https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/A4PeQB2Vq1CW8xtc-5KQOA
Welcome everyone to share your own experiences with the medicine in the replies, to facilitate other students in searching and learning.
10. Asarum (Xixin)
Just smelling it causes slight nausea; when eating or drinking it, there is a taste similar to 502 glue, with numbness in the tongue and throat. After drinking, there is a reaction similar to hiccups, but the hiccups don’t actually come out—this is actually the feeling of diaphragmatic paralysis.
Confirmed effects: By paralyzing smooth muscles (mainly in the cardiovascular and respiratory systems), it dilates blood vessels, producing the effect of warming and unblocking the meridians and connecting the orifices. Secondary effects: combined with Ephedra (Mahuang) and Astragalus (Huangqi), it releases the exterior and dispels cold; combined with Fangfeng, Notopterygium (Qianghuo), and Angelica dahurica (Baizhi), it dispels wind-cold-dampness and treats various pains; combined with dried ginger (Ganjiang), Poria (Fuling), and Atractylodes (Baizhu), it warms and transforms cold fluids.
On its own, it only causes paralysis → relaxation, and once the effect wears off, it’s gone, so it must be combined with other herbs to improve bodily conditions.
Before practicing exercises to relax the twelve meridians, you can take 6-10 grams to assist. Exceeding 10 grams may cause paralysis of the respiratory muscles, making breathing very difficult, but this “is exactly the moment of practice,” and you can use this opportunity to conduct qi circulation, unblocking the respiratory muscles and even the pulmonary collaterals (even if ordinary people don’t circulate qi, just maintaining even breathing in this state will be somewhat effective; for COPD and interstitial pneumonia, this stage must be overcome).
11. Ligusticum (Gaoben)
Another Umbelliferae herb, very similar to Notopterygium (Qianghuo), but specialized at the apex, mainly acting on the forehead (Yintang), vertex (Baihui), and back of the neck (Yuzhen) areas.
Before doing the “river cart” transportation exercise, you can take some, and the effect is better combined with Asarum (Xixin) and Ginseng (Renshen).
The sample provided this time is Liaoning Gaoben, and test results only apply to this sample.
12. Xanthium fruit (Cangerzi)
As a Compositae (Asteraceae) plant, Xanthium fruit is both tasty and good to drink. It might not be noticeable when raw, but after soaking it in water and cracking it open, the starch-like content inside tastes like lotus seeds, even more fragrant and sweet, with a lingering aftertaste—I loved eating it when I was a child.
Confirmed effects: clears and benefits the head and eyes, very effective for eye inflammation, nasal congestion, sneezing, tinnitus, and itchy ears—effects on the “nasal area” are most pronounced.
For chronic rhinitis, you can fry Xanthium fruit in sesame oil or rapeseed oil, strain it, and make it into drops to apply directly into the nose with excellent results.
Both textbooks and the Pharmacopoeia say Xanthium fruit is toxic. Textbooks consider “more than 30 grams or 10 pieces at once” toxic. I suspect the textbook authors have never seen Xanthium fruit; our dose of 6 grams isn’t even 10 pieces.
Clinically, doses of 30 grams have been used without any issues; the toxic dose remains unknown.
12.1 Xanthium herb (Cangercao)
This herb is used less commonly; major decoction piece factories don’t have stock, and I haven’t found any quality ones in the market either. Everyone can try to find some opportunities to try it themselves.
12.1 Xanthium herb (Cangercao)
This herb is used less commonly; major decoction piece factories don’t have stock, and I haven’t found any quality ones in the market either. Everyone can try to find some opportunities to try it themselves.