https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/A4PeQB2Vq1CW8xtc-5KQOA
Everyone is welcome to share their experiences with the medicinal trials in the replies, to facilitate other students’ searching and learning.
199. Sichuan Peppercorn
The initial taste is bitter, quickly transitioning to a numbing sensation. Interestingly, the numbness carries a slight salty flavor.
After just two small sips, the mouth and throat start to feel a tingling electric sensation, saliva is heavily secreted, and there is an upward-moving qi at the cardia, accompanied by the urge to hiccup.
If black peppercor n corresponds to dried ginger or galangal, Sichuan peppercorn corresponds to asarum (Xixin). After drinking, there is an upward qi and desire to hiccup—the awkwardness of Sichuan peppercorn is the same as black peppercorn: a slightly larger dose causes discomfort that outweighs the therapeutic effect, killing 800 enemies but injuring oneself by 1,000, making it very inconvenient to use.
If searching for effects, external application can dispel wind and relieve itching, unblock painful obstruction and relieve pain; internal consumption can also relieve pain but only gastrointestinal pain, which can be considered another form of external application.
199.1 Zanthoxylum seed (Jiaomu)
The taste is much milder, with a slight hint of oiliness and then numbness.
After drinking Zanthoxylum seed, the previously upward-moving qi reverses downward. It requires three more sips of Sichuan pepper water to make the qi move upward again, then three more sips of Zanthoxylum seed, and the qi goes back down. If cooked together, the qi will likely incline more downward.
In the “Shennong Bencao Jing” (Divine Farmer’s Materia Medica), “Shu pepper” probably did not distinguish between Sichuan pepper husk and seed, mixing their effects together. Zanthoxylum seed has some function of harmonizing the middle jiao, regulating qi, and relieving asthma, but Sichuan pepper husk likely does not.
200. Long pepper (Biba)
The aroma is quite fragrant, somewhat reminiscent of aged Chenpi from Xinhui (though only slightly); brewing it in water gives a sensation similar to the “carbonized layer” on seared steak or roast beef—the initial taste is a toasted aroma with some bitterness, and the aftertaste is spicy; chewing the soaked herb directly is purely spicy.
After drinking, there is warmth in the stomach, and the qi moves downward but only reaches the bottom of the stomach, not the intestines. The liver beside the stomach and the heart and lungs above are also slightly warmed.
Effects: Warming the stomach, liver, and heart-lungs; stopping hiccups.
Side effects: Extremely spicy, causing throat discomfort when drinking. Hiccup is essentially a muscle spasm; taking a deep breath to press the defensive qi into the diaphragm stops it, so suffering through this is unnecessary. Additionally, many people with stomach pain have superficial gastritis or ulcers. Using warming herbs requires certain principles and shouldn’t be added thoughtlessly to prescriptions.