Category: Single Herbs

Zhīmǔ from Běncǎo Jīngjiě

Zhīmǔ from Běncǎo Jīngjiě 《本草經解》 (c. 1724 CE), attributed to Yè Tānshì 葉天士

氣寒，味苦，無毒。主消渴熱中，除邪氣，肢體浮腫，下水，補不足，益氣。

Its qì is cold, flavour is bitter, not poisonous. It governs dispersion-thirst with heat in the interior, eliminates evil qì, puffy swelling of the body and limbs, watery diarrhoea, tonifies insufficiency, increases qì.

知母氣寒，稟天冬寒之水氣，入足少陰腎經；味苦無毒，得地南方之火味，入手少陰心經。氣味俱降，陰也。

Zhīmǔ’s qì is cold, it is endowed with water qì of heavenly winter-cold, it enters the foot shàoyīn kidney channel. Its flavour is bitter and is not poisonous, it is virtued with the fire flavour of the southern direction, it enters the shàoyīn heart channel. The qì and flavour both descends, it is yīn.

腎屬水，心屬火，水不制火，火爍津液，則病消渴；火熏五內，則病熱中。其苦之者，苦清心火，寒滋腎水也。

The kidneys belong to water, the heart belongs to fire, when water cannot restrain fire, if fire scorches the jīn-fluids and yè-humours, then the disease of dispersion-thirst occur; if fire fumes the five internal [zàng-viscera], then the disease of heat in the interior will occur. [Because] it is bitter [flavour], and bitter clears heart fire, and cold enriches the kidney-water.

除邪氣者，苦寒之味，能除燥火之邪氣也。

Regarding eliminating evil qì, its flavour is bitter-cold, so it is able to eliminate the dry and fire evil qì.

熱勝則浮，火勝則腫；苦能清火，寒能退熱，故主肢體浮腫也。腎者水藏，其性惡燥，燥則開合不利，而水反蓄矣；知母寒滑，滑利關門而水自下也。補不足者，苦寒補寒水之不足也。益氣者，苦寒益五臟之陰氣也。

When heat is prevalent there will be floating, when fire is prevalent there will be swelling; bitter [flavour] is able to clear fire, cold [qì] is able to abate heat, therefore it governs puffy swelling in the limbs and body. The kidneys are the water zàng-viscus, their nature is to be averse to dryness. When there is dryness then opening and closing [of the bowels] is inhibited, and water will on the contrary accumulate; Zhīmǔ is cold and lubricating, it can lubricate and disinhibit the opening and closing [of the bowels] and then the water will naturally descend. Regarding tonifying insufficiency, the bitter-cold tonifies the insufficiency of cold-water. Regarding increasing qì, the bitter-cold increase the yīn qì of the five zàng-viscera.

Zhīmǔ 知母 (Běncǎo Bèiyào 本草備要)

Zhīmǔ 知母

From the Běncǎo Bèiyào 本草備要 (1694).

 

瀉火補水，潤燥滑腸

Drains fire, tonifies water, moistens dryness and lubricates the intestines.

辛苦寒滑。

Pungent and bitter, cold and lubricating.

上清肺金而瀉火（瀉胃熱、膀胱邪熱、腎命相火），下潤腎燥而滋陰，入二經氣分（黃柏入二經血分，故二藥必相須而行）。消痰定嗽，止渴安胎（莫非清火之用）。

Ascends and clears lung-metal and drains heat (drains stomach fire, bladder evil-fire, [in addition] to kidney, mingmen and ministerial-fire). Descends to moisten kidney dryness and enriches yīn, enters the qì aspect of these two channels (huángbǎi enters the blood aspect of these two channels, therefore these two herbs are mutually reliant on each other [when used together]). Disperses phlegm and stabilises cough, allays thirst and quietens the foetus (invariably [all its] functions are clearing fire).

治傷寒煩熱，蓐勞（產勞）骨蒸（退有汗之骨蒸），燥渴虛煩，久瘧下痢（治嗽者，清肺火也，治渴者，清胃熱也。退骨蒸者，瀉腎火也），利二便，消浮腫（小便利則腫消。東垣曰：熱在上焦氣分，結秘而渴，乃肺中伏熱，不能生水，膀胱絕其化源。

[Zhīmǔ] treats cold damage (shānghán) heart vexation, childbirth taxation (taxation during delivery) steaming bone (abates the sweating of steaming bone), Dry [mouth] and thirst with vacuity vexation, enduring malaria and dysentery (Ceases cough by clearing lung fire. Ceases thirst by clearing stomach heat. Abates steaming bone by draining kidney fire). Disinhibits urination and defecation, disperses puffy swelling ([once] the urine is disinhibited then the swelling will dissipate. Dōngyuán states heat that is located in the upper jiāo qì aspect, [it will] knot and obstruct and cause thirst, this is latent heat within the lung, [the lung] cannot generate water, the bladder is severed from its source of transformation.

宜用滲濕之藥，瀉火清金，滋水之化源。熱在下焦血分，便閉而不渴，乃真水不足，膀胱乾涸，無陰則陽無以化。宜用黃柏、知母大苦寒之藥，滋腎與膀胱之陰。而陽自化，小便自通。丹溪曰：小便不通，有熱有濕，有氣結於下，宜清、宜燥、宜升。

It is appropriate to use herbs that percolate dampness, drain fire and clear metal, and enrich water at the source of transformation. Heat located in the lower jiāo blood aspect, there will be constipation and absence of thirst, this is due to insufficiency of true water (i.e. the kidneys) and dryness and desiccation of the bladder, when there is absence of yīn then yáng is unable to perform transformation. It is appropriate to use huángbǎi and zhīmǔ; herbs that are strongly bitter and cold [in order to] enrich the yīn of kidney and bladder. And then yáng will naturally transform, and urination will spontaneously flow. Dānxī states for urinary stoppage, [there are patterns] of heat, dampness, and qì knotting in the lower, [in these cases] it is appropriate to clear, dry and ascend.

又有隔二隔三之治。如肺不燥，但膀胱熱，宜瀉膀胱，此正治；如因肺熱不能生水，則清肺，此隔二之治；如因脾濕不運而精不上升，故肺不能生水，則燥胃健脾，此隔三之治。瀉膀胱，黃柏、知母之類；清肺，車前、茯苓之類；燥脾，二術之類。昂按：凡病皆有隔二隔三之治，不獨便閉也）。

Also there are treatments of two sections and three sections]. If the lung is not dry, but the bladder is hot, it is appropriate to drain the bladder, this is straight treatment. If there is lung heat and it cannot engender water, then clear the lung, these two sections [require] treatment.

If there is spleen damp and it cannot transport and then the essence does not ascend, then [also] the lung cannot engender water, then dry the stomach and fortify the spleen, these three sections [require] treatment. Drain the bladder heat with [herbs] like huángbǎi and zhīmǔ; clear the lung with [hebs] like chēqián and fúlíng; dry the spleen with [herbs] like the two types of shù (báizhú and cāngzhú). Wāng Áng states: all diseases that require treatment of two or three sections, not only constipation).

然苦寒傷胃而滑腸，多服令人瀉（李士材曰：苦寒肅殺，非長養萬物者也。世以其滋陰，施之虛損之人，則如水益深矣，特表出以為戒）。

Yet the bitter-cold [nature] damages the stomach and lubricates the intestines, it is often taken to drain (or cause diarrhoea) (Lǐ Shìcái states: bitter-cold herbs are harsh, [they] stop the ten thousand things from growing and nourishing. Later generations use it to enrich yīn, give to people with vacuity detriment, but if water is too greatly increased, tè biǎo chū yǐwéi jiè)