Ghost Arrow Feather, also known as Weimao or Divine Arrow, is mentioned in the book "Shennong Bencao Jing". It is the dried wing-like branches or appendages of the plant Euonymus alatus (Thunb.) Sieb. of the Euonymus family. It can be harvested throughout the year. After cutting the branches, remove the young shoots and leaves and dry them. Alternatively, collect the wing-like appendages and dry them.
[Preparation Method] "Leigong Pao Zhi Lun" states: "Wipe off the red hair. Stir-fry it with lard until it is used up. For each two taels of the herb, use one fen of lard, and fry until the lard is completely used." "Newly Revised Materia Medica" states: "Use it by peeling off the skin and feathers." Currently, the original medicinal material is selected, impurities are removed, washed, moistened, cut into sections or thick slices, and dried.
[Appearance of prepared slices] It is cylindrical or thick slice in shape, with a gray-green surface and longitudinal wrinkles. It has gray-brown wing-like patches on all sides, resembling arrow feathers. The texture is soft and brittle, easily breakable or peelable, and the cross-section is brown. The branches are woody and hard, with a yellow-white cut surface. It has no odor, with a slightly bitter and astringent taste.
[Preparation functions] Ghost Arrow Feather has a bitter and pungent taste and a cold nature. It belongs to the liver and spleen meridians. It has the functions of breaking blood and promoting menstruation, detoxifying and reducing swelling, and killing insects. It is used for women with amenorrhea, postpartum blood stasis abdominal pain, and abdominal pain due to intestinal worms. For example, it is used in the treatment of postpartum sepsis that does not disperse, hardness in the child's pillow, intermittent pain, and new childbirth with internal wind-cold attack, slow discharge of lochia, and hard and painful navel and abdomen, in the form of Danggui San (from "Ju Fang"). The purified and sliced preparation method is beneficial for purifying the medicinal material, extracting the effective ingredients, and facilitating dispensing and formulation.
[Preparation research] The preparation of Ghost Arrow Feather was first recorded in the "Leigong Pao Zhi Lun" during the Southern and Northern Dynasties, which described the method of removing hair and frying with lard. The method of frying with lard was still used during the Ming Dynasty. Currently, the preparation method involves purification and cutting. When sieving the skin debris, the sieve should be rotated and moved lightly to prevent the wing-like patches from breaking easily due to collision, which affects the aesthetics.
