《太上肘后玉经方》

The Most High (Taishang) once said: Chaojuzi served the Azure Lad (Qingtong Jun) of the Eastern Sea, applying himself with diligent care, remaining pure and still with few desires, and strictly observing the etiquette of a disciple. Whether in scorching heat, wind and rain, or bitter cold, he never slackened, persisting for nearly twenty years in all. The Azure Lad thereupon personally transmitted the mysterious and wondrous methods, and with his own hand copied out the secret formulas of the immortals.

The Azure Lad said: “To mount a crane and ascend to the Nine Heavens is not easily accomplished; yet if one can live freely between Heaven and Earth, maintaining a pure, still, and tranquil Qi (vital energy), so that the countenance does not decline and the Shen (spirit) of the heart-mind remains clear and luminous, living for several hundred years is still attainable. The secret arts of the immortals, however, cannot be transmitted at random; they must be given to a suitable person.”

During the Chang’an years, Chaojuzi judged Hanqizi to be of worthy and virtuous character, so he had him bathe and observe a purification fast, then transmitted this method to him. In the eighth year of Zhenyuan, Hanqizi considered that although my talent and virtue were shallow, I was able to be unrestrained and at ease with myself; my lineage of transmission did not come from worldly people, and my associations were not for fame or profit, as if I were endowed by nature with an upright character. Therefore he said that transmitting the arts to me was not placing them in the wrong hands, and he charged me to continue the transmission.

I consider Yinqizi a person of outstanding literary talent. In his early years he had attained high examination honors, yet he suddenly abandoned the official career and its hurried striving, turning his heart toward the gate of the Dao. After entering the Dao for only six or seven years, he had learned almost all the mysterious and wondrous arts, yet the crucial key to the ultimate principles of cultivating the Dao seemed not yet to have been fully encountered. Recalling that I had received this lineage transmission together with its deep bond of affection, I long remained unwilling to speak; yet I also knew that he was truly one who aspired to the Dao. Moreover, he was able to forget titles and emoluments, remaining unentangled by the customs of the times; his writings were pure and elegant, displaying the cultivation of “having yet seeming not to have, being substantial yet seeming empty.” Such a person will surely undergo feathered transformation, ascend, and ride away upon the clouds—how could it be merely a longevity like that of turtles and cranes?

Therefore, in the Yiwei year of Baoli, Xiabingzi Lu Daoyuan presented one volume of the Taishang Bafang Kunyi Xuanbao to Master Shi Yinqi. May you revere and treasure it, guard it with care, practice it with diligence, and you will naturally obtain spiritual efficacy.

Qian Heaven-Father Earth-Mother Seven Jing Powder Formula

Bamboo fruit, three large liang, absorbs the jing (essence) of heaven, earth, sun, and moon; it is to be steamed nine times and sun-dried nine times, and mainly treats water qi (vital energy). Kochia seeds, four large liang, are the jing of Taiyin and mainly treat liver disease and brighten the eyes. Polygonatum, four large liang, is the jing of Wu-Ji and mainly nourishes the spleen. Manjingzi, three large liang, is to be steamed nine times; it mainly treats evil ghosts and can also brighten the eyes. Pine resin, three large liang, refined until warm, mainly treats wind-madness, impediment pain, and dampness conditions. Peach gum, four large liang, is the jing of the five woods and mainly treats ghostly evils. Jusheng (sesame), five large liang, is the jing of the five grains and is to be sun-dried nine times.

The formula compounded from the medicinals above is said, according to former legend, to have been taken by the Yellow Emperor, after which he ascended to heaven. If it is to be transmitted, an altar must be set up and incense burned, and the matter reported to Shangdi, after which it may be conferred; one must also swear an oath of secrecy, and it may be transmitted only once in forty years. If this is not observed, Heaven will cut short one’s lifespan and will moreover cause seven generations of descendants to be examined by the Water Officials. Utmost caution is required.

Kun Fenghou Four Fans Powder Formula

Wulingzhi, three large liang, is said to prolong life and benefit longevity; Xianlingpi, three large liang, strengthens sinews and bones; pine resin, three large liang, treats wind-pain; Alisma, three large liang, strengthens kidney qi; Mu, two large liang, benefits the power of qi; dried ginger, two large liang, benefits qi; raw Rehmannia, five large liang, supplements marrow and blood; stone calamus, three large liang, supplements the heart’s shen (spirit); cinnamon heart, three large liang, supplements vacuity, weakness, and insufficiency; mica powder, four large liang, causes the skin to grow and the complexion to become full, lustrous, and fair.

It is said that this formula was transmitted by Fenghou to the Yellow Emperor, then passed on by Gaoqiuzi, and later transmitted to Mao Gu. When transmitting it one must swear an oath and must not leak it casually. Pound each medicinal separately into powder, then combine them and pound together for thirty thousand pestle-strokes; they may also be made into pills with honey.

Gen Lord Wang He Che Formula

One Purple River Cart (the traditional materia medica name for the human placenta). The Song of the Queen Mother says: “One Purple River Cart can, like a dragon that conceals itself and then transforms, enable a person to cast off old age and return to youth, and cause a withered poplar to grow once more.” A commentary states: “Purple River Cart is the ‘first maiden.’” The meaning of “first maiden” here is unclear; the original text may contain a corruption.

Wash the Purple River Cart in eastward-flowing water and remove the bloodstains one hundred times; then wash it fifty times with wine, dry it in the shade, and afterwards expose it to the sun. Mix it with the following medicinals: eight large taels of raw dried rehmannia, used to replenish the bone marrow and the blood; four large taels of achyranthes, used to nourish the waist and knees; three large taels of chrysanthemum, used to expel pathogenic wind from the sinews and bones; three large taels of schisandra, used to regulate the five viscera; three taels of cistanche, used to benefit the male organ (women may omit this); four large taels of raspberry, used to supplement insufficiency of yin Qi (vital energy); two large taels of morinda root, used to increase desire for sexual intercourse (women may omit this); three large taels of chebula rind, used to regulate distension of Qi in the chest; two taels of “drum-seed flower,” used to strengthen the sinews and bones; two large taels of kudan, used to treat the toxicity of various drugs; three large taels of “Daijupu,” used to nourish the Jing (essence) and Shen (spirit); three taels of dried lacquer, used to expel pathogenic wind from the flesh and the five viscera; three taels of huangbo ziren, used to increase Jing-Qi; three taels of poria, used to calm the Shen; three taels of yunying powder, used to astringe the intestines; two taels of polygonatum, used to replenish the spleen and stomach; two taels of golden-hairpin dendrobium, used to strengthen the sinews and vessels; three large taels of alisma, used to regulate the body in both men and women; two large taels of polygala, used to strengthen the power of the heart and improve forgetfulness; four large taels of apricot kernels, stir-fried until scorched yellow and with the tips and outer skins removed, used to eliminate unhealthy blood and Qi; four large taels of jusheng (sesame), used to extend the years of life and preserve the physical appearance.

The above twenty-two ingredients are pounded into powder and made into pills with honey. After three doses have been taken, it is said that the complexion becomes as youthful as a woman’s. In former times this formula was transmitted to Su Linzi; at the transmission one had to swear an oath of alliance and smear blood to seal the compact. If the covenant is not observed, one will suffer punishment from the Most High.

The Four Youths Powder Formula of the Queen Mother of Xungui Terrace

Seven taels of cinnabar, three taels of vermilion, four large taels of sesame, four taels of asparagus tuber, five taels of poria, three taels of “wood,” five taels of dried polygonatum, and four taels of peach kernels (tips and outer skins removed).

The above eight ingredients are combined and pounded together thirty thousand times. In winter they are prepared as a powder, in summer as pills. After eight years of taking this, it is said that the countenance becomes like that of an infant and the skin like congealed fat. In former times this formula was transmitted to Mao Ai; at the transmission an oath-covenant was sworn that it must not be passed on to outsiders.

Some drug names and wording in the original text are suspected of containing errors, such as “first maiden,” “wood,” “Daijupu,” and the like; they are retained here according to the original and cannot be definitively explained. The statements concerning years of consumption, returning from old age to youth, and similar matters are as recorded in the ancient texts.

The eight medicinal materials listed on the right are to be pounded together thirty thousand times. In winter they are prepared as a powder, while in summer they are made into pills. After eight years of taking them, one's countenance will be like that of an infant and the skin as delicate and smooth as congealed fat. In former times this formula was passed to Mao Ai, and the parties swore a solemn oath that the formula must not be leaked in violation of the vow, lest one be punished by the statutes of the Most High. Utmost caution is required, utmost caution is required.

Li: Lord Peng's elk antler powder formula. Take three or two sets of elk antlers, without restriction as to number. Split the antlers open and cut them into pieces about three fen in thickness and five cun in length, discarding the inferior inner portions, then soak them in the water used for washing rice. Change the water every three days in summer and every ten days in winter, continuing the soak for over a month until the antlers seem to have become soft. Place them in cooked rice to steam, covering them with white mulberry bark, and steam until they are as well-cooked as taro. Take them out, dry them in the sun, and grind them to powder. Add one liang of fire-subdued sulfur (sulfur that has been calcined and sealed) to each jin of the antler powder. Elks feed upon calamus, whose essence permeates the antlers.

Lord Peng consumed this formula and is reported to have lived seven hundred seventy-nine years before entering Difu Mountain and vanishing without trace. Some today claim that Lord Peng has died, but this is mistaken; he possesses another line of transmission. The formula was obtained by someone in a stone cave on Crane Cry Mountain, who swore not to disclose it.

Dui: Xia Ji Yao's Golden Elixir (Jindan) formula. Take six dou of almonds and grind them with water to obtain one shi eight dou of juice, which is then boiled in an iron pot. This formula has a separate transmission. It was obtained by someone in a stone cave on Crane Cry Mountain, who swore not to disclose it.

Dui: Xia Ji Yao's Golden Elixir (Jindan) formula. Take six dou of almonds and grind them with water to obtain one shi eight dou of juice, which is then boiled in an iron pot. First rub the iron pot with sheep tallow until three jin of tallow have been exhausted; then pour in the almond juice and cook it over a fire of rice husks for forty-nine days. Extract the medicinal liquid and decoct it with “Buzi” to form pills the size of soybeans. Take one pill each day; three liang constitute one dose.

Xia Ji is said to have taken three doses, whereupon she became a young girl and ascended in broad daylight. The formula derives from the Upper Scripture of Master Xianmen (Xianmenzi Shangjing). An oath was sworn against disclosure; violators bring calamity upon seven generations. Utmost caution is required, utmost caution is required.

Kan: the wolfberry decoction formula of the Perfected Person of the Southern Peak, Master Red Pine (Chisongzi).

Take thirty jin of goji root, peel off the bark and set it aside, then steam and sun-dry it nine times in succession before grinding it into powder. Boil the remaining woody portion of the root in about three shi of water (an ancient unit of capacity). Next, simmer the bark powder together with this decoction until it thickens to the consistency of thin porridge, blend in the previously prepared powder, and form the mixture into pills the size of Chinese parasol-tree seeds. A single dose is said to prolong life and enable one to reach a hundred years of age.

When this formula was transmitted to Li Babai, a solemn oath was sworn that it must never be revealed to outsiders, on pain of heavenly punishment.

Master Zhenqingjing’s Recipe for Swift Rice

Take one shi of white millet, soak it in nanzhu juice, then steam and sun-dry it nine times in succession. Once fully dried, more than three dou of the prepared grain will remain. Cook and consume one spoonful daily; after one month reduce the amount to half a spoonful, and after two months to one-third of a spoonful. The scripture states that prolonged use transforms the intestines into sinews and bones, rendering the body immune to wind and cold; the beard and sideburns become as black as dark silk, and the complexion as pure and white as ice-jade.

It is said that after colorful maidens took this formula they could command the Six Ding (Liu Ding, the six heavenly spirit-generals of Daoist legend) and were guarded by heavenly troops. The scripture strictly enjoins secrecy and forbids transmission, declaring that those who carefully guard the secret may become immortals.