《圖經衍義本草》Vol. 33

The gamani (an ancient name for a medicinal animal, which in the source is sometimes confused with the toad) has a pungent taste, a cold nature, and is poisonous. It is used to treat pathogenic influences, accumulations and hard masses, blood stasis, abscesses, and sores in the genital area. Taking it is said to prevent febrile illnesses. It is also used to treat corrosive sores in the genital area, malignant ulcers, and wounds caused by bites from rabid dogs; it is said to help wounds heal as well. It is also called chanchu, qiu, qufu, and kulong. It lives around rivers and lakes, ponds, and marshes. It is collected on the fifth day of the fifth month and dried in the shade; specimens that move eastward are considered better.

The Illustrated Canon says: The gamani lives around rivers and lakes and is found everywhere. It has a large belly and a small body, with many black spots on its skin. It jumps well, feeds on all kinds of insects, and makes a “ga-ga” sound as it moves. It is quick and often appears in ponds and marshes. It is collected on the fifth day of the fifth month and dried in the shade; specimens that move eastward are considered better.

The Classic of the Materia Medica treats the gamani and the chanchu as the same animal, but this seems inaccurate. The Erya lists quqiu and chanchu as different names. Guo Pu’s commentary says that the chanchu resembles the gamani but lives on land. The text also says that tadpoles are the young of the gamani, which shows that the two are not the same animal. The chanchu is larger, has many bumps on its back, moves slowly, cannot jump, and does not call. It is usually found in damp places near people’s homes. Only those with eight red markings on their bellies are true chanchu.

The Treatise on the Nature of Drugs says: The gamani can also be used on its own to ward off various pathogenic influences and ghosts. Applied externally, it treats abscesses and painful swellings caused by heat and stagnation. The chanchu, in turn, kills parasites associated with childhood malnutrition and treats rat fistulas, a kind of fistulous sore, and malignant ulcers. The text records an old practice: on the Dragon Boat Festival, take the chanchu’s brow fat and make sesame-seed-sized pills with cinnabar and musk. A child suffering from wasting due to malnutrition should take one pill on an empty stomach; for cranial malnutrition, mix it with breast milk and drip it into the nose. The ash of a burned chanchu can be applied externally to sores that are infested with parasites, itchy, and continually spreading.

Tao Hongjing says: This gamani has a large belly and many bumps on its skin, whose secretions are extremely poisonous. If a dog bites it, the dog’s mouth swells. When someone has a febrile illness with spots appearing on the body and the condition is critical, eating one or two gamani raw is said to bring a cure. He also records a practice of gathering medicinal animals on the Dragon Boat Festival: take five gamani that move eastward, bind them with their legs behind them, and confine them in a closed room. Check them the next day; if any have freed themselves, take those for ritual use. It is said that they can enable a bound person to free themselves as well.

Burn the medicinal material to ash and apply it to sores; it takes effect immediately. Toad fat can soften jade, making it as easy to carve as wax. This is why it is said to soften metals and stone. Toad fat, however, is difficult to obtain. Chop up a large, fat toad and simmer it into a paste, then spread the paste on jade: it too can make the jade soft and smooth, and easy to carve. Some ancient jade objects have unusual shapes that seem not to have been made by carving. It is said that many were carved using a Kunwu knife and toad fat.

Xiao Bing says: only a toad with eight red characters on its belly that can draw on the ground with its feet is a genuine toad.

The Rihuazi says: The toad is cool in nature and non-toxic. It can treat dog bites, heat-induced delirium, and malignant sores when applied as a dressing; it can also clear vexing heat. The kind with markings on its body is also called a frog. It is also said that the toad is cool in nature and slightly toxic. It can disperse abdominal masses and treat childhood digestive disorders. For a child with a yellowish face and abdominal accumulation, burn a toad to ash, mix it evenly with oil, and apply it to malignant sores. For medicinal use, it may also be roasted.

The secretion between a toad’s brows is called toad brow secretion and can be used to eat away at decayed teeth. Mix it with cow’s milk butter and knead it onto the hollows of the lower back and the scrotum to treat coldness in the lower back and kidneys and to help strengthen Yang energy. It works well when mixed with the juice of the shoots of evodia. Toad droppings can be applied to malignant sores, furuncles, and insect bites. Mixed with oil, they can also be applied to scrofulous swellings, hemorrhoids, anal fistulas, and other sores.

The Shenghui Formula, for treating pathogenic wind: Burn a toad to ash and mix it in equal amounts with cinnabar. Take one qian at a time, mixed with water, three or four times a day.

The Waitai Secret Essentials, for sudden wild speech and talk of ghosts: Burn a toad to ash, grind it to powder, and take one square-inch spoonful with wine three times a day for seven days. Another formula treats the early stages of “moon-eaten” sores in children, an old term for certain recurring skin ulcers: collect a toad in the fifth month, burn it to ash and grind it to powder, mix it with pig fat, and apply it.

The Mei Master’s Formula, for ulceration caused by childhood malnutrition, wherever it occurs: Burn a toad to ash, mix it with good vinegar, and apply it three to five times a day until healed.

The Secret Record of the Child and Mother, for severe diarrhea in children: Burn a toad to ash, grind it to powder, and take one square-inch spoonful mixed with water.

The Materia Medica Explained says: Toads are often found near ditches by houses. Their bellies are large, and they are the largest of this kind. They often come out to forage on rainy days, at dusk, or at night. The white secretion between their brows is collected and called toad venom. Wrap the toad’s brow in oiled paper, then make an incision; the secretion will flow onto the paper. Collect it for medicinal use. If someone has bleeding between the teeth, touch a little dried toad venom to the bleeding spot with a twisted paper wick, and the bleeding will stop immediately. Some people collect “three-legged dried toads” to deceive others. Pour water over one and watch for half a day: you will see it is a fake, since toads do not have three legs.

The male rat is slightly warm in nature and non-toxic. It can treat sprains and fractures when mashed and applied to the affected area. The source text says “three days,” perhaps meaning that the treatment should be applied for three days.

The four feet and tail of the yishu rat are used to treat miscarriage in women. Yishu rat meat is hot in nature and non-toxic.

Yishu rat meat treats abdominal swelling in children and food or milk that remains undigested. It may be roasted before eating. Yishu rat droppings are slightly cold in nature and non-toxic. They treat childhood epilepsy, abdominal swelling, and the recurrence of an illness after exertion during an epidemic.

The Illustrated Classic says that related information is given under “Mole Rat.”

Tao Hongjing says that the male rat is also called the “sire rat” or “rat father.” Its droppings are pointed at both ends and are specifically used to treat the recurrence of consumptive illness. Rat eyes can improve vision and enable people to see at night; practitioners of esoteric arts use them. Burning rat meat in the twelfth lunar month can drive away baleful influences. Rat fat may be rendered into an ointment to treat various sores. Rat gall treats dim vision, but the gall disappears as soon as the rat dies, making it difficult to obtain.

In his preface, Chen Cangqi says that the spine of a male rat whose teeth have not yet grown in, and which has not produced offspring for many years, is highly effective as a remedy.

Yuxi says that, according to Meng Shen, the male rat treats childhood epilepsy, a swollen abdomen, and excessive hunger. Wrap it in yellow clay and roast it until cooked; carefully remove the bones, then take the meat, add seasoned broth, and make it into a soup for the child. Take care that the child does not eat any bones, or the child may become extremely emaciated. Alternatively, take a rat that has just died in the twelfth lunar month and fry it in one large sheng of oil until very soft. Strain out the solids, then cook the oil down into an ointment and apply it to chilblains and cracked sores.

Rihua says that the rat is cool in nature and non-toxic, and can treat childhood convulsions and epilepsy. Fry it in oil until it melts, add wax, and apply the mixture to burns from hot liquids or fire; it may also be pounded and applied to injuries involving broken sinews or bones. Hard droppings from a male rat, pointed at both ends, can treat epilepsy and improve vision. Decoct them with scallions and fermented beans and take the liquid to treat the recurrence of consumptive illness; roasted and eaten, they can also induce childbirth.

Horse Knife Clam

The horse knife clam is pungent in flavor, slightly cold in nature, and poisonous. It treats uterine bleeding and red or white vaginal discharge in women, alternating chills and fever, and stone strangury. It also kills harmful creatures on birds and beasts, dispels heat evils between the Five Viscera and “mouse [missing character]” in the flesh (the missing character is pronounced like “púbō”), relieves vexation and distention in the chest, supplements the qi of the middle, dispels reversal impediment, and helps the joints move freely. It must be refined before use; if it comes directly into contact with water, it can cause the intestines to ulcerate. Another account says that it is beneficial after being treated with water. The horse knife clam is also called the horse clam. It grows in rivers, lakes, ponds, marshes, and the Eastern Sea, and may be gathered in any season.

Tao Hongjing says that, according to Li, it grows in the region of the Han and Yangtze rivers and reaches six or seven cun in length. People along the Han River call it “Shan Lao” (“Shan” is pronounced like “shan” in “kindness,” and “Lao” like “mother”). They also eat its flesh, which tastes like mussel. Many people today do not recognize it. It is broadly similar to an aquatic shellfish called “Tingbang,” though it is not the same creature. Few prescriptions use it as a medicine. In general, creatures of this kind should not be eaten in large quantities, and caution is needed even when they are eaten as food rather than used as medicine.

The Expanded Meaning says that in the capital the horse knife clam is called “[missing character] an.” People do not eat it in spring or summer.

Clams can easily give rise to wind-phlegm. Their medicinal nature is slightly cold, but they are generally mild in effect when taken. Clams of this kind are also found in the rivers within the territory of Shun’an Army; they taste salty. In general, they resemble razor clams, a kind of shellfish, though their flesh is fairly bland. Local people pickle them into zha, a preserved food, and send it to nearby communities. They are difficult to transport over long distances and can also provoke wind disorders, so they should not be eaten in quantity. The clam powder spoken of today is made by burning the shells of these clams to ash.

Freshwater Mussels

Freshwater mussels are cold in nature and non-toxic. They can brighten the eyes, relieve wasting thirst, and dispel vexation and heat toxins. They also treat women’s deficiency and exhaustion, bloody stools, bleeding hemorrhoids, uterine bleeding, and vaginal discharge. Put powdered Coptis rhizome inside a mussel and use the juice as eye drops to treat redness; it is also suitable for dim vision. Burn mussel shells until friable, grind them into powder, and take the powder to treat food regurgitation and phlegm-fluid retention. The mussel referred to here is the large kind used to hold pearls.

Another account says that mussel-shell powder is cold in nature and non-toxic. It treats childhood malnutrition, stops dysentery and vomiting, and can also treat abscesses and swellings. Mixed with vinegar and applied externally, it can also moderate the medicinal properties of stone tallow.

Chen Cangqi says: According to Tao Hongjing, “large clam” means a mussel. Mussels are cold in nature; when cooked, they treat women’s exhaustion and bleeding, brighten the eyes, dispel dampness, and relieve wasting thirst. Old mussels contain pearls, and their shells can be made into powder. Burn the shells until friable, grind them into powder, and take it to treat food regurgitation and phlegm-fluid retention in the chest and diaphragm. Mussels grow in rivers, streams, and ditches. Tao Hongjing was mistaken when he identified “large clam” as something else.

The Dietary Therapy says: Mussels are very cold in nature. They can reduce high fever, counteract alcohol poisoning, relieve thirst, clear redness of the eyes, and regulate Qi disorders caused by an imbalance of cold and heat.

The Mirror of the Elixir Chamber says: Mussel-shell powder can moderate the medicinal properties of sulfur.

Python Gallbladder

The gallbladder of the python, a large snake, tastes sweet and bitter, is cold in nature, and is slightly toxic. It treats pain caused by parasites in the heart and abdomen, worm sores in the lower body, and swollen, painful eyes. Python fat is neutral in nature and slightly toxic. It treats wind toxins of the skin, abdominal pain after childbirth, and other postpartum conditions.

The Illustrated Classic says: The python gallbladder is not recorded in the Classic of the Materia Medica. Tao Yinju says that it comes from Jin’an; Su Gong says it is produced in Gui Prefecture, Guangzhou, and the regions south of them, including Gao and He prefectures. Today pythons are found in all the prefectures of Lingnan. They are very large snakes, and local people often eat their flesh and also collect their gallbladders and fat for medicinal use.

Tao Yinju says: Pythons are found in Jin’an, and the largest are two or three arm-spans in girth. A snake that crawls or rests on the ground without raising its head is a true python; one that raises its head is not. The two kinds of snake look much alike, and local people use this distinction to tell them apart. Python fat and gallbladders are also easily confused. True python fat consists of connected, bead-like granules about the size of pear beans; the fat of other snakes is as large as plums or damsons. The true python gallbladder is long and narrow, black throughout, and has an extremely thin outer skin. When licked, it tastes sweet at first and bitter afterward; when rubbed…

If placed in water, a genuine specimen sinks without coming apart; a fake one does not. It is very difficult to obtain the genuine substance. Genuine snake fat, from the boa, is often used in medicinal formulas and is also said to treat bovine disease.

The Treatise on the Nature of Medicines says: The boa’s gallbladder serves as an assistant ingredient. People crossing the mountains of Lingnan who eat kuai made from boa meat—raw or cooked meat cut into thin slices—are not harmed by miasma toxins. This is widely known. The boa’s gallbladder treats parasites in the lower body and can also kill the five forms of childhood gan disease.

The Dietary Therapy says: The boa’s gallbladder treats scabies, ringworm, fistula sores, swollen and painful eyes, and gan disease. Boa meat can warm and strengthen the body against epidemic influences and may be eaten sliced as kuai. Avoid eating it if you have none of these illnesses or if it is already the fourth lunar month. Boa fat treats toxic influences between the skin and childhood gan dysentery. The gallbladder’s bile can be poured into the nose or the lower body.

The Sagely Benefactions Formula records: To treat an acute gan sore in a child, grind the boa’s gallbladder finely, mix it evenly with water, and apply it to the sore.

The Yang Family’s Formula for Childbirth records: To treat warm dysentery—dysentery accompanied by fever—that persists for a long time, with wasting, a clouded mind, frequent drowsiness, eyes closing as soon as one sits down, and inability to eat: Take two boa gallbladders, each about the size of a bean. Boil a decoction of tongcao, grind the gallbladders, and take them with an appropriate amount of the decoction. Also apply the mixture to the five centers—the palms of both hands, the soles of both feet, and the chest—and to the lower body.

The Miscellaneous Records of the Court and the Countryside recounts: Lu Yuanqin of Quanzhou suffered from dafeng, an ancient term for severe skin diseases and related conditions. At that time, his nose had not yet collapsed. On the fifth day of the fifth month, he obtained a boa’s gallbladder and prepared to take it. Someone said that snake meat could treat wind disease, so he cut off a piece of the snake and ate it. After three to five days, he felt his condition gradually improving; after a hundred days, he had recovered.

Snake slough is salty and sweet in flavor, neutral in nature, and non-toxic. It treats the 120 kinds of childhood convulsions, spasms, and seizure disorders, as well as chills and fever, intestinal hemorrhoids, and parasites. It also treats snake-type seizures, whose symptoms resemble a snake’s movements and include tongue protrusion and head shaking. It further treats the five pathogenic influences in adults—a traditional general term for illness caused by malign influences—along with disordered speech, malignant sores, vomiting, and cough, and it can improve eyesight. Its medicinal effect is considered better after it has been calcined in a fire. It is also called Dragon’s Child Garment, Snake Talisman, Dragon’s Child Skin, Dragon’s Child Undergarment, and Bow Skin. It grows in the mountain valleys of Jingzhou and in fields. The fifth or fifteenth day of the fifth month is the best time to collect it. It is counteracted by magnetite and wine.

Tao Hongjing says: Sloughed skins of vipers and pit vipers are not often found in the grass. Those that are found usually come from longer snakes, commonly of the red- and yellow-collared kinds. Their varieties can no longer be identified, though they are still often collected today. Only intact skins should be gathered; those found on rocks are also good. After being burned, they are highly effective for various malignant sores.

Yuxi says: According to the Treatise on the Nature of Medicines, snake slough is an assistant ingredient and is toxic. It can treat the influence of ghosts and spirits, as well as seizures and malaria.

Chen Cangqi says: According to the Bencao, snake slough—the skin shed by a snake—can be used to treat malaria. On the day the attack is expected, place the slough in both of the patient’s ears. As the attack approaches, hold a small amount of slough in the hand and have the patient drink one ge (an ancient measure of volume) of salted vinegar, so that they vomit.

The Rihuazi says: Snake slough can treat gu poison, ward off evil, and stop retching. It can also be used to treat fright palpitations in children, infantile fright illness (a sudden illness brought on by a child being startled), difficult childbirth, scrofula (a condition involving tuberculous swellings of the neck’s lymph nodes), and vitiligo. It may be boiled into a liquid for external application, added to a medicinal prescription, or used after being roasted.

The Shiliao says: Snake slough can dispel malign influences and improve eyesight. It treats various childhood convulsions, alternating chills and fever, intestinal hemorrhoids, gu poison, infestations by worms, and malignant sores. It can also be used to protect the fetus. First stir-fry it before use.

The Shenghui Fang records: To treat swelling and pain of a child’s palate or gums, burn snake slough to ash, grind it to powder, and apply it to the affected area. It is said to be effective.

The Qianjin Fang records: To treat various long-standing, unhealed swellings that have suppurated, burn snake slough to ash, mix it with water, and apply it to the swelling; it is said that worms will emerge. Another prescription treats malignant sores that have persisted for years and resemble leprosy: take one whole snake slough, burn it to powder, mix it with pig fat, and apply it.

The Shiquan Bojiu Fang records: To treat a fetus lying crosswise and difficult labor, take one snake skin, put it in a bottle, seal the bottle with salt mud, and burn it until only black ash remains. Take two qian at a time, mixed with an infusion of elm inner bark; it is said to work quickly.

The Bixiao Fang records: To treat the five types of hemorrhoids and prolapse of the anus, take a dead snake about as thick as a finger, warm it, and bury it in a pit to burn. Cover the pit with a board that has a hole in it, and have the patient sit on the board. It is said that all the worms will crawl out.

The Du Ren prescription records: To treat chanhoufeng (an acute condition involving sudden swelling and blockage of the throat, with difficulty breathing), roast snake slough until yellow, grind it with an equal amount of Chinese angelica, and take one qianbi (an ancient measure of medicinal dosage) mixed with warm wine. If the patient vomits afterward, the illness is said to improve.

The Chanshu says: If labor is difficult and the fetus presents a hand or foot first, burn snake slough to ash, grind it finely, and, facing east, take one qianqi with wine. Then apply the powder to the exposed hand or foot. It is said that labor will proceed smoothly.

The Yanyi says: A snake sheds its skin by turning it inside out through its mouth, and even the membrane over its eyes is shed. For this reason, snake slough is often used in preparing eye medicines. Wash it clean before adding it to medicine.

White-Necked Earthworm

The white-necked earthworm tastes salty, is cold in nature, and is extremely cold, without toxicity. It primarily treats snake accumulation—a disorder caused by parasites or internal buildup in the abdomen. It can expel the three worms, lurking corpses, ghost possession, and gu poison, and can also kill intestinal roundworms. Ancient texts say that it can turn into water on its own, and that it can be used to treat hidden heat in cold damage, disordered and frenzied consciousness, abdominal swelling, and jaundice. It is also called “earth dragon.” It grows on level ground; collect it in the third month and dry it in the shade for later use.

The Tujing says: The white-necked earthworm grows on level ground. Today, it is found on plains, in marshes, and on raised ground beside water in many regions…

Earthworms are found throughout the soil. Those with pale necks are older. They are gathered in the third month and dried in the shade. Another account says they should first be cut open and cleaned of soil, then salted and sun-dried. Physicians call them “earth dragons” (dilong), the name used in Chinese medicine. Remedies for wind disorders of the feet often include them as an auxiliary ingredient. They are also poisonous.

A man once suffered from a foot ailment and recovered after taking a medicine containing earthworms. He continued taking it after he was well, however, and after more than twenty days began to feel agitated and mentally confused. He could think of nothing but drinking water, and eventually became extremely weak. When a medicine’s toxic properties have taken effect and the illness has been cured, it should be stopped at once.

Earthworm droppings are called “earthworm earth.” Mixed with salt and applied to sores, they can clear toxic heat.

The Treatise on the Nature of Medicinals says: Earthworms can also be used on their own and are mildly poisonous. Dry-fry them, grind them into powder, and use the powder to treat poisoning from snakebites. They are also called “earth-dragon seeds.”

The Tang Commentary on the Materia Medica says: The Supplementary Records state that earthworms soaked in salt produce a liquid that can be used to treat deafness. Salt-soaked earthworms have the same effects as earthworms themselves. Applying earthworm droppings to a poisoned dog-bite wound is said to draw out the dog’s hair and to be highly effective.

Chen Cangqi says: Earthworm soil can treat red-and-white dysentery that persists through prolonged fever. Take one sheng of earthworm soil free of sand, stir-fry it until the smoke has dispersed, add half a da sheng of water, strain out the sediment, and drink on an empty stomach.

Rihuazi says: Earthworms can treat windstroke and epilepsy, expel intestinal parasites, and treat corpse-transmitted disease, seasonal febrile illnesses, throat obstruction, and bites from snakes and insects. They are also called “the thousand-person tread”: this refers to earthworms trampled to death by passersby. For medicinal use, they should be burned first. Earthworm droppings can treat snakebites, dog bites, and hot sores; grind them evenly with salt and apply. For a child whose scrotum suddenly becomes swollen and painful from deficiency heat, mix the droppings with licorice juice and apply gently.

Yuxi says: According to the Shu Commentary on the Materia Medica, earthworms can also counter the poison of shewang, a toxic substance used on arrows.

The Sagely Benevolent Prescriptions for reddened eyes caused by wind-heat: Take ten earthworms, roast them dry, and grind them to a powder. Before bed, take two qian and seven fen mixed with cold tea.

The Essential Prescriptions Worth a Thousand in Gold for receding gums that expose the teeth: Mix earthworm droppings with water to make a paste. Heat it over a fire until red-hot, then grind it into a fine powder. Mix it with pig fat cured in the twelfth month and apply to the affected area three times a day. It is said to bring a cure.

The Dumen Prescriptions for urinary retention: Pound earthworms, strain their juice through cold water, and drink half a bowl of the concentrated liquid. Urination is said to resume quickly. The remedy is also said to work at once in cases accompanied by high fever and confusion, even when death seems imminent.

The Prescriptions That Outshine Gold for deafness, said to act quickly: Put a dried earthworm inside the green end of a scallion, add salt, and use the liquid that seeps out as ear drops.

The Baiyi Fang says: When illness recurs after the strain of sexual intercourse, and the scrotum becomes swollen or retracts into the abdomen, accompanied by cramping abdominal pain and inability to urinate or pass stool, take several earthworms, squeeze out their juice, and drink it. It is an effective remedy.

Another formula says: If someone is accidentally poisoned by gu, with vomiting, diarrhea, or blood in the vomit or stool, or even liver damage, take fourteen earthworms and soak them in three sheng of bitter wine (vinegar). Once the earthworms have died, drink the soaking liquid. It can save someone even when they are near death.

The Yanyi says: White-necked earthworms are more effective when they have died on their own. They also call out at certain times, however, and are poisonous. Once, a man’s abdomen became distended, and at night he heard earthworms calling beside him. Someone advised him to soak in salt water, and he recovered. At the end of the Chongning era, a well-known soldier in Pingzhou stood barefoot before the government hall in midsummer and was injured by an earthworm. He died soon afterward. Several days later, someone else was struck by the same poison. A learned person advised him to drink a cup of salt water first, then soak his feet in salt water. He recovered.

Before using earthworms as medicine, wash off the soil and roast them lightly. They are indispensable in formulas for ailments such as pathogenic wind descending into the kidneys, and should be taken with salt water. Wang Jinggong (Wang Anshi) said that even coarse things like brushwood and earth each have their own flavor; perhaps earthworms, among them, are uniquely pure and selfless.

Spider

Spiders are slightly cold in nature and treat abdominal distension in adults and children. The web of a spider collected on the seventh day of the seventh month can be used to treat excessive fear, restless playfulness, and forgetfulness.

Tao Yinjü (Tao Hongjing) says: There are dozens of kinds of spiders, but the Erya records only seven or eight. The kind used here hangs a web shaped like a fishing net and is also called zhufeng. If someone is stung by a bee or centipede, this spider can be placed on the wound to draw out the venom. Some also use it to treat malaria, dry retching, and cholera. Practitioners of the arts of occult methods place its web inside a collar, believing it can ward off evil. Spiders with red markings, commonly called luoxinfù, are also used in occult methods; other kinds generally are not used as medicine. The Book of Songs says, “The xiaoxiao is at the door”; this refers to this kind of spider.

The Tang Ben Zhu says: The Bielu records that spiders can treat abdominal distension in children, dingxi disease (chronic wasting and poor development in children), and conditions that prevent a person from walking for three years. They can also be used for snake venom, warm malaria, and cholera, and to stop vomiting. In some places, people are bitten by spiders, and threadlike strands grow in the wound; some have died as a result. Wrapping spiderweb around a skin tag is said to make it ulcerate and fall off after seven days, and is reputed to be effective.

Yuxi says: According to the Rihuazi, the spotted spider is cold in nature and nontoxic. It treats malaria and dingzhong (painful swellings such as boils). Taking spiderweb gathered at dawn on the seventh night of the seventh month is said to make a person skillful with their hands and dispel forgetfulness.

The wall spider is neutral in nature and slightly toxic. It can treat vomiting in children and stop nosebleeds. Its juice can also be dripped into the nose or applied to sores, and it is used for fistulous sores. It is a spider that spins a cocoon on walls.

The Shenghui Fang says that to treat scrofula, a disease involving tubercular swelling of the lymph nodes in the neck, whether or not the sores have opened, take five large spiders, dry them in the sun, and grind them finely. Mix the powder with clarified butter to make a paste, and apply it twice a day.

The Qianjin Fang says that to treat fistulas caused by swollen, painful lymph nodes that break open and discharge pus, if the sores have already opened and are draining, burn fourteen spiders and apply the ashes.

The Chengxian Fang says that to treat rectal prolapse with pain after prolonged diarrhea, use “Black Sage Powder.” Take one large spider, wrap it in many layers of gourd leaf, and tie it tightly with cotton thread. Place it in a covered vessel and burn it until it turns black but retains its medicinal properties. Remove it and grind it finely, then grind it together with a little red lead, a red mineral medicine made from lead. To use it, first boil alum, scallions, and pepper in water and wash the affected area. Dry it, sprinkle the powder onto a soft cloth, then press and support the prolapsed part with the palm of the hand until it retracts.

The Sun the Immortal’s Formula says that if someone is bitten by a centipede, place a spider on the bite and let it draw out the venom. The spider will die after absorbing the poison. If the pain has not stopped, replace it with a live spider.

The Guangli Fang says that for a scorpion sting, pound a spider called “chizhu” to extract its juice, then apply it to the affected area.

The Chanbao Fang says that to treat severe postnatal coughing and upward surging of the breath, including hiccuping that continues for three to five days and leaves the patient near death, boil three to five wall spider nests and drink a small amount of the liquid.

The Yanyi says that there are many kinds of spiders, and all are poisonous. The classics do not specify which kind should be used. People today generally use the kind that spins a round web in the air beneath the eaves of houses, in hedges, or in secluded alleys. It has a large abdomen and is dark gray. If its urine gets on a person, it can cause sores and ringworm.

Yiweng (pronounced “Yeweng,” a wasp that builds nests from mud)

The yiweng tastes pungent, is neutral in nature, and is nontoxic. It treats long-term deafness, coughing and upward surging of the breath, and toxic influences. It can also induce sweating and relieve nasal congestion. Its mud nest can be used to treat abscesses and head wind. The yiweng is also called the earth wasp. It lives in the valleys around Mount Xiong’er and in the Zhangke region, and is sometimes found inside people’s homes.

Tao Hongjing says that there are many kinds of wasps of this sort. Although they are called “earth wasps,” they do not dig holes in the ground; instead, they carry earth to build nests. Today there is a kind of black wasp with a very slender waist. It carries mud to build a nest on a wall or beside an object. The chambers sit side by side like bamboo tubes. The wasp lays eggs the size of millet grains in the chambers, then catches more than ten small green spiders from the grass and stuffs them inside. It seals the nest openings so the larvae can feed on the spiders as they grow.

These kinds of insects can be used as food. One variety is placed in reeds or bamboo tubes, and is also gathered from grass.

The green caterpillar is also called the potter wasp (guǒ luǒ), a narrow-waisted wasp. The Book of Songs says, “The green caterpillar has offspring; the potter wasp carries them away.” It also says, “Teach your children, so they may become like good people.” On this basis, some have claimed that the narrow-waisted wasp has no females and carries green caterpillars back to its nest, where, after chanting an incantation, they turn into its own offspring. This claim is mistaken. How could the poet have failed to investigate the matter carefully? Why, then, did Confucius repeat this misleading account? Even sages have oversights; there are many examples of this kind.

The Ri Hua Zi says: This insect is poisonous and can treat vomiting and rebellious Qi. When used fresh, grind it and apply it to wounds caused by bamboo or wooden splinters. For medicinal use, it should be stir-fried first.

Li Hanguang’s Notes on Pronunciation and Meaning says that the practice of chanting an incantation to turn it into one’s own offspring has recently been witnessed several times. It is no fabrication.

The Shenghui Formula records a treatment for childhood cholera with vomiting and diarrhea: take this insect’s nest, roast it lightly, and grind it into powder. Mix a tiny amount—about the size of one letter—with breast milk and administer it; this will stop the symptoms.

The Yanyi says: The various accounts of the narrow-waisted wasp (yè wēng) are already quite detailed, but I have never dared to depart from the original meaning of the Book of Songs. I once opened a wasp’s nest to examine it. Inside were eggs, indeed, about half the size of a millet grain and white with a slight yellow tint. The nest also contained insects that had been carried back. A cabbage caterpillar lay beneath a wasp egg, but was not attached to it. Nor was it a leaf insect or a green caterpillar from the grass. It seems that all kinds of insects may be carried into the nest. Tao Hongjing’s account comes closer to the truth. People gather these wasp nests, grind them finely, mix the powder with vinegar, and apply it to stings from bees, scorpions, and similar creatures.

Ge-shang-tingzhang has a pungent taste, is slightly warm in nature, and is poisonous. It treats Gu poisoning, ghost-possession disorders (illnesses thought to be caused by harmful spirits), dribbling urination, and lumps and accumulations; it can also induce miscarriage. Gather it in the seventh month and dry it in the sun. It is also called banmao.

The Illustrated Classic says: For details, see the entry on yuanqing.

Tao Hongjing says: When gathered among the blooming kudzu flowers, this insect has a black body and a red head, like a person dressed in black and wearing a red headscarf; hence its name, “tingzhang” (“officer”). As it passes through different stages of growth and is found on different plants, it has five names, though their medicinal effects are similar. In the second and third months, when it is on yuanhua, it is called yuanqing. In the fourth and fifth months, when it is on wangbuliuxing, it is called the wangbuliuxing insect. In the sixth and seventh months, when it is on kudzu flowers, it is called ge-shang-tingzhang. In the eighth month, when it is on bean flowers, it is called banmao. In the ninth and tenth months, when it returns underground to hibernate, it is called didan. This didan is not a true didan, but its medicinal effect is still similar to that of related insects. The tingzhang has white eggs in its abdomen, about the size of rice grains; they treat various kinds of dribbling urination and lumps.

The Tang Materia Medica annotation says: On consulting the Bencao and the various formula books, both ancient and modern, I have found no use of…

The so-called “Wangbuliuxing insect”—if that is what it is, then all four kinds of insects are found in the same place.

Yuxi says: According to the Illustrated Materia Medica of Shu, this insect is collected from kudzu leaves in the fifth and sixth months. It resembles a blister beetle and is blue-black. When using insects such as blister beetles, yuanqing beetles, and tingzhang beetles, they should be stir-fried with glutinous rice. Once the rice turns yellowish black, remove the insects’ heads, legs, and wings, wrap them in a bundle of tangled hair, and hang them from a roof beam overnight before using them as medicine.

Gecko

The gecko tastes salty, is neutral in nature, and is slightly toxic. It is used to treat chronic pulmonary consumption and “transmitted corpse” disease, among other ailments. It can also dispel the influence of ghosts and malign forces, treat coughs and dribbling urination, and promote the flow of urine. It lives in the valleys of Lingnan, on city walls, and among large trees. Its body is four or five inches long, and its tail is as long as its body; it resembles a large house lizard. Male and female geckos often stay together and make a sound as though calling their own name. They guard their tails carefully and, when someone tries to catch them, often bite their tails off themselves, causing the hunter to abandon the pursuit. When collecting them for medicine, the tail must be kept intact for the remedy to retain its full potency.

The Fangyan says that in the Guilin region, a house lizard that makes a call is known as a gecko, probably because the two are alike.

The Illustrated Materia Medica says: Geckos live in the valleys of Lingnan, on city walls, and among large trees; they are now also found beyond Lingnan. Their heads resemble those of toads, and their backs are covered with tiny scales like silkworm eggs. They are earth-yellow in color, with bodies four or five inches long and tails as long as their bodies. They belong to the same group as house lizards and skinks. Yang Xiong’s Fangyan says that a house lizard in the Guilin region that makes a call is commonly called a gecko because it sounds as though it is calling its own name.

The gecko’s medicinal potency lies chiefly in its tail. When caught, it bites off its tail and escapes into its burrow. Geckos usually live in banyan trees, though some inhabit old houses and city towers. To catch one with its head and tail intact, hunters wait among the banyan trees with a long-handled, double-pronged iron fork, like the sticky poles used for catching birds. One prong pierces the head while the other hooks the tail, preventing the gecko from biting it off. Geckos generally stay in male-female pairs and should also be used in pairs as medicine. Another view holds that people with Yang deficiency should use the female, while those with Yin deficiency should use the male.

Rihua says: The gecko is non-toxic. It regulates Lung Qi and stops coughing; it also regulates menstruation, expels urinary stones, and treats blood disorders. The gecko is also called “ge-xie.” Before compounding it as medicine, remove the head and legs, wash off the scales and internal impurities, then roast it with clarified butter; this is considered more effective.

The Yanyi says: Gejie (a medicinal substance from the gecko family) is highly effective for weak lungs, consumption, and coughing; it can treat a persistent cough that will not go away. When deficiency heat has accumulated in the lungs for a long time, sores may develop, causing pus and blood to be coughed up. The patient coughs incessantly from morning until night, with the breath obstructed in the throat and a choking, painful sensation between the chest and diaphragm.

Take one liang each of gejie, donkey-hide gelatin, fresh rhinoceros horn, deer-horn gelatin, and antelope horn. Grind all the ingredients except the donkey-hide gelatin into a fine powder, then add the gelatin and divide the mixture into four portions. For each dose, use three sheng of river water and simmer the mixture in a silver or stone vessel over low heat. When the liquid has reduced by half a sheng, strain out the dregs. Just before going to bed, drink it slowly in small sips while lukewarm. Once the liquid has been taken, pound the dregs, combine them into one portion, add three sheng of water, and boil down to half a sheng. Take it in the same way as before. If the patient has been ill for a long time, is weak, and dislikes drinking water, the amount of water may be reduced little by little.

When Zhang Zixing, a high-ranking official in the Ministry of Justice, was critically ill, Gu Kuang, a senior privy councillor, sent him this prescription. After taking it, Zhang recovered.

Centipede

The centipede tastes pungent, is warm in nature, and is poisonous. It is used to treat guizhu (illnesses believed in antiquity to be caused by the intrusion of ghosts or malign spirits) and gu poison, and can also counter poison from snakes, insects, and fish. It kills ghosts and ancient spirits, treats warm malaria, dispels accumulations of cold and heat in the abdomen, induces miscarriage, and expels stagnant blood. Centipedes are found in the mountain valleys around Dawu and in the Jiangnan region; those with red heads and legs are considered best.

The Illustrated Classic of Materia Medica says: Centipedes live in the mountain valleys of Wu and in Jiangnan. Today they are found in the areas of Zhejiang, Jiangsu, Shannan, Tangzhou, and Dengzhou, often hiding among soil and stones or in the walls of houses. Those with red heads and legs are of better quality, and they are usually gathered in the seventh or eighth month. Centipedes with yellow legs are the most common, but they cannot be used as medicine. Some people roast them over a fire to turn them red and pass them off as the genuine kind; they must not be used this way.

Centipedes can subdue snakes. When they encounter a large snake, they climb onto it and gnaw at its brain. Tao Hongjing and Su Gong both believed that the “jiji” in the Zhuangzi phrase “the jiji delights in the snake’s tail” and the “jiji” in the Huainanzi phrase “the flying serpent is endangered by the jiji” refer to the centipede. Tao Hongjing also said that red-legged centipedes are common around Jingkou, Changshan, Gaoli Mountain, and Maoshan, and can often be found in piles of decaying grass. After collecting them, take care not to damage them, and dry them in the sun. Yellow-legged centipedes are plentiful but cannot be used; roasting them red to pass them off as genuine does not make them true red-legged centipedes.

Centipedes can also bite people. Apply mulberry sap and white salt to the bite, and it will heal.

The Rihuazi says: Centipedes can treat zhengpi (conditions involving abdominal masses), malign spirits, and snake venom. For medicinal use, they should be roasted.

The Zimu Milu records that to treat “tight-mouth” disease in children—a condition in which the lips contract and opening the mouth is difficult—one may check the tongue for sores about the size of millet grains. Take the fluid from a centipede, scrape and grind a fingernail into powder, and apply it to the flesh on both sides of the mouth. This is said to cure the condition. If no live centipede is available, a dried one may also be used.

The Yanyi says that the centipede’s back is glossy and blackish green, its legs are red, and the underside of its belly is yellow. For a centipede bite, mix black chicken droppings with water into a thick paste and apply it to the wound; this is said to be effective. Applying garlic is also said to work. Centipedes may also be used to treat erysipelas—a kind of red, swollen skin condition—and tumors. Grind together one dried centipede, a piece of alum about the size of a Chinese honey locust seed, one leigong pill, and two qian of bai bu root. Mix the powder with vinegar and apply it to the affected area. Centipedes fear slugs, commonly called “snot snails,” and dare not cross places where slugs have crawled; if they touch a slug, they die. Slugs are therefore used to treat centipede venom. Mulberry sap and white salt are also said to be effective.

Leech (shui zhi)

Leeches taste salty and bitter, have a neutral nature with a slight cooling tendency, and are toxic. They are used chiefly to expel pathological and stagnant blood, treat absent menstruation, break up blood masses and accumulations, address infertility, and promote urination. They are also believed to induce miscarriage. Leeches are also called “jiao” and “zhi zhang.” They grow in the ponds and marshes of Leize and are collected in the fifth and sixth months, then dried in the sun.

The Tujing says that leeches live in the ponds and marshes of Leize, and that many are now found in nearby rivers and ponds. They are also called “qi.” Those that live in water are called water leeches, or ma huang; those that live in the mountains are called stone leeches, those in grassy areas grass leeches, and those in mud mud leeches. All of these can attach themselves to the thighs or lower legs of people, cattle, and horses and suck their blood. In severe cases, they bore into the flesh and multiply, causing great harm. Some leeches grow as long as a chi; the smaller ones should be selected for medicinal use. Collect them in the sixth month and dry them in the sun. Another method is to put freshly collected leeches in thin bamboo tubes and leave them to dry. Then soak them overnight in rice-rinsing water, remove them, and dry them again in the sun. Some people instead fry them in pork fat in winter until they turn yellow, believing this makes them suitable for medicinal use.

Dried leeches should be stretched out, and any carrying eggs in the belly should be discarded. In ancient times, people used leeches to suck pus from sores. Cui Zhiti advised keeping some in advance for use when they were urgently needed and none could be found. Leeches are difficult to kill: even after being roasted over a fire, they may come back to life if they encounter water a year later. Stone leeches and similar kinds have pointed heads and thick bellies and are unsuitable for medicinal use. Using them by mistake can make a person see what seems like smoke before the eyes; the symptom may persist and gradually damage vision. They must therefore be identified with care.

The Treatise on the Nature of Medicinals says that leeches—also called water leeches, with dried specimens preferred for medicinal use—can restore blocked menstruation in women and treat blood exhaustion caused by blood stasis, as well as abdominal masses. They are effective for blood that has stagnated and congealed into accumulations.

Tao Yinjü (Tao Hongjing) says that there are now several kinds of leeches. The kind used medicinally should be the horse leech, a large leech that bites and draws out stagnant blood from a person’s abdomen. Dried in the sun is best; mountain leeches and the various small kinds are unsuitable. The King of Chu once swallowed a leech by mistake while eating a cold dish, and it cured an accumulation in his abdomen. Though this may be said to have happened through the unseen protection of divine beings, it was also due to the medicinal properties of the leech itself.

The Materia Medica of the Day says that leeches are repelled by lime and can break up masses, but are extremely difficult to prepare. They must be finely chopped and stir-fried over low heat until yellow, at which point they are thoroughly cooked. Otherwise, after entering the abdomen they may reproduce inside the body and cause harm.

The Proven Remedies records a treatment for fractures caused by falls or blows: dry a leech on a new roof tile, grind it into a fine powder, and swallow one qian (about 3 grams) with hot wine. The pain should ease after about the time it takes to eat a meal. A second dose may be taken. Once the pain has stopped, apply a bone-setting medicine to the injured area and secure it with splints until it heals.

A prescription by Chu Yushi is said to work remarkably well for internal injuries caused by falls from a height or by blows. Take one liang each of musk and leech, chop them, and stir-fry until they smoke. Grind them together into a powder and take one qian mixed with wine. This should expel the accumulated stagnant blood. If any remains, take another dose; the effect is said to be miraculous.

The Amplified Materia Medica says that the properties of the leech have already been described in detail by Chen Cangqi and Rihua Zi. Large specimens are also called “horse turtles” in the capital; those with yellow bellies are called “horse leeches.” They are repelled by salt and are effective for injuries such as fractures. Neither the Divine Farmer’s Classic of Materia Medica nor its commentaries discuss how to prepare them, but they should in fact be handled carefully and never treated carelessly. The leeches used today are all stir-fried.

Blister beetle (also called banmao, a poisonous beetle):

The blister beetle tastes pungent, is cold in nature, and is poisonous. It is chiefly used to treat alternating chills and fever, ghost influx (a type of infectious, wasting illness), parasitic toxins, rodent ulcers (ulcerated swellings of the neck), scabies, ringworm, malignant sores, and carbuncles. It can eat away dead flesh and break up urinary obstructions and stones, as well as blood stasis. However, it damages the flesh and can also induce miscarriage. It is also called “Dragon’s Tail.” It grows in the valleys of Hedong (around present-day Shanxi) and is collected in the eighth month, then dried in the shade. It is used with horse mussel as its assistant; it is counteracted by croton, salvia, and azurite, and is incompatible with fujing.

The Illustrated Materia Medica says that the blister beetle grows in the valleys of Hedong and is now found in many places. In the seventh and eighth months, when soybean plants are lush, the insects are often found on their leaves. They are about five or six fen long, with yellow and black markings on their wing covers, black bellies, and pointed mouths. They are roughly the size of croton seeds. They are caught on the leaves and dried in the shade for later use. Ancient medical texts often prescribe them; the name is sometimes written as “banli” and sometimes as “ban zhi.” They must not be used raw, since raw blister beetles cause vomiting and diarrhea.

The Treatise on the Nature of Medicinals says that the blister beetle is used with … as its assistant. It is also called “Dragon Sprout” and is highly poisonous. It can treat many illnesses, but its effects are harsh, so it must be used with great caution.

The blister beetle, a poisonous insect, clears the urinary passages and is used to treat scrofula, a condition involving tuberculous lymph nodes in the neck, and urinary disorders such as difficulty passing urine.

Tao Hongjing says: Collect this insect when the bean flowers bloom. Its body has yellow and black markings, and it is about the size of a croton seed.

The Rihuazi says: The blister beetle treats urinary disorders and can also be applied externally to malignant sores, fistulas, and ulcerated wounds. Before using it as medicine, remove its wings and legs and stir-fry it. Used raw, it can cause vomiting and diarrhea.

Yuxi says: According to the Illustrated Classic of Shu Materia Medica, blister beetles appear on soybean leaves in the seventh or eighth month. They are five or six fen long, with yellow markings on the body and a black abdomen. They are now found in every region.

Wu says: The blister beetle is also called banhao, longhao, banjun, juanfa, panqiong, and yanqing. Shennong says it tastes pungent; Qibo says it tastes salty; Tongjun says it is poisonous; and Bianque says it tastes sweet and is highly poisonous. It grows in the mountain valleys of Henei and sometimes on rocks by the water.

The Waitai Miyao Fang gives this treatment for long-standing dry ringworm with scabs that ooze yellow fluid when scratched and itch in rainy weather: Take half a liang of blister beetles, lightly stir-fry them, and grind them into powder. Mix the powder with honey and apply it externally.

The Jingyan Fang records an oral remedy for scrofula in adults and children: Take one liang of blister beetles, with the wings and legs removed. Stir-fry them with one sheng of millet until the millet turns golden brown, then discard the millet. Grind the blister beetles finely and mix them thoroughly with four liang of dried mint powder. Use egg white to form pills the size of mung beans. Take on an empty stomach with wax tea, beginning with one pill and gradually increasing to five. Then take one fewer pill each day until you reach one, after which take five pills daily.

The Yanyi says: Blister beetles should be stir-fried in glutinous rice until the rice turns yellow. Pregnant women must not take them, because they can cause the flesh to ulcerate. Use great caution when including blister beetles in a prescription for urinary disorders. The instructions below for yuanqing, another medicinal beetle, are similar, so it is included here as well.

Clams are cold in nature and non-toxic. They moisten the five organs, relieve thirst, stimulate the appetite, and counteract alcohol toxicity. They treat long-standing accumulations and disorders that bring on alternating chills and fever. Women with blood masses may also eat them boiled. Although clams are cold in nature, they are incompatible with medicines made from mineral substances: people taking such medicines may experience abdominal cramping and pain if they eat clams.

Chu Yushi says: Clams are remarkably effective for burns from boiling water or fire. Burn the shells to ash, grind them into a fine powder, mix with oil, and apply.

The clam known as xian is cold in nature and non-toxic. It treats epidemic illnesses, stimulates the appetite, counteracts the effects of mineral medicines, treats boils, dispels dampness, and promotes lactation. It is best taken cooked with fermented grain mash. Fresh clams may also be soaked to obtain their juice, which can be used to wash boils.

The meat of the clam can treat coughing and chills caused by eating hair, and nourish Kidney Qi. The shell can treat sores in the genital area and stop diarrhea. Clam meat is cold in nature: it can reduce sudden fever, brighten the eyes, promote urination, and clear heat. It can also treat beriberi and damp toxins. If drinking alcohol causes the skin and eyes to turn yellow, soak the meat and drink the resulting juice. Clam meat can also treat wasting thirst. Burn the shell to a white ash and take it with water to treat regurgitation and vomiting food, and to disperse phlegm and fluid in the chest. Old clam shells can treat rebellious Stomach Qi, regurgitation, and seminal emission.

Chen Cangqi says: The xun, a small kind of clam, is smaller than a mussel and black. It lives in mud at the bottom of the water. When wind and rain are approaching, it uses its shell like wings and flies up.

Burn the shell of the wei-xun to a powder and take it to treat hemorrhoids. Chen Cangqi says: The salty xun, also called shengjin, has hairs and resembles a mussel, but its shell is longer and flatter. Burn the shell to a powder and take it to treat “pheasant disease,” but eating its meat has no medicinal effect.

The large clam is cold in nature and nontoxic. It can counteract alcohol toxicity, treat wasting thirst and thirst after drinking, and reduce sores and swellings. Its shell can treat sores, boils, and toxic swellings. Burn the large clam and another kind of mussel twice in vinegar, pound them into powder, then mix with an equal amount of licorice and take with wine. Alternatively, mix the powder with vinegar and apply it to the swelling; this works very well. The large clam is also called da ge, or shen. It can exhale a vapor that forms a scene like a tower. This sight can often be seen among the islands and bays of the sea in spring and summer.

The Food Therapy text says: The large clam and the qiumao are of the same kind, and neither should be eaten in large quantities.

The ark shell is warm in nature. It can treat cold in the chest and abdomen and cold affecting the lower back and spine. It also harmonizes the Five Viscera, strengthens the Stomach, and stimulates appetite. After eating ark shells, one should eat rice to settle the stomach; otherwise, the mouth may become dry. Another account says that ark shells warm the middle, aid digestion, invigorate Yang, and have a strong flavor. They live in the sea, and their shells resemble tiled roofs. Another account says ark shells are nontoxic and give the complexion a healthy glow. Burn the shells, quench them in rice vinegar three times, and bury them until they decay. Make the resulting vinegar paste into pills to treat various forms of Qi and Blood deficiency due to cold, as well as masses and lumps in the abdomen.

The razor clam is sweet in flavor, warm in nature, and nontoxic. It can replenish deficiency and treat cold dysentery. Cooked, it can restore women weakened after childbirth. Razor clams live in sea mud; they are two or three inches long, about as thick as a finger, and open at both ends. They can treat pathogenic heat in the chest, agitation, and rebellious Qi, and are suitable for people taking mineral elixirs. They should not be eaten after an epidemic illness; this restriction must be observed carefully.

The mussel is warm in nature. It can nourish the Five Viscera, relieve discomfort in the lower back and legs, strengthen Yang, aid digestion, and dispel cold in the abdomen and abdominal masses. It may also be cooked until its juices boil out, then eaten. Eating too much can cause agitation and blurred vision; stop once the bowels have been loosened slightly. People in the north often do not recognize mussels. Though their appearance is not particularly attractive, they are highly nourishing. Another account says mussels are warm in nature and nontoxic, and can replenish deficiency and debility.

It can relieve cold pain caused by stagnant blood accumulating in the abdomen after childbirth. It can also be used to treat abdominal masses, lower back pain, and dryness of the hair.

To treat uterine bleeding (abnormally heavy bleeding) and leukorrhea (abnormal vaginal discharge), cook it in a single batch and have the patient eat her fill; it is very effective. It is also called “shell vegetable.” If regularly roasted and eaten, it may taste bitter and is not especially suitable for people. It is better to cook it first with a little rice, remove the flesh, take out the paired, clasp-like parts and hairs from inside, then cook it with radish, perilla, or winter melon rind.

Chen Cangqi says: “Donghai Furen (‘Lady of the Eastern Sea,’ another name for mussels) is sweet in flavor, warm in nature, and non-toxic. It treats bodily weakness and exhaustion, as well as postpartum wasting, stagnation of blood and Qi, abdominal chill and intestinal rumbling, diarrhea, lower back pain, leukorrhea, hernia, and abdominal masses. Prolonged use causes hair loss. The flesh can be made into a meat broth; it is suitable for people with ‘stone-producing’ conditions (possibly referring to stones or hard masses forming in the digestive tract) and will cause the intestines to congeal. It is found in the South Sea and resembles pearl oysters, with one end pointed and a little hair inside. Coastal people also call it ‘light vegetable.’”

A new commentary says: “This is called shell vegetable and tastes delicious. People in the south like to eat it. It can be used to treat exhaustion and weakness, deficiency of essence and blood, vomiting blood, and, in women, leukorrhea and uterine bleeding, as well as chronic diarrhea in men. It may be boiled and eaten freely. It is found in rivers and lakes.”

Shrimp without whiskers, and shrimp that turn white when boiled, should not be eaten. It is said that small shrimp live in rice paddies and ditches and are slightly poisonous. For children with red-and-white wandering swellings (patches of red and white swelling that shift across the skin), crushed shrimp can be applied externally; pickled shrimp, however, are highly poisonous.

Chen Cangqi says: “Eating shrimp treats ‘the five pheasant illnesses’ (an ancient disease name whose precise meaning is unclear). For children with red-and-white wandering eruptions, crush shrimp and apply it externally. Shrimp turn bright red when cooked; if children, chickens, or dogs eat them, their legs and feet may curl up and they may be unable to walk. Shrimp from rivers and lakes are somewhat larger and turn white when boiled. Tao Hongjing said that white shrimp can be fatal, but this is incorrect. Large shrimp are also found in the sea, as recorded under the ‘Supplementary Notes’ entry: putting shrimp in hot rice, sealing it in a container to pickle, and then eating it can cause poisoning and even death.”

The Dietary Therapy says: “Shrimp are neutral in nature, but stir up wind and can also trigger sores and scabies.”

The gallbladder of the pit viper is bitter in flavor, slightly cold in nature, and poisonous. It treats scabies, ringworm, and sores. Pit viper meat fermented in wine can treat leprosy (an ancient term for certain severe skin diseases), various fistula disorders, pain in the chest and abdomen, and Qi constraint; it can also counteract Gu poison. If a snake has swallowed a mouse, its meat is slightly poisonous and can treat mouse fistula.

Tao Hongjing says: “The pit viper is yellow and black, with a yellow jaw and pointed mouth; its venom is the most potent. The short, flattened viper is no less venomous than the pit viper. Bites from either of these two snakes are often fatal without prompt treatment. There are many kinds of snakes, but only these two and the green viper have such fierce venom; there are separate prescriptions for treating their bites. All snakes have feet. On the fifth day of the fifth month, take one and heat the ground until…” The original text breaks off here.

After pouring hot wine over it, place it in the middle, leaving the feet exposed. This is the “red linked to yellow” used by practitioners.

The “han” often appears among the rooms of ordinary homes, where it devours mice and fledgling sparrows. When one with a larger belly is found, cut it open, remove what is inside, and dry it in the sun.

The Tang Materia Medica commentary says: Snake droppings can treat hemorrhoids and fistulas, and can be collected by keeping snakes in a vessel. Snake skin burned to ash can treat boils, malignant sores, and bone ulcers. Shed snake skin can be used to treat bodily itching and skin diseases such as gua scabies and ringworm.

The viper is the color of the earth. Its nose turns upward, its mouth is forked, its body is short, and its head and tail look alike. It is highly venomous. It is also called the “yuan snake”; this is not a separate kind of snake. These snakes are common around Shannan, the Han River, and the Mian River.

Yuxi says: According to the Illustrated Classic of Shu, the viper has a short, thick body and is yellowish black, the color of mud, with white markings on its body and an upturned nose. These snakes are found in Jin, Fang, and Jun prefectures in Shannan.