鬱金 울금 (울금)

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

1. 性寒, 味辛苦, 無毒.

   Its nature is cold, its taste is pungent and bitter, and it is non-toxic. It cools the body while helping to dispel stagnation.

2. 主血積, 下氣,

   It treats stagnant blood masses and brings rebellious qi downward, easing the tightness that gathers in the chest.

3. 治血淋尿血金瘡,

   It addresses bloody urinary dribbling, hematuria, and wounds from metal blades, both stanching bleeding and helping the injury close.

4. 療血氣心痛. 《本草》

   It relieves chest pain that arises when blood and qi knot together. So recorded in the Bencao.

5. 鬱金不甚香,

   Turmeric is not strongly fragrant; its scent is more of a quiet diffusion than a heavy perfume.

6. 但其氣輕揚,

   Yet its qi is light and rising, spreading upward and outward with ease.

7. 能致達酒氣於高遠,

   It can carry the force of wine to high and distant places, acting as a guide that lifts the action of other remedies.

8. 以降神也.

   For this reason it is said to draw down the spirits, and the old physicians used it to clear the mind.

9. 古人, 用以治鬱遏不能散者.

   The ancients used it to release qi that was choked and could not disperse, particularly when the chest felt weighed down.

10. 在處有之,

    It grows in many places and is not hard to obtain, though its effect is by no means slight.

11. 形如蟬肚者佳.

    Roots shaped like a cicada's belly, plump and rounded, are considered the finest grade.

12. 水洗, 焙乾用. 《入門》

    Wash it in water, then dry it gently over low heat before use. So noted in the Yimen.