牽牛子 나팔꽃씨 (견우자)

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

1. 性寒, 味苦, 有毒.

   Its nature is cold, its taste bitter, and it carries toxicity, so it must be handled with care.

2. 主下氣.

   Its principal action is to drive qi downward, settling energy that has risen excessively.

3. 治水腫, 除風毒, 利大小便, 下冷膿, 瀉蠱毒, 落胎.

   It treats edema, dispels wind-toxin, eases urination and stool, drains cold pus, expels parasitic toxins, and induces miscarriage—so it is strictly forbidden during pregnancy.

4. 白者名白丑, 黑者名黑丑.

   The white seeds are called baekchuk and the black seeds heukchuk, named according to their color.

5. 此藥始出田野, 人牽牛易藥, 故以名之.

   This herb first grew wild in the fields, and people would lead an ox to trade for it, which is how the name “ox-leading seed” came about.

6. 九月後收子. 《本草》

   The seeds are gathered after the ninth lunar month, in the depths of autumn. So recorded in the Bencao.

7. 瀉氣中之濕熱, 以氣藥引之則入氣, 以大黃引之則入血.

   It drains damp-heat lodged in the qi level; paired with qi-moving herbs it enters the qi, while paired with rhubarb it enters the blood.

8. 有黑白二種, 白屬金, 黑屬水.

   There are two kinds—black and white. The white belongs to metal and the black to water in the five-phase scheme.

9. 其性烈而善走, 比諸辛藥尤甚.

   Its nature is fierce and swift in action, even more so than other pungent herbs, so it demands careful handling.

10. 以酒拌蒸三時, 炒熟, 每一斤搗, 取頭末四兩用, 生者尤急. 《入門》

    Mix with wine, steam for about six hours, then dry-roast; from each catty pound the seeds and use only the first four ounces of fine powder. Raw, it acts even more swiftly and harshly. So recorded in the Ipmun.