柏實 측백나무 씨 (백실)

Original, read line by line 東醫寶鑑 · Tangaek — Decoctions vol. 3

1. 性平, 味甘, 無毒.

   Its nature is neutral, its taste sweet, and it carries no toxicity, making it gentle enough for long-term use.

2. 主驚悸.

   It is principally used to calm palpitations and the startled, jumpy feelings of an unsettled heart.

3. 安五藏, 益氣.

   It settles the five viscera and replenishes vital qi, lifting overall vigor by soothing the body's core.

4. 治風, 潤皮膚, 除風濕痺,

   It dispels wind, moistens the skin, and clears the numbness of wind-damp impediments that stiffen the joints.

5. 虛損吸吸, 興陽道, 益壽.

   It restores those wasted to gasping weakness, revives sexual vitality, and was long prized as a longevity tonic.

6. 此側葉子也.

   This refers to the seed of the biota tree, the kernel hidden inside the cone of what we call the side-cypress.

7. 九月結子, 候成熟收採, 蒸乾, 去殼用. 《本草》

   The cones set in the ninth month; once ripe they are gathered, steamed, dried, and shelled before use, as the Bencao instructs.

8. 令人潤澤, 美顔色, 耳目聰明, 則澤腎之藥也. 《湯液》

   It glosses the body, brightens the complexion, and sharpens the ears and eyes, for it is a medicine that nourishes the kidneys, as the Tangye notes.

9. 萬木向陽, 惟柏西向, 故字從白,

   While all trees lean toward the sun, only the cypress turns west, and so its character carries the radical for white, the color of the western direction.

10. 稟金之正氣, 木之最堅者.

    Endowed with the upright qi of metal, it is the hardest of trees, and this firmness was held to underwrite its medicinal strength.

11. 實去殼取仁, 微炒, 去油用. 《入門》

    The shell is removed to take the kernel, which is lightly roasted and de-oiled before use, as the Rumen prescribes to avoid digestive upset.

12. 葉

    This section concerns the leaves of the biota, which serve a different role than the seeds.

13. 味苦辛, 性澁.

    The leaves taste bitter and pungent with an astringent nature, giving them a stronger drawing-in action than the seeds.

14. 皆側向而生.

    Every frond grows turned to the side, and from this sideways habit the tree takes its name.

15. 主吐血衄血痢血, 補陰之要藥.

    It chiefly treats hematemesis, nosebleeds, and bloody dysentery, and stands as a key remedy for nourishing yin and stanching loss.

16. 四時各依方面採, 陰乾.

    In each season the leaves were gathered from the corresponding cardinal direction and dried in shade, an old four-quadrant harvest rule.

17. 入藥, 蒸用. 《本草》

    When entered into a prescription the leaves are first steamed, as the Bencao makes clear, never used raw.

18. 白皮

    This section concerns the white inner bark, the soft layer just beneath the outer skin of the trunk.

19. 主火灼爛瘡.

    It principally treats burns and the festering sores left by scalds, applied to soothe the seared flesh.

20. 長毛髮. 《本草》

    It promotes the growth of hair, as the Bencao lists alongside its use for burns.