《圖經衍義本草》Vol. 37

Husma (sesame) is sweet in flavor, neutral in nature, and non-toxic. It chiefly treats internal injury and weakness, and emaciation. It nourishes the five viscera and increases strength, plumps the muscles, replenishes the marrow, and strengthens the sinews and bones. It can also treat wounds caused by metal implements, relieve pain, and address feverish weakness, fatigue, and emaciation following cold damage, warm malaria, or severe vomiting. Taken over a long period, it makes the body light and nimble, delays aging, sharpens hearing and vision, helps one endure hunger and thirst, and prolongs life. Oil pressed from husma is slightly cold in nature. It eases the bowels and helps expel the placenta. Raw husma can be applied to sores and swellings, and used to promote hair growth on bald patches.

Husma is also known as jusheng, goushi, fangjing, and hongzang. Its leaves are called qingrang. It grows in the river valleys and beside the marshes of the Shangdang region.

The Illustrated Materia Medica says: “Husma is jusheng. It grows in the river valleys and beside the marshes of the Shangdang region. Qingrang is the young plant of jusheng, and grows in the river valleys of the Central Plain. Today it is found everywhere, usually cultivated in gardens and fields; wild plants are rare. Its stalk resembles hemp, and its leaves are round with pointed tips and a glossy surface. The tender leaves can be cooked as a vegetable, and Daoists often eat them.”

The Guangya says that goushi is jusheng, and that tenghong is husma. Tao Hongjing says that plants with square stalks are called jusheng, while those with round stalks are called husma. By this account, jusheng and husma seem to be two different things. Others say that the plant originated in the lands of the Hu people and resembles hemp, which is why it is called husma; because it is the finest among the eight grains, it is also called jusheng. From this perspective, it seems to be one plant with two names.

Immortality recipes include two methods for taking husma and jusheng, with slightly different effects. This suggests that they may originally have been one plant with two varieties, like tianxiong and fuzi. Ge Zhichuan also says that a husma plant with one leaf and two pods is jusheng.

Husma tastes very sweet. After being steamed and sun-dried nine times, then roasted and ground, it can be used to abstain from grain as part of cultivation. Husma mixed with white honey and made into pills is called “Tranquil Spirit Pills.” Taking them benefits the lungs and moistens the five viscera. Oil pressed from husma can treat internal heat, constipation, and intestinal blockage; one he (a traditional unit of volume) taken by mouth will ease the bowels.

The Treatise on Medicinal Properties says: “Bathing in juice extracted by pounding husma leaves is highly effective. When cattle fall ill from heat, pound the leaves, extract their juice, and administer it; they recover at once. For uterine bleeding or stagnant, congealed blood, pound one sheng of raw husma, soak it in hot water, strain out half a sheng of juice, and drink it. Recovery follows soon. Jusheng …”

The scripture says to mix one sheng of white honey with one sheng of “zi” and make pills called “Tranquil Spirit Pills.” Taken regularly, they can treat deficient Lung Qi and moisten the Five Viscera, among many other benefits. They can also help with fasting (reducing or stopping food intake during cultivation) and nourish the bone marrow. For people who are physically weak and short of breath, hemp seed may also be added.

The Tang Materia Medica commentary says: Hemp seeds with eight ridges are called “jusheng,” while those with four ridges are called “husma.” In both cases, black seeds are best and white ones inferior. Chewing husma raw and applying it to sores on a child’s head or spreading malignant sores is said to work very well.

Yuxi says that, according to Wu’s account, husma is also called “fangjin.” Shennong and Leigong consider it sweet in flavor, neutral in nature, and nontoxic; it is harvested in autumn. “Qingrang” is also called “mengshen.”

The Baopuzi says that jusheng, also known as husma, can delay aging and ward off wind-dampness when taken as food or medicine.

The new commentary says to steam and sun-dry husma, white soybeans, and dates together nine times, then shape the mixture into balls and eat them. This can stave off hunger, prolong life, and also be used for fasting. Taking husma and cocklebur seeds prepared together as a powder can treat wind disorders.

The Dietetic Therapy text says that husma moistens the Five Viscera and treats burns. The husma grown in mountain fields has four ridges. Husma from different soils has distinct effects, but all kinds can help with fasting. Practitioners value it because it nourishes the bone marrow and restores deficient Qi.

The Formulas from the Benevolent Sage records a treatment for deficiency and damage in the Five Viscera accompanied by emaciation: steam and sun-dry jusheng nine times. Each time, take two he, soak them in hot water, wrap them in cloth and rub off the skins, then grind them finely and strain the juice through water. Cook the juice with polished rice into porridge. The text says this replenishes Qi and strength and strengthens the bones and sinews.

The Arcane Essentials from the Outer Court records a treatment for aching, slightly swollen hands and feet: pound five sheng of black sesame seeds, soak them overnight in one sheng of wine, and drink according to one’s condition.

The Essential Formulas Worth a Thousand in Gold says that taking husma regularly can brighten the eyes and sharpen vision. Steam one shi of husma thirty times, grind it into powder, and take it with wine, one sheng each day. Another formula treats pain in the lower back and legs: take one sheng of fresh husma, toast it until fragrant, pound and sift it, then take about one large sheng each day. The text says the pain will subside. It may be taken with wine, broth, or honey water.

The Later Formulas from Experience records a remedy called “Life-Saving Powder” for attacks of summer heat toxicity (illness caused by summer heat). Toast one sheng of fresh husma until black, remove it from the heat and let it cool, then grind it into powder. Take three qian and seven fen at a time, mixed with freshly drawn water; or shape it into balls the size of pellets and dissolve one in fresh water before taking it. The text also cautions that someone overcome by heat outdoors should not be cooled from the outside with cold substances, because exposure to cold may prove fatal.

The Secret Essentials of Cultivation records a method of taking husma as food used by immortals, saying that it can eliminate all kinds of...

Long-term use of sesame is said to cure even stubborn illnesses. After one year, the complexion becomes smooth and radiant, and one no longer feels hungry. After three years, neither water nor fire can cause harm; one can walk with great vigor, even keeping pace with a galloping horse, and ultimately attain long life without aging. Sesame from Shangdang is especially good.

Take two dou of sesame, wash it thoroughly, and steam it in a steamer until the steam passes through. Dry it in the sun, then wash it again with water to remove the scum, and steam it this way nine times. Next, use hot water to remove the husks, winnow away the chaff, toast the seeds until fragrant, and grind them into powder. Mix with honey and form pills the size of marbles. Dissolve one pill in warm wine each time you take it. Avoid poisonous foods and raw vegetables.

The Xu Qixie Ji records that in the fifteenth year of the Yongping era under Emperor Ming of Han, two men from Shan County, Liu Chen and Ruan Zhao, went into Mount Tiantai to gather medicinal herbs and lost their way. They suddenly came upon a stream and waded across it, where they saw two women. The women called them by name, as if they had known them for a long time, and said, “Why have you gentlemen taken so long to come?” They then invited the two men home and served them a meal of sesame rice. This is the source of the line in a Tang poem: “The imperial broth is blended with stone herbs; fragrant rice is served with sesame.”

The Yanyi says: Accounts differ on what sesame is, but in fact it is simply the zhima, or sesame, used today; there is no other meaning. Its seeds came from Dayuan, which is why it is called “barbarian sesame.” Sesame grown today in the lands of the Hu peoples has large, plump seeds, with markings like the feathers of a magpie and a purplish-black color; hence the distinction. It also yields more oil. A poem says, “Beneath the pines, they eat sesame,” showing that sesame is indeed a grain eaten as food, and belongs to the same category as white oil sesame.

This is like the names Sichuan rhubarb, Sichuan angelica, Sichuan cimicifuga, Shangdang ginseng, and Qizhou pinellia. These names do not mean that the medicinal plants are different species from those grown elsewhere; they are named for their places of origin because those regions are well suited to producing them. From this we can see that sesame and white oil sesame are the same thing. I once held office in the area around Shun’an Army and Xiongba Prefecture, and saw the local conditions with my own eyes. Both relevant records say it is non-toxic, and the ailments it treats are broadly the same. People today use white oil sesame, and in daily life can scarcely go a day without it. Still, its nature is not extremely cold, and its use should be considered carefully.

Qingrang, the young shoots of sesame, tastes sweet, is cold in nature, and is non-toxic. It treats pathogenic influences in the Five Viscera and impediments caused by wind, cold, and dampness. It can boost Qi, nourish the brain and marrow, and strengthen the sinews and bones. Long-term use is said to sharpen hearing and vision, remove hunger, slow aging, and prolong life. It is the seedling of jusheng, which grows among the mountains, rivers, and valleys of the Central Plains.

The Tujing says: For the relevant information, see the entry on “Sesame.”

Tao Hongjing says: These are the leaves of sesame. They are very fleshy and smooth, and can also be used to wash the hair.

You are unclear about how to take it, so this method is not used in the immortal prescriptions either. Dry it in the shade, pound it, and make it into pills or powder. Since the fruit is what is taken, there is no need to gather its shoots.

The Formula for Fu Jusheng Pills also says: “Its leaves are called qingrang” (a name for sesame leaves). The plant originated in Dayuan, an ancient region of the Western Regions, and was later introduced to the Central Plains.

The Commentary on the Tang Materia Medica says: “Qingrang was originally listed among the upper-grade herbs in the Classic of the Materia Medica. Since it can be eaten, it is now appended to the entry on sesame.”

The Expansions on the Meaning of the Materia Medica says: “Qingrang is the leaf of oil sesame.” Tao Hongjing also identified it as the sesame leaf in his commentary. Sesame seeds from the Hu regions are magpie-colored and relatively large. The Rihuazi Materia Medica says that boiling the leaves in water and washing the hair with the liquid nourishes it. Today, people steep sesame leaves in hot water for a long time. As the leaf juice seeps out, the liquid becomes thick and yellowish, and women use it to comb their hair. This shows that sesame, white oil sesame, and what is now called sesame are the same plant, and that qingrang is its leaf.

Hemp Flowers

Hemp flowers—the flowering clusters of cannabis—taste acrid, are neutral in nature, and are toxic. They are used to treat the five kinds of fatigue and seven kinds of injury (various forms of strain and debility), help regulate the five viscera, expel stagnant blood and cold Qi, disperse accumulated stagnation, relieve painful impediment, and expel pus. Eating too much can make people see ghosts and monsters, and cause them to run about in a frenzy. It is said that taking them for a long time can open communication with the spirits and make the body light and agile. They are also called mabo, referring to the fluffy parts of the hemp flowers. They are best gathered on the seventh day of the seventh month.

Hemp seeds taste sweet, are neutral in nature, and are non-toxic. They are used to replenish the body’s central Qi, increase strength, treat sweating after windstroke, expel fluids, promote urination, disperse accumulated blood, and restore the circulation of the blood vessels. They can be used for lingering ailments after childbirth, promote hair growth, and be made into a hair-washing preparation. It is said that taking them for a long time strengthens the body and delays aging. Gather them in the ninth month. Hemp seeds that have fallen into the soil should not be used, as they can harm the body. Hemp grows in the valleys around Mount Tai. Its medicinal properties are countered by oyster shell and baiwei, and it should not be used together with poria.

The Illustrated Classic says: Hemp flowers and hemp seeds grow in the valleys of Mount Tai, but today they are found everywhere. They are cultivated in gardens, and people strip the stalks for their fiber to weave cloth. Hemp flowers, also called mabo, are the fluffy flowering clusters of the hemp plant; they are gathered on the seventh day of the seventh month. Hemp seeds are gathered in the ninth month, and those that have fallen into the soil must not be used.

Tao Hongjing considered hemp flowers to be male hemp, which has no flowers. Su Gong considered hemp flowers to be hemp seeds, not flowers. He also cited the Erya, which says, “Fen means the fruit of hemp,” and the Book of Rites, which says, “Hemp with fruit,” arguing that fen in both passages refers to hemp seeds. He therefore considered Tao Hongjing’s decision to list hemp seeds separately an error.

On examination, however, the Classic of the Materia Medica records that hemp flowers treat the seven kinds of injury and regulate the five viscera, and that eating too much makes people run about in a frenzy. The ailments treated with hemp seeds in formula books, both ancient and modern, are much the same. Moreover, hemp flowers are not the part that people eat…

Some people say it seems reasonable, in these discussions, to compare mafen with suzi. But Zhu Xi says, “Mafen tastes pungent; mazi tastes sweet,” which sounds as though they are two different things. Perhaps the Bencao, the Erya, and the Book of Rites use different names for them. Ancient prescriptions also used hemp flowers, describing them as bitter and prescribing them for various wind disorders and blocked menstruation in women, with zhechong (ground beetle) as an auxiliary ingredient. So are mafen, mazi, and hemp flowers three different things?

Hemp leaves, pounded together with paulownia leaves and soaked in water, can be used to wash the hair, making it grow longer and softer. Bathing in a decoction of green hemp can treat blood stasis. Juice from boiled hemp roots, cooled before drinking, can treat persistent bleeding. Today, when using hemp seeds, it is difficult to remove the shells. Physicians often soak them in water for two or three days until the shells split, then dry them in the sun and grind them on a new roof tile, using the white kernels as medicine.

The Treatise on the Nature of Drugs says: “Hemp flowers are white hemp. They taste bitter, are slightly warm in nature, and are non-toxic. They can treat 120 kinds of severe wind disorders, as well as cases in which the whole body turns black and is painful or itchy. They dispel wind pathogens and stagnant blood, and are used to treat blocked menstruation in women, with zhechong as an auxiliary ingredient. Washing the hair with hemp leaves makes it grow longer and softer. Bathing in a decoction of green hemp can treat blood stasis and persistent bleeding.”

Tao Hongjing says: “Mafen is male hemp, that is, hemp that bears no fruit. People nowadays use it to weave cloth and make shoes. Hemp blossoms are rarely used in ordinary prescriptions. Daoist practitioners sometimes take them together with ginseng, claiming this enables people to know the future. Hemp seeds can be combined with medicines to make pills and are also suitable for brewing wine. In addition, juice from hemp roots, or a drink made by boiling the roots, can treat blood stasis and stone lin, a condition in which sand or stones pass in the urine.”

Yuxi says: “According to the Erya, ‘fen’ is the fruit of xi; xi means hemp, so mafen means hemp seeds. The commentary to the Book of Etiquette says that juma is hemp bearing seeds. The Tribute of Yu also records that Qingzhou’s tribute included silk and hemp from the valleys of Mount Dai. There is also a name, ‘bima.’ The commentary says it is juma that bears many seeds, also called ‘bi’ or ‘mamu.’”

The Rihua Materia Medica says: “Hemp replenishes weakness and fatigue, dispels various wind pathogens, strengthens the muscles and hair, and relieves chronic numbness and reduced sensation in the skin, as well as edema. It also promotes lactation, relieves wasting thirst, hastens childbirth, and treats a fetus lying sideways or in a breech position.”

Chen Shiliang says: “Hemp seeds moisten and nourish the lungs and the five viscera, promote urination and bowel movements, and disperse wind pathogens. But they should not be eaten in excess, or they may damage the blood vessels, cause Jing and Qi to leak away, and weaken Yang energy. If women eat too many, they may also develop abnormal vaginal discharge.”

The Treatise on Diet Therapy says: “Hemp is slightly cold in nature. It can treat difficulty urinating or defecating, hair loss, and blood stasis…”

When hungry, one may feel cold easily. The juice can be used to cook porridge; it is said to dispel wind pathogens from the Five Viscera, moisten the lungs, and treat joint discomfort.

When the hair becomes thin and falls out, it can be used to improve circulation through the blood vessels and treat Qi disorders. The green leaves of hemp are especially effective for hair growth: grind them, extract the juice, and wash the hair with it. The hair will then grow. Take one sheng of hemp seeds, seven liang of white mutton fat, five liang of wax, and one he of white honey. Mix and pound them together, steam until cooked, and eat; this is said to help one endure hunger.

The Scripture of the Cavern Spirit says: Take three sheng of powdered hemp seeds and soak them in eight sheng of chopped roots of a dogwood tree growing toward the east. Take two sheng at dawn; by night, worms will be expelled.

Those who wish to see ghosts can pound equal amounts of raw hemp seeds, sweet flag, and ghost’s-head plant into pills about the size of marbles. Take one pill each morning while facing the sun. After taking them for one hundred days, one is said to be able to see ghosts.

The Shenghui Formulary, an ancient medical text, says that to treat sparse eyebrows, gather sesame flowers in the seventh month, dry them in the shade, and grind them into powder. Soak the powder in raw sesame oil, then apply it each night.

The Waitai Secret Essentials, an ancient medical text, says that to treat scrofula—lumps such as those caused by tuberculous lymph nodes in the neck—gather hemp flowers at dawn on the seventh day of the seventh month and hemp leaves on the fifth day of the fifth month. Make them into moxa cones and apply one hundred moxa treatments to the affected area, counting each burned cone as one treatment.

Another prescription treats deficiency taxation, deficiency heat in the lower burner, vexing pain in the bones and joints, tightness of the muscles, difficulty urinating, frequent but scanty bowel movements, rapid breathing, dry mouth, shortness of breath, dribbling urination, and a burning sensation in the urine. Take five he of hemp seeds, grind them, add two sheng of water, and boil until the liquid is reduced by half. Divide it into doses. After four or five doses, recovery is said to follow.

The Thousand Gold Pieces Formulary, an ancient medical text, says that to treat hair loss and failure of the hair to regrow, take one sheng of hemp seeds and roast them until blackened. Press out the oil and apply it to the head. The hair is said to grow back, with excellent results.

Another prescription treats wind epilepsy and various other illnesses. Take four sheng of hemp seeds, add six sheng of water, and boil over high heat until the seeds sprout. Strain out the solids, then boil the liquid down to seven sheng. Take it on an empty stomach in the morning. The illness may flare up or may not; the patient may also speak incoherently. Do not be alarmed. Simply massage the hands and feet and wait for the patient to settle. Two doses are said to bring recovery.

Another prescription treats persistent postpartum lochia. Take five sheng of hemp seeds and soak them overnight in one sheng of wine. The next morning, strain out the solids and drink one sheng of the liquid warm before eating. If there is no effect, drink another sheng. Do not induce vomiting or purging afterward. For one month while taking the medicine, avoid sexual relations with men and care for yourself as in the early postpartum period. Recovery is said to follow.

The Zhouhou Formulary, an ancient medical text, says that to treat urinary disorders with blood in the urine, take ten hemp roots, add five sheng of water, and boil until reduced to two sheng. Drink it all at once; it is said to stop the bleeding remarkably well.

The Food Therapist’s Heart Mirror, an ancient dietary therapy text, says that to treat abdominal swelling caused by wind-water—edema attributed to wind pathogens and water-dampness—with heaviness and pain around the navel and lower back, making it impossible to turn the body, take half a sheng of winter hemp seeds. Pound them, grind them with water, and strain out the juice. Then add two he of rice and, with…

Cook hemp-seed juice into a thin gruel. Add scallions, pepper, ginger, and fermented beans, and take it on an empty stomach.

○ Another prescription treats the five types of urinary dribbling and obstruction, with symptoms such as scant, reddish urine and pain in the urethra. Take one sheng of winter hemp seeds, pound and grind them, then strain out two sheng of juice. Cook the juice with three he of rice into a gruel, add scallions, pepper, ginger, and fermented beans, and cook until done. Take it on an empty stomach.

The Newly Continued Complete Prescriptions says: To make childbirth go smoothly, take three stalks of hemp root, add one sheng of water, and boil until half a sheng remains. Drink it all at once to bring on delivery. If the placenta does not come out, it will also be expelled after taking this.

The Secret Record of Mother and Child says: If lochia remains after childbirth and the abdomen is distended, take three liang of hemp seeds and five sheng of wine. Boil until one sheng remains, then drink warm in two portions. This should expel stagnant blood and other waste. ○ Another prescription treats severe red-and-white dysentery in a weak child. Toast one he of hemp seeds until fragrant, grind them into powder, and give one qian and seven fen at a time, mixed with honeyed syrup water. It is said to work quickly.

White Sesame

White sesame is very cold in nature and non-toxic. It treats debility from overwork, moistens the intestines and stomach, moves wind Qi, and promotes the circulation of the blood vessels. It is used chiefly for wind affecting the head and also nourishes the skin. After meals, chew one he raw, and continue without interruption for a long time. The text says that if a nursing mother eats it, her child will be spared illness. For heat caused by an external pathogen, make it into a drink and take it. If left standing too long, however, it may bring on cholera. Chew it raw and apply it to sores on a child’s head; this is also said to be effective. Long-term consumption makes the body lean. Raw sesame is cold in nature; toasted sesame is hot.

Pound white sesame leaves, mix them with rice-water, and strain out the solids. Use the liquid to wash the hair: it dispels wind and nourishes the hair. Sesame oil is cold in nature and is an everyday cooking oil; it is non-toxic. The text also says, however, that it causes cold ailments, makes the marrow too fluid, brings thirst to the internal organs, and weakens the spleen. It can eliminate the five types of jaundice, purge the heat and toxic Qi of the Triple Burner, and clear the large and small intestines. It treats heart pain caused by roundworms and can be applied externally to sores, scabies, and ringworm to kill parasites. Mix one he of sesame oil with two eggs and one liang of mirabilite, then drink it. A short while later, it will cause diarrhea; the text says it works very well for severe heat toxicity. Food cooked with sesame oil must be stir-fried fresh each day. If left overnight, it can readily disrupt the flow of Qi. People with dental or spleen-and-stomach disorders must never eat sesame oil that has been kept for some time. Simmered into an ointment, sesame oil promotes the growth of flesh, relieves pain, reduces abscesses, and repairs cracked skin.

The older text of the Classic of the Materia Medica has no separate entry for sesame oil, though ancient medical prescriptions often use it and describe it as non-toxic. It moistens the intestines and stomach and moves wind Qi; prolonged consumption makes the body lean. Raw sesame is cold in nature, while toasted sesame is hot. Immortals’ prescriptions use steamed sesame to avoid grain and sustain cultivation by replacing ordinary food with specific ingredients. Pressing it yields oil. The oil is extremely cold in nature: it causes cold ailments, makes the essence and marrow too fluid, brings thirst to the internal organs, and weakens the spleen. Yet it can treat—

A recently effective prescription for treating carbuncles and febrile illnesses: A Brahmin monk used it to treat severe wind disorders, a general term for serious illnesses caused by pathogenic wind. It was also used to ease heat toxins caused by taking mineral elixirs, and paralysis of the hands and feet caused by hot wind.

Take one large liang of saltpeter and two large sheng of raw sesame oil. Put them in a pot, cover its mouth with a clay lid, then seal it tightly with paper and mud so no vapor can escape. Simmer over low heat. Before the medicine is ready, it will give off a fishy smell. When a fragrance begins to rise, it is done. Add another two large sheng of raw sesame oil and mix well, then simmer briefly over low heat, adjusting the heat as needed. When finished, store it in a dry, airtight vessel.

For patients with severe wind disorders, use heat to help induce sweating: set up a small paper enclosure in a room and light a fire outside it. Have the patient sit inside the enclosure and sweat. Take one large ge each day; strong patients may take it twice daily. After taking it continuously for twenty-one days, the blisters on the head and face will subside.

The Essential Secrets from Beyond the Court records: If you feel a “zheng worm” moving up and down between the chest and throat, and find that you especially like the smell of scallions and fermented soybeans, this is said to be “worm emergence.” Fry scallions and fermented soybeans in oil until fragrant. Fast for two days, then lie down with your mouth open and place the oil, scallions, and fermented soybeans beside your mouth. The worm will gradually come out; then slowly draw it out with an object.

The Proven Remedies from Experience records: For bites from centipedes or spiders, grind sesame seeds and apply them to the wound; it will heal. Sun the Perfected also recorded the same remedy.

The Doumen Formulary records: For postpartum prolapse of the intestines that cannot be returned, refine five jin of oil, pour it into a basin, and let it cool until warm. Have the woman sit in the basin for about as long as it takes to eat a meal. Then roast a honey locust pod until crisp, remove its coarse outer skin, and grind it into powder. Take a little and blow it into the nose to induce sneezing. This is said to cure the condition, with striking results.

The Extended Meaning says: White sesame and hu sesame are the same thing, distinguished only by color. White sesame is lighter in color than hu sesame, though not entirely white. Today people call it zhima. As noted earlier, oil pressed from sesame seeds while they are still hot after roasting is called “raw oil.” This oil is suitable only for lighting lamps. It must be boiled and refined further to become “cooked oil,” which can be eaten but cannot be used for lamps. This difference in use is like iron taken from the fire being called “raw iron.”

Malt sugar: Sweet in taste and slightly warm in nature. It mainly treats weakness and fatigue and thirst, and can also stop bleeding. “Yi” is pronounced “yi.”

Tao Hongjing said that the malt sugar used in prescriptions is also called jiao yi; both names refer to moist sugar as thick as honey. The Jianzhong decoction commonly uses this kind of sugar. As for the kind that sets hard and can be drawn into threads…

White malt sugar is not used as medicine. The sugar made nowadays with wine yeast also uses malt, or sprouted grain; in essence, it is still made from rice or wheat, though it comes in two grades, middle and superior. Malt sugar is best when it is moistening and mild, and inferior when it makes people drunk and disoriented.

The Dietary Therapy says: Malt sugar can treat vomiting of blood and strengthen the Spleen. The best kind is thick and firm. To treat injuries from falls and blows or blood stasis, boil the malt sugar until it turns brown, then take it with wine; this can expel stagnant blood from the body. To treat severe cases of cold damage, put the medicine into turnip juice or Chinese chive juice, bring it to a boil once, and then take it all at once.

The Waitai Secret Essentials says: If someone accidentally swallows a copper coin, have them slowly eat one jin of malt sugar. The swallowed coin, ring, or hairpin will then be expelled.

The Handbook of Prescriptions for Emergencies says: If a fish bone is stuck in the throat and every other method has failed to remove it, roll malt sugar into a ball about the size of an egg yolk and swallow it. If the bone is still stuck, make the ball larger. This works very well.

The Expanded Meaning says: Malt sugar is also called tang—a malt sugar made from grain. Eating too much can stir up Spleen wind. When doctors use it nowadays to harmonize medicines, the kind made from glutinous rice or millet is best; sugar made from other ingredients is unsuitable. Sorghum can also be used to make it. People with little appetite can take a small amount to harmonize the Qi of the Spleen and Stomach. In a poem by the Tang poet Bai Juyi, the phrase “a dish of tooth-sticking malt sugar” refers to this very sweet.