Pepper

original: "椒" (Jiao). This refers specifically to Szechuan pepper (Zanthoxylum species), a native Chinese spice known for its "numbing" quality, distinct from the black pepper of India or the chili peppers of the Americas.

Pepper grows in the river valleys of Wudu an ancient commandery located near the border of modern Gansu and Sichuan provinces and Ba Commandery an ancient region covering modern-day Chongqing and eastern Sichuan. The plant reaches four to five feet in height and resembles the Dogwoodoriginal: "茱萸" (Zhuyu), likely referring to Cornus officinalis. Ancient botanists often compared plants to the dogwood due to its similar pinnate leaves., though it is smaller and possesses needle-like thorns. Its leaves are firm and smooth; they can be boiled and consumed as food or drink. The stem is spicy and fragrant.

In the fourth month, it bears fruit without appearing to flower, the seeds emerging from between the leaves. These seeds are round and similar in size to small beans, with a purple-red skin. In the eighth month, the fruit is harvested and roasted until dry. Its flavor is spicy and its nature is "warm" and "greatly hot." It is considered toxic In Traditional Chinese Medicine, "toxic" (you du) often refers to a potent pharmacological effect that requires careful dosing, rather than being purely poisonous..

It is primarily used to treat Pathogenic Qioriginal: "邪氣" (Xieqi). These are external environmental factors like wind, cold, or dampness believed to cause disease. and coughing with rebellious breath. It warms the "center" the digestive system, expels cold and dampness causing numbness or pain in the joints and skin, and directs Qithe body's vital energy downward. It removes cold from the Six VisceraThe gallbladder, stomach, small intestine, large intestine, bladder, and the "Triple Burner" (San Jiao).. It is further used for:

• Cold-damage disorders and "warm malaria."
• "Great wind" a historical term often associated with leprosy or severe skin conditions where the patient cannot sweat.
• Fluid retention in the chest and abdomen, and chronic indigestion.
• Dysentery and the "leakage of essence" nocturnal emissions.
• Postpartum ailments in women.

It disperses "wind-evil," abdominal masses, edema, and jaundice. It is also used against Ghost Possessionoriginal: "鬼疰" (Guizhu). A historical diagnostic category for chronic, wasting diseases (like tuberculosis) that seemed to "spread" through families like a haunting. and Gu Poisonoriginal: "蠱毒" (Gudu). A legendary and feared type of poison or sorcery involving venomous creatures.. It can be used to kill parasites and neutralize toxins from fish.

Warning: Those seeds that do not open their "mouths" referring to the split in the husk of the peppercorn are lethal to humans.