莨菪子 사리풀씨 (낭탕자)

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

1. 性寒, 味苦甘, 有大毒.

   It is cold in nature, bitter and sweet in taste, and carries strong toxicity. As its old nickname suggests, this is a seed to be handled with great caution.

2. 主齒痛出蟲.

   It is mainly used to relieve toothache and to draw out the so-called 'tooth worms.' Old practitioners would have patients inhale the smoke of the burning seeds to ease the pain.

3. 多食令人狂走, 見鬼.

   Eating too much causes one to run about madly and see apparitions. This is a vivid record of its powerful hallucinogenic effect, and the dose must be kept strictly under control.

4. 一名天仙子, 葉似菘藍, 莖有白毛.

   It is also called Cheonseonja (heavenly fairy seed); its leaves resemble those of woad, and its stems are covered with fine white hairs. It grows as a roadside annual.

5. 五月結實, 有殼作罌, 中子至細, 如粟米靑白色.

   It bears fruit around the fifth lunar month, with tiny seeds packed inside a jar-shaped capsule. The seeds are as fine as millet, in a pale bluish-white hue.

6. 先用醋煮極爛用之. 《本草》

   Before use, the seeds should first be boiled in vinegar until thoroughly softened. This vinegar processing is the old apothecary's way of taming the seed's harshness. (Bencao)