麻黃 마황 (마황)

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

1. 性溫一云平, 味苦一云甘, 無毒.

   Its nature is warm (some say neutral), its taste bitter (some say sweet), and it is non-toxic.

2. 主中風傷寒頭痛, 溫瘧, 發表出汗, 去邪熱氣.

   It treats headaches from wind-stroke and cold damage, warm-malaria, releases the exterior by inducing sweat, and dispels pathogenic heat.

3. 除寒熱, 五藏邪氣, 通腠理.

   It dispels alternating chills and fever, expels pathogenic qi from the five viscera, and opens the interstices of the skin.

4. 治溫疫, 禦山嵐瘴氣.

   It treats epidemic warm diseases and wards off the miasmic vapors of the mountains.

5. 立秋採莖, 陰乾令靑.

   The stems are gathered around the Start of Autumn and dried in the shade so they keep their green color.

6. 用之先去根節, 根節止汗故也.

   Before use, the roots and nodes must be removed, because those parts actually stop sweating.

7. 先煮一兩沸, 去上沫, 沫令人煩. 《本草》

   Boil it once or twice first and skim off the foam, for the foam makes people restless. (Bencao)

8. 麻黃生于中牟, 雪積五尺, 有麻黃處, 則雪不聚.

   Ephedra grows in Zhongmou; even when snow piles up five feet deep, no snow settles where ephedra grows.

9. 盖通陽氣, 却外寒也. 《三因》

   This is because it opens up yang qi and repels external cold. (Sanyin)

10. 麻黃, 手太陰之劑, 入足太陽經, 走手少陰經ㆍ陽明經,

    Ephedra is a remedy of the Hand Taiyin channel, enters the Foot Taiyang channel, and travels through the Hand Shaoyin and Yangming channels.

11. 發太陽ㆍ少陰經汗, 去表上之寒邪,

    It induces sweating in the Taiyang and Shaoyin channels and drives off cold pathogens lodged on the surface.

12. 瀉衛實, 去榮中寒. 《湯液》

    It drains repletion in the defensive qi and clears cold lodged within the nutritive qi. (Tangye)

13. 自中原移植于我國諸邑, 而不爲繁殖.

    It was transplanted from China to various Korean districts, but did not propagate well.

14. 惟江原道, 慶尙道有之. 《俗方》

    It is found only in Gangwon and Gyeongsang provinces. (Sokbang)