續隨子 속수자 (속수자)

Original, read line by line 東醫寶鑑 · 탕액편 권3

1. 性溫, 味辛, 有毒.

   성온, 미신, 유독.

   It is warm in nature, pungent in taste, and toxic. The pungent flavor and warming property work powerfully to break through stagnation in the body, but its toxicity demands careful handling.

2. 主癥瘕, 痃癖, 瘀血, 蠱毒, 心腹痛.

   주징가, 현벽, 어혈, 고독, 심복통.

   It treats abdominal masses such as jingjia and xianpi, as well as blood stasis, gu toxin, and pain in the chest and abdomen. Physicians of old turned to this herb to break through deeply rooted accumulations that would not yield to gentler remedies.

3. 利大小腸, 下惡滯物, 破積聚.

   이대소장, 하악체물, 파적취.

   It frees the large and small intestines, drives out long-stagnant foul matter, and breaks apart accumulations. Its strong purgative action sweeps out what has been locked inside for too long.

4. 一名千金子, 一名聯步.

   일명천금자, 일명연보.

   It is also called qianjinzi or lianbu. The name qianjinzi, meaning a seed worth a thousand pieces of gold, reflects how highly the ancients prized the power packed into this small grain.

5. 生南方, 採無時.

   생남방, 채무시.

   It grows in the southern regions and can be gathered at any time of year. Because there is no fixed harvest season, it was an herb that could be obtained whenever the need arose.

6. 下水最速, 然有毒損人, 不可過多. 《本草》

   하수최속, 연유독손인, 불가과다. 《본초》

   It drives water down with the greatest speed, making it effective against edema, yet its toxicity can harm the body, so it must never be used in excess. The Bencao warns that swift power must always be paired with restraint. 《Bencao》

7. 去殼硏, 以紙包, 壓去油用. 《入門》

   거각연, 이지포, 압거유용. 《입문》

   Remove the husk, grind the seeds finely, wrap them in paper, and press out the oil before use. Much of the toxicity resides in that oil, so this single step of preparation makes the medicine considerably safer. 《Ipmun》