recommend skilled practitioners to remedy the situation? Instead, they persist with ineffective treatments until the patient's vitality deteriorates, and by then, even an elixir of immortality would be powerless to save them. A virtuous physician, moved by compassion and unwilling to stand by and watch the patient die, might cautiously administer Aconite Lateral Root as a last resort. If it works, it is a success; if not, it is not the fault of the later physician. The former physician, fearing the latter's success, secretly wishes for the patient's death, then shifts the blame posthumously, claiming the death was caused by consuming Aconite Lateral Root. Alas, if such a physician possesses any conscience at all! A physician who does not comprehend the classics is no better than an ox or horse dressed in human robes—how can they be called a physician?

When using Aconite Lateral Root, only those weighing over one tael are potent. The weight of the lateral roots must be excluded. Locals, seeking to increase the weight, flatten the lateral roots with wooden cups, so that even those weighing one tael and five or six mace are considered acceptable. Fearing that southerners might cultivate it, they preserve the roots with Rong salt before flattening them in cups. Thus, Aconite Lateral Root, originally without a salty taste, becomes salty due to the salt treatment. The method of preparing Aconite Lateral Root involves peeling off the skin and navel with a knife, cutting it into four pieces, slicing it, and soaking it twice in boiling water to remove the saltiness and toxicity. It is then half-dried and stir-fried in a copper vessel before use. In ancient times, medicinal substances were prepared according to the governing annual qi. When fire qi governed the year, warm and hot medicines were prepared. The *Classic* states: "Preparing substances according to the annual qi ensures their potency; otherwise, their qi disperses." Later generations, unable to prepare medicines as in ancient times, introduced the method of roasting Aconite Lateral Root with fire. In recent times, it has been boiled in boys' urine, a practice perpetuated by misinformation and habitual ignorance of its inappropriateness.

Bencao Qiuzhen: [Comment] It replenishes the life-gate fire and expels cold reversal.

Aconite Lateral Root specializes in entering the life gate. It is pungent in taste, extremely hot, purely yang, and toxic. Its nature is to move and not to stay. Haogu said: Its nature is to move and not to stay, unlike Dried Ginger which stops and does not move. It circulates through the twelve meridians, reaching everywhere, and is the primary essential agent for replenishing the true fire of the innate life gate. For all conditions of deep-seated cold and stubborn coldness, its use is invariably effective. Wu Huan said: Aconite Lateral Root is a crucial medicine for yin syndromes. For all cold-damage disease transmissions and changes in the three yin, or yin cold in the middle with yin, even if the body is very hot but the pulse is deep, it must be used. Or for cold extremities with abdominal pain, deep and thin pulse, even to the point of blue lips and retracted scrotum, it must be urgently used. It has the power to retreat yin and restore yang, and the ability to revive the dead. In recent times, for yin syndrome cold-damage disease, it is often suspected and not dared to use Aconite Lateral Root, waiting until yin is extreme and yang is exhausted before using it, which is already too late. Moreover, for cold-damage disease with yin, both internally and externally yin, yang qi suddenly declines, it is necessary to urgently use Ginseng to benefit its source, assisted by Aconite Lateral Root to warm the meridians and dissipate cold. If this is not used, how can it be saved! Therefore, the books all record that it can treat cold toxin and cold extremities. The book says, when yin and yang do not connect smoothly, it is called reversal. It also says, reversal means exhaustion, and counterflow means disorder. That is, it refers to the defeat and disorder of blood and qi. All reversals have yang and yin, but observe the initial onset of cold-damage disease, headache, fever, and chills, later cold extremities, occasional warmth, dry and solid stool, delirious speech, thirst, waving hands and throwing feet, not fearing cold but fearing heat, pulse deep, slippery, and rapid, strong on heavy pressure, this is heat reversal, and should be treated with Chengqi, Baihu, etc. If at the onset there is no body heat or headache but fear of cold, cold extremities directly past the elbows and knees not warming, blue-black lips and nails, wanting to pull clothes and curl up, clear and smooth urination and defecation, no thirst, or abdominal pain with diarrhea of clear grains, or shivering face as if scraped by a knife, or spitting saliva, or retching hiccup, pulse deep, thin, and weak, this is called cold reversal, and should be treated with Aconite Middle-Regulating Decoction, Cold-Extremities Decoction. Hiccup, vomiting hiccup, cold hiccup syndrome is not singular, there is mistaken ingestion of cold, water retention in the heart causing qi counterflow and hiccup; there is yang qi decline, internal cold forcing ministerial fire to rush up and hiccup; there is occasional ingestion of raw cold, yang qi unable to stretch and hiccup; there is pudendal coldness directly attacking the stomach, causing qi unable to stretch and hiccup; there is post-vomiting and diarrhea, stomach qi deficiency cold and hiccup. The classic says: deep illness must cause hiccup, mostly belonging to stomach deficiency cold. Diaphragm obstruction and spleen diarrhea, food reaching the throat and returning, is withering in the pharynx and epiglottis, the symptom is called obstruction; food descending to the stomach, shortly vomited, is withering in the cardia, the upper mouth of the stomach, the symptom is called diaphragm; food descending for a long time then vomited, is withering in the pylorus, the lower mouth of the stomach, the symptom is called stomach reflux. Reviewing various books, all consider dysphagia as having fire, stomach reflux as having no fire, and Shicai also says to observe the pulse large and strong, vomiting sour and foul, should be treated as heat; pulse small and weak, vomiting clear water, should be treated as cold; color yellow-white and withered is deficiency cold; color red and lustrous is excess heat, able to combine color and pulse, almost no error. Wang Ang said: spleen diarrhea is insufficient life fire. Cold dysentery and cold diarrhea, cholera muscle cramps, spasms and migratory impediment, abdominal masses, governor vessel disease, spine stiffness and reversal, children's slow fright, smallpox gray-white, Yongju not closing, all belong to cold. When it enters qi tonics, it chases lost primordial yang; when it enters dispersing medicines, it can open striae and interstices to expel external wind-cold; when it enters warming medicines, it can expel internal cold-dampness. Yu Tuan alone writes, entering blood tonics, it can nourish insufficient true yin, as yin and yang depend on each other, tonifying yang is thus enriching yin. If water is deficient and fire is excessive, using pungent heat and pure yang, does it not make fire more excessive and water more deficient! Haogu said: if not body cool and cold extremities, do not presumptuously use Aconite Lateral Root to supplement fire, must prevent drying water. Therefore, in Cui's Eight-Ingredient Pill, this is used as a guide to tonify yin, making yin follow yang to recover. However, Danxi says it is fierce and not supplementing, and even kills, his words seem wrong. The Prince of Jingfu Douchang, thin and cold, no other illness, daily drinks Aconite Lateral Root decoction, also chews Sulfur, thus for several years. Qizhou Guard Zhang Baihu, lifelong takes Pilose Antler, Aconite Lateral Root medicine, to eighty years old healthy beyond normal. Song Zhang GaoYishuo records Zhao prefect indulging in wine and women, daily decocts Dried Ginger and cooked Aconite Lateral Root soup, swallows Sulfur Golden Liquid Pill hundred doses, then can eat heartily, otherwise weak and unable to support, lives to ninety. Others take one pill and are harmed, but these few people, all their zang-fu organs have biased endowments, taking it benefits without harm, cannot be generalized by common principles. But extreme yin appearing as yang, taking it should not be hot. Shizhen said: pudendal coldness below, deficient yang floating above, treating with cold makes yin qi more severe and illness increases; treating with heat makes it reject and not accept.Hot medicine taken cold, once swallowed, the coldness dissipates and the heat nature is released, thus the pestilent qi is cured. Without violating its nature, it enhances the fire, this is the wonder of contrary treatment. For dispersing, Aconite Lateral Root must be used raw, as in Cold-Extremities Decoction, where raw Aconite is paired with Dried Ginger; for tonifying, Aconite Lateral Root should be used cooked, as in Zhongjing's Ephedra, Asarum and Aconite Decoction, where cooked Aconite is paired with Ephedra.

Depei Bencao: Fear Saposhnikovia Root, Liquorice Root, Ginseng, Astragalus Root, black soybean, Mung Bean, child's urine, Rhinoceros Horn. Dislike centipede, avoid fermented soybean juice.

Extremely pungent and hot, highly toxic. Enters the hand Shaoyin meridian, circulates through the twelve meridians. Governs six fu-organs deep cold, reverses three cold reversals. The fierce and vigorous nature, the energy to break through barriers, not suitable for Great Cold (24th solar term) direct attack on yin meridians, and true yang deficiency nearing collapse, should not be used lightly.

Leads qi tonics to recover lost primordial yang; leads blood tonics to nourish insufficient true yin; leads dispersing herbs to expel external wind-cold; leads warming herbs to remove internal cold-dampness.

Combined with Pricklyash Peel and salt, descends to protect the life gate. Paired with Dried Ginger, treats cold in the middle causing drowsiness; paired with black gardenia, treats cold abdominal colic and various pains; paired with Fresh Ginger Rhizome, treats kidney syncope headache; paired with meat fruit porridge pills, treats visceral cold and spleen leakage; paired with White Atractylodes Rhizome, treats cold-dampness; paired with Pineilia and Fresh Ginger Rhizome, treats cold phlegm in the stomach; paired with Alisma and rush pith, treats virtual blockage of urination; can be used if both chi pulses are deep. Paired with Prepared Gypsum in equal parts as powder, with a little musk, taken with tea or wine, treats headache. Combined with Schizonepeta, treats postpartum spasm and convulsion; best used raw, if blood deficiency generates heat, and heat generates wind, taking it will cause immediate death. Combined with Cassia Bark, supplements life gate ministerial fire.

For restoring yang, processed with child's urine; for strengthening the exterior, wrapped in dough and roasted. Also a method. Or used with honey moxibustion, or used as a Fried-Honey Anal plug.

For those poisoned by it, raw Liquorice Root, Rhinoceros Horn, and Sichuan Coptis, decocted and taken can detoxify.

Strange symptoms: convex swelling of the soles of the feet, head black and hard like a nail, shin bones with broken holes, continuous outflow of bone marrow, body shivering with cold, only wanting to drink alcohol, not wanting to eat, this is the liver and kidney's cold and heat swallowing each other. Use processed Aconite Lateral Root ground into powder and applied, internally take leek seed soup, effective.

The world only sees yang deficiency without heat, taking it has the power to revive from death, but does not know that yin deficiency with moving fire, swallowing it has no method to save from death. Why is Aconite Lateral Root considered a tonic formula, the weak cannot do without it. Because seeing water deficiency and fire inflammation, enriching yin often does not show effect, often thinking that cold and cool damage the stomach. Warming and tonifying can remove great heat, must use ginseng and aconite, then see results. After long use of cool tonics, temporarily take one or two, or temporarily feel refreshed, who knows that internal fire once rises, the harm is extraordinary, even if cool tonics are taken again, seeking the previous peace and well-being is impossible. Also see cold-damage disease yang pattern, seasonal epidemic fire pattern, mostly cold extremities, tongue coating pink-white, likes hot drinks, greatly dislikes cold and cool, mistakenly recognized as internal true cold, external false heat, taking aconite and cinnamon to assist the fire of the life gate, and saying that floating fire, aconite and cinnamon lead it, and the fire naturally returns to the source. Thus, wrongfully killing people, countless.

Shennong Bencao Jingdu: Suwen says to use toxic herbs to attack pathogens, is a wonderful hand to revive life, later generations established methods of tonifying and nourishing, is a clever technique of ambiguity, after all attacking the pathogen and healthy qi recovers, is attacking to tonify.

Aconite Lateral Root tastes pungent and is warm in nature, the fire nature is quickly released, reaches everywhere, therefore it is the first-grade herb for restoring yang to save from collapse.

Benjing says: "wind-cold cough pathogenic qi", is cold pathogen reversing upwards to the burner; "cold-dampness wilting and contraction, knee pain unable to walk", is pathogenic qi attaching to the lower energizer bones and tendons; "abdominal mass and blood stasis," is cold qi congealing, blood coagulating in the middle, examining Daguan Bencao, under the sentence "cough pathogenic qi", there are the four words "warming the middle incised wound", because cold in the middle gets warm and becomes warm, flesh and blood get warm and join.

The general idea is that above the heart and lungs, below the liver and kidneys, in the middle the spleen and stomach, as well as flesh, bones, and tendons nutrient-defense, because of cold-dampness and illness, there is nothing unsuitable, even yang qi deficiency, cold generated internally, great sweating and diarrhea, great panting apoplexy sudden collapse and other symptoms, must rely on this great energy and powerful herb, only then can turn back, this is the Benjing implied meaning.

It is also said: Aconite Lateral Root is used to treat cold-dampness, and various scholars can explain it, but when Zhongjing uses it, it transforms into something beyond comprehension, which is called divine. Moreover, what sustains human life is yang, and when yang is exhausted, death occurs. The character "亡" has two meanings: one is "to flee," as in the phrase "出亡" from the *Spring and Autumn Annals*; the other is "nonexistence," as in the *Analects* phrase "亡而為有" and the *Mencius* phrase "問有餘，曰亡矣." Mistakenly taking medicine that causes profuse sweating and yang exhaustion is like the Tang dynasty fleeing to Shu. Zhongjing used methods such as Cold-Extremities Decoction and True Warrior Decoction to address it. Vomiting, diarrhea, and cold extremities due to yang exhaustion are like the Zhou dynasty guarding its capital. Zhongjing used Vessel-Unblocking Cold-Extremities Decoction and Ginger-Aconite Decoction to rescue it. Furthermore, the superficial yang of taiyang manifests externally as fever, and Aconite Lateral Root can cause it to interact with shaoyin, thereby resolving the fever. For the divine mechanism disease of shaoyin, Aconite Lateral Root can cause the pulse to regenerate from below and circulate freely, curing the cold extremities. Combined with the bitter-sweet peony and licorice, it tonifies deficiency; combined with the bitter-bland scutellaria and peony, it warms and stabilizes. Its profound effects cannot be fully described. According to its principles, it differs from the explanations in the Benjing. Could this be Zhongjing's innovation? However, the Benjing states, "Its nature is pungent and warm, and it is highly toxic." Zhongjing realized the great efficacy of Aconite Lateral Root from this. It warms with the qi of the eastern wind-wood, and when warming reaches its peak, it becomes heat, as the Neijing says, "Above shaoyin, monarch fire governs it." Pungent is the flavor of western dry-metal, and when pungency reaches its peak, it becomes moistening, as the Neijing says, "Pungent moistens it."

The bias in the nature of substances leads to toxicity, and when this bias reaches an irreparable extreme, it becomes highly toxic. The term "highly toxic" indicates that the warmth of Aconite Lateral Root is at its utmost, and its pungency is also at its peak. Zhongjing employed the warmth of Aconite Lateral Root in two ways: mixed with Poria, Peony Root, and Liquorice Root, and mixed with Rehmannia and Alisma, akin to the gentle warmth of winter, a method for tonifying deficiency; assisted by the heat of Ginger and Cinnamon, and the strength of Ephedra and Asarum, like the formidable heat of summer, a method for rescuing yang. The use of the pungency of Aconite Lateral Root also follows three methods: Cinnamon Twig and Aconite Decoction, Cinnamon Twig Aconite Lateral Root Decoction without Cinnamon but with White Atractylodes Rhizome, and Liquorice and Aconite Decoction, using pungent dryness to dispel wind-dampness; Aconite Decoction and Peony Root Liquorice and Aconite Decoction, using pungent moisture to warm and tonify the water organs; as for White Unblocking Decoction, Vessel-Unblocking Cold-Extremities Decoction, and the addition of human urine and pig bile, they harness the autumn harvest energy of the west to preserve and restore original yang, achieving a marvelous effect of great sealing and solidifying.

Shennong Bencao Jing Hundred Records of Tastes: Pungent in taste, warm. It primarily treats wind-cold cough pathogenic qi, cold evil reversing in the upper energizer. Warming the middle, it eliminates cold in the middle energizer. For incised wounds, flesh and blood warm up and heal. It breaks hard abdominal masses, blood stasis, as cold qi congeals, blood stagnates, and with heat, it moves. For cold-dampness causing lameness, spasms, knee pain, and inability to walk. This is the cold evil in the lower energizer, between the bones and sinews.

Among all toxic medicines, few are cold in nature, and many are hot. Cold nature is gentle and slow, while hot nature is fierce and swift. Entering the blood and qi, it is violent and fierce, its nature erupts uncontrollably, zang - fu organs are delicate and tender, how can they not be harmed? Therefore, one must use them with caution. However, the toxicity of heat is quick and easily seen; whereas the toxicity of cold is slow and observed, requiring even more caution.

Bencao Xinbian: Aconite Lateral Root, pungent in taste, warm and extremely hot in nature, floating, yang within yang, highly toxic. The larger ones are Big Aconite Root, and the smaller ones are Aconite Mother Root. Big Aconite Root is excessively hot and should not be used; Aconite Mother Root is too inferior in heat, not as suitable as Aconite Lateral Root. Preparation method: Use five qian of Liquorice Root for each, boil in a bowl of water, soak the Aconite Lateral Root thoroughly, no need to remove the skin, navel, or tip, it is best to use it whole. Take the benevolence of Liquorice Root to counteract the malevolence. It reaches all meridians, moves without staying, can only be used as a minister, assisting other medicines to pass through all meridians, to break through barriers and seize gates, but cannot be relied upon for calming and soothing. It removes cold from the limbs, dispels coldness from the five zang-organs and pudendum, warms the feet and knees and strengthens the bones and tendons, warms the spleen and stomach and connects the waist and kidneys, truly a life-saving elixir and a rejuvenating fairy medicine. Used correctly, it can bring immediate revival; used incorrectly, it can cause death in an instant. Fear of using it leads to hesitation and observation, resulting in the sorrow of missed rescue; underestimating it and daring to use it leads to reckless and arrogant actions, resulting in the regret of accidental killing. It is essential to distinguish between cold and heat, yin and yang, and use it with caution. Aconite Lateral Root is a yang medicine, treating yin with yang is most appropriate, treating yang with yang naturally leads to mutual inhibition. Yang governs heat, and yin governs cold, like ice and charcoal, how can there be mistakes? Only when yang resembles yin, and yin resembles yang, does falsity confuse truth, often killing people, more cruel than a knife. I now distinguish the differences between yin and yang, cold and heat, so that those who use Aconite Lateral Root can save lives and no longer mistakenly kill. Yin heat syndrome is due to the depletion of kidney water, and the fire of kidney defense cannot settle in the kidney palace, rushing up to the throat and mouth, the tongue must be slippery. In theory, greatly tonify the true yin water, water flourishes and fire does not return. However, merely tonifying water, although fire diminishes, it cannot suddenly descend, use a small amount of Aconite Lateral Root, together with Cassia Bark in the Six-Ingredient Rehmannia Decoction, take a large dose cold, upon swallowing the fire dissipates, returns to the kidney, the heat of the upper energizer turns into coolness, this is the secret method of using Aconite Lateral Root to treat yin heat. Yang heat syndrome is due to the exuberance of heart fire, moving to the hot stomach, causing madness and shouting, or loss of spirit and delirious speech, hands and feet appear cold, and spots on the chest and diaphragm, must be extremely thirsty and call for water, the tongue coating may be red, yellow, or gray-black, must be dry and steep, cracked into lines. In theory, do not need to treat, directly use Three Yellow Gypsum to treat the fire, fire purges and kidney water does not dry, can avoid yang exhaustion disaster. However, if the fire is too exuberant, using Great Cold medicine may cause rejection, better to add a piece of Aconite Lateral Root, one fen in weight, into the Three Yellow and Gypsum Decoction, using fire to lead fire, guiding bitter cold medicine downward without conflict, heat nature passes and cold nature arises, can purge fire pathogen in an instant, this is the secret method of using Aconite Lateral Root to treat yang heat. Pudendal coldness disease is due to cold evil directly attacking the kidney meridian, this is a sudden cold-damage disease. The kidney suffers from cold evil, fire of life gate cannot be stored, wants to escape from the body, and cold pursues and attacks, attacking the spleen causes abdominal pain, attacking the liver causes hypochondriac pain, attacking the heart causes heart pain, or hands and feet turn blue, or bones and tendons cramp, or vomiting or diarrhea, or even the body turns blue and the scrotum shrinks, life and death hang in the balance, truly a critical moment. The tongue must be slippery, urgently use two to three qian of Aconite Lateral Root, five to six qian or one to two liang of Ginseng, one to two liang of White Atractylodes Rhizome, two qian of Dried Ginger, decoct and take, upon swallowing yang returns and cold disperses, this is the method of using Aconite Lateral Root for pudendal coldness. Yang cold disease, usually damages the spleen and stomach qi, cannot nourish and protect the whole body, leading to wind-cold invasion, fever and chills, prefers to lie down and not speak, prefers quiet and not disturbance, can taste food, body is hot but mind is clear, pulse is thin and weak, qi is very timid, this is yang qi deficiency, and evil invades, the tongue is dry but must be slippery, urgently use Middle-Regulating Decoction plus one qian of Aconite Lateral Root to treat, healthy qi sufficient and evil naturally disperses. Warm and sweet to remove great heat, is this not it? The method of using Aconite Lateral Root for yang cold is also like this. Knowing these four treatments, analogize and extend, there will be no mistakes in use.

Someone asked: Aconite Lateral Root is toxic, but when used appropriately, it can restore yang in a single dose. Is it really true that something toxic can be like this? The wonder of Aconite Lateral Root lies precisely in its toxicity. It breaks through barriers and charges forward. Without relying on its fierce and potent toxicity, how could it expel the poison of pudendal coldness? In the world, the hottest thing is yang toxin, and the coldest is yin toxin. When people are affected by pudendal coldness, it often leads to the limbs and body turning blue-black and death, which is a deep affliction of yin toxin. Yin toxin cannot be expelled without yang toxin, and yang toxin cannot be effectively utilized without Aconite Lateral Root. Using poison to combat poison ensures that the poison does not linger. Thus, by expelling cold, yang is restored. Aconite Lateral Root uses its toxicity to expel poison; it does not rely on being non-toxic to treat toxicity.

Someone asked: Why must raw Aconite Lateral Root be used in the Three Raw Ingredients Decoction to save someone on the brink of apoplexy? There is a profound reason for this. Apoplexy is not caused by wind but by qi deficiency and phlegm blockage in the heart, which leads to a sudden collapse resembling being blown down by wind. Treating it as wind would result in nine out of ten deaths. It is essential to use Ginseng as the primary ingredient, supported by Aconite Lateral Root, along with raw Arisaema, raw Pinellia, and Fresh Ginger Rhizome. Only then can the heart's orifices be opened, phlegm expelled, and the dying revived. While people often credit Ginseng for this, without Aconite Lateral Root, how could the phlegm be expelled and peace restored? However, using processed Aconite Lateral Root in such cases may not be as effective, often leading to delays that could be fatal. Using it raw ensures there are no constraints, allowing it to break through barriers swiftly and defeat the formidable enemy in an instant. This is an example of a medicine achieving success through its commanding presence.

Someone asked: Why is raw Aconite Lateral Root not used in the Ginseng and Aconite Decoction to treat direct attack of pudendal coldness and save someone on the brink of death? Processed Aconite Lateral Root is used to treat direct attack of pudendal coldness to restore yang. When pudendal coldness enters the deepest yin of the kidneys, it drives the fire of the life gate outward, preventing it from returning to its palace. The true fire is expelled, and pudendal coldness takes advantage to drive it out, leaving the primordial yang with almost no place to reside. Without a large dose of Ginseng at this point, the primordial yang would escape the body. However, using Ginseng alone without the support of Aconite Lateral Root would leave the pudendal coldness too strong for Ginseng to penetrate the abdomen and regenerate the primordial yang in its void. Using Aconite Lateral Root without tempering its fierce nature would lead to excessive expulsion of pudendal coldness, risking the primordial yang having nowhere to return and the qi suddenly dissipating. Therefore, processed Aconite Lateral Root must be used alongside Ginseng to expel pudendal coldness while guiding the primordial yang back inward. This way, the benefits of Aconite Lateral Root are retained while its drawbacks are mitigated, achieving great courage and great benevolence.

Someone asked: Aconite Lateral Root is a yang medicine, so why is it used in yin medicines for nourishment? Aconite Lateral Root is a highly hot substance. When used in yang medicines, it addresses urgent conditions; when used in yin medicines, it treats chronic illnesses. For yang deficiency conditions, yang medicines are needed for rescue, so Aconite Lateral Root can be used in large doses for remarkable effects. For yin deficiency conditions, yang medicines are used for nourishment, so Aconite Lateral Root can be used in smaller doses to achieve balance. Yang benefits from yin for quick results, while yin benefits from yang for slower, sustained effects. Each has its unique application.

Someone doubted: How can Aconite Lateral Root achieve success with such a small dose? For acute conditions, a larger dose is needed, while for chronic conditions, a smaller dose suffices. This is the principle of using Aconite Lateral Root. However, there are ancient cases where just a single slice of Aconite Lateral Root achieved success, not by breaking through barriers but by its ability to reach every meridian. It exerts its influence without lingering in the organs, tonifying qi to generate vitality and aiding blood tonification without the risk of increasing fire or heat. Instead, it enhances the spleen and stomach's functions.

Someone asked: Why must Aconite Lateral Root be paired with Ginseng to succeed? Could other medicines not control it? When Ginseng is paired with Aconite Lateral Root, it charges forward, breaking through all obstacles. When Aconite Lateral Root is paired with Ginseng, it achieves success without harming the blood vessels. While other medicines can be used alongside, none match the seamless harmony of Ginseng and Aconite Lateral Root.

Someone asked about Miao Zhongchun's discussion on the harm of Aconite Lateral Root, and whether his words are worth adopting. Alas! Zhongchun's heart is benevolent, but his arguments are not yet perfect. For example, he mentions external cold, spleen yin deficiency leading to loss of taste, preference for cold drinks and fresh fruits, blood deficiency abdominal pain that stops upon pressure, fiery sensation with nausea, or dry cholera, or severe malaria with intense chills and fever, elderly with exhausted essence, impotence, young people damaging their essence through indulgence, inability to retain yin essence, seminal emission, sinusitis, women with blood depletion leading to infertility, blood depletion amenorrhea, kidney deficiency with dribbling urination, chaotic dreams, heavy and sluggish movement, paralysis, apoplexy with stiffness and inability to speak, apoplexy with facial distortion, apoplexy with speech difficulty, apoplexy with half-body paralysis, apoplexy with excessive phlegm and unconsciousness, yin syndrome Yongju not yet ulcerated, these thirty-one conditions all require Aconite Lateral Root, ten parts tonifying yin, three parts tonifying yang, to save lives and achieve efficacy. Zhongchun generally warns against its use, and mediocre doctors stubbornly refuse to use Aconite Lateral Root for restoring yang, how then can they generate yin to sustain life? Although Zhongchun is overly cautious, and it is better to use it sparingly and let nature take its course rather than misuse it and kill instantly, if the disease can indeed be cured, allowing it to linger and be neglected, leading to loss of life, is also a fault of medical practice. Therefore, I have selected from the seventy-two conditions Zhongchun cautioned against, those suitable for Aconite Lateral Root, to highlight and demonstrate its life-saving potential, and not to sit idly by and watch death.

Someone asked about Miao Zhongchun's excessive caution, suggesting that it might not be a bad way to preserve life. If we were to point out the things he avoids and share them with others, wouldn't it be possible that we might inadvertently cause harm? Isn't the fault then ours? Alas! What Zhongchun is cautious about are precisely the things that are not necessarily true to the illness. It's not just that caution is unnecessary; in fact, for real conditions, caution is not advisable. To be cautious when one should not be, and to not be cautious when one should, is not the way of moderation.

Bencao Fenjing : Pungent, sweet, extremely hot, purely yang. Its nature is more floating than sinking, its function is to move without staying, passing through the twelve meridians, reaching everywhere. It can lead qi tonics to restore lost primordial yang; lead blood tonics to nourish insufficient true yin; lead dispersing herbs to open the striae and interstices to expel wind-cold on the surface; lead warming herbs to reach the lower energizer to dispel cold-dampness within. It treats disorders of the governing vessel and all conditions of deep-seated cold and stubborn chill. Used raw, it disperses; used cooked, it tonifies drastically. Misuse brings immediate disaster. For poisoning, decoctions of Coptis Rhizome, Rhinoceros Horn, and Liquorice Root can counteract it. Alternatively, clarified loess water can also be used.

Big Aconite Root, the slender lateral roots are Big Aconite Root. Extremely drying, restores yang, supplements the lower energizer's kidney and life gate yang deficiency, expels wind-cold dampness. It is the main herb for wind disorders. Induces sweating, also stops yin sweating.

Bencao Sibianlu : Zou's discussion on the nature and use of Aconite Lateral Root, Big Aconite Root, and Aconite Mother Root is quite precise. To summarize his points: Aconite Mother Root is the exhausted old yin; Big Aconite Root is the isolated yang incapable of reproduction; Aconite Lateral Root is the seed of Aconite Mother Root and Big Aconite Root, containing both yin and yang. The exhausted old yin is hollow inside, using qi; the isolated yang is solid inside, using essence. Qi governs dispersion, essence governs storage. Dispersion can reach the striae and interstices externally, storage can penetrate the bones and tendons internally. Aconite Lateral Root combines both qi and essence, internally full, externally strong, and since it grows connected by qi without physical attachment, it can reach everywhere, top and bottom, inside and out. Because it contains the essence of both, it can utilize the strengths of both, making its use broader than either alone.

Benjing Aconite Lateral Root primarily treats wind-cold cough pathogenic qi. Later generations mostly consider it a wind-treating herb, but the original text is profound, with deeper meanings. Wind can be divided into injury and stroke; injury affects the nutrient-defense, stroke affects the meridians and zang-fu organs. Injury to nutrient-defense, cold stagnates on the surface and easily turns to heat, suitable for Ephedra and Cinnamon but not Aconite Lateral Root; stroke involving meridians and zang-fu organs, cold rooted within and yang inherently deficient, suitable for both Ephedra and Cinnamon and Aconite Lateral Root. Aconite Lateral Root is not a wind herb, but Benjing refers to wind-cold in stroke, not common cold's wind-cold.

The "Waitai" states that stroke often arises from heat, hence stroke can be cold or hot. Wind-Expelling Decoction treats heat, naturally not using Aconite Lateral Root. Minor Life-Prolonging Decoction treats cold, if Aconite Lateral Root is used to expel wind, why are there few wind herbs besides Aconite Lateral Root? There are formulas with Aconite Lateral Root without wind herbs, like the "Jinxiaos" Atractylodes and Aconite Decoction for wind deficiency, but none are known to disperse externally invading pathogenic wind.

Zou states that Aconite Lateral Root treats wind-cold by invigorating yang qi, allowing wind-cold to retreat on its own. This seems to understand the principle of Aconite Lateral Root treating wind-cold. Yet he also mentions that Zhong Sheng's use of raw Aconite Lateral Root in formulas always includes exterior syndrome, citing White Unblocking Decoction and Aconite Decoction, which do not involve unresolved exterior pathogens. White Unblocking Decoction uses Fistular Onion Stalk because in Shaoyin diarrhea, the qi does not return, losing the virtue of ascending from the earth; Fistular Onion Stalk can enter Shaoyin and lift it, not to induce sweating. Aconite Decoction treats Shaoyin affected by cold, with yang qi unable to circulate. There is no wind on the surface, a deep pulse should not induce sweating, and its main treatment with ginseng and atractylodes to tonify, with mung beans to descend, hardly qualifies for releasing the exterior. Zhong Sheng's use of raw Aconite Lateral Root, not post-sweating, is for diarrhea with a deep pulse, post-sweating to tonify surface yang, diarrhea with a deep pulse to rally the qi, raw use naturally surpasses cooked use, this is Zhong Sheng's intention for raw use.

Some challenge me: aversion to wind with Aconite Lateral Root, Spleen-Qi Effusing Decoction is clear evidence, isn't it? How can you deny it! I say: Dyers Woad and dragon sweat with aversion to wind should not be taken, Spleen-Qi Effusing Decoction with Aconite Lateral Root treats sweating with aversion to wind, if Aconite Lateral Root also induces sweating, aren't you afraid of cold extremities and muscle twitching? Adding Aconite Lateral Root is precisely because of the sweating. Zhao says: aversion to wind is yang deficiency, hence adding Aconite Lateral Root to enter yang. Thus, without Aconite Lateral Root, there is the danger of yang exhaustion, is it really for expelling wind?

The use of Aconite Lateral Root for apoplexy wind-cold is originally not excessive, hence the Three Raw Ingredients Decoction does not include wind-dispelling herbs, as the yang qi, once replenished, will naturally dissipate the pathogenic factors. For other pattern of wind and cold, differentiation and treatment are definitely required. Zou also frequently compares Aconite Lateral Root with the exterior-releasing Yaodui, subtly indicating that besides Aconite Lateral Root, there are other exterior-releasing herbs, as evidenced by the eight formulas he cites, including Cinnamon Twig plus Aconite Decoction. Among these, Cinnamon Twig Aconite Lateral Root, White Atractylodes Rhizome Aconite Lateral Root, and Liquorice Root Aconite Lateral Root are formulas for treating wind-dampness; while Cinnamon Twig, Liquorice, Ginger, Jujube, Ephedra, Asarum, and Aconite Lateral Root are formulas for treating the qi aspect. Wind is a yang pathogen, and Aconite Lateral Root is a yang herb. Since the patient has yang deficiency and severe cold, without supporting yang, the wind cannot be expelled alone, hence supporting yang and expelling wind are carried out simultaneously. Cold is a yin pathogen, and dampness is also a yin pathogen. The wind in wind-dampness is different from the wind in common cold, and without yang deficiency, it would not be so, hence Aconite Lateral Root is also needed. The qi aspect refers to the cold water qi accumulating below the heart, a condition arising from deficiency of the shaoyin and yang. Therefore, Ephedra, Asarum, and Aconite Lateral Root warm the shaoyin and induce sweating; Cinnamon Twig, Liquorice, Ginger, and Jujube transform the yang of the upper energizer and resolve the accumulation, thus resolving the condition from the exterior. Immature Orange Fruit and Atractylodes Decoction, on the other hand, resolves the condition from the interior, treating the same disease but with different methods. The phrase "caused by water retention" appears in both the preceding and following lines in Zhao's text, which is very accurate. Also, Ephedra and Aconite Decoction uses Ephedra to release the exterior and is used when the shaoyin pulse is deep, relying precisely on Aconite Lateral Root to warm the shaoyin; otherwise, there would be no rationale for inducing sweating with a deep pulse.

Aconite Lateral Root is a specialized medicine for warming the Shaoyin. It is highly effective for Shaoyin diseases that require warming. However, it is also beneficial in treating abdominal distension and fullness with Middle-Regulating Decoction, bleeding with Oven Yellow Earth Decoction, heart stuffiness with Aconite Heart-Draining Decoction, and even intestinal abscess with Coix, Aconite and Patrinia Powder. Its pure yang nature and powerful force can resolve pudendal coldness without any other means.

Big Aconite Root is only mentioned in one formula by Zhong Sheng, the Big Aconite Root Powder. After the Aconite Lateral Root Cinnamon Twig Decoction plus Dragon Bone and Oyster Shell, the specific disease it treats is not mentioned. Upon careful examination, it is likely that the Big Aconite Root Powder is used for patients with frequent seminal loss, while the Cinnamon Twig Decoction plus Dragon Bone and Oyster Shell is used for those with clear grain and blood loss seminal emission. This is appropriate because both formulas can be used for patients with frequent seminal loss. However, when the pulse is extremely weak and the symptoms include clear grain and blood loss seminal emission, it indicates kidney damage affecting the spleen. Without spleen tonification, the source of essence production is cut off. Therefore, White Atractylodes Rhizome is used up to eight taels. Symptoms such as lower abdominal tension, coldness in the genital area, dizziness, and hair loss indicate kidney disease that cannot be treated by other kidney-tonifying herbs. Hence, Big Aconite Root, which is rich in essential qi and does not leak, is chosen and named in the formula. The adjunct Cinnamon Twig Fossil Bone is particularly subtle and difficult to explain. In Cinnamon Twig Decoction, Cinnamon Twig is only three taels, but here it is doubled to ensure it reaches both the taiyang meridians and organs to transform qi. Since the yin is leaking downward, the yang naturally does not float. For the yang deficiency in both the spleen and kidney, it is inappropriate to use the salty-cold oyster shell to subdue it. Fossil Bone, however, can guide fire back to the earth without damaging the yang. Moreover, Cinnamon Twig assists Big Aconite Root in consolidating the kidney and astringing essence, and assists White Atractylodes Rhizome in entering the spleen and stomach. Fossil Bone assists Big Aconite Root in consolidating the kidney and astringing essence, and assists White Atractylodes Rhizome in consolidating the spleen and dispelling dampness. The use of Big Aconite Root Powder for this condition is precise and accurate. If the pulse shows signs of hollowness, movement, slight tightness, although Big Aconite Root Powder can be taken, Cinnamon Twig plus Fossil Bone and oyster shell is more appropriate. The hollow and moving pulse indicates yang, while the slight tightness indicates yin. The struggle between yin and yang qi leads to disharmony between the exterior and interior. This decoction treats it with Cinnamon Twig and Fresh Ginger Rhizome as yang, Peony Root as yin; Fossil Bone as yang, oyster shell as yin. Within the method of dispelling pathogens and astringing essence, there is a wonderful harmony between the exterior and interior, and mutual support between yin and yang. These two formulas offer excellent methods beyond the Minor Center-Fortifying Decoction and Kidney Qi Pill. Reflecting on the Big Aconite Root Powder, it is evident that Big Aconite Root, which cannot reproduce alone, relies on essence for its function.

bubble_chart Modern Pharmacology

1. Aconite Lateral Root has significant cardiotonic and hypertensive effects, enhancing myocardial contractility, increasing contraction amplitude, and speeding up contraction frequency. It also has anti-arrhythmic and anti-shock effects.
2. Aconite Lateral Root can dilate peripheral blood vessels, protect against acute myocardial ischemia, and significantly prolong the hypoxia tolerance time in mice.
3. Aconite Lateral Root has anti-inflammatory effects.
4. Aconite Lateral Root has sedative and analgesic effects, inhibiting body temperature drop under cold conditions and even restoring lowered body temperature. It significantly inhibits contractions induced by electrical stimulation of the parasympathetic nervous system.
5. Aconite Lateral Root can enhance the body's immune function to some extent.
6. Aconite Lateral Root promotes platelet aggregation and inhibits cell stabilization and protein denaturation.
7. Aconite Lateral Root has anti-ulcer and laxative effects.
8. Aconite Lateral Root significantly lowers blood sugar levels.
9. Aconite Lateral Root can stimulate local skin, mucous membranes, and sensory nerve endings, initially causing cutaneous pruritus and a burning sensation, followed by anesthesia and loss of sensation, providing a certain local anesthetic effect.
10. The norlinderaline component in Aconite Lateral Root significantly reduces renal blood flow in rabbits, decreasing sodium excretion in urine without significantly affecting urine volume and potassium excretion.
11. The Aconite Mother Root alkaloid in Aconite Lateral Root antagonizes calcium-calmodulin-dependent cyclic nucleotide phosphodiesterase.