《圖經衍義本草》Vol. 32

Illustrated Classic of Materia Medica, with Expanded Explanations, Volume 32

Compiled by Kou Zongshi, a Tongzhilang and official responsible for identifying medicinal materials in the Song dynasty; revised by Xu Hong, a medical assistant instructor and official responsible for identifying medicinal materials in the Song dynasty.

Middle-grade medicines of the Insect and Fish section: Hedgehog

Hedgehog skin tastes bitter, is neutral in nature, and is non-toxic. It is used to treat the five types of hemorrhoids, ulceration of the genital area, bleeding, and red or white vaginal discharge. It can also treat persistent bleeding, swelling and pain in the genital area, and pain extending to the lower back. It is said to kill parasites when boiled in wine and taken. It also treats abdominal pain, hernia, and accumulations. It may be burned to ash, ground into powder, and swallowed with wine. Hedgehogs live in the valleys, fields, and open country of Chu, and can be caught at any time. Keep the skin dry; it is best used with wine. Its medicinal properties are incompatible with those of Platycodon root and Ophiopogon root.

The Illustrated Classic says: Hedgehogs live in the valleys and fields of Chu, and are now found in mountain forests throughout the land. They resemble badgers, with short legs, a body covered in spines, and a tail more than an inch long. When someone approaches, they draw in their head and feet, leaving only their spines exposed and making them difficult to approach. Only when they see a magpie do they turn onto their backs and let it peck at their bellies. Some say they fear the magpie’s call, and that people take advantage of this to catch them. This resembles the way clams and mussels react when confronted by creatures that counter them. There are many kinds of hedgehog. Those with pale fur and feet like pig’s trotters are considered best; those with feet like a rat’s are of lesser quality.

The Treatise on the Nature of Medicines says: In prescriptions, hedgehog skin serves as a minister ingredient. It tastes sweet and is slightly toxic. It treats intestinal bleeding and hemorrhoids. For hemorrhoids that have persisted for years and resisted treatment, roast the skin, grind it into powder, and take one square-inch spoonful with plain water. Burned to ash, ground into powder, and blown into the nose, it treats severe nosebleeds. It can also greatly diminish the potency of various medicines.

Tao Hongjing says: Hedgehogs are occasionally found in fields and open country. When someone approaches, they draw in their head and feet, and their spines make them impossible to catch. They can leap into a tiger’s ear; when they see a magpie, however, they turn onto their backs and let it peck at them. The ways in which all things constrain one another are truly hard to imagine. Melt hedgehog fat and pour it into an iron vessel, then add a little mercury, and the iron will become soft like lead or tin.

The Daily Essentials of Materia Medica says: Hedgehog skin stimulates the appetite, stops bleeding and sweating, and treats abdominal distension and pain, as well as hernia. Hedgehog fat treats intestinal bleeding. Those with feet like pig’s trotters are best; those with feet like a rat’s are of lesser quality.

Meng Shen says: Eating hedgehog meat strengthens the Lower Burner, the lower region of the body in Chinese medicine, and regulates Stomach Qi. Hedgehog fat can be used in preparing medicines made from minerals and metals. Hedgehog skin burned to ash and taken with wine treats rebellious Stomach Qi; drinking its decoction stops food from coming back up. Hedgehog meat may be marinated with various seasonings and roasted, but do not eat its bones, or the body will grow thin and shrink.

The Dietary Therapy says: Hedgehog meat is neutral in nature and can be eaten. It is best marinated in a mixture of seasonings and roasted, but do not eat its bones; they will make the body grow thin and shrink.

Hedgehog hide can strengthen the lower burner and regulate stomach Qi, helping a person regain their appetite. Burn the hide to ash and take it with wine; alternatively, roast it until yellow, then simmer it in water and drink the liquid to treat rebellious stomach Qi. Finely chop the hide, stir-fry it until charred black, and add it to pills to treat intestinal bleeding and prolapsed hemorrhoids; it is considered quite effective. Hedgehog hide is also used for intestinal bleeding, hemorrhoids, and fistulas. It is incompatible with the five metals and eight minerals when boiled together, and it counteracts or clashes with balloon flower root and dwarf lilyturf root.

The Wai Tai Mi Yao Fang records this treatment for the five kinds of hemorrhoids: take a slice of hedgehog hide three fingers wide, a date-sized piece of smoked yellow (an aromatic substance), and three pieces of prepared mugwort. Dig a pit, mix the ingredients, and place them inside. Fumigate the affected area with the smoke; it is best if yellow smoke comes out of the mouth. Stop when the fire weakens, rest for three days, then fumigate again. Repeat this process three times, and it is said to cure the condition. During treatment, avoid wind and cold, and do not eat soups, meat, chicken, pork, fish, or cold and raw foods for twenty days. Afterward, nourishing foods may be eaten.

The Qian Jin Yi Fang records that, to treat bloody stools caused by Gu poison, hedgehog hide may be burned to powder and taken with water, one square-inch spoonful at a time; this is said to make the Gu poison come up in vomit. The Zhou Hou Fang records that, to treat intestinal hemorrhoids and bleeding during bowel movements, burn hedgehog hide and apply it to the affected area. The Sheng Hui Fang records that, to treat nosebleeds, burn one whole hedgehog hide to powder, grind it finely, take half a qian, wrap it in cotton, and insert it into the nostril.

The Yan Yi says that hedgehog hide should be used with the spines attached. Once dry, the spines can be made into a brush, which is well suited to brushing silk fabrics. Hedgehog hide can also treat rebellious stomach Qi and improve appetite. The ancients explained that the character for “hedgehog” combines the “insect” and “stomach” components, and believed this was related to its ability to regulate stomach Qi. Hedgehog bile can treat distress caused when a hawk swallows a foreign object. Some people keep hawks that, after flying away and returning, remain for a long time without leaving again. This is because when a hawk draws in its body and tucks away its feet, pouring urine on it makes it open up and stretch out. Burn equal parts pangolin scales and other ingredients until they retain their form without turning to ash, add half as much nutmeg, and grind to powder. Take two qian on an empty stomach with hot rice water to treat hemorrhoids.

The Tang Ben Zhu disputed the story told by Tao Hongjing in which a hedgehog jumps into a tiger’s ear and lies belly-up for an eagle to peck at. The Yan Yi suggests that these accounts may nevertheless be true.

Wasp Nest

Wasp nest tastes bitter and salty, is neutral in nature, and is toxic. It is used to treat fright epilepsy, convulsions, alternating chills and fever, pathogenic influences, mania, ghostly essences, Gu poison, and intestinal hemorrhoids. It is best used after being heated over a fire. It can also treat swelling and pain caused by wasp venom. It is also called “bee intestine,” “hundred perforations,” and “bee hive.” It grows in the mountain valleys of Zangke. Gather it on the seventh day of the seventh month and dry it in the shade. It is incompatible with dried ginger, red-rooted salvia, scutellaria root, peony root, and oyster shell.

The Tu Jing says that wasp nests come from the mountain valleys of Zangke, but are now found in forests and mountains throughout the country. They are large nests built by yellow wasps in trees, and some can grow as big as an urn.

Small beehives are barrel-shaped, and the bees inside are black and about one inch long. They sting cattle, horses, and people; a sting may even endanger a person’s life. Hives of this kind are especially effective for medicinal use. Beehives are also commonly found beneath the eaves of houses, but these are smaller and less potent, so they are unsuitable for medicine. It is better to gather hives from mountain forests, where they are nourished by wind and dew. Most decoctions for toothache in medical prescriptions, both ancient and modern, make use of them. They are gathered on the seventh day of the seventh month, though some say those collected in the eleventh or twelfth months are better.

They can also counter Gu poison—the harm that ancient people attributed to poisonous insects or sorcery—and are used for headaches, feverish agitation, and dry mouth caused by mineral medicines such as stalactite, as well as red, scanty urine. Take two fen of beehive, char it, then boil it in two sheng of water until eight ge remain. Divide into two warm doses. It should promote urination, allowing the various toxins to leave the body with the urine.

Tao Hongjing says that beehives are often found in tree hollows or underground. The “dew beehive” mentioned here must refer to a hive enveloping a space beneath a roof or among tree branches. The reason for the reference to beehives from the distant region of Zangke, an ancient place name, is unclear.

The Treatise on the Nature of Medicines says that ground-nesting wasp nests may also be used on their own, but not taken internally. They treat lumps that will not subside: mix with vinegar and water, apply externally, and replace when dry.

The Rizhua says that the dew beehive is slightly poisonous. It treats toothache, dysentery, breast abscesses, bee stings, and severe sores. Whether used in a decoction for washing or included in medicine, it must first be charred.

The Essential Prescriptions Worth a Thousand Gold Pieces says that for a bee sting, grind the hive to a powder, mix it with lard, and apply it. The Yang Family’s Guide for Childbirth says that the affected area can also be washed with a decoction of the hive.

The Handbook of Prescriptions for Emergencies treats polyps and growths inside or outside the nose, as well as discharge of pus or blood: char the beehive until it is black, grind it to a powder, and take one square-inch spoonful with wine for seven consecutive days.

The Tested Prescriptions gives a remedy called “As Effective as a Sage” for poisoning from medicines that has risen upward: take equal parts beehive and licorice, fry them with wheat bran until yellow, then sift out the bran and grind the ingredients to a powder. Boil it in two bowls of water until one eighth of a bowl remains. Let it cool to warm, then drink the whole amount at bedtime. The next day, a foul substance will be expelled.

The Concise Prescriptions for Aiding the People treats women’s breast abscesses when milk will not flow and pus has collected inside the breast, a condition called “jealous breast”: burn the beehive to ash and grind it to a powder. Take two qian, boil in one medium cup of water until six fen remain, strain out the dregs, and drink warm.

The Winning-Gold Prescription treats cough in children: take two liang of beehive, wash away bee droppings and dirt, and burn it to ash over a strong fire. Take one-quarter qian at a time, mixed with rice water.

The Guangli Prescription treats headache, feverish agitation, dry mouth, and red, scanty urine: take twelve fen of beehive, char it, and boil it in two sheng of water until eight ge remain. Divide into two doses. The original text breaks off here.

It promotes urination, allowing the toxins from various harmful mineral drugs to be expelled in the urine.

Another prescription treats toxic Qi rising after a febrile illness, accompanied by eye pain. Take half a liang of wasp nest, add two sheng of water, and boil until one sheng of liquid remains. Strain it twice and use it to wash the eyes three or four times a day. It can treat red or white nebulae—red or white obstructions that appear in the eye.

The Jiyan Fang records a treatment for wind invading the skin and causing unrelenting itching. Roast a wasp nest, grind it to a fine powder in equal parts with cicada slough—the shell shed by a cicada—and take one qianbi, an ancient measure of medicine, mixed with wine, two or three times a day.

The Zimu Milu Fang records a treatment for children unable to urinate or defecate. Burn a wasp nest to ash, grind it to powder, and take two qian with wine twice a day.

The Yanyi says that there are two kinds of exposed wasp nests. One is small and pale yellow. Its nest is six or seven cun to one chi long and two or three cun wide, like a honeycomb hanging upside down with one side dangling. These nests are often found among the dense branches and leaves of shrubs. People call this kind the “ox-tongue wasp.” The other kind builds nests in tall trees or beneath the eaves of houses. The outer layer of its nest is hard; large nests hold three or four dou, while small ones hold one or two. The nest inside is shaped like a gourd, which gives the wasp its name. Its body is reddish yellow, and it is larger than an ordinary wasp. People call it the “dark gourd wasp.” The Shu Ben Tujing says that wasp nests are collected in the eleventh and twelfth months to avoid the wasps’ breeding season. People today use both kinds of exposed wasp nest.

Soft-Shelled Turtle Shell

Soft-shelled turtle shell is salty in flavor, neutral in nature, and non-toxic. It treats abdominal masses, hard accumulations, and alternating chills and fever; it can disperse lumps and polyps, and also treat ulceration of the genitals, hemorrhoids, abnormal growths of flesh, warm malaria, blood masses, and lower back pain. It may also be used for hard masses beneath the ribs in children. Soft-shelled turtle meat is sweet in flavor. It treats internal injury, strengthens Qi and physical strength, and replenishes deficiency and depletion. Soft-shelled turtles live in the ponds and marshes of Danyang and can be caught throughout the year. Soft-shelled turtle shell should not be used together with alum stone.

The Tujing says that soft-shelled turtles live in the ponds and marshes of Danyang and are now found throughout the various regions. Those from Yuanjiang in Yuezhou, whose shells have nine ridges, are considered the best. Turtles can be caught year-round. When obtaining the shell, it is best to remove it from a live turtle; do not use shells that have been taken off after cooking. If the shell still has its fleshy rim attached and its surface is dry and rough, it is genuine. If the bones on both sides are exposed, it has been boiled.

Prescriptions from ancient and modern times for abdominal accumulations and chronic debility often use soft-shelled turtle shell. For women with five-colored uterine discharge and wasting, burn the shell until yellow, sift it into a fine powder, and take one square-inch spoonful with wine twice a day. Alternatively, make pills from equal parts soft-shelled turtle shell, chebulic myrobalan bark, and dried ginger. Take thirty pills on an empty stomach; this is highly effective for treating abdominal accumulations. Another prescription uses shell roasted with vinegar…

Burn the soft-shelled turtle’s shell until yellow, grind it into a fine powder, and mix one spoonful with one he (an ancient measure) of cow’s milk. Take it every morning.

Soft-shelled turtle meat can treat abdominal masses and distention with pain. Eating it also benefits the body: it replenishes deficiency and clears heat in the blood. But it should not be eaten for a long time, since its cold nature can harm the body when consumed over an extended period.

The Treatise on the Nature of Medicinals says: Soft-shelled turtle shell is incompatible with li stone. It can treat food retained in the stomach and intestines, fixed abdominal masses, painful abdominal lumps, masses caused by cold, and wasting from chronic illness. It also directs Qi downward, dispels heat in the bones, and treats exertional heat and congestion in the joints. It can also treat women’s discharge of five-colored fluids and emaciation. To prepare it, burn the shell until yellow, grind it into powder, and take it with rice wine, one square-inch spoonful each time, twice daily.

Tao Hongjing says: Shells taken from a live turtle after removing the meat are of good quality; do not use shells that have come off after boiling. He observed that a good shell still has its soft rim attached and includes a dry, rock-like part. If the bones on both sides of the shell are exposed, it has already been boiled. Roast the shell before use. In summer, chop up a turtle, wrap it in red amaranth, and leave it in a damp place; it will transform and produce a turtle. Some people wrap up turtle-shell shavings, and after the fifth lunar month they too turn into small turtles. Soft-shelled turtle meat should not be eaten in excess, as this can cause abdominal masses. Turtles with sunken eyes, and eating turtle together with chicken eggs, may be fatal. Do not eat it with amaranth. Meat with a pattern underneath shaped like the character wang should not be eaten.

Rihua Zi says: Soft-shelled turtle boosts Qi and harmonizes the Spleen and Stomach. It can treat women’s discharge, blood-related abdominal masses, and lower back pain. The shell dispels blood and Qi, breaks up masses and stagnant blood, and can also be used to induce miscarriage, reduce sores and swelling, and treat bruising with blood stasis, malaria, and intestinal abscesses. The turtle’s head, burned to ash, can treat rectal prolapse.

Meng Shen says: Soft-shelled turtle can treat women’s discharge and emaciation. It tastes delicious in spring, but has a fishy odor in summer. Turtles from Changjiang in Yuezhou are the best. Those with red feet should not be eaten, as they may cause death.

Lei Gong says: When selecting soft-shelled turtle shell, choose one that is bluish green, has nine ridges, a broad soft rim, and weighs about seven liang. This is the best quality. It is used in prescriptions to treat Qi disorders, break up masses, disperse abdominal lumps, and calm the spirit. To prepare it, cut the shell into pieces one cun long and seal the mouth of a jar with liuyi clay, a clay used to seal vessels. Let it dry, then heat it over a strong fire. Place supports inside the jar and add aged vinegar; boil until all three sheng of vinegar have been used up. Then remove the soft rim and ribs, roast the shell dry, and use it as medicine.

The Prescriptions of Sagely Benevolence records: To treat chronic wasting malaria and miasmic malaria, take three liang of soft-shelled turtle shell, coat it with butter and roast until yellow, remove the soft rim, and grind it into a fine powder. Before an attack begins, take two qian-spoonfuls mixed with warm wine. Another prescription is for treating children’s corpse-injection wasting, an illness said in ancient times to cause progressive emaciation; the text that follows is incomplete.

A prescription for treating heat disorders: Take one turtle head, burn it to ash, and grind it into a fine powder. Wash down half a spoonful of the powder with freshly drawn water.

The Qianjin Fang records: To treat chronic rectal prolapse that has not healed, take one turtle head, burn it until all the smoke is gone, and grind it into a fine powder. Apply the powder to the anus, then press and massage it with the hand.

The Qianjin Yifang records: To treat an abscess or sore on the glans of the penis that physicians have been unable to cure, take one turtle shell, burn it and grind it into powder. Mix the powder with egg white and apply it to the affected area. It is said to work well.

The Zhouhou Fang records: If someone who has just recovered from a serious illness overexerts themselves too soon, or eats and drinks too much, the illness may return and may even become life-threatening. In such a case, burn a turtle shell, take the powder, and swallow one square-inch spoonful, an ancient measure for powdered medicine.

The Yangshi Chanru Fang records: To treat severe asthma and chest oppression that make it difficult to sit or lie down, take one liang of turtle shell and roast it until yellow, then grind it finely. Take a handful of rush pith and boil it in two sheng of hot water until reduced to five he. Before a meal, take one spoonful of the powder. After a meal, take one spoonful with honey water.

The Yanyi says: Turtle shells with nine ridges are the best. A boiled shell is less effective medicinally than a raw one; it should be roasted in strong vinegar until yellow. The classical texts do not say that turtle shell treats deficiency taxation. Only the Shuben Yaoxing Lun says that it treats wasting due to deficiency and clears bone heat, and later writers adopted this claim. There is a sound basis for this use, but the medicine should not be taken in excess. Turtle head blood can be applied to treat rectal prolapse, and ash made from a turtle head can also treat it.

Crab

Crab tastes salty, is cold in nature, and is poisonous. It primarily treats pathogenic Qi in the chest, painful heat congestion, facial distortion, and swelling. Burning crab can liquefy lacquer and resolve congealing, disperse blood stasis, treat lacquer sores, and nourish the sinew Qi. Crab claws can be used to rupture the amniotic sac and induce miscarriage. Crabs live in the Yi and Luo Rivers, as well as in ponds, marshes, and other waters, and can be caught in every season. Crab can counteract the poison of henbane, a toxic plant.

The Tujing says: Crabs live in the Yi and Luo Rivers, as well as in ponds and marshes. Today they are also abundant in ponds and marshes around Huaihai, Jingdong, and Hebei, while they are hard to find near the Yi and Luo Rivers. Crabs have eight legs and two claws. Large crabs have horn-like projections on either side of the shell; their leg joints bend, and they walk sideways. People today regard crab as a delicacy. Crabs with only one claw, only one eye, or eyes facing one another are all highly poisonous and must not be eaten.

Crab roe can turn lacquer to liquid, so it may be applied to treat lacquer sores. Boil crab roe and meat until dry, grind them into powder, and pack the powder into metal wounds—cuts caused by blades or other weapons. It may also be used to reconnect severed sinews. Burning crab roe and claws produces smoke that can lure rats into a courtyard. Crab claws are the part most commonly used as medicine. The Hu Qia Fang records that when a pregnant woman falls and the fetus moves upward, pressing against the heart and putting her in critical danger, formulas such as crab-claw decoction may be used for treatment.

Tao Hongjing says there are many kinds of crab, such as the qiumou (large crab), the yongjian, and the penghua, none of which are used as medicine; among them, the common crab is the one most often used. Some elixir recipes say that if crab is used to turn lacquer into liquid and the liquid is then taken, one can live forever. If the crab’s dark, thick blood is poured into a vessel and the vessel is burned two days later, it will attract many rats. Before the first frost, crabs are highly poisonous, supposedly because they have eaten water hemlock, a poisonous aquatic plant. Poisoning can often be fatal if not treated promptly; crabs whose eyes face one another are also said to harm people. Poisoning can be treated with winter melon juice, perilla juice, or rhubarb pills. Along the coast there are also pengqi and yongjian, which resemble penghua but are smaller than crabs and cannot be eaten. When Cai Mo first crossed the Yangtze, he did not recognize them and ate some by mistake, nearly dying. He lamented, “I had not studied the Erya well and nearly came to harm because of the Quanxue.”

Rihua Zi says that crab is cool in nature and mildly toxic. It can treat postpartum abdominal pain and retained blood. Taken with wine, it can also be used for fractures and tendon injuries; pounding the crab, heating it in a pan, and applying it as a poultice is especially effective. Crab legs and claws can disperse old blood stasis and relieve postpartum abdominal pain caused by blocked blood. They are best taken decocted in wine or vinegar. He also says that qiumou is cold in nature and non-toxic. It clears heat and treats childhood pi disorders, a category of illness involving abdominal fullness and lumps.

Meng Shen says crab can clear and disperse various kinds of heat, regulate stomach Qi and the channels, and aid digestion. Crabs that have molted in the eighth month are suitable to eat; before molting, their shells are hard and they are not yet fully grown. Eating crab with vinegar benefits the joints and dispels pent-up agitation in the five zang organs. Though the crab’s appearance is unattractive, its meat is well suited for eating.

The Baiyi Fang gives this method for treating metal wounds and reconnecting tendons: take crab roe, crab brain, and meat from the legs, dry them over a fire, grind them into powder, and apply it inside the wound. The Jianyao Jizhong Fang records a treatment for a child whose fontanelle does not close properly: dry half a liang of crab-leg bone over a fire and grind it with half a liang of baijilian; mix the powder with milk and apply it to the gaps between the skull bones until the fontanelle closes. The Yangshi Chanru Fang says that pregnant women must not eat crab, or the child may be born in a transverse position.

The Yanyi says crabs are rarely found around the Yi and Luo rivers and are now mostly brought from the capital; the crabs in the capital also come from Hebei. There are many in the border regions of Cangzhou, Yingzhou, and other places in Hebei. Xuzhou also produces crabs, but they are not as good as those from Hebei. To treat a child whose fontanelle has not closed, pound crab claws with baiji and apply the mixture to the fontanelle until the skull bones join. Crab readily brings on wind disorders, so people with such conditions must not eat it; this has been observed many times.

In the north, when crabs swarm in the eighth or ninth month, people wait along the banks of ponds and marshes, then gather the crabs as they crawl out of the water. At night, they catch them by lamplight. Just after being caught, the roe and rich paste fill the shell; but after being kept for ten days or so, people will not eat them, even if they are still alive. In late summer and early autumn, crabs shed their shells, much like cicadas. The name “crab” probably comes from this.

Zhà Cicada (the first character is pronounced “zhà,” also read “cè”)

The Zhà Cicada tastes salty and sweet, is cold in nature, and is non-toxic. It treats childhood convulsions, night crying, mania, alternating chills and fever, and palpitations. It is also used for difficulty in lactation and in delivering the placenta, as well as to induce abortion. It lives on poplar and willow trees. It is collected in the fifth month, steamed, and then dried in the sun; care should be taken to prevent insect damage.

The Illustrated Classic of Materia Medica says: The Zhà Cicada’s place of origin is not recorded in the Divine Farmer’s Classic of Materia Medica; it only says that it lives on poplar and willow trees. Today it is found everywhere. Tao Hongjing thought the Zhà Cicada was a silent cicada, while Su Gong thought it was a singing cicada; their views differ. In dictionaries, the character zhà is explained as the sound of a cicada. The Monthly Ordinances says that cicadas begin to sing in midsummer—that is, their calls can first be heard in the fifth month. The Divine Farmer’s Classic of Materia Medica also says they are collected in the fifth month, which fits exactly, so Su Gong’s view is more credible.

There are many kinds of cicadas. The Erya calls the “mian” cicada a “horse cicada.” Guo Pu’s commentary says the horse cicada is the largest kind of cicada. Among the cicadas that sing in summer today, it is larger than the others. Tao Hongjing also cites the line from the Book of Songs, “The cicadas sing in clear, continuous tones,” and says this cicada is large and black—the kind eaten by people in antiquity. The cicada-shaped ornaments on ancient ceremonial caps were also black and large, and belonged to this same kind.

The Treatise on the Nature of Medicinals says: Used as an auxiliary medicine, the Zhà Cicada tastes sour. It treats children who cry in fright without stopping, parasitic worms associated with malnutrition, and high fever. It can also treat an illness in which faint sounds are heard in the intestines. The text further says that cicada slough treats high fever and convulsions throughout a child’s body, and can also relieve thirst.

The Tang Materia Medica says: The Supplementary Records calls the cicada shell “withered cicada,” and also names it “fu □” (pronounced “yu”). It treats childhood convulsions and difficult childbirth. Burned to ash and taken as a medicine, it can treat chronic dysentery. The text also says that the Zhà Cicada is a singing cicada and can treat childhood convulsions so severe that the child cannot speak. Some people today identify it as a silent cicada, but a silent cicada is actually female. This identification does not fit the medicinal properties at all. In examining insects and animals used as medicines, people generally consider the male to be more effective.

Lei Gong says: The Zhà Cicada tastes salty and is non-toxic.

The Essential Prescriptions from the Sage’s Benevolence records: To treat dizziness in the head, take two liang of cicada shell, lightly dry-fry it, and grind it into a fine powder.

When circumstances are unfavorable, take one qianbi with warm wine. (A qianbi was an ancient unit of medicinal weight.)

The Jiyan Fang treats Wind Evil invading the skin and causing persistent itching: take equal amounts of cicada slough and mint leaves, grind them into a fine powder, and mix one qianbi with wine. Take three times a day.

The Yuyuan Fang treats head Wind, dizziness, and blurred vision: grind cicada slough into powder and take it with hot water.

The Yanyi says: The summer cicada is the large cicada, both in body size and in the volume of its call. Cicadas usually emerge from the earth at night and climb to a high place. Their backs split open, and the cicadas come out of their shells. They emerge mostly at night because they fear people and because the fierce sun may dry out their shells and prevent them from shedding them. When the weather turns cold, cicadas fall to the ground. Children keep cicadas, and even after several days they need no food. The ancients’ claim that cicadas live on wind and dew does have some basis: they do not pass feces, only urine, which can serve as further evidence. In western Sichuan there is a “cicada flower”: a cicada trapped in its shell and unable to emerge eventually transforms into a flowerlike growth that sprouts from its head. Cicada slough can treat dim vision and eye films. A decoction made by boiling cicada slough in water is highly effective for children whose rashes have not come out fully.

Cicada Flower

Cicada flower tastes sweet, is cold in nature, and is nontoxic. It mainly treats childhood convulsions with upward gazing, fright epilepsy, spasms, night crying, and palpitations. It grows in many places and is harvested in the seventh month. Those growing in bitter bamboo groves are considered superior; the flower grows up from the earth.

The Tujing says: For details, see the entry on “summer cicada.”

Lei Gong says: Choose flowers that are whole and white. After gathering them, hang them to dry beneath the eastern corner of a house. Remove the outer shell and soil, then boil them in rice-washing water for a day and a night. Dry them over a low heat and grind them finely for use.

The Yanyi says: For details, see the entry on “summer cicada.”

White Grubs

White grubs taste salty, are slightly warm or slightly cold in nature, and are toxic. They mainly treat bad blood, blood stasis, and obstructed Qi. They may also be used for blood stasis after fractures, hard swelling and pain beneath the ribs, stopped menstruation, and films in the eyes. They can also treat blood accumulating in the chest and abdomen and failing to disperse, vomiting blood, clotted blood after fractures or sprains, stagnant blood in metal-inflicted wounds (wounds caused by knives, swords, and similar weapons), and exposure to cold after childbirth. They are also recorded as promoting lactation. Other names include “feiqi,” “feiqi,” and “boqi.” They grow in the flat marshlands of Henei and among manure heaps and piles of grass near people’s homes; they may be gathered at any time. Those that crawl on their backs are considered superior. Cockroaches may be used together with them. They are incompatible with aconite and should not be used alongside it.

The Tujing says: White grubs grow in the flat marshlands of Henei and among manure heaps and piles of grass near people’s homes; today they are found in many places. The large ones are as thick as a thumb and crawl with their backs facing down.

This passage mainly discusses the varieties and habitats of qiacao (grubs, the larvae of scarab beetles), their selection for medicinal use, and folk remedies.

The qiacao mentioned in the Erya refers to grubs that live in dung. Wood-boring grubs found in decaying trees look similar, but are usually whiter. They are also known by names such as “xie,” “jiejia,” “qiuchi,” and “sangchong.” Guo Pu held that these names could all refer broadly to wood-boring grubs, though the creatures might not be the same species because they live in different places. Su Gong considered grubs from wood suitable for medicinal use, but this conflicts with the Bencao, which says they live in accumulated dung and grass.

The Yaoxing lun records that qiacao juice can be dripped into the eye to remove corneal opacities and other obstructions. It also says the grubs can stop bleeding and relieve pain. Tao Hongjing described them as growing as thick as a thumb, moving nimbly with their backs against the ground and their feet in the air. When cooked in a soup with pig’s trotters, he said, even a wet nurse would be unable to tell them apart. Tao also noted that the Classic of Poetry uses “a neck like qiuchi” to describe a long, fair neck. He suspected that the character qi in the name qiacao had been placed in the wrong position.

The Tang Ben Zhu says that some of these grubs live in dung heaps and others in decaying willow trees. Those from dung have yellow outer skins and black insides, while those from wood are white inside and out. Since they differ in both habitat and color, the text considers the wood-dwelling kind more effective as medicine. Although they can be collected in any season, winter is the preferred time.

According to the Erya, the grub is also called “xie” (pronounced like “he”), “jiejia,” and “qiuchi.” Chen Cangqi’s Bencao records that qiacao can be used to treat skin conditions such as migrating red and white rashes: first break open the raised patches with an implement, then crush the grubs and apply their juice. The Shu commentary argues that since both the Erya and the Bencao say qiacao live in dung, wood-boring grubs are probably not the qiacao discussed here. However, people commonly call grubs from rotten wood “xie”; those from willow trees were used in recent medical prescriptions for eye conditions and were said to be effective.

A formula cited in the Waitai miyao says that when spreading red patches appear on the skin, a condition called “fire cinnabar,” qiacao can be ground into powder and applied. The Qianjin fang records that when a rice or wheat awn enters the eye, one can place a piece of new cloth over the eye and gently rub the cloth with a qiacao; the awn is said to come away on the cloth. The Baiyi fang says that when a bamboo or wood splinter is lodged in the flesh and cannot be removed, crushed qiacao can be applied to the spot to help draw it out.

The Expanded Meaning says: Grubs often live beneath the roots of decaying trees. The paper mulberry has sweet sap, so these insects are commonly found under its roots; trees that harbor grubs often have trunks that are already rotten. Some grubs also live in manure and soil. Though plump, they have black bellies and are inferior to those found in wood. Grubs from wood are thin but somewhat pale. Pound them fresh, squeeze them in water to extract the juice, strain it until clear, and take it; this works very well.

Cuttlefish

Cuttlefish bone tastes salty, is slightly warm in nature, and is non-toxic. It treats women’s abnormal bleeding and red or white vaginal discharge, stopped menstruation, and swelling and pain caused by erosion of the genital area. It also treats alternating chills and fever, abdominal masses, infertility, fright and palpitations with Qi surging into the abdomen, pain around the navel, and coldness and swelling of the genital area. It is also said to help women conceive. It can stop wounds from producing large amounts of pus and prevent the pus from continuing to flow. ○ Cuttlefish flesh tastes sour and is neutral in nature. It is used to replenish Qi and strength and strengthen resolve. Cuttlefish live in the pools and marshes of the Eastern Sea and can be caught at any time. They are incompatible with Baixian, Baiji, and Fuzi, which are believed to interfere with one another’s medicinal effects when combined.

The Illustrated Classic says: Cuttlefish come from the pools and marshes of the Eastern Sea, and are now found in all coastal prefectures. Legend has it that they transformed from an animal called “Xian.” Since they retain their mouth and feet and look rather like it, they are called “Wuzei.” They can draw in water and spray ink, stirring the water until it becomes cloudy to protect themselves and hide from harm.

Another account says that cuttlefish are fond of crows by nature. They often float on the surface of the water. When a crow flies past, it thinks the cuttlefish is dead and pecks at its belly; the cuttlefish then curls around the crow and eats it. Thus it is called “Wuzei,” meaning that it harms crows.

The cuttlefish is shaped like a leather pouch, with its mouth beneath its belly and eight arms clustered around it. It has only one bone, three or four fen thick, shaped like a small, light, hollow white boat. It also has two long, ribbon-like arms that can anchor it in place, which is why it is also called “mooring fish.” The Record of Nanyue says: Cuttlefish have an organ like a ship’s anchor. When the wind rises, they bend one of their front arms and lower it to secure themselves. The word ding also means to tie up or moor. The blood and bile inside the cuttlefish’s belly resemble ink and can be used for writing. People therefore say that the cuttlefish carries ink inside itself and understands proper conduct.

The Treatise on the Nature of Medicines says: Cuttlefish bone is slightly toxic. It can stop women’s bleeding and is also used to treat deafness.

Tao Hongjing says: This fish transformed from “Xian” (pronounced like “bo”); its mouth and feet are still present, and it does indeed look much like that creature. Before using its bone, roast it first. There is ink inside the cuttlefish’s belly, which is now commonly used to make fine ink.

The Tang Materia Medica says: Cuttlefish bone can treat cloudiness in the eyes of cattle and horses, as well as eye opacities in people, and works very well.

Chen Cangqi says: Cuttlefish bone treats diarrhea in children. Grind it into a fine powder …

Powder the cuttlebone and take it with water. It can also be used to treat blood masses in women’s abdomen—clotted blood gathered into lumps—and to kill small worms. If the bone is thrown into a well, the worms will die. The ink inside the cuttlefish can be used to treat stabbing pain in the heart caused by blood stasis.

Grind the cuttlebone with vinegar and take it. A sea dweller says: Long ago, when the King of Qin traveled east, he dropped his counting-rod pouch into the sea, where it later transformed into this fish. Its shape resembles a pouch for counting rods, and its two bands are especially long; its ink is concentrated in the abdomen.

Meng Shen says: Cuttlebone can treat various opacities in the eye. Grind the bone finely, mix it with honey, and apply it to the eyes. Powdered bone can also treat heat and tearing in the eyes.

Ri Hua Zi says: Cuttlefish can promote menstruation, and cuttlebone can treat blood disorders and kill worms. For severe heart pain, roast the cuttlefish ink and take it mixed with vinegar. Cuttlefish are also called “mooring fish”: their arms grow at the front of the head, and when the wind and waves rise, they grip rocks with their arms to hold themselves in place like a mooring line.

The Dietary Therapy says: Cuttlebone can treat diarrhea in adults and children. Roast the bone until yellow, remove the outer skin, grind it into fine powder, and mix it into porridge before taking; this works well. It can also clear various floating opacities in the eyes. Grind it finely, mix it with honey, and apply it to the eyes; this works very well. It is also effective for treating heat and tearing in horses’ eyes. Eating cuttlefish over a long period can make a person unable to have children, but it can replenish Jing (essence) and Qi (vital energy). Inside the cuttlefish’s abdomen is a sac of ink that can be used for writing.

The Formula from the Sagely Benefits records a treatment for heat toxins from Cold Damage rising to the eyes and causing red or white opacities: Take one liang of cuttlebone, remove the outer skin, and pound it into powder. Add a little borneol and grind it finely. Apply a small amount to the eyes three or four times a day.

The Essential Secrets from Beyond the Elbow records a treatment for leprosy-like white patches on the skin: Grind cuttlebone with vinegar that has been aged for three years. First rub the affected area until the skin turns red, then apply the medicine.

The Thousand Gold Pieces Formula records a treatment for pain in a woman’s vulva: Burn cuttlebone to ash and take it with wine, one square-inch spoonful each time, twice a day.

The Secret Record for Mothers and Children records a treatment for a child with a swollen underside of the tongue that makes it appear thick and enlarged: Burn cuttlebone, mix it with egg yolk, and apply it to the throat and tongue.

The Extended Meaning says: After cuttlefish are dried in the sun, people place them over a four-sided fire and roast them to eat. Some people carve cuttlebone into ornaments, then grind the bone finely and wash it in water so the fine powder settles. Pour off the water and dry the powder in the sun. Mix it with an appropriate amount of cooked honey and apply it to eye opacities; its effects become apparent gradually.

Eel

Eel tastes sweet and is poisonous. It chiefly treats the five kinds of hemorrhoids, sores, ulcers, and fistulas, and can also kill various worms.

The Illustrated Classic says: Eel is not recorded in the Classic of the Materia Medica, and its place of origin is not specified. Today it is found everywhere. It resembles a swamp eel, but has a larger belly and a greenish-yellow color. Some say it is transformed from a jiao dragon or a sea serpent…

This fish, the swamp eel, commonly called the eel, is adept at battering and eroding riverbanks, often causing the banks to collapse and become unstable. People who live near rivers are very afraid of it. Though poisonous, it can nourish deficiencies in the five viscera. Those weakened by long illness or wasting disease caused by chronic illness may cook it with rice and various seasonings and eat it. Regular consumption may also help people suffering from sores, hemorrhoids, fistulas—wounds that fail to heal and form channels—or wind disorders. A variety produced in Shezhou, with five-colored markings on its back, is considered the most effective. The kind found in the sea is called the sea eel. It has a similar shape but is larger, and is said to have the same effects. Coastal people also call it the “kind eel” or “puppy fish.”

Tao Yinju says: This fish can climb trees and eat vine blossoms, and resembles an eel. It can be made into soup. Roasted and smoked, it can protect wood and bamboo utensils from damage by wood-boring insects. Its fat can be used to treat various fistulas. There is another fish called the loach, pronounced like “autumn,” which looks similar but is shorter.

The Rihuazi says: The sea eel is neutral in nature and poisonous. It can treat severe skin sores, scabies and ringworm, gan sores—chronic sores commonly found in children—ulcerated wounds that look as if eaten by insects, and hemorrhoids and fistulas. It is also called the kind eel or puppy fish. The Rihuazi also says that the swamp eel is neutral in nature and mildly poisonous. It can treat exhaustion and weakness, kill the disease vapors known as “transmitted corpse disorder,” which were thought to spread among people, and eliminate worm toxins and severe sores. It also warms the lower back and knees, strengthens Yang, and treats sores and itching caused by postpartum lochia and worms.

The Shenghui Fang records: To treat heart pain caused by accumulations of worms, frequent vomiting, poor coordination of the limbs, cold Qi rising upward, and distention and oppression in the chest and abdomen, roast the eel simply and thoroughly, then have the patient eat it over three to five meals. Another prescription treats bone-steaming consumption fever, an ancient term for fever caused by deficiency and exhaustion, as well as intestinal bleeding with worms in the stool. Take two jin of fish, prepare it as usual for eating, cut it into sections, and cook it in a pot with three cups of wine. Season with salt and vinegar and eat.

The Jingyan Fang records: To treat severe sores, grind the bones of a tuo fish into powder, mix some into medicinal ointment, and apply it to the affected area. Then cover it with a paper dressing, a kind of paper patch used for topical applications.

The Shiyi Xinjing records: To treat the five types of hemorrhoids, fistulas, and worm disorders, take one swamp eel, prepare it as usual, slice and roast it, then season it with pepper, salt, and soy sauce and eat.

The Jishen Lu records: A man fell ill with a wasting disease that spread from one patient to another, and several people died. People nailed the sick man into a coffin and cast it into the water, hoping to stop the contagion. The body drifted downriver to Jinshan. Someone, curious about it, hauled the coffin ashore and opened it, only to find a woman inside who was still alive. He settled her in a fishing hut and had her eat a great deal of swamp eel. She recovered and later became the fisherman’s wife.

The Yanyi says: Split a fresh swamp eel and dry it in the sun. Take a little, warm it gently over a fire, and when the oil seeps out, rub it onto the affected area for white depigmentation, a skin condition that produces white patches. Wipe it with your finger, and the color will soon change.

As mentioned earlier, repeating this treatment five to seven times will bring healing. First, gently rub the white patch again.

Tuo fish armor (tuo, pronounced like “tuo”; here referring to the Chinese alligator or a similar animal) is pungent in flavor, slightly warm in nature, and poisonous. It treats abdominal masses, hidden hard lumps, accumulations and gatherings, and alternating chills and fever. It also treats uterine bleeding in women, menstrual blood of unusual colors, pain pulling between the lower abdomen and genitals, sores and scabies, dead flesh, weeping and frequent fright caused by the Five Evils, heaviness and pain in the lower back, urinary obstruction or difficulty urinating in children, and ulceration at the corners of the eyes. Its meat can treat shortness of breath and an inability to place both feet on the ground. It grows in ponds and marshes in the South Sea region and can be gathered at any time. Shuqi serves as its assistant ingredient. It is incompatible with dog bile, yuanhua, and gansui.

The Illustrated Classic of Materia Medica says: Tuo armor grows in ponds and marshes in the South Sea region; it is now common in lakes and rivers, and is the Chinese alligator. It resembles animals such as geckos and pangolins, and is one to two zhang long. Its back and tail are covered in scales and armor, and it can strike the rocky banks with great force. It appears on the shore at night, frightening local people. People in the south eat its meat, which is white like chicken, but it can make people feel cold and may bring on chronic illnesses. Its skin can also be used to cover drums. Burn the skull to ash, grind it to powder, and take it with rice water to treat intestinal bleeding and hemorrhoids. In severe cases, add powdered red cockscomb flower and alum, and take the mixture on an empty stomach; this will bring a cure. Physicians today rarely use Chinese alligator armor or softshell turtle armor.

Chen Cangqi says: It treats malignant sores and abdominal masses. The armor plates of the Chinese alligator are the best; roast them, soak them in wine, and take the wine. The saliva secreted in its mouth is poisonous.

The Treatise on the Nature of Medicinals says: Chinese alligator armor serves as an assistant ingredient. It is sweet in flavor, neutral in nature, and slightly poisonous. It treats various malign influences and ghosts, as well as vaginal discharge in women. It disperses blood accumulations, gatherings, and hard lumps in the abdomen, and also treats pain caused by pulling, knotted masses.

Meng Shen says: Softshell turtle armor treats fright and distension and pain in the lower abdomen.

The Ri Hua Zi Materia Medica says: Softshell turtle armor serves as an assistant ingredient. It is neutral in nature and nonpoisonous. It treats malign influences in the Five Organs, kills various parasites and poisons, neutralizes the toxins of medicines, and helps mend sinews and bones. Smearing softshell turtle fat on an iron object and heating it makes the iron shine. It is also used in the Methods of the Prince of Huainan.

White stiff silkworm (the silkworm that turns white after dying in a rigid state) is salty and pungent in flavor, neutral in nature, and nonpoisonous. It treats childhood convulsions and night crying; expels the Three Worms, the parasites believed in antiquity to live inside the body; removes dark spots and improves the complexion; and also treats sores on men’s genitals, uterine bleeding and red or white vaginal discharge in women, lingering pain after childbirth, and various kinds of scars from sores. It grows on low, damp ground in Yingchuan. Gather silkworms that have stiffened and died naturally in the fourth month. Keep them away from dampness: damp specimens are poisonous and must not be used.

The Illustrated Classic of Materia Medica says: White stiff silkworm grows on the plains of Yingchuan and is now raised in many regions…

White stiff silkworms are found throughout the country. The kind used medicinally is naturally dead and stiff, white in color, and straight in shape; this kind is considered the best. They are gathered in the fourth month and must be kept dry. If they become damp, they turn toxic and cannot be used. Before preparing them as medicine, remove the silk and eggs, then stir-fry them.

Physicians of the time used them to treat wind-stroke and dangerous conditions in which the throat was obstructed. They crushed and sifted the medicine into a fine powder, mixed it with freshly squeezed ginger juice, and administered it by mouth. It was said that once the medicine passed down the throat, the patient would recover. Some also ground equal amounts of white stiff silkworm, clothes moths (small insects found among garments), and the white part of eagle droppings into a fine powder, mixed it with a medicinal paste, and applied it to sores and blemishes, reportedly making them fade.

The Treatise on Medicinal Properties says that white stiff silkworm is incompatible with mantis egg cases, platycodon, poria, poria with hostwood, and tokoro; it is mildly toxic. It can treat lockjaw and induce sweating, and is also used for uterine flooding and persistent bleeding in women. Ground into a powder with equal amounts of clothes moths and the white part of eagle droppings, it can treat sores and remove scars.

Tao Hongjing says that if an entire tray of silkworms stiffens and dies during rearing, they will not decay even after being dried in the sun. Among the kinds seen today, the white ones with a surface that looks dusted with salt are the best. If their powder is rubbed onto a horse’s teeth, the horse stops eating grass; wiping it off with a mulberry leaf makes the horse eat again. On this basis, he considered silkworms and horses to be of the same kind.

The Daily Records of Famous Physicians says that stiff silkworms can treat wind-stroke with loss of voice and various wind disorders. They can also treat sudden fright and abnormal symptoms in children, itching and pain in men’s genital area, and vaginal discharge in women. Before preparing them as medicine, remove the silk and eggs, then stir-fry them evenly. It also says that eating silkworm pupae can treat wind disorders and wasting due to overwork, while applying their powder externally can treat severe sores such as silkworm ulcers.

The Sagely Benefactions Formula records a treatment for wind evil that spreads throughout the body, causing hives, pain, and pus: roast a small amount of white stiff silkworm until yellow, grind it into a fine powder, and take it with wine. It is said to work quickly. Another formula treats migraine, frontal headache, and pain at both temples caused by wind attacking the sides of the head: grind white stiff silkworm into a fine powder and take one square-inch spoonful with warm tea.

The Formula for the Palace Qi of Children records a treatment for mouth sores in children, sores that turn completely white, and wind-pattern gan sores—deep, eroding sores caused by gan disease. Stir-fry white stiff silkworm until yellow, rub off the yellow hairs from its body, grind it into a powder, mix it with honey, and apply it externally. It is said to work quickly.

The Formula from Doumen records a treatment for sudden throat obstruction after wind-stroke, when life is in danger: roast white stiff silkworm over a fire until yellow, crush and sift it into a fine powder, mix it with freshly squeezed ginger juice, and administer it by mouth.

The Thousand Gold Pieces Formula records a treatment for uterine flooding and persistent bleeding in women: grind equal amounts of clothes moths and stiff silkworm into a powder, and take it with well water drawn at dawn, three times a day. It is said to bring a cure.

The Yan Yi says: White stiff silkworms—silkworms that have died stiff after infection and turned white—come in two or three batches. Only those from the first batch are best: they are large and free of maggots. To treat convulsions in children, take equal amounts of white stiff silkworms and scorpion tails, then add a total of one qian of the tips of Tianxiong and Fuzi. Briefly process the ingredients, grind them into a fine powder, and administer one zi or half a qian at a time, mixed evenly with warm ginger water.

Silkworm moths should come from the second batch of silkworms, since these moths reproduce well.

Among the moths of the original silkworm—the moth produced by silkworms raised for a second time—the male is slightly toxic. It is used to replenish Jing and Qi, strengthen sexual function, reduce fatigue during intercourse, and stop seminal emission. The droppings of the original silkworm are warm in nature and non-toxic. They are used for intestinal rumbling, internal heat, wasting thirst, wind impediment, and wind rashes with itching.

Tao Hongjing says: The original silkworm is a silkworm raised by smoking, commonly called the “Wei silkworm.” Daoists use its moth to stop seminal emission. Its urn-shaped cocoon is also used in medicines, and its droppings are called “silkworm sand.” Silkworm sand is commonly included in many prescriptions; it is used for more than just treating wind disorders with hot compresses.

The Illustrated Materia Medica says: The Classic of the Materia Medica does not record where the original silkworm comes from. Today, it is widely raised in the southeastern prefectures and counties, and can be found throughout the region. It is the silkworm raised for a second time, commonly called the “late silkworm.” People in the north are reluctant to raise a second batch, believing that it harms mulberry trees. The Rites of Zhou prohibits raising the original silkworm, and Zheng Kangcheng’s commentary explains that this is because it harms horses; harming horses is only one of the reasons. The Huainanzi says that the original silkworm yields two harvests in a year, which is not without benefit, yet the law still prohibits raising it because it harms mulberry trees. Today, few people raise the original silkworm, and most silkworm moths sold in the market come from early silkworms and cannot be used as medicine. Silkworm sand and silkworm molts should also be taken from late silkworms. White stiff silkworms alone need not be selected by season: they are suitable so long as they are white and straight in shape.

Chen Cangqi says: The original silkworm is also called silkworm sand. Collect the droppings cleanly, dry them in the sun, then stir-fry until yellow and put them in a cloth bag. They can be used as a hot compress to dispel wind and protect the joints. They treat numbness and loss of sensation in the skin, cold accumulation in the abdomen, cold and stagnant blood, and cold pain in the lower back and legs. Heat them by stir-frying, put them in a bag, and apply as a hot compress to treat one-sided wind disorders, weakness and paralysis of the sinews and bones, inability to move the hands and feet, weakness in the lower back and legs, and numbness and loss of sensation in the skin.

Yuxi says: According to the Rihuazi, late silkworm moths strengthen sexual function, stop seminal emission and bloody urine, and warm the kidneys. Silkworm moths may also be used to treat acute wind disorders, metal-inflicted wounds, frostbite, and burns, and to remove scars. For medicinal use, they should be stir-fried. It also says that silkworm cloth paper can be used to treat vomiting of blood, nosebleeds, intestinal bleeding, uterine bleeding, and vaginal discharge … The original text ends here unfinished.

White dysentery, furuncles, and sores can be treated by burning silkworm droppings for medicinal use. Another account says that silkworm droppings can treat wind impediment, stubborn numbness, and intestinal rumbling.

The Shenghui Formulas treats wind-induced itching and hives—itchy skin and rashes caused by pathogenic wind, with itching all over the body and sores forming after scratching—as follows: Take one sheng of silkworm droppings and boil it in two dou of water. When the liquid has reduced to one dou and two sheng, strain out the residue. While it is still warm, wash the affected areas, taking care to avoid exposure to wind.

The Shengjin Formulas treats wounds from knives and axes, stopping bleeding and promoting tissue growth: Grind late-season silkworm moths into a fine powder, sprinkle it evenly over the wound, and wrap it with silk cloth. The text says the wound will quickly close and stop bleeding after this treatment. The method can also be used for cuts caused by various metal tools.

The Brief Formulas for Helping the Multitudes treats lockjaw in children, in which the lips draw tight and the jaws clench: Roast two late-season silkworm moths until yellow, grind them into a fine powder, mix with honey, and apply inside the child’s lips.

The Yanyi says: “Original silkworm moth” refers to renewed hatching and growth, as well as rapid transformation; here it means the moth that emerges after the second spinning of silk. Silkworm droppings have already been discussed under White Muscardine Silkworm. They can also be fed to cattle in place of grain.

Another method uses silkworm droppings as a steam treatment. Mix three sheng of strong wine into five dou of silkworm droppings, place the mixture in a steamer, and heat it. Then spread it on an oilcloth in a warm room. Have someone suffering from wind-cold obstruction, with impaired breathing, or from recent hemiplegia due to stroke, lie on it with the affected side down. Cover them with a thick quilt until they sweat. Someone must stay beside a person who is frail, to prevent overheating and fainting; leave the head and face uncovered. If the illness has not fully resolved, the treatment may be repeated once.

Silkworm exuviae—the skin shed by silkworms—treats blood-wind disorders and benefits women. It is also called “horse-neigh exuviae.” In recent times, physicians have mostly used silkworm-exuviae paper; some physicians in the east instead use the skin shed when silkworms wake from sleep shortly before maturing. Though the two have different uses, the Yanyi considers the silkworm skin used by eastern physicians to be the genuine article. Lightly stir-fry it before combining it with other medicines to make pills or powders for oral use.

The Collected Tested Formulas treats throat wind, throat obstruction, swollen and painful gums, mouth sores, and rapidly progressing gangrene of the gums in children, known as “running-horse gangrene.” Take an appropriate amount of silkworm-exuviae paper and burn it to ash, without reducing it to white ash. Mix it with refined honey and form pills the size of a chicken-head fruit. Hold one in the mouth until it dissolves, then swallow the liquid. For bleeding or swollen, painful gums, rub the medicine onto the gums. For mouth sores, apply the dry powder directly to the affected area. To treat running-horse gangrene in children, add a little musk and apply it to the affected area.

The Yanyi says that silkworm exuviae can treat women’s blood-wind disorders; here it refers to the skin shed when silkworms wake from sleep. “Silkworm-exuviae paper” is also called “silkworm-connected paper.” Burned to ash, it can be used to treat women’s blood discharge, or abnormal vaginal bleeding.

Slug

The slug, a shell-less mollusk commonly known as a slug, is pronounced “kuo yu.” It tastes salty, is cold in nature, and is non-toxic. It treats wind disorders, deviation of the mouth and eyes … The original text continues here.

Snails ease the sinews and channels and are also used to treat prolapse of the rectum, convulsions, and spasms of the sinews and channels. They are also called “lingli,” “tuwo,” and “fuwo.” Snails grow around the ponds, marshes, and damp, shady places of Mount Tai, as well as among sand and stones and at the foot of walls. They are usually collected in the eighth month.

Tao Hongjing says: Slugs have no shells, so they should not also be called “wo.” What is called “fuwo” is also known as “woniu.” It lives in ponds, marshes, and among sand and stones, and must be what people today call the mountain snail. Some also say that the slug’s head somewhat resembles a snail, which is how it got its name. Among the common people, the character for snail is written as “gua niu,” so “wo” may also be pronounced “gua.” The Zhuangzi says, “They fought at the tip of a snail’s horn,” referring to a battle on a snail’s horn. The slug is listed among the “Thirty-Six Animals” and is also one of the four kinds of horned creatures. It is said to have formed from the vital essence of the star Ying Shi. These days, alchemists and physicians probably make little use of it.

Yuxi says: According to the Erya, “fu,” “yi,” “luo,” and “yu” are all names for the snail. The Yupian also explains “yi yu” as a snail, showing that these names refer to the same animal. The snail resembles a small shellfish and is pale in color. It lives among plants in ponds and marshes. It has four feelers on its head, which it extends as it moves; when startled, it draws both head and tail into its shell. Thus Su Gong was wrong to say that the snail has no shell.

The Bencao Yanyi says: Slugs and snails are two different animals. A slug’s body is a single mass of soft flesh. A snail, by contrast, has another piece of flesh on its back, which it uses to carry its shell as it crawls. The difference between them is plain. Since they are two different creatures, how can the materia medica scripture record them as separate entries? Their therapeutic effects are broadly similar, though they differ somewhat, so they should be regarded as distinct kinds. Some also say that a slug is what a snail looks like when it grows old. This makes no sense: a slug has two feelers, while a snail has four, as well as a hard shell on its back. How could they be the same animal?

The snail tastes salty and is cold in nature. It treats facial and eye deviation caused by Wind-stroke, loss of movement in the hands and feet, injuries from falls or blows, prolapse of the large intestine, spasms of the sinews and channels, and convulsions.

Tao Hongjing says: The character “wo” is pronounced “li ge qie”; among the common people, the snail is called “gua niu.” It lives in the mountains and near people’s homes. Its head resembles a slug’s, but it carries a shell on its back. Its name and form have already been explained above. There is also a creature on the seashore resembling a snail. If its shell is heated over a fire, it crawls out. Eating it is said to give the complexion a rosy glow. It is called “jiju.” Alchemists and physicians no longer use this creature, and no one collects it.

Yuxi says: According to the Yaoxing Lun, the snail’s feelers may also be used as medicine on their own. The snail is also called “li niu” and is mildly toxic. Pounded fresh and taken, it treats prolapse of the large intestine and wasting-thirst.

Rihua Zi says: This substance is cold in nature and poisonous. It can treat convulsions and related disorders. Before using it as medicine, roast it.

It is a slug with a shell on its back, commonly called a land slug.

The Shenghui Fang records a treatment for tooth worms: take thirty snail shells, burn them to ash, and grind them finely. Rub the powder on the teeth each time; it works well.

Another formula treats centipede bites: squeeze the juice from snail flesh and drip it onto the bitten area.

A further formula treats rectal prolapse caused by long-standing accumulation in the large intestine and bodily deficiency and cold, when the protruding bowel cannot be drawn back in. Take one liang of snails, burn them to ash, mix the ash with lard, and apply it.

The Jiyan Fang records a treatment for sores on the back: place one hundred live snails in a clean bottle with a capacity of one sheng. Immerse the bottle in a bowl of freshly drawn well water, seal its mouth, and leave it from dusk until dawn. After removing the snails, the water in the bottle will have a mucus-like consistency. Mix an appropriate amount of clam powder into it, then apply it to the sore with a chicken feather. It can be applied more than ten times a day. This will stop the heat and pain, and the sore will heal.

The Yanyi says: The relevant material has already been discussed in detail under “Slug.”

Shilongzi (Skink)

Shilongzi tastes salty, is cold in nature, and is mildly toxic. It is used to treat difficulty urinating and Qi stagnation, and can also help expel stones from the urinary tract, treat blood in the urine, and promote urination. It is also called lizard, mountain longzi, shougong, and shiyi. It grows in the mountain valleys around Pingyang and among the crevices of Mount Jing. Collect it in the fifth month and dry it in the sun on a stone. It is incompatible with sulfur, banmao, and wuyi.

Tao Hongjing says: There are four kinds of these animals. The first is large and entirely yellow. It is called “mother of the snake doctor,” or “snake’s aunt,” and is not used as medicine. The second resembles the snake doctor but is smaller, with a long tail; it does not flee when it sees people and is called “longzi.” The third is small, with five colors on its body and an appealing blue-green tail; it is called “lizard.” Neither of these two bites people. The fourth likes to crawl along fences and walls. It is small and black, and is called “yanting.” Some say its bite is fatal, but no one has ever heard of anyone dying after being bitten.

According to Dongfang Shuo, if “shougong” and “lizard” are distinguished from one another, then the yanting described above is what should be called shougong. It is fed cinnabar until it weighs three jin, then killed, dried in the sun, and ground into powder. The powder is applied to a woman’s body. If she has intercourse with someone, it will come off; otherwise, it remains like a red birthmark. That is why the animal is called “shougong.” Here, however, shilongzi is also called “shougong.” As with names such as “wild kudzu” and “ghost mortar,” the terms have similar meanings and are difficult to distinguish.

Yuxi says: According to the Shu Bendi Tu Jing, shilongzi can grow to one chi in length. Today it is found in the areas of Shannan, Xiangzhou, Anzhou, and Shenzhou. It is collected in the third, fourth, eighth, and ninth months. Remove the abdomen…

Dry by roasting over a fire.

Skink

The Yanyi says: A skink is a lizard; today people simply call it “lizard.”

Large skinks are seven or eight inches long, with a golden-green sheen. During the reign of Emperor Xiaoren, there was a lizard at the temple beside the drainage ditch west of the Right Side Gate. That was a true lizard. The top scholar Zheng wrote a poem about it: A woodcutter was passing down a mountain stream when he saw a lizard emerge from a crack in the rocks to drink. After drinking, it crawled back inside. It repeated this more than a hundred times without stopping. The woodcutter suspected there must be a reason, so he turned over the rock to look and found a pint or two of hailstones. Astonished, he went on his way. After walking three or five li, heavy rain began to fall; a little later, strong winds rose and hail came down.

Today, prefectures and counties follow the old method of using it to pray for rain. The scriptures say it treats the “Five Urinary Obstructions,” dissolves urinary stones, and frees the urinary passages. Is this the effect they describe?

Shuchi Fly

The shuchi fly (chu is pronounced “chouru”) tastes bitter, is neutral in nature, and is slightly toxic. It treats pathogenic influences in the heart and abdomen and impotence. It benefits Jing (essence), strengthens the will, aids fertility, and increases desire for women. It also replenishes the body’s central Qi (vital energy), makes the body nimble, treats lower back pain, directs Qi downward, strengthens sexual function, and increases seminal fluid. Keep it away from the eyes. It grows in the valleys of the Henei region, living on the ailanthus tree. Gather it in the seventh month and dry it in the sun.

Tao Hongjing says: It resembles a cicada, but is smaller. Today it is found in Liangzhou. It is rarely used in prescriptions, except in making the Great Musk Pill. The ailanthus resembles the lacquer tree and has an unpleasant smell. It is best to choose shuchi flies that live on this tree. The principle is the same as with blister beetles and ting chang insects: they are considered superior when they live on the yuan-ge plant.

The Tang Dynasty commentary says: There are two kinds of shuchi fly. The one with all five colors is male and has the better medicinal effect. The female is blue-black with white markings and is not used as medicine. Today it is found in Qizhou; there are none in Henei.

The Yanyi says: Shuchi flies are especially abundant around the eastern and western capitals. They resemble silkworm moths, but their heads and feet are somewhat black. They have two pairs of wings: the outer pair is gray, the inner pair dark red. Their bodies display all five colors, and their abdomens are large. This is the shuchi fly. Today people also use it to dispel blood stasis and treat absent menstruation.

Wood Horsefly

The wood horsefly (meng is pronounced “meng”) tastes bitter, is neutral in nature, and is toxic. It treats red, painful eyes; injuries to the corners of the eyes that cause tearing; blood stasis; absent menstruation; alternating chills and fever; and soreness or discomfort. It is also used for infertility. Another name for it is hunchang. It lives in the rivers and marshes of the Hanzhong region and is gathered in the fifth month.

The Illustrated Classic says: The wood horsefly lives in the rivers and marshes of the Hanzhong region and also flies in the mountain valleys of Jiangxia. Today it is found in many places, especially around Xiangyang and the Han River. There are several kinds of horseflies…

These biting flies can all suck the blood of cattle and horses. The wood fly is the largest; it is green and looks almost like a cicada. The fei fly, a common bloodsucking horsefly, is shaped like a bee and yellowish in color. It is the fly used in medicinal prescriptions. Another, smaller kind is called the deer fly. About the size of a housefly, it also bites cattle and horses fiercely and sucks their blood. These kinds of flies are broadly similar, and all can treat blood disorders. But physicians have passed down the practice of using only the fei fly, and no longer use the other two. They are usually collected in the fifth lunar month, and those with blood in their abdomens are preferred. When they have bitten cattle or horses and their abdomens have turned red, they are caught, dried in the sun, and used as medicine. Before use, their wings and legs are removed.

Tao Hongjing says there is a kind of fly that does not suck blood. It looks like a fly but is smaller, and is rarely seen near roads, though it is often sold in markets. Physicians use only the fei fly.

The Huainanzi says that flies can disperse accumulated blood, while the wood-boring fly, a kind of fly, can treat tooth decay. This explanation infers a medicine’s effects from the similarity of its kind. But the present Bencao does not record the wood-boring fly as a treatment, so something must have been omitted.

In the Zhouhoufang, Ge Hong says that if someone is bitten by a snake and blood flows from all nine bodily orifices, one may take fourteen flies that have just sucked the blood of cattle or horses and have full abdomens, burn them to ash, and swallow the ash.

The Yanyi says there are three sizes of wood fly. People today mostly use the fei fly, about the size of a bee, with a hollow abdomen that is yellowish green. They are plentiful in Shun’an Commandery, Bazhou, along the ponds and marshes and the border river. Since they feed only on the blood of cattle, horses, and other livestock, they can be used to treat blood stasis and obstruction of the blood vessels.

Zhechong (ground beetle)

Zhechong tastes salty, is cold in nature, and is toxic. It is used to treat alternating chills and fever in the heart and abdomen, accumulated blood in the abdomen, and abdominal masses. It can break up hard accumulations and promote the discharge of obstructed menstrual blood; it is also beneficial for childbirth. It is also called the ground turtle or earth turtle. It grows in the rivers, marshes, and sandy soil of the Hedong region, and is also found in damp earth beneath the walls of houses. It is gathered in the tenth lunar month and dried in the sun. This insect is repelled by gleditsia thorn and sweet flag.

Tao Hongjing says zhechong has a flattened body like a turtle, which is why it is called the earth turtle. It has a shell and cannot fly, and has a faint odor. It can also be found in people’s homes today.

A note in the Tang Bencao says this insect likes to live in the soil beside mouse holes or beneath house walls. It resembles a woodlouse but is larger, sometimes more than an inch long. Its shape is like a turtle’s, but it has no shell, only scales.

Su Song says that, according to the Yaoxing lun, zhechong is used together with wuyou, but should not be taken with it. It tastes bitter and salty and can treat blocked menstruation, as well as stagnant and accumulated blood within the body.

Zhang Zhongjing’s formulas for treating miscellaneous diseases, chiefly for abdominal masses, accumulations, and lumps formed by chronic illness, include “Dahuang Zhechong Wan”; “Da Biejia Wan” also contains medicines for treating women’s diseases.

The Yanyi says: Zhechong (ground beetle) is now called “boji worm” because its shape resembles a winnowing basket. When lactation is blocked, one may grind one ground beetle, add half a ge of water, filter off the clear liquid, and take it; do not let the patient know what was used in the medicine.

Jiaoyu and Shayu (Sharks)

Jiaoyu skin can be used to treat conditions such as “gu qi” and “gu zhu.” The fish skin mentioned in formula books is the jiaoyu skin mounted on knife handles.

The Tujing says: early materia medica did not record which prefectures and commanderies produced jiaoyu. Su Gong says it is produced in the South China Sea; it resembles a soft-shelled turtle, has no feet, but has a tail. The Shan Hai Jing calls it “jiao” or “sha fish” and says its skin can be used to decorate swords; this refers to it. Today southerners all call it sha fish.

There are two kinds of sha fish: the largest, with a long snout like a saw, is called “hu sha”; it is gentle in nature and its flesh is delicious. The smaller kind with rough skin is called “bai sha”; its flesh is firm and slightly toxic. Local people salt both kinds and dry them into dried meat. After scraping off the rough part of the fish skin and cutting it into thin strips, it can be eaten as a cold dish; both are delicious foods and beneficial to the body. However, neither resembles a soft-shelled turtle; they may simply be different varieties.

The Tang Ben Cao Commentary says: jiaoyu is produced in the South China Sea; it resembles a soft-shelled turtle, has no feet but has a tail.

Chen Zangqi says: jiaoyu is also called sha fish and also “fuyu.” When one is poisoned by eating fish, its skin can be burned to ashes and taken. This record first appears in the Tang Bencao.

Yuxi says: according to the Shu Ben Tujing, jiaoyu has a round, broad body more than one chi long, and a tail about one chi long; it has only a tail and no feet, and the skin on its back is rough and interlaced.

Rihua Zi says: jiaoyu is neutral in nature and slightly toxic.

Hu Qia says: Jiaoyu Skin Powder can be used to treat conditions such as the five corpse pathogens, ghost possession, hundred poisons, and evil qi. The formula uses jiaoyu skin together with cinnabar, realgar, jinya, Sichuan pepper, tianxiong, asarum, dysosma, musk, dried ginger, clove, cinnamon heart, and mangcao, one liang each; fritillaria, half a liang; and roasted centipede and roasted lizard, two of each—sixteen ingredients in all. The medicines are ground into a fine powder; each time take half a qian with warm wine, three times a day, and after seven days gradually increase to five fen. The medicine can also be made into a sachet for wearing. Since the formula uses centipede and lizard, which also belong to this category of medicines, they are recorded together.

The Shiliao says: jiaoyu is neutral in nature and can supplement the five viscera. When prepared as a fish dish, its efficacy is second only to crucian carp; when salted into fish zha (pickled fish) or made into “pu,” the effect is the same. At the end of the original text, another serious disease, throat closure, is mentioned, saying that bile may be taken and mixed with…; however, the text here is missing, so the subsequent usage cannot be known for certain.

Make white alum ash into a pill about the size of a bean. Wrap it in cotton cloth, place it in the throat, and remove it after a short while. Once foul, sticky phlegm has been vomited up, the throat will be clear. White alum ash is gathered and prepared in the twelfth lunar month.

The Haiyao says: A careful examination of the Bie Lu, “Additional Records of Famous Physicians,” shows that a certain medicinal substance comes from Nanhai in Guangzhou. It tastes sweet and salty and is non-toxic. It treats disorders of the heart Qi, gu zhu (an illness formerly attributed to the intrusion of evil spirits), gu toxins, and vomiting blood. Its skin bears spots like pearls.

The Yanyi says: The skins of the jiao fish and the sha fish belong to the same class, though their shapes differ somewhat. People use their skins to decorate saddles and swords. Their other properties are as recorded in the scriptures.

Black Carp

Black carp tastes sweet, is neutral in nature, and is non-toxic. Its flesh treats beriberi and damp impediment, in which Dampness causes numbness and pain in the limbs. Some say that eating it as salted, fermented fish treats beriberi. Its eyes are said to enable one to see at night. The pillow bone inside the fish’s head can be steamed and dried in the sun as a substitute for amber, then ground and taken internally; it may also be ground for external use. The flesh treats pain in the chest and abdomen. The gallbladder treats dim vision: its bile may be dripped into the eyes or applied to severe sores. Black carp live in rivers, lakes, and other waters.

Yuxi says: According to Xiao Bing, black carp treats sudden attacks of Qi illness. Ground into powder and taken, it stops abdominal pain. It may also be boiled and eaten to treat beriberi and weakness in the legs.

The Rihua zi says: Black carp is also written qing. It is neutral in nature and slightly toxic. It treats weak legs and oppressive discomfort in the chest and abdomen, and strengthens the body. The fish’s pillow bone, ground with vinegar, treats water Qi, blood Qi, and heart pain. Do not eat it with mallow or garlic. Those taking zhu, a medicinal substance whose precise identity depends on the prescription, should also avoid it.

Purple Cowrie

Purple cowrie brightens the eyes and clears heat toxins.

The Tujing says: Purple cowrie does not appear in the Bencao jing. As recorded in Su Gong’s commentary, it comes from the shores of the Eastern and Southern Seas, and is now plentiful around the Southern Sea. It is the object called yalou: shell-shaped, round, and large, measuring two or three inches across. People in Dan, Zhen, Yi, Li, and other regions gather it to trade. In the north, only painters use it to grind pigments. Large tridacna clams with purple coloring are also called purple cowries by people along the coast. Recent prescriptions for treating yongju, suppurating sores, often use their shells: burn the shells to ash and apply it to the sores. Purple cowries are found in both the Southern and Northern Seas and can be gathered in any season. Local people also eat the flesh. They say it tastes salty, is neutral in nature, and is non-toxic. It resembles clam meat but is firmer and less tasty; it can also counteract alcohol poisoning. Rough-surfaced shells are unsuitable for medicinal use.

The Tangben zhu says: Purple cowrie is shell-shaped, round, and large, measuring two or three inches across. It grows along the shores of the Eastern and Southern Seas. Its back has purple spots, while the shell itself is white. The Tangben was the first work to add it to the materia medica.

The Yanyi says: Purple cowrie measures two or three inches across. Its back is deep purple, marked with black spots. The purple cowrie described in the Bencao jing can be burned until its medicinal properties are retained, then added to eye medicines.

The shell of the mulberry snail, by contrast, is used to treat rectal prolapse: burn it to powder, mix it with pig fat, and apply the mixture to the protruding anus.

This snail looks exactly like a land snail. It is yellowish and small, and often crawls onto mulberry leaves after rain. To treat rectal prolapse, burn the snail to ash, mix it with pork fat, and apply it to the affected area; the prolapsed part will soon retract. Alternatively, grind the snail into powder and apply it.

Horsefly (a fly that feeds on the blood of cattle and horses): Bitter in taste, slightly cold in nature, and poisonous. It treats stagnant blood, bleeding, hardened swellings formed by accumulated blood, and alternating chills and fever. It can clear the blood vessels and the nine orifices—the eyes, ears, mouth, nose, and the two lower openings. It is also used to treat absent menstruation and masses in women, stagnant blood in the chest, abdomen, and the five viscera, and swelling and obstruction of the throat. It grows in the valleys around Jiangxia and is gathered in the fifth month. Those with blood in their abdomen are considered the best.

Tao Hongjing said: This is the horsefly that feeds on the blood of cattle and horses today. Catch it when its abdomen is swollen; prescriptions all call it “horsefly.”

A note in the Tang Materia Medica says: All three kinds of horsefly feed on the blood of cattle and horses; this is not the only kind that does so. Any that are caught can be used as medicine. Why wait until they have gorged themselves on blood before catching them? In principle, one should use them as one uses a hawk, letting them hunt only when hungry. If they have already eaten their fill, how could they still be used to treat illness?

Yuxi said: According to the Treatise on the Nature of Medicinals, the horsefly is also called “mengchong.” It is incompatible with ephedra, so the two may not be suitable for combined use.

Rihua said: It disperses masses, accumulations, and pus, and can also induce miscarriage. For use in pills or powders, remove the wings and legs, then stir-fry it.

Cockroach (a flying insect): Salty in taste, cold in nature, and poisonous. It treats stagnant blood, hard masses, alternating chills and fever, accumulations, obstruction of the throat, and internal cold. It is also used to treat infertility and can promote the flow of blood through the vessels. It grows in the marshes around Jinyang and in people’s homes, and is gathered at the start of autumn.

The Illustrated Classic says: For related information, see the entry on “wood horsefly.”

Tao Hongjing said: This insect also resembles the medicinal beetle known as zhechong, but its body is lighter and smaller, and it can fly among the grass. When the weather turns cold in the eighth or ninth month, it often hides inside people’s homes. There are two or three kinds; the genuine one is the kind that smells somewhat like galangal. People in the south also eat this insect.

A note in the Tang Materia Medica says: This insect tastes pungent and has a foul smell. People in Hanzhong eat it, believing it regulates Qi, and call it “stone ginger.” It is also known as “lufei” and “fupan.” The Supplementary Records says it resembles a silkworm moth, with a red underside to its abdomen, and is gathered in the second and eighth months. This is the insect that people in the south call “huachong.”

Yuxi said: According to the Illustrated Classic of Shu, mountain people around Jinzhou and Fangzhou eat it and call it “stone ginger.” It gathers in the woods, often in groups of a hundred or more.

The Erya calls it “feilufei.” Its commentary says that “fei” means “fupan,” which is another name for the bedbug.

White fish: Sweet in taste, neutral in nature, and non-toxic. It treats disharmony of stomach Qi, stimulates the appetite and aids eating, and dispels dampness.

White fish: It can make a person strong and robust, and grow tall—up to six or seven chi. Its body is white, it holds its head high, and it lives in rivers and lakes.

Su Song, citing Meng Shen, says: White fish is suitable for people with weakness of Spleen and Stomach Qi and insufficient strength, but it should not be eaten in large quantities. It can readily cause stagnation of Heart Qi. Although it may not bring on illness at once, eating it over a long period can lead to ailments of the heart and abdomen. It is better eaten fresh, cooked with scallions and vinegar or grilled, and eaten after being brought to a boil once or twice. It can also harmonize the Qi of the five viscera and regulate the meridians.

Rihua says: White fish can strengthen the blood vessels, nourish the liver, and improve eyesight. People with sores or abscesses should not eat it, as it can cause pus to increase. However, applying grilled fish to a sore is said to bring it to a head. It is better eaten as sashimi.

Mandarin fish: Sweet in taste, neutral in nature, and nontoxic. It treats stagnant, unhealthy blood in the abdomen, strengthens the body, promotes robustness, and can drive out small worms in the intestines. It has black spots on its back and a particularly rich flavor. It is said that the ancient immortal Liu Ping often ate gui fish; this fish is still called “gui fish” today, so it is probably the same one. It lives in rivers, streams, and other waterways.

Su Song, citing Rihua, says: Mandarin fish is slightly toxic. It can boost Qi and treat bleeding from the bowels due to intestinal wind. It is also called gui tun and water tun.

Pufferfish: Sweet in taste, warm in nature, and nontoxic. It treats weakness, excessive dampness, discomfort in the lower back and legs, and hemorrhoids; it can also kill parasites. It is found in the Yangtze, Yellow, and Huai River regions.

Chen Cangqi says: Pufferfish resembles catfish and has a pointed mouth. It is also called bao fish.

Su Song, citing Rihua, says: Pufferfish is poisonous. He also says that the Huyi fish is cool in nature and poisonous, and is best cooked with tu cai. The text says that the poison of pufferfish can be countered with reed-root juice, olives, and similar remedies; its liver is highly poisonous. It is also called □ fish, gui fish, and “blow-belly fish.”

The Yan Yi says: The Ben Cao Jing describes pufferfish as nontoxic, but in fact this fish is highly poisonous. Though delicious, it can be fatal if prepared improperly, so it must never be treated carelessly. Those who value their lives may be better off avoiding it. Su Zimei’s poem says, “At this time of year, pufferfish are prized above fish and shrimp.” This is the poet’s satire on the customs of his time and should not be taken entirely as a factual account. Still, the fish is quick to anger: when touched, it swells its belly, turns over, and floats on the surface. Fishermen can catch it by prodding it with an object. The text says that olives and reed-root juice can counter its poison.

Yellow croaker: Sweet in taste and nontoxic. Its head contains a stone-like object resembling a game piece, which can be used to treat stones in the urine. The stone from the fish’s head can be ground into powder and taken, or burned to ash, ground, and swallowed. Cooked with water shield as a soup, it stimulates the appetite and boosts Qi. When dried, it is called xiang (pronounced xiang); grilled and eaten, it is said to dispel food stagnation caused by melons…

Water that has formed over time can treat sudden abdominal distension, indigestion, and acute diarrhea. Freshly drawn water appears to glow at night. Another account says that a stone is found inside a wild duck’s head and is said to have formed from this fish, which is produced in the Eastern Sea.

Yuxi says: Chen Shiliang considers the stone-head fish neutral in nature. The Rihuazi says: Take the fish’s occipital bone, found in its brain, burn it to ash, and swallow it with water to treat urinary disorders, such as difficulty urinating, dribbling, and painful urination.

The jiayu is sweet in flavor and warm in nature, and is non-toxic. Eating it strengthens the body and gives the complexion a healthy glow. This fish lives in water inside milk caves and often feeds on the milky water, which benefits the body. Eaten over a long period, it strengthens the body more effectively than milk and has effects similar to those of the ying chicken.

Chen Cangqi says: The Rhapsody on the Wu Capital records that jiayu come from Bing Caves. Li Shan’s commentary explains that they emerge from the caves on Bing days. People today do not agree with this interpretation. “Bing” refers to a cave facing the sun, and such caves produce many of these fish. How could the fish choose a Bing day to emerge? This commentary is mistaken. A new commentary says that jiayu can treat kidney deficiency, wasting-thirst (marked by excessive drinking and urination), and debility and emaciation; they can all be cooked and eaten. The Baopuzi also says that doves know when it is midnight and swallows know the Wuyi days. Why, then, should fish not know the Bing days?

The Dietetic Therapy says: Jiayu are slightly warm in nature. They often feed on the milky deposits of stalactites in hollows beneath cliff rocks and are highly nourishing, though slightly toxic. Their flavor is exceptionally fine.

The mullet is sweet in flavor, neutral in nature, and non-toxic. It stimulates the appetite and harmonizes and frees the Five Viscera. Eaten over a long period, it strengthens the body. It feeds on mud and is compatible with all medicines. The mullet resembles a carp, with a round body, flat head, and soft bones. It lives in shallow waters in rivers and seas.

The perch is neutral in nature. It nourishes the Five Viscera, strengthens the sinews and bones, harmonizes the intestines and stomach, and treats water disorders (conditions involving the retention of fluids in the body). Eating it in moderation benefits the body; it is even better prepared as fish relish (salted, fermented fish). It is also fragrant and delicious when dried. Although said to be slightly toxic, it usually does not cause illness. Another account says that eating too much can bring on abdominal masses and lumps, as well as sores and swellings; it should also not be eaten with dairy products.

The Dietetic Therapy says: Perch is neutral in nature. It can calm the fetus and nourish the body, and is especially good eaten raw as sashimi.

The Yanyi says: Perch nourishes the liver, kidneys, and Five Viscera, and harmonizes the intestines and stomach. It is suitable to eat and rarely causes illness. Perhaps this was why Zhang Han longed for perch.

The horseshoe crab is neutral in nature and slightly toxic. It can treat hemorrhoids and kill parasites, but eating too much can cause coughing and sores or ringworm. Placing its shell among incense ingredients helps release the fragrance of the various aromatics. The tail, charred and ground for use, can treat intestinal bleeding, uterine bleeding and discharge, and postpartum dysentery. Burning its fat can attract mice.

Chen Cangqi says: The horseshoe crab is pungent in flavor and non-toxic. It can treat pheasant disease and kill parasites, but causes coughing. Its shell releases the fragrance of various aromatics; ash from its tail can stop postpartum dysentery; and burning its fat attracts mice.

This is used to treat problems involving the hawksbill turtle found in the South China Sea. Large specimens are shaped like fans, and males and females always travel together. The female has no eyes. When the male begins to move, he leaves the female, and she dies. Take its bones and tail—the tail is about two chi long—burn them to black ash, grind them into powder, and swallow it with wine. The remedy is chiefly used for dysentery after childbirth. First take a medicine made by decocting fresh Rehmannia root, honey, and other ingredients, then take this remedy; it is said to stop symptoms affecting the tail.

Softshell turtles and Chinese softshell turtles: Tao Hongjing says that Chinese softshell turtle meat is nourishing, and that old Chinese softshell turtles can transform into spirits. The shell is said to have the same uses as the Chinese softshell turtle shell. After roasting the shell, soak it in wine; it can treat scrofula (a disease involving tuberculous swelling of the lymph nodes in the neck), kill parasites, dispel wind, and treat malignant sores, fistulas, stubborn ringworm, and itching. Chinese softshell turtle meat can treat dampness and various harmful influences, and can also counteract gu poison and the poisons of many medicines.

Zhang Ding says that rubbing iron implements with Chinese softshell turtle fat makes them shine, though this claim has not been verified. Its eggs are perfectly round and about the size of chicken eggs; when boiled, the whites do not set. Some people today call “hidden eggs” “Chinese softshell turtle eggs.” Their shape seems similar, but they are not made of wood or stone. Chinese softshell turtles are extremely hard to kill: even after all the flesh has been cut away, the head can still bite. It can be used as bait to catch kites.

The Food Therapy says that Chinese softshell turtle meat is mildly warm in nature. It treats harmful influences in the five viscera, kills various parasites and gu poisons, counteracts the poisons of many medicines, and can also reconnect sinews and vessels. Rubbing iron implements with Chinese softshell turtle fat also makes them shine. Chinese softshell turtles are used in some Huainan methods of ritual practice.

Seahorse: According to the Record of Strange Things, seahorses come from the Western Sea. They are about the size of a gecko, shaped like horses, and yellowish brown. Their nature is balanced and mild, and they are non-toxic. They are chiefly used to treat difficult childbirth. Carrying a seahorse on one’s person is said to be highly effective. It has no other important uses, and is no longer found today.

Qi clam: In a note under the entry for polygala root, Tao Hongjing says that polygala root is incompatible with the qi clam. Su Jing says that the lower volume of the Record of Medicines mentions a clam but gives no account of its effects. A note also says that wax is incompatible with the qi clam. The qi clam is said to resemble a clam, with small, pointed ends. It lives in seawater and has no other medicinal uses; people along the coast eat it.

Grasshoppers and stone crabs: In a note under the entry for stone crab, Tao Hongjing says that the stone crab resembles a grasshopper. Its body is slender, and its two legs resemble those of a stone crab. It lives on the tips of grass, can fly, and belongs to the locust family. It has no other uses. It mates with earthworms, and the insect that grows in the soil can be used as a love potion—a substance meant to increase sexual desire between men and women. This is also mentioned in the Record of Things Gathered from the Leftovers.