Bitter apricot seed is the dried mature seed of the Rosaceae plants Prunus armeniaca var. ansu, Prunus sibirica, Prunus mandshurica, or Prunus armeniaca. It is mostly cultivated and primarily produced in the Northeast, Inner Mongolia, North China, Northwest, Xinjiang, and provinces along the Yangtze and Yellow River basins. The original plant is highly adaptable, drought-resistant, tolerant of poor soil, saline-alkali resistant, and cold-resistant, growing on slopes or flatlands. It has a bitter taste, slightly warm nature, and is slightly toxic. It belongs to the lung and large intestine meridians. Its effects include descending qi, relieving cough and asthma, moistening the lungs, and promoting bowel movements. Clinical names include raw bitter apricot seed, bitter apricot seed, fried bitter apricot seed, and bitter apricot seed frost.
bubble_chart Compendium of Materia Medica
Shennong Bencao Jing: It has a sweet taste and warm nature. It is used to treat cough, upward qi, thunder-like sounds, pharyngitis, lowering qi, lactation, incised wounds, cold heart, and running-piglet.
Mingyi Bielu: It has a bitter taste, cold and sharp nature, and is toxic. It is used to treat fright epilepsy, vexing heat in the heart, wind qi coming and going, seasonal epidemic headache, releasing flesh, relieving urgency in the heart, and killing dog poison.
Bencao Shiyi: In addition to its main functions, it kills worms. Burn it until the smoke is not completely gone, grind it finely, mix it with fat, and wrap it in a cloth to insert into tooth cavities. It also treats unbearable itching from worm sores in the vaginal orifice, removes sores and apoplexy in humans and animals, peels the skin, roasts it until red, mixes it with cinnamon powder to form a paste, wraps it in cotton, and holds it in the mouth like a finger to benefit the throat, remove pharyngitis, phlegm, cough, and sores caused by heat accumulation in the throat.
Kaibao Bencao: It has a sweet and bitter taste, warm and cold sharp nature, and is toxic. It treats fright epilepsy, vexing heat in the heart, wind qi coming and going, seasonal epidemic headache, releasing flesh, relieving urgency in the heart, and killing dog poison.
Bencao Yanyi: Boil to remove the skin, grind one liter, mix with one and a half liters of water, repeatedly wring to extract thick juice, add four taels of raw honey and one stalk of Liquorice Root (about one qian), cook in a silver or stone vessel over slow fire to make a thin paste, and store in a porcelain container. Take after meals or before bed, add a little butter, boil a spoonful in hot water, and take to treat lung dryness, asthma, large intestine constipation, and moisten the five zang-organs. If there are no above symptoms, adding salt is even better.
Yaolei Faxiang: It removes lung dryness and treats qi dryness in the chest and diaphragm.Yaoxing Fu: It has a bitter and sweet taste, warm nature, and is toxic. It can ascend and descend, being yin within yang. Its uses are two: to benefit chest middle qi inversion and panting, and to moisten large intestine qi blockage and difficulty in bowel movements.
Tangye Bencao:Yaolei Faxiang: It removes lung dryness and treats wind-dryness in the chest and diaphragm. Fry with bran, remove the skin and tip before use.
Yongyao Xinfa: It disperses knots and moistens dryness, disperses lung wind and heat, hence used for wind-heat cough.
Shennong Bencao Jing: It treats cough, upward qi, thunder-like pharyngitis, lowering qi, lactation, incised wounds, cold heart, and running-piglet. It also treats fright epilepsy, vexing heat in the heart, wind qi coming and going, seasonal epidemic headache, releasing flesh, relieving urgency in the heart, and killing dog poison. It breaks qi and enters the hand Taiyin meridian. Wang Chaofeng used it to treat cold-damage disease with rising qi, asthma, and counterflow by adding Bitter Apricot Seed and Dried Tangerine Peel to Ephedra Decoction. If there is no asthma or counterflow, reduce Bitter Apricot Seed and Dried Tangerine Peel, knowing it can drain the lungs.
《東垣》云: Bitter Apricot Seed is used to treat asthma by regulating qi, while Peach Kernel is used to treat mania by regulating blood. Both Peach and Bitter Apricot Seeds treat severe constipation, considering the qi and blood aspects. Difficulty in bowel movements during the day is due to yang qi; at night, it is due to yin blood. Although the large intestine belongs to Geng and is the white intestine, considering day and night, qi and blood must be distinguished. For elderly people with dry and constipated stools, do not over-drain. If the pulse is floating, it is due to qi, use Bitter Apricot Seed and Dried Tangerine Peel; if the pulse is deep, it is due to blood, use Peach Kernel and Dried Tangerine Peel. The reason for using Dried Tangerine Peel is that it treats hand Yangming disease and is related to the hand Taiyin meridian. The cardia governs movement, and the anus governs closure. Hence, Wang Shi said the lungs and large intestine are connected.
Bencao Yanyi Buyi: It belongs to earth and contains water and fire. It can descend and must be finely ground for use. Its nature is hot, hence useful for cold conditions. The fruit should not be eaten in excess as it can cause tendon displacement.Bencao Fahui: Jiegu said: It removes lung dryness and treats wind-dryness in the chest and diaphragm. Zhuzhi Mijue: It has a warm and sweet-bitter taste, thin qi and thick flavor, turbid and descending, yin in nature. Its uses are three: moisten lung qi, disperse retained food, and descend qi.
Bencao Gangmu: Bitter Apricot Seed can disperse and descend, thus it disperses wind by releasing flesh, moistens dryness by descending qi, and is used in medicines for eliminating stagnation and treating injuries. It is used to treat sores and kill worms, utilizing its toxicity. "Yiyu" states: Any noodles or bean powder will rot when near Bitter Apricot Seed. Once, a military officer suffered from stagnation due to eating powder, and the physician used a mixture of Qi Stagnation Pill and Bitter Apricot Seed, ground into pills, taken with hot water, and cured after several doses.
Killing worms, treating various sores and scabies, reducing swelling, and removing wind qi sores on the head and face.
Bencao Jingshu : Apricot kernels are endowed with the qi of spring warmth and are born with the transformation of fire and earth. Bielu adds that they are bitter and toxic. The statement that they are cold and beneficial is due to their moist and downward-moving nature, not because they are truly cold. They have a thin qi and a thick taste, being slightly yang within yin, and are descending in nature. They enter the hand Taiyin meridian. Taiyin is a pure and descending organ, Xieke states that it can cause cough and upward qi. When fire flares and overcomes metal, it leads to pharyngitis. Bitter Apricot Seed moistens and moves downward, its bitter and warm nature disperses stagnation, thus relieving cough, upward qi, and pharyngitis. It treats vexing heat in the heart due to pathogenic heat residing in the heart and lung regions. Wind qi coming and going, and seasonal epidemic headaches are caused by wind evils entering from the outside, as the lung governs the skin and body hair. Warmth can release flesh, and bitterness can drain heat, hence Zhang Zhongjing used it in Ephedra Decoction for its dispersing effect. It is also used for lactation and incised wounds caused by wind-cold. It relieves urgency below the heart due to its moistening and qi-lowering properties. Heart cold and running-piglet syndrome are due to heart deficiency and kidney evil encroachment. Fright epilepsy is caused by excessive phlegm-heat. Thunder-like rumbling is due to large intestine disharmony. Overall, it is used for lowering qi and eliminating phlegm, warming and dispersing, sweet and harmonizing, bitter and draining, moistening and benefiting.
Contraindications: Bitter Apricot Seed is warm in nature and highly effective in dispersing lung wind-cold stagnation, but it is contraindicated in cases of yin deficiency cough, lung deficiency heat, and heat phlegm. It should not be used for wind-cold external evils unless there is lung congestion and rapid breathing. It should not be used for lactation and incised wounds without wind-cold attack. It is not essential for fright epilepsy and pharyngitis. Users should be cautious. Double kernels can be fatal. Benjing mentions its toxicity, referring to this.Bencao Mengquan : Sweet and bitter in taste, warm in qi. It can ascend and descend, being slightly yang within yin. It is slightly toxic. It is incompatible with three herbs: Astragalus Root, Skullcap Root, and Dried Kudzu. It specifically enters the Taiyin lung meridian and acts as a purgative. It relieves chest qi rebellion and panting, stops cough and expels phlegm; moistens the large intestine to relieve qi blockage and constipation, and disperses running-piglet syndrome. When ground and inserted into the vaginal orifice, it also treats itching and insect ulcers.
Note: Dongyuan states: Bitter Apricot Seed is used for panting due to qi. Peach Kernel is used for mania due to blood. Both treat severe constipation, but differ in their focus on qi and blood. Daytime constipation is due to yang qi; nighttime constipation is due to yin blood. Elderly with constipation should not be purged. Floating pulse indicates qi, treat with Bitter Apricot Seed and Dried Tangerine Peel; deep pulse indicates blood, treat with Peach Kernel and Dried Tangerine Peel. Dried Tangerine Peel is used because the hand Yangming and hand Taiyin are internally and externally related, hence it is used as a guide.
《Materia Medica Chenya》: The branches, leaves, flowers, and fruits are all red, with flesh and veins like a camp, bitter and warm in taste and qi, truly the fruit of the heart, embodying the heart's substance and function. The kernel contains the whole, initiating the beginning, with a sharp pivot, favoring the heart's function and qi. Cough with upward qi, thunder-like pharyngitis, cold heart running-piglet, this is solely ascending, unable to exit, thus it does not turn. Bitter Apricot Seed initiates a horizontal and pervasive mechanism, allowing the vertical and deep to rotate with the jade balance, thus the spirit turns without deviation, capturing the mechanism. Cough with upward qi, breath like thunder, and pharyngitis can be due to deficient heart fire function; or due to external evil binding; or external evil binding causing deficient heart fire function; or deficient heart fire function causing external evil binding; cold heart running-piglet can be due to deficient heart fire substance or function; as fire manifests function through things, function reveals substance. Running-piglet is a kidney accumulation, ascending to the heart, as below the fire position, water qi supports it, fire deficiency leads to excessive support, causing harm. This differs from reckless sweating causing support, as reckless sweating is excessive exit, this is excessive ascent. Lowering qi turns the vertical and deep into horizontal and pervasive, descending is not lowering, lowering involves metal, not fire command. Lactation is like breaking through a shell, and hatching relies on horizontal pervasiveness, horizontal pervasiveness initiates breaking through. Metal blade wounds sever flesh and veins, Apricot, with strong veins, reconnects and nourishes, as the heart governs veins and the pericardium.
To understand the nature of things, first observe their essence. Peach is the fruit of the lung, the lung governs hair, peach has hair, specializing in hair. Apricot is the fruit of the heart, the heart governs veins, apricot has veins, specializing in veins. The essence's specialization is the essence's focus, the essence's focus is the nature's birth. People struggle to understand nature, but understanding one thing's nature allows understanding all things' essence. To understand one thing's nature, one must specialize in its essence, thus seeing its nature.
Yaoxing Jie: Bitter Apricot Seed, tastes sweet and bitter, warm in nature with slight toxicity, enters the lung and large intestine meridians. It primarily treats rebellious chest qi leading to wheezing and cough, large intestine qi causing constipation and difficulty in bowel movement, as well as pharyngitis, hoarseness, phlegm stagnation and restlessness, incised wounds and trauma, wind-heat sores, apoplexy and related syndromes, snake bites and dog bites, vulva pain and itching, and can be pounded for external application. It is incompatible with Skullcap Root, Astragalus Root, and Pueraria Root. The double-kernel variety can be fatal. Apricots should not be consumed in excess as they can damage the bones, tendons, and eyes.
Note: Bitter Apricot Seed enters the lung, as the classic says, "the lung suffers from rising qi counterflow, urgently consume bitter to drain it." The large intestine serves the lung as a conveyor, so it should also be included. The "Secret Recipe of Zuo Ci" calls Bitter Apricot Seed the golden elixir of grass, claiming that long-term consumption can lead to immortality. However, medical texts also state that those who consume Bitter Apricot Seed often experience diarrhea or protrusions from the navel after two or three years, which are incurable. These two statements contradict each other. Yet, Bitter Apricot Seed primarily disperses, expelling phlegm through the striae and interstice, and is slightly toxic. Thus, the medical texts' claims are more credible. The "Secret Recipe" might refer to its efficacy through specific preparation methods, but it remains speculative and should not be fully trusted.
Yaojian: Warm in nature, sweet and bitter in taste, thin in qi and thick in flavor, it can ascend or descend, being yang within yin. It is slightly toxic. It is a remedy for the hand Taiyin meridian. It releases flesh toxins and disperses stagnation. Combined with Ephedra, it benefits chest middle qi counterflow and panting. With Smoked Plum, it moistens large intestine qi block and relieves constipation. A single kernel opens striae and interstice very quickly, while double kernels are extremely effective for dog bites. I have used three qian of Bitter Apricot Seed, three qian of Dutohmanspipe Fruit, two qian of Cicada Slough, five qian of Alum, and five fen of White Arsenic, finely ground, mixed with Chinese date flesh to form pills the size of phoenix tree seeds, taken with cold water after meals, seven for men and six for women, to treat asthma with miraculous effect. Generally, stop once the disease is cured; do not overuse, as it can cause tendon dislocation and bone damage. Avoid in cases of diarrhea and dysentery. Avoid foxtail millet and beware of dog meat.
Jingyue Quanshu: Bitter, pungent, slightly sweet in taste, with a flavor thicker than its qi, descending with a hint of ascending. It is toxic. It enters the lung, stomach, and large intestine meridians. Its pungent taste allows it to enter and moisten the lung, disperse wind-cold, relieve headache, reduce cold and heat, stop cough, ease panting, release exterior pathogens, and treat warm disease and beriberi. Its bitter taste gives it a rapid descending nature, evident from its quick clarification of water, thus it can stabilize qi counterflow, relieve chest and abdominal fullness and pain, resolve pharyngitis, disperse phlegm and lower qi, eliminate fright epilepsy and vexing heat, unblock large intestine qi block and dry constipation, and also detoxify dog poison. Combined with Pineilia and Fresh Ginger Rhizome, it disperses wind-cold cough; with Ephedra, it induces sweating and expels cold-damage disease exterior pathogens; with Ophiopogon and milk fat soft extract, it moistens the lung and treats cough excellently; with calomel, ground evenly and mixed with oil, it is best for applying to sores and swellings. It especially kills various worms, tooth worms, and black spots and pustules on the face. Do not use in cases of original qi deficiency type of inward invasion, as its descending nature may cause excessive leakage.
Bencao Beiyao: Drains the lung and releases flesh, moistens dryness and lowers qi.
Pungent, bitter, sweet, warm, and beneficial. Drains the lung and releases flesh, can induce sweating. Dispels wind and cold, descends qi and moves phlegm, moistens dryness and disperses accumulation. It rots noodles and bean powder upon contact. Unblocks large intestine qi constipation, treats seasonal epidemic headache, upper energizer wind-dryness, cough with rising qi. Bitter Apricot Seed, fried and ground, mixed with honey to form pills, is held in the mouth and swallowed. Relieves vexing heat and panting. Slightly toxic, can kill worms and treat sores, detoxify dog poison, and eliminate dog meat accumulation. Avoid in cases of lung deficiency with cough. Dongyuan said: Bitter Apricot Seed treats panting and regulates qi, Peach Kernel treats mania and regulates blood, both treat severe constipation, differentiate between qi and blood: daytime constipation belongs to yang qi, nighttime constipation belongs to yin blood. Women with constipation should not over-drain. Floating pulse belongs to qi, use Bitter Apricot Seed and Dried Tangerine Peel; sunken pulse belongs to blood, use Peach Kernel and Dried Tangerine Peel. The lung and large intestine are exterior-interior related, the cardia above governs movement; the anus below governs closure, as the passage of qi, thus use Dried Tangerine Peel to assist. The cardia is the upper opening of the stomach. The anus is the anal opening. Bitter Apricot Seed and Aster both resolve lung depression and promote urination. Double kernels are deadly. Avoid Astragalus Root, Skullcap Root, and Pueraria Root.
Benjing Fengyuan: Bitter Apricot Seed enters the Taiyin meridian. Its pungent nature allows it to disperse horizontally, while its bitter nature allows it to descend vertically. Thus, it is used to disperse pathogenic factors, descend qi, relieve wheezing, drain stagnation, disperse nodules, and moisten dryness. It is also effective in treating lung apoplexy, heat, and cough, all of which fall within the scope of the Benjing indications. The "Qianjin" text recommends soaking it in child's urine for seven days and grinding it into a paste to treat coughs with alternating chills and fever. Zhang Zhongjing used Bitter Apricot Seed in Ephedra Decoction because it facilitates qi and drains the lungs, releasing the flesh. As for the Xianxiong and Hemp Seed pills, they are all prepared by roasting until black and grinding into an oily paste, indicating that the nature of this substance becomes more moistening and purgative the darker it is roasted. For lung cold with wheezing and counterflow, it is used with the peel. It can also treat sores and kill worms, utilizing its toxic properties. Benjing treats incised wounds with cold in the heart, where wind enters the pericardium through the wound, causing cold in the heart. It is applied to seal the wound and expel wind-heat pathogens. It is said to treat running-piglet syndrome because its pungent nature disperses nodules and its moistening nature lowers qi. Elements state that it moistens the large intestine and relieves qi constipation, while Zhi Cai mentions its ability to detoxify tin. Bielu states that it kills dog poison, and when fried until fragrant, it can dissolve dog meat and starch accumulations, hence its use in medicated leaven. Bian Que said: Bitter Apricot Seed should not be taken for a long time, as it can cause hair loss and deplete qi. Nowadays, it is mistakenly used to treat yin deficiency with wheezing and coughing, which further depletes the chest's great qi, leading to serious consequences! It is especially contraindicated for those with blood loss, as its pungent and warm nature strongly breaks blood stasis. For double kernels, they are mashed and mixed with axle grease to apply on broken needles embedded in the flesh or arrowheads lodged in hidden areas like the throat and diaphragm, which will then be expelled. Sweet almond, on the other hand, is sweet and neutral, non-toxic, and can relieve coughs, lower qi, and alleviate discomfort in the heart and abdomen. Apricot fruit is sour and can damage the bones and tendons, especially when consumed raw.
Bencao Chongyuan: The taste is sweet and bitter, with bitterness outweighing sweetness. Its nature is slightly warm, and its quality is cold and beneficial. The cold and beneficial nature implies a moisturizing effect, primarily treating cough and upper qi, benefiting lung qi. When lung qi is benefited, cough and upper qi naturally subside. The rumbling sound is due to the crow in the large intestine. Pharyngitis is caused by the poor functioning of the lung orifices. Lowering qi refers to the Bitter Apricot Seed's moistening and purgative properties, primarily lowering qi. When qi descends, the rumbling sound and pharyngitis are cured. Lactation refers to the milk of postpartum women. Bitter Apricot Seed can promote lactation in cases of insufficient milk production. Incised wounds are injuries caused by metal blades forming sores. Bitter Apricot Seed can heal such wounds. Cold heart running-piglet refers to kidney water pathogen attacking the heart, causing coldness, like a piglet running upwards. Bitter Apricot Seed treats the lungs, which are metal, and metal is the mother of water, so the mother can correct the child's rebellion. Also, when lung qi descends, water counterflow naturally disperses.
Bencao Qiuzhen: [Comment] Disperse lung qi to separate wind-cold, lower qi to relieve panting.
Bitter Apricot Seed specifically enters the lungs. It has the ability to disperse wind-cold and the power to lower qi and relieve panting. Because it is pungent, it disperses pathogens; because it is bitter, it lowers qi; because it is moist, it unblocks constipation; and because it is warm, it disperses stagnation and moves phlegm. Bitter Apricot Seed possesses all these properties, so it can treat all lung-related wind-cold symptoms, such as panting, cough, chest fullness, constipation, irritability, heat, headache, parasitic toxin sores and ulcers, dog poison, face poison, tin poison, and incised wounds. According to "Medical Remnants": Noodles and bean flour rot near Bitter Apricot Seed, indicating its ability to dissolve accumulations. For dog bite wounds, Kou's formula uses chewed Bitter Apricot Seed to apply, which heals, showing its ability to neutralize dog poison. For various sores and swellings, peel Bitter Apricot Seed, grind it into a paste, mix with calomel and sesame oil, and apply for miraculous effects, demonstrating its ability to treat sores and ulcer toxins. For nebula covering the eyes without pupil damage, "Shengji Lu" uses three liters of peeled Bitter Apricot Seed, wrapped in dough, roasted over chaff fire, then ground and pressed to remove oil, mixed with copper green, and applied, showing its ability to treat eye nebula. Dong Yuan discusses Bitter Apricot Seed and Aster, both ventilating the lungs to relieve depression and open urination, with one focusing on lung blood (Aster) and the other on lung qi (Bitter Apricot Seed). Bitter Apricot Seed and Peach Kernel both treat constipation, with one treating floating pulse, panting constipation appearing during the day (Bitter Apricot Seed), and the other treating deep pulse, manic constipation appearing at night (Peach Kernel). Feng Chuzhan discusses Bitter Apricot Seed and Trichosanthis Fruit, both eliminating phlegm, with one dispersing through striae and interstices (Bitter Apricot Seed, hence exterior deficiency is most feared), and the other clearing through the intestines and stomach (Trichosanthis Fruit, hence interior deficiency is most feared). Although these herbs appear similar, they have distinct differences that must be carefully examined. However, when using Bitter Apricot Seed to treat constipation, Dried Tangerine Peel must be used as an adjuvant to ensure qi flow. Gao said: Floating pulse belongs to qi, use Bitter Apricot Seed and Dried Tangerine Peel; deep pulse belongs to blood, use Peach Kernel and Dried Tangerine Peel. The lungs and large intestine are internally and externally related, with the cardia above the appetite, governing movement; the anus governs reception, being the pathway of qi, hence Dried Tangerine Peel is used as an adjuvant. The book mentions that long-term use can cause hair loss, due to qi consumption. Nowadays, people mistakenly use it to treat yin deficiency panting and cough, and recklessly administer it to those with blood loss, not understanding the meaning of qi consumption and blood damage.
Depei Bencao: Incompatible with Skullcap Root, Astragalus Root, Pueraria Root.
Sweet, bitter, warm. Enters the hand Taiyin lung qi aspect. Drains the lungs, descends qi, moves phlegm, disperses nodules, moistens dryness, releases flesh, dissolves food accumulation, unblocks the bowels. Neutralizes tin poison, kills dog poison. Expels running-piglet, kills worms and roundworms.
Combined with Dried Tangerine Peel, treats constipation disease. Paired with Asparagus Root, moistens the heart and lungs; with persimmon cake, treats hemoptysis; with Aster, promotes urination. Opens the qi in water to resolve knots.
For dispersion, use with skin and tip, ground. Double kernels are toxic and should not be used.
Contraindicated in lung deficiency cough and virtual fire flaming the lungs.
Strange symptom: Tongue tip pierced and bleeding continuously, first brush the wound with rice vinegar to stop the bleeding, then use Typha and Bitter Apricot Seed, with a little borax, ground into powder, mixed with honey, and melted in the mouth.
Bencao Jing Jie: Bitter Apricot Seed is warm in nature, embodying the harmonious wood qi of spring, entering the foot Jueyin liver meridian; sweet in taste, embodying the central earth flavor, entering the foot Taiyin spleen meridian; the apricot fruit is bitter, and as a kernel, it has slight toxicity, embodying fire nature, entering the hand Shaoyin heart meridian. Both qi and taste are ascending, yang in nature.
The lungs are the metal organ, rising qi counterflows to attack the lungs, causing cough. The lungs suffer from qi counterflow, urgently needing bitter to drain it. Bitter Apricot Seed is bitter and drains downward, hence it stops cough.
Fire accumulates in the throat, blocking and obstructing, leading to pharyngitis; the sound of thunder indicates fire accumulation and phlegm congestion, with a voice like a roar. Bitter Apricot Seed, with its warmth, can disperse accumulations, its bitterness can purge downward, and its sweetness can alleviate urgency, thus it is effective in treating this condition.
Bitter Apricot Seed is bitter in taste and acts on the lungs. Its action leads to generation and transformation, causing the lungs to descend, thus lowering qi. The liver stores blood, and when the blood is warm, it circulates, hence it promotes lactation. When blood circulates, wounds also heal, so it also treats incised wounds. When heart yang is deficient, the pathogenic cold water rises from below like a running piglet, attacking the heart blood. Therefore, it treats cold water running-piglet syndrome. Bitter Apricot Seed, with its fire and earth energy and bitter taste, can strengthen heart yang and expel water pathogens.
Apricot seeds are slightly toxic, and if they have double kernels, they lose their normal properties and can be fatal.
Shennong Bencao Jingdu: Bitter Apricot Seed has a sweet and bitter taste, with bitterness outweighing sweetness. Its nature is damp, and its quality is cold and sharp. The term "cold and sharp" implies a moistening effect. The phrase "lowering qi" sufficiently describes its function.
When the lungs are excessive and swollen, it causes cough and upward qi. Thundering pharyngitis is when fire accumulates in the throat, causing obstruction and pain, with phlegm sounds like thunder. Bitter Apricot Seed lowers qi, thus treating these conditions.
Excess qi turns into fire, and when qi descends, fire also descends, hence it can promote lactation and heal wounds.
When heart yang is deficient, the pathogenic cold water rises from below to attack the heart. Bitter Apricot Seed has the function of lowering qi, expelling cold water below, thus protecting heart yang above.
All these treat excess conditions. If a person with labor injury and cough takes it, it will be fatal. Contemporary doctors claim that those produced in Bada are purely sweet and usable, but they do not realize that pure sweetness is not the true taste of Bitter Apricot Seed. Without the bitter descending function, it only retains dampness to produce phlegm and sweetness to obstruct qi, harming the yin, leading to death without realization. What a pity.
Benjing Shuzheng: Suwen discusses the five constants and governance, discussing the excessive and deficient in luck, and summarizing the suitability of grains and food, which should have differences in choices. There are partial prosperity and partial decline, and the grains and food also have their own fat and lean. In summary, the Cangqi Fashi Lun states that the five grains are for nourishment, and the five fruits are for assistance, originally for ordinary people to observe the bias of visceral qi, and to reduce the excess and increase the deficiency, balancing the application to reach no excess or deficiency, not for the treatment of diseases. Therefore, apricots have veins, thus assisting the heart; peaches have skin and hair, thus assisting the lungs. However, the fruit is the function of one thing, and the kernel is the vitality of one thing. Only when things are not biased or inclined, but mutually restrained and assisted, can physiology be established. If apricots have veins, the kernel assists the veins; if peaches have skin and hair, the kernel also assists the skin and hair, the bias is extreme. Without the mutual restraint and assistance, how can it be the vitality of physiology? Blood does not flow without qi, and qi is not moist without blood. If blood does not flow, the veins are blocked, and qi surges first; if qi is not moist, the striae and interstices are blocked, and blood becomes congested. Therefore, apricots mainly assist the veins, and the kernel mainly clears the qi of the veins; peaches mainly assist the skin and flesh, and the kernel mainly disperses the blood of the skin and flesh. Thus, the vitality of apricots is concentrated in metal, completed in fire; the vitality of peaches is concentrated in wood, completed in metal. Metal must be forged to become a thing, and wood must be cut to become material. This is the real principle, not a forced analogy. Therefore, when discussing disease treatment, only take that apricots have veins, and the kernel mainly descends qi; peaches have skin and hair, and the kernel mainly disperses stasis. Thus, descending qi is to descend what kind of qi, and dispersing stasis is to disperse what kind of stasis, all can be clear, without needing to connect apricots as heart fruit and peaches as lung fruit. Benjing Peach Kernel mainly treats static blood, which is what all blood-moving substances can treat. When blood is blocked and forms masses mixed with pathogenic qi, it is not ordinary blood blockage, but due to qi not moving and blood being obstructed. Bitter Apricot Seed mainly treats cough, upward qi, and running-piglet, which is what all qi-lowering substances can treat. Thundering due to pharyngitis, and when lowering qi, it can be known that it is not ordinary upward qi due to blood vessels being blocked and qi being congested. Further extending to Zhongjing's use of Peach Kernel, all are consistent with this.
Benjing states: Peach Kernel is effective for static blood, blood stasis, and pathogenic qi. It seems that any stasis formed by blood stasis, if not caused by pathogenic qi, may not be effectively treated by it. However, in the formulas like Peach Kernel Qi-Regulating Decoction, Resistant and Withstanding Decoction, Turtle Carapace Decocted Pill, and Rhubarb and Peony Decoction used by Zhang Zhongjing, the conditions treated are indeed caused by pathogenic qi. But what about Rhubarb and Ground Beetle Pill, Cinnamon Twig and Poria Pill, and Stasis-Precipitating Decoction? Can they also be said to be caused by pathogenic qi? I believe they are all caused by pathogenic qi as well. The five kinds of strain leading to extreme emaciation, abdominal distension and fullness, inability to eat, rough skin, and dark circles under the eyes, these conditions do not develop overnight but over years and months. Tracing back to their origins, they are caused by external factors such as dietary injuries, drinking injuries, hunger injuries, labor injuries, and injuries to the meridians and defense qi, not by inherent deficiencies. Only injuries from excessive emotions and sexual activities are internal causes among the seven emotions, but even these, over years and months, only lead to abdominal distension and fullness, inability to eat, rough skin, and dark circles under the eyes, which still result from external contraction due to these internal causes. If there is an internal stasis, and the vital energy of the whole body is blocked by blood, then pregnancy should not occur. However, if pregnancy still occurs despite the stasis, isn't it because the pathogenic qi has entered and only blocked a part of the blood vessels, not affecting the flow of vital energy? As for postpartum abdominal pain, if it is due to incomplete expulsion of bad blood, it can be treated with Immature Orange Fruit and Peony Powder, but if not treated, the blood will stagnate below the navel. Without the invasion of pathogenic qi, such a condition would not occur. Delving deeply and exploring thoroughly, the use of Peach Kernel by Zhang Zhongjing and the indications in Benjing are precisely accurate. Peach Kernel, in terms of the vital energy it embodies, is thin in qi and thus purgative, and thick in flavor and thus dispersive. In terms of its future effects, its flowers are red and moist, and its fruits have skin and hair, indicating its purgative and dispersive properties that act from the blood aspect internally to the muscles and skin externally. The ancient sages' understanding of the properties of substances and the later sages' development and continuation of this knowledge are interconnected and mutually confirming, as seen here.
However, the pathogenic qi of blood stasis and abdominal masses that Peach Kernel governs are all internal syndromes. What about their external manifestations? These can be understood through examination. In Zhang Zhongjing's works and the supplementary formulas in "Qianjin Fang," there are nine instances where Peach Kernel is used. From the substances used in conjunction with it, such as Rhubarb, Rhizoma Mirabilite, gadfly, and leech, it is clear that it is associated with interior pattern. Can it not also be inferred from the use of melon seeds, moutan bark, cinnamon twig, and peony root that it is associated with exterior pattern? Therefore, there are three external manifestations of syndromes where Peach Kernel is used: the exterior pattern has not subsided, there is an issue in the lower abdomen, and there is scaly skin on the body. How can this be explained? For example, the syndrome of Peach Kernel Chengqi Decoction states: taiyang disease has not resolved; the syndrome of Resistant and Withstanding Decoction states: the exterior pattern still remains; the syndrome of Resistant and Withstanding Pill states: cold-damage disease with heat; the syndrome of Phragmites Stem Decoction states: cough with mild fever; the syndrome of Turtle Carapace Decocted Pill states: malaria unresolved for a month; the syndrome of Rhubarb and Peony Peel Decoction states: intermittent fever, spontaneous sweating, and recurring aversion to cold. From these, it is known that it must arise from an exterior pattern. The syndrome of Peach Kernel Chengqi Decoction states: acute binding in the lower abdomen; the syndrome of Resistant and Withstanding Decoction states: slight abdominal distension and fullness; the syndrome of Rhubarb and Ground Beetle Pill states: abdominal distension and fullness with inability to eat; the syndrome of Rhubarb and Peony Peel Decoction states: swelling and hardness in the lower abdomen; the syndrome of Stasis-Precipitating Decoction states: static blood in the abdomen below the navel. From these, it is known that there must be an issue in the lower abdomen. The syndrome of Rhubarb and Ground Beetle Pill states: scaly skin; the syndrome of Reed Stem Decoction states: scaly skin on the chest; the preceding clause of the syndrome of Rhubarb and Peony Peel Decoction states: the syndrome of intestinal abscess, with scaly skin on the body. From these, it is known that there must be scaly skin on the body. Although wind-cold diseases all have exterior pattern, and water retention and phlegm stagnation can all cause abdominal distension and fullness, intestinal abscess does not use Peach Kernel. Peach Kernel is used for swelling and abscesses. Can these three indeed be considered definitive evidence? There is a distinction. It is said that in taiyang disease for six or seven days, the exterior pattern still remains, the pulse is faint and deep, and the person becomes manic, indicating heat in the lower energizer. The lower abdomen should be hard and full, and if urination is normal, blood stasis must be resolved. It is said that in cold-damage disease with heat, slight abdominal distension and fullness should be accompanied by difficulty in urination, but if urination is normal, it indicates blood stasis. Thus, it is known that if the exterior pattern has not subsided, there must be slight abdominal distension and fullness to glimpse the signs of Peach Kernel syndrome. If there is slight abdominal distension and fullness, normal urination is necessary to confirm the Peach Kernel syndrome. Although intestinal abscess does not use Peach Kernel, the preceding clause begins by stating that intestinal abscess is a disease, clearly indicating a general rule. The following clause begins by stating swelling and abscess, clearly referring to swelling and abscess as a variant of intestinal abscess. Since intestinal abscess can encompass swelling and abscess, then swelling and abscess can also have scaly skin. Moreover, the three do not necessarily appear together; having two of them is sufficient to use Peach Kernel. If none of the three are present, using Peach Kernel would be inappropriate. By following this, one can determine the appropriate use of Peach Kernel without any confusion.
Ephedra Decoction, Major Blue Dragon Decoction, Ephedra, Bitter Apricot Seed, Gypsum and Licorice Decoction, Ephedra plus Atractylodes Decoction, Ephedra, Bitter Apricot Seed, Coix Seed and Licorice Decoction, Magnolia Bark and Ephedra Decoction, Clam Decoction, all use Ephedra and Bitter Apricot Seed together. Ephedra primarily disperses, its strength lies in the pores, and without the assistance of Bitter Apricot Seed to extend the blood vessels and middle qi, its action would be slow and potentially harmful. Thus, it can be said that Ephedra's relationship with Bitter Apricot Seed is like that of Cinnamon Twig with Peony Root, or a jellyfish with shrimp. However, not all uses of Ephedra require Bitter Apricot Seed, as seen in the cold-damage disease and the Golden Chamber texts. Only when treating asthma with Cinnamon Twig Decoction plus Magnolia Bark and Apricot Seed Decoction is it excellent. Most Ephedra Decoction syndromes are accompanied by asthma, so the use of Bitter Apricot Seed can be considered as targeting asthma. Yet, the Minor Green-Blue Dragon Decoction specifically removes Ephedra and adds Bitter Apricot Seed for asthma. Why is this? The reason is seen in the Golden Chamber's section on phlegm-fluid retention. Thoracic fluid retention causing vomiting is treated with Cinnamon Twig, Poria, Five Flavors, Licorice Root Decoction, removing Cinnamon Twig and adding Ginger, Asarum, and Pinellia Decoction to stop vomiting. Then, there should be no swelling; swelling without water is called qi-water swelling. Qi-water swelling can be resolved by inducing sweating, hence the use of Ephedra. However, instead of Ephedra, Bitter Apricot Seed is used, citing blood deficiency, indicating a specific reason. But does Bitter Apricot Seed then act as a blood tonic? This is likely not the case. Bitter Apricot Seed envelops the blood vessels externally and contains vitality internally. Qi-water swelling without water clearly indicates that qi takes advantage of the blood vessels' deficiency, invading and causing swelling. Bitter Apricot Seed generates vitality within the blood vessels, pushing and transforming swelling qi into vitality, relieving obstruction and allowing regulation, thus curing the swelling. Asthma is the root of swelling, and swelling is the progression of asthma. Treating swelling in this way also treats asthma, showing that Bitter Apricot Seed's treatment is for qi entering the blood vessels, causing obstruction and swelling that cannot be expelled, leading to asthma. It is said that after purging in taiyang disease, if there is rising qi, Cinnamon Twig Decoction can be used; if there is no rising qi, it should not be used. Also, it is said that in taiyang disease with slight asthma and unresolved exterior symptoms, Cinnamon Twig plus Magnolia Bark and Bitter Apricot Seed Decoction is indicated. Sweating can damage yin, and after purging, rising qi, although the pathogen returns to the yang aspect, to resolve externally, it must pass through the blood vessels and then reach the skin. There is a fear that if the blood vessels are deficient, the pathogen will invade, causing obstruction and swelling. Therefore, Magnolia Bark and Bitter Apricot Seed are added, one to descend directly, the other to exit through the blood vessels, following the same principle as treating swelling. However, Ephedra combined with Bitter Apricot Seed treats many syndromes without asthma. It is also used for blood vessel obstruction that cannot be expelled, as seen in the Ephedra Decoction with Forsythia and Rice Bean Decoction syndrome, where the so-called cold-damage disease with stagnant heat inside the body must cause jaundice, and the character for stagnation clearly relates to the blood vessels.
Then, is the use of Bitter Apricot Seed in Major Chest Bind Pill, Hemp Seed Pill, Poria Bitter Apricot Seed Liquorice Root Decoction, and磐石丸 all because it can move the qi of the blood vessels? It seems so, but with slight differences. Bitter Apricot Seed has the dual properties of lateral passage and direct descent, which is why it complements Ephedra and Cinnamon Twig to enhance their initial effects and cooperates with Mirabilite and Rhubarb to strengthen their subsequent impact. Moreover, the condition treated by Major Chest Bind Decoction is more severe than that treated by Major Chest Bind Pill, and the condition treated by Hemp Seed Pill is less severe than that treated by Minor Purgative Decoction. Major Chest Bind Pill contains all the ingredients of Major Chest Bind Decoction, but Major Chest Bind Decoction does not necessarily require Bitter Apricot Seed or Pepperweed Seed to be effective. Hemp Seed Pill contains all the ingredients of Minor Purgative Decoction, but Minor Purgative Decoction does not necessarily require Hemp Seed, Bitter Apricot Seed, or Peony Root to achieve its purgative effect. The reason for this is that Major Chest Bind Decoction primarily treats conditions without upper body symptoms, while Minor Purgative Decoction treats conditions without deficiency symptoms. If Major Chest Bind Decoction were used for the condition treated by Major Chest Bind Pill, even if the thoracic accumulation were resolved, the stiffness in the neck resembling exogenous convulsive disease would be difficult to eliminate. If Minor Purgative Decoction were used for the condition treated by Hemp Seed Pill, although the floating pulse might improve, the dryness and astringency would persist, potentially leading to complications in the upper body and deficiency symptoms. Therefore, the stiffness in the neck resembling exogenous convulsive disease is a residual effect of thoracic accumulation, which overflows into the upper body due to the weakness of the blood vessels. The astringent pulse is caused by the consumption of hard stool and spontaneous urination, which depletes the stomach fluids and damages the blood vessels. Thus, in Major Chest Bind Pill, Bitter Apricot Seed is guided by Pepperweed Seed to eliminate residual pathogens, while in Hemp Seed Pill, it is guided by Hemp Seed to stabilize the condition, both aiming for a good recovery. Extending this logic, if childbirth injures the interior and incised wounds injure the exterior, leading to the simultaneous loss of blood and fluids, the vessels and collaterals may be on the verge of collapse. In such cases, Bitter Apricot Seed can be added to tonifying blood and fluid formulas to open and connect the interior and exterior. Chest impediment with middle qi stagnation and shortness of breath is due to fluid retention in the upper body; amenorrhea, hard masses in the abdomen, and leukorrhea are due to dampness retention in the lower body. Fluid retention in the upper body can turn all fluids into phlegm and saliva, while dampness retention in the lower body can turn blood into leukorrhea. Retention in the upper body should be treated by promoting urination, but even if the overflow is reduced, it may not be completely eliminated. Retention in the lower body should be treated by expelling dampness, but even if the incoming dampness is expelled, it may still transform. Therefore, in Poria Bitter Apricot Seed Liquorice Root Decoction, Bitter Apricot Seed is used to assist Poria in dispersing the overflow of fluids, while in磐石丸, it is used to assist磐石 in directly moving the qi of the vessels. The difference between lateral and direct actions shows that Bitter Apricot Seed can act laterally in direct formulas and directly in lateral formulas. Extending this further, cough is an upward rebellion from below, pharyngitis is a lateral obstruction in the middle, and even incised wounds and running-piglet syndrome are all examples of lateral and direct actions, as well as upward movements. This demonstrates that Bitter Apricot Seed is inherently a direct-acting substance that can effectively drag out lateral obstructions, even though it is not inherently a lateral-acting substance.
Someone asked why, in the two books "Cold Damage" and "Golden Chamber," only Rhubarb and Ground Beetle Pill uses both Peach Kernel and Bitter Apricot Seed. The answer is that the kernel is the essence of life concentrated within the innermost part of the fruit, the pit is its bone, and the flesh is its meat. To warm the muscles and moisten the bones, one must rely on the life-giving qi within the kernel. This is an immutable principle. However, the qi that emerges to warm and moisten the muscles and bones must first be strong and then gentle. Peach has white flesh and a red pit, while apricot has yellow-red flesh and a white pit. From this, we can see that Peach Kernel enters the blood aspect to move qi, while Bitter Apricot Seed enters the qi aspect to move the blood vessels. Dry blood is a condition that cannot form without both qi and blood becoming hard and stagnant. If the qi warms and the blood moistens, even one of these being sufficient would prevent the blood from drying and obstructing the flow of qi, leading to extreme deficiency, emaciation, abdominal distension, and inability to eat. Rhubarb and Ground Beetle Pill moistens the blood, moves the blood, searches out the blood, and dissipates the blood. Without Peach Kernel to move qi within the obstructed blood and Bitter Apricot Seed to move blood within the obstructed qi, how could these two substances harmonize and transform dry matter into moist matter, reviving the dead into the living? Consider that磐石丸 is used for amenorrhea, hard masses in the abdomen, and leukorrhea, all blood disorders, yet it specifically uses Bitter Apricot Seed. On the other hand, the "Thousand Gold" Phragmites Stem Decoction is used for cough with mild fever, irritability, and chest roughness, all qi disorders, yet it specifically uses Peach Kernel. The reason for this can be pondered.
Bencao Xinbian: Bitter Apricot Seed, sweet and bitter in taste, warm in nature, can ascend or descend, yang within yin, slightly toxic. Specifically enters the Taiyin Lung Meridian. It is a purgative, relieves chest and middle qi inversion and panting, stops cough, expels phlegm, moistens the large intestine, alleviates qi blockage and difficulty in defecation, disperses bi and resolves masses. When ground and inserted into the vaginal orifice of women, it also treats itching and insect ulcers. Although it is similar to Peach Kernel in being a qi-moving and blood-descending medicine, there are distinctions. Dongyuan distinguished that Bitter Apricot Seed treats qi and Peach Kernel treats blood, which seems clear, but it is not known that Bitter Apricot Seed does not treat blood, and Peach Kernel does not treat qi. For example, in cases of severe constipation and qi blockage, Peach Kernel can also open; in cases of blood stasis, Bitter Apricot Seed can also descend. Only in cases of true yang and yin deficiency, neither can be effective. The so-called true yang and yin refer to the true fire and true water in the kidneys, not to qi and blood. If the true fire is weak, the large intestine will be frozen, and only cinnamon and aconite can warm it; if the true water is exhausted, the large intestine will be withered, and only Prepared Rehmannia Root and Cornus can nourish it. How can the kernels of peach and apricot moisten and descend, especially when combined with Dried Tangerine Peel to dissipate their qi and blood?
Someone asked whether Bitter Apricot Seed benefits qi without promoting blood circulation, but you believe it can indeed affect blood. Did the ancients also think so? Alas. Bitter Apricot Seed promotes blood circulation, as Master Zhongjing used it in Bitter Apricot Seed Decoction, did he not? It disperses blood within the process of benefiting qi, truly possessing miraculous effects.
Bencao Fenjing : Pungent, bitter, sweet, warm. Drains the lung and descends qi, transforms phlegm and releases flesh. Expels wind, disperses cold, moistens dryness, and relieves lung depression. Benefits the chest and diaphragm qi counterflow, unblocks large intestine qi constipation, treats upper energizer wind-dryness, and also kills worms, disperses dog meat and flour accumulations. Remove the skin and tip, grind for use; if dispersing, grind with skin and tip intact. Double kernels are lethal.
Bencao Sibianlu : The apricot has veins and is the fruit of the heart; the kernel primarily unblocks the qi of the veins and is the fruit of the lung. Its nature is to descend directly and also expand horizontally. Horizontal expansion and direct descent mutually restrain each other and cannot act freely, thus without adding other herbs, it cannot expand horizontally nor descend directly. However, when using Bitter Apricot Seed for horizontal expansion, there is also a consideration for its direct descent. When using Bitter Apricot Seed for direct descent, there is also a consideration for its horizontal expansion. If the syndrome requires both, Bitter Apricot Seed can also display both skills.
Ephedra Decoction is a sweating agent for cold-damage disease. Since Ephedra is used, why add Bitter Apricot Seed? Because Bitter Apricot Seed can also lower qi and stop panting. Exterior excess with evil not resolved certainly causes panting; evil resolved but qi not descending also causes panting. Bitter Apricot Seed moves outward and also enters inward, so the qi dispersed outward also descends through the middle path. Therefore, Ephedra, Bitter Apricot Seed, Gypsum, and Licorice Decoction contains both Ephedra and Bitter Apricot Seed to treat panting; Pueraria Decoction contains Ephedra but not Bitter Apricot Seed, indicating the syndrome originally lacks panting. However, Ephedra does not fail to treat panting; Minor Green-Blue Dragon Decoction says to remove Ephedra and add Bitter Apricot Seed for panting, so why is there a distinction between suitable and unsuitable? Because Ephedra both ascends heart fluids and descends kidney qi. Minor Green-Blue Dragon heart purgation water already attracts kidney water; if Ephedra is used to move kidney qi again, panting will become even harder to stop. Bitter Apricot Seed is a lung medicine, not a kidney medicine, hence remove that and add this, which is what is meant by using Bitter Apricot Seed for horizontal expansion while also considering its direct descent.
Major Chest Bind Pill is a purgative for cold-damage disease. Thoracic accumulation with neck stiffness resembling exogenous convulsive disease shows that neck stiffness externally is no different from Major Chest Bind Decoction, but the syndrome is more severe. Therefore, the former can be quickly attacked and cured, while the latter must be transformed into a pill for mild purgation. Bitter Apricot Seed is specifically set for neck stiffness. Neck stiffness is caused by yang pathogen scorching fluids, and Bitter Apricot Seed, ground to a paste, has a nature that includes horizontal expansion. Assisted by the moistening of Mirabilite and the harmonizing sweetness of white honey, what difficulty is there in transforming stiffness into softness? However, neck stiffness from thoracic accumulation does not harmonize without purging, nor does it subside without purging. Bitter Apricot Seed is indeed a great assistant to Rhubarb Rhizoma and a good friend to Pepperweed Seed and Gansui Root, which is what is meant by using Bitter Apricot Seed for direct descent while also considering its horizontal expansion.
In the treatment of cold-damage disease, inducing sweating is primarily achieved with Ephedra, supplemented by Bitter Apricot Seed; for treating wheezing, Bitter Apricot Seed is the main ingredient, with Ephedra as the supplement. Therefore, the combination of these two substances is essential for optimal efficacy. Wheezing in cold-damage disease is due to exterior excess and lung stagnation. In miscellaneous syndromes, there are heat-type wheezing, deficiency-type dyspnea, and fluid-retention panting, among others. The modified Minor Bluegreen Dragon Decoction, which removes Ephedra and adds Bitter Apricot Seed, is not intended for treating wheezing in cold-damage disease, hence its frequent use in miscellaneous syndromes. However, the principle of medication by Zhongjing lies in the subtle differences in the combination and dosage, which can lead to significantly different outcomes. Dyers Woad Dragon is the most crucial formula in "Cold-Damage Disease." The combination of Ephedra and Bitter Apricot Seed is not solely for treating wheezing. The reason lies in doubling the amount of Ephedra in Ephedra Decoction and reducing Bitter Apricot Seed from seventy to forty pieces, along with the ascending property of Fresh Ginger Rhizome and the cold nature of Gypsum, allowing Bitter Apricot Seed to expand horizontally with Ephedra rather than descending directly. Extending this logic, there are four other formulas where Ephedra and Bitter Apricot Seed are used together not for treating wheezing: First, Ephedra plus Atractylodes Decoction, for patients with dampness and body aches due to cold-dampness qi depression on the muscle surface, where Ephedra Decoction is suitable. Since the disease is caused by dampness, White Atractylodes Rhizome is added to absorb dampness, and with the middle qi secured, Bitter Apricot Seed is used merely to benefit lung qi. Second, Ephedra, Bitter Apricot Seed, Coix Seed, and Licorice Decoction, for wind-dampness injury leading to fever that worsens in the afternoon, which cannot be treated by Ephedra and Bitter Apricot Seed alone. Coix Seed is added for its heat-clearing and dampness-removing properties, treating long-standing wind-dampness impediment. However, the dosage of Ephedra is only one-sixth of that in Ephedra Decoction, and Bitter Apricot Seed one-seventh, with Coix Seed equivalent to Ephedra, reflecting a minor formulation for emetic therapy, thus Bitter Apricot Seed lacks the authority to descend directly. Third, Clam Decoction, which is Dyers Woad Dragon without Cinnamon Twig but with added Clam Shell. Excessive drinking due to extreme heat requires a significant amount of Clam Shell and Gypsum, with Ephedra reduced by half compared to Dyers Woad Dragon to prevent excessive sweating with minor pathogenic factors. Without the salty-cold nature of Clam Shell, Ephedra might not be used up to three liang. However, with Ephedra assisted by Fresh Ginger Rhizome and Bitter Apricot Seed, sweating is inevitable. Bitter Apricot Seed, despite its descending property, is controlled by Clam Shell, naturally aligning more with Ephedra and Ginger than with Clam Shell. Fourth, Magnolia Bark and Ephedra Decoction, a modified Minor Bluegreen Dragon Decoction with significantly different treatment indications. For cough with floating pulse without detailed symptoms, the formula's ingredients suggest: Dried Ginger, five flavors, and Asarum indicate treatment for cold-induced cough; the combination of Ephedra, Bitter Apricot Seed, and Magnolia Bark suggests the presence of cold pathogens in the exterior requiring dispersion; the addition of Asarum and Pinellia indicates the need to eliminate fluid retention; the inclusion of five flavors and wheat suggests the intention to soothe the lungs while treating cough. This likely indicates early signs of lung atrophy, hence the addition of Gypsum to preserve fluids and transform dryness, similar to the intention behind adding Gypsum to Minor Bluegreen Dragon Decoction. However, the latter is for established lung distension, driving cold fluids downward, whereas the former is for the initial stage of lung atrophy, urgently resolving exterior pathogens while the pulse is floating. Cinnamon Twig and Peony Root are used in the latter but not in the former. With Magnolia Bark used up to five liang and without Peony Root, Bitter Apricot Seed cannot perform its descending function, hence it is used for its horizontal expansion rather than direct descent.
Bitter Apricot Seed has a direct descending and horizontal expanding effect. Although both actions lack strong force and rely on other herbs, when comparing the two, the direct descending force is slightly superior to the horizontal expanding force. Therefore, Zhen Quan is primarily used to induce sweating, while Benjing does not primarily induce sweating but focuses on lowering qi. In the Poria Bitter Apricot Seed Liquorice Root Decoction, many commentators believe Bitter Apricot Seed is used to disperse stagnation, but I alone believe it is used to lower qi. Why do I say this? Chest impediment, with chest qi blockage and shortness of breath, may seem severe, but it is actually milder than the previous case treated with Immature Orange Fruit, Longstamen Onion Bulb, and Cinnamon Twig Decoction. This is because the condition is caused by phlegm-fluid retention, and the yang is not yet deficient, so there is no need for Longstamen Onion Bulb and Cinnamon Twig. For thin fluid retention, this decoction is used, while for sticky phlegm, the Fresh Ginger Rhizome Decoction is preferred. Thin fluid retention leading to qi blockage and shortness of breath must be due to difficulty in urination and fluid retention in the chest, with the chest diaphragm possibly being inherently uncomfortable, leading to obstruction when fluid accumulates. Benjing states that Poria is used to treat rebellious qi in the chest and hypochondrium, binding pain below the heart, and to promote urination, indicating that Poria is responsible for dispersing stagnant fluid retention. Poria's mild and dispersing nature targets tangible fluid retention, while Bitter Apricot Seed's bitter and warm purging nature targets intangible qi. Together, they open obstructions and unblock blockages. However, other formulas for chest impediment do not include Liquorice Root, while this one does, because both herbs have a descending nature, and without Liquorice Root to moderate their effects, they would pass through too quickly and not fully address the illness. The "Waitai" formula, Zou Ma Tang, is a purgative. For cases of nausea, heart pain, abdominal distension, and constipation, Xu Zhong-ke refers to it as infantile fright, while Shen Mu-nan calls it twisted intestine and black sand. The formula uses Croton Fruit, which is appropriate for cases where toxic pathogens are congesting the zang-fu organs, leading to a life-threatening situation. Thus, Croton Fruit is used to expel tangible excess pathogens, while Bitter Apricot Seed is used to lower intangible qi, serving as an emergency measure. The use of Bitter Apricot Seed in the Poria Bitter Apricot Seed Liquorice Root Decoction is similar, emphasizing its direct descending action over its horizontal expanding effect.
Bitter Apricot Seed is sometimes used to assist Ephedra in inducing sweating and can be used in cold formulas. The "Cold Damage Treatise" lists three formulas for jaundice: Virgate Wormwood Decoction, which expels dampness-heat through urination, is used for cases with difficulty in urination and slight abdominal fullness, indicating yangming disease that requires purging. Gardenia and Phelloendron Decoction is used for jaundice with fever, which is not comparable to taiyang fever. Phelloendron bark is a yangming meridian and organ herb, so it clears dampness-heat from the muscle layer (as stated in Bielu, which treats heat and redness in the skin, and Zou Shi notes that Phelloendron bark acts between the exterior and interior), assisted by Gardenia and Liquorice Root, forming a light formula that promotes urination. These formulas do not involve Bitter Apricot Seed. Ephedra, Forsythia, and Rice Bean Decoction is used for cases where stagnant heat in the interior causes jaundice, without difficulty in urination or fever, indicating that the interior is the taiyang interior (as per Ke Shi). Taiyang stagnant heat cannot be resolved without sweating, but sweating should not involve heat, and dampness-heat in yang jaundice is not suitable for hot herbs. Therefore, Forsythia, Phelloendron bark, and Rice Bean are used to clear heat and drain dampness, taking on the major task of treating the interior, while Ephedra and Bitter Apricot Seed disperse the exterior, allowing dampness-heat to be resolved through sweating. This treats taiyang stagnant heat causing jaundice, not headache, fever, body aches, or bone pain, so the amounts of Ephedra and Bitter Apricot Seed are reduced compared to Ephedra Decoction, and they are used in cold formulas without hindering the cold nature of the formula.
Bitter Apricot Seed is also used to treat swelling precisely because it does not induce sweating, as seen in the case of fluid retention with vomiting and swelling (from the phlegm-fluid retention chapter). You Shi states that stomach qi has harmonized but lung obstruction remains, and Ephedra can be used to unblock it, which is correct. However, the reason for not using Ephedra but using Bitter Apricot Seed is not well explained. Ephedra's action of raising yang is similar to inducing sweating, and avoiding sweating in cases of blood deficiency is akin to avoiding diaphoresis in cases of blood consumption. Swelling must involve the blood vessels, which both Ephedra and Bitter Apricot Seed can address. Ephedra induces sweating, while Bitter Apricot Seed does not, making Ephedra unsuitable and Bitter Apricot Seed suitable. Bitter Apricot Seed does not induce sweating, which is clear evidence of its appropriateness.
Bitter Apricot Seed is also used to treat wheezing without being used in sweating formulas, as seen in the Cinnamon Twig plus Magnolia Bark Bitter Apricot Seed Decoction. In cases of taiyang disease mistakenly purged, without thoracic accumulation or diarrhea but with slight wheezing, the wheezing is mild, and the unresolved exterior excess is minimal. Cinnamon Twig Decoction does not release the exterior, and using Ephedra for mild exterior pathogens is not appropriate. However, Magnolia Bark's warm dispersing nature is superior to Cinnamon Twig, and when combined with Cinnamon Twig Decoction to release the exterior, it avoids the risk of heavy sweating. Even without heavy sweating, the exterior is resolved, but if qi does not descend, wheezing persists. Bitter Apricot Seed is superior for lowering qi and also assists in releasing the exterior. Replacing Ephedra with Bitter Apricot Seed is likely for this reason.
Bitter Apricot Seed, when ground, becomes as smooth as fat, excelling in both horizontal expansion and vertical descent due to its moistening properties. Thus, it is widely used in various syndromes of cold-damage disease. In the Ephedra Pill, Bitter Apricot Seed is used to incorporate its vertical descent within its moistening effect. Both Hemp Seed and Bitter Apricot Seed can moisten and transform dryness, but Hemp Seed relaxes the spleen's constraints, while Bitter Apricot Seed suppresses the lung to descend (as detailed in the discussion on hemp fruit). It cannot be said that they lack the ability to promote bowel movement. In the Rhubarb and Ground Beetle Pill, Bitter Apricot Seed is used to incorporate its horizontal expansion within its moistening effect. The various treatment methods in this formula are all aimed at tonifying deficiency and moderating the middle. As for guiding Rehmannia into the meridians to perform its nourishing and softening function, who else but Bitter Apricot Seed could do this? Even Peach Kernel only compares in intensity to the insect-based drugs. There are also cases where only its moistening property is utilized to assist other drugs, with neither horizontal expansion nor vertical descent being evident, as in the Alumite Pill. If there are hardened accumulations of dry blood in the uterus, even if Peach Kernel, Dried Lacquer, and insect-based drugs are used as suppositories, it is not certain that they can remove them, let alone relying solely on Bitter Apricot Seed for horizontal expansion and vertical descent. It is said: when menstrual flow is obstructed and does not flow smoothly, there are times when it is obstructed and times when it is not, but even when not obstructed, it does not flow as smoothly as in a healthy person. In cases where there are hardened accumulations in the viscera that do not cease (Yizong Jinjian: "do not cease" means they do not go away), and there is dry blood with white discharge, there are hardened accumulations in the uterus that cannot be removed, which are actually dry blood, but they cannot be treated as urgently as dry blood. When there is dry blood, the storage and discharge of menstruation do not occur at the proper times, and dampness-heat brews into white discharge, which then flows out. In this case, the dry blood should be set aside and the white discharge treated. Alumite removes dampness and clears heat, and in severe cases, it only needs to be applied twice to cure. However, without the assistance of Bitter Apricot Seed and white honey to moderate and harmonize, it may not achieve such quick results. The Cnidium Fruit Powder is also a suppository. That formula treats pudendal coldness by relying solely on Cnidium Fruit, assisted by white powder to balance hardness with softness. This formula treats white discharge by relying solely on alumite, assisted by Bitter Apricot Seed to balance dryness with moistening. Bitter Apricot Seed moistens without being greasy, so it does not reduce the power of alumite. But to say that it assists in dispersing accumulations, is that really the intention of Zhongjing?
Bitter Apricot Seed is less potent than Ephedra in terms of expansion, but it is suitable for wind-deficiency syndromes and is particularly effective for wind conditions affecting the head and face. Jiegu stated: "It treats wind-heat in the upper energizer." Dongyuan said: "It clears lung apoplexy heat." Shiwan remarked: "When qi descends, heat naturally resolves and wind disperses." I believe that when wind disperses, heat naturally resolves, and it is not about using hot herbs to treat hot wind. The "Qianjin" text mentions that Apricot Paste treats wind-deficiency headache, and Bitter Apricot Seed paste applied to the head and face treats wind swelling, headache, body heat, and wind-heat. It also treats wind conditions on the head and face, and head apoplexy with itching and white scales. Bitter Apricot Seed is present in various formulas, including Chinese Yam Soup and Chinese Yam Pills. The conditions it treats often involve dizziness and visual disturbances. From this, we can infer that even in the "Jingui" Chinese Yam Pill, which contains many wind-dispelling herbs, Bitter Apricot Seed is used to treat wind conditions of the head and face. The so-called "wind qi hundred diseases" are all meticulously considered.
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