杏核仁 살구씨 (행핵인)

Original, read line by line 東醫寶鑑 · Tangaek — Decoctions vol. 2

1. 性溫, 味甘苦, 有毒一云小毒.

   Its nature is warm, its taste both sweet and bitter, and it is toxic — though some sources call the toxicity mild.

2. 主咳逆上氣.

   It treats coughing and the upward rebellion of qi that brings on labored breathing.

3. 療肺氣喘促, 解肌出汗, 殺狗毒.

   It relieves wheezing from constricted lung qi, opens the flesh to release sweat, and counteracts the venom from dog bites.

4. 處處有之, 山杏不堪入藥, 須家園種者.

   Apricots grow everywhere, yet wild mountain apricots are unfit for medicine — only those cultivated in home gardens should be used.

5. 五月採.

   It is gathered in the fifth lunar month.

6. 入手太陰經.

   It enters the Hand Taiyin lung meridian.

7. 破核取仁, 湯浸去皮尖及雙仁, 麩炒令黃色用之.

   Crack the pit and take the kernel; soak in hot water to peel off the skin and the pointed tip, discard double kernels, then dry-fry with wheat bran until golden.

8. 雙仁者殺人, 可以毒狗.

   Twin kernels are toxic enough to kill a person, and so were used only to poison dogs.

9. 凡桃杏雙仁殺人者, 其花本五出, 若六出必雙仁.

   Peach and apricot blossoms normally open with five petals; when six appear, the fruit invariably bears twin kernels — and these are the ones that harm people.

10. 草木花皆五出, 惟山梔, 雪花六出, 此殆陰陽之理.

    All plant blossoms open in fives — only gardenia and snowflakes open in sixes — and this reflects the underlying order of yin and yang.

11. 今桃杏雙仁有毒者, 失其常也.

    The toxicity of present-day twin peach and apricot kernels arises because they have strayed from their natural order.

12. 《入門》

    From the Yixue Rumen (Introduction to Medicine).

13. 生熟喫俱得, 惟半生半熟殺人.

    Eating them raw or fully cooked is safe, but half-raw and half-cooked kernels can be deadly.

14. 《本草》

    From the Bencao (Materia Medica).

15. 病人有火有汗, 童尿浸三日用.

    For patients with internal heat and spontaneous sweating, soak the kernels in boy's urine for three days before use.

16. 《入門》

    Again from the Yixue Rumen.

17. 杏實 性熱, 味酸, 有毒.

    The apricot fruit itself is hot in nature, sour in taste, and toxic.

18. 不可多食, 損神, 傷筋骨.

    It must not be eaten in quantity, for it dulls the spirit and harms the sinews and bones.

19. 《本草》

    From the Bencao.