The Medical Works of the Jin Family [...] Volume 33
Page 33

Take blue-green melons. When their vital energy Qi: The life force or "ripeness" of the fruit is sufficient, the stems will naturally fall off onto the vine. Collect these, tie them in bundles, and hang them under the eaves of the house. Let them dry in a windy place. Kou Zongshi says: This refers to the stem of the muskmelon. Remove the outer skin of the melon. Use the stem with about half an inch of the fruit attached, and sun-dry until it is extremely dry. Grind it into a powder only when it is time to use it. Li Shizhen says: According to the records of Tang Yao, muskmelon stems should be round and short. Melons that are round and compact are of the best quality. If they are fragrant melons or long like bottle gourds, those are types used primarily as vegetables; their stems are not suitable for medicinal use.

Flavor and Nature: Bitter and Cold. Toxic. Daming says: Non-toxic. Primary Indications: Severe edema Edema: Excessive swelling caused by fluid retention where the body, face, and four limbs are bloated; it drains water from the system. It kills gu Gu: A type of virulent poison or parasitic infection associated with ancient folklore. It treats coughing with upward-rushing energy and illnesses caused by eating various fruits where the sickness remains in the chest or abdomen; it clears these by inducing vomiting or purging. Benjing (The Divine Farmer's Materia Medica) It removes nasal polyps and treats jaundice. Bielu (Miscellaneous Records) It treats sensations of heat and cold in the brain, chronic runny nose, dimness of vision, and the spitting up of phlegm. It causes heavy vomiting of wind-heat phlegm and saliva. It treats dizziness caused by "wind," headaches, epilepsy, and throat obstructions, as well as "dampness" affecting the head and eyes. Li Shizhen When combined with musk and Asarum original: Xixin, a pungent herb, it treats the loss of the sense of smell. Wang Haogu

Application and Development

Zhang Ji Also known as Zhang Zhongjing, the "Sage of Medicine" says: If the illness appears to be a "Cinnamon Twig" syndrome, yet there is no headache and the neck is not stiff. If the cun pulse The pulse felt at the wrist closest to the hand, associated with the heart and lungs is slightly floating, and there is a hard, painful mass in the chest with energy rushing up toward the throat so the patient cannot breathe, this indicates that in the chest there is