狼牙 낭아초 (낭아)

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

1. 性寒, 味苦酸, 有毒.

   Its nature is cold, its taste bitter and sour, and it is toxic. The cold nature with bitter flavor clears heat-toxins, but its toxicity demands careful handling.

2. 主疥瘙惡瘍瘡痔, 殺寸白蟲, 及腹中一切蟲.

   It treats scabies and itching, malignant sores, ulcers, and hemorrhoids, and kills tapeworms along with all intestinal parasites. It serves as both a topical remedy for skin afflictions and an internal vermifuge.

3. 苗似蛇莓而厚大, 深綠色,

   Its sprouts resemble snake-strawberry but are thicker and larger, with a deep green hue. In the field it is easily confused with snake-strawberry, so one must examine leaf thickness and color carefully.

4. 根黑若獸之齒牙, 故以名之.

   The root is black and resembles a beast's fang, which is why it bears the name langya, meaning wolf's tooth. It shows how the ancients named herbs by their visible form.

5. 一名牙子, 二月八月採根, 暴乾.

   It is also called yazi; the root is dug in the second and eighth months and dried in the sun. These spring and autumn windows are when the root's potency is most concentrated.

6. 中濕腐爛生衣者, 殺人. 《本草》

   If it has been dampened, rotted, or grown mold, it can kill — extreme caution is required. The Bencao warns that with this herb, storage condition itself becomes a matter of life and death.