《圖經衍義本草》Vol. 5

Fulonggan is pungent in flavor and slightly warm in nature. It is used to treat heavy uterine bleeding in women, as well as vomiting blood and bleeding from the lower body. It can also stop coughing and retching, arrest bleeding, disperse abscesses, and counteract toxic influences.

The Illustrated Classic says that the relevant details can be found under “Lime.”

Tao Hongjing says that Fulonggan is the yellow earth lining the inside of a stove where the pot is sealed in place. After removing it, pound and sift it finely, then mix it into a paste and apply it to abscesses; it works very well. Since the stove was thought to have a spirit, this earth was called “Fulonggan” (literally, “hidden dragon liver”), a name that also concealed its original designation. People today also use salt residue from the Guangzhou and Yancheng areas to treat bleeding and blood stasis. This practice probably arose later. The salt residue is found near the upper part of the stove and, like Fulonggan, has been exposed to fire.

Chen Cangqi says that grinding stove earth together with soil from a crossroads, mixing the powder with water, and giving it to a child can treat night crying.

Rihua Zi says that Fulonggan is hot in nature and slightly toxic. It can be used to treat persistent nosebleeds, intestinal wind with bleeding from the lower body, vaginal discharge, heavy uterine bleeding, seminal emission, and blood in the urine. It can also induce labor, help expel the placenta, and treat night crying in children.

Lei Gong says not to mistake ordinary earth from the bottom of a stove for Fulonggan. Fulonggan forms when the fire energy that has accumulated for many years inside the front of a stove condenses. It is red and stonelike, yellow within, and has eight ridges. After removing it, grind it finely and wash it twice by floating it in talc water. Dry it, wrap it in fine, mature silk, and return it to the front of the old stove at midnight for a full day and night. Then remove it and grind it again for use.

Yuxi quotes the Treatise on the Nature of Medicinals as saying that Fulonggan can also be used on its own. It is salty in flavor and nontoxic. Grind it into powder, mix it with vinegar, and apply it to abscesses.

The Essential Secrets from Beyond the Office records an emergency treatment for sudden heart pain: take one square-inch spoonful of Fulonggan powder, boil it in water, and drink it. For a cold condition, take it with wine. Another formula treats abscesses: mash Fulonggan with garlic, spread it on cloth, and apply it to the affected area. Replace it when it dries.

Xiao Bing says that “ink from beneath the cauldron’s moon” is also called “ink from beneath the cauldron’s navel.”

The Thousand Gold Pieces Formula records a treatment for wind-related paralysis, in which a person suddenly cannot speak, has clenched jaws, and cannot control their limbs, which become stiff. Mix five sheng of Fulonggan with eight sheng of water, then strain and drink the liquid.

The Guangli Formula records a treatment for vomiting blood or persistent nosebleeds: wash half a sheng of Fulonggan with one large sheng of freshly drawn water, strain the liquid, add honey, and drink it all at once.

The Shiquan Boji Fang says: To treat a fetus that has died in the womb when the mother’s breath is nearly failing, take two qian-spoonfuls of fulonggan (the amount held by an ancient medicinal measuring spoon) and mix it with water for her to drink. After she takes it, the fulonggan will settle on the fetus’s head, causing it to be expelled.

The Chanbao Fang says: If the placenta has not been delivered, take one cun of soil from beneath a cooking stove, grind it finely, and mix it evenly with good vinegar. Apply it over the navel, then have the woman drink three or four ge of licorice decoction. A ge is an ancient unit of volume. The placenta will then be expelled.

The Bencao Yanyi says: To treat abnormal bleeding in women, take one liang of silkworm droppings and stir-fry them. Then take half a liang of fulonggan and one liang of donkey-hide gelatin, and grind them together into powder. On an empty stomach, mix two or three qian of the powder with warm wine and drink it; continue until the symptoms improve.

This entry also mentions “east-wall soil.” Chen Cangqi says it is taken from an eastern wall because it stays dry for a long time. Here is another explanation: soil from a south-facing wall also receives sunlight and stays dry, so why not use that instead? It is because an eastern wall is usually the first to receive the morning sun. The sun is considered true Fire. Someone asked: Why not take soil from a south-facing wall, which receives the strongest sunlight at noon, instead of from an eastern wall at sunrise? At sunrise, the Fire qi is just beginning to arise and its force is strong. By noon, Yang has reached its peak and begins to decline, so soil exposed to the midday sun is not used. The ancient medical text Suwen says, “The qi of nascent Fire is vigorous,” meaning that the qi of Fire in its early stages is strong.

Someone else asked: How do we know the sun belongs to true Fire? If a transparent crystal that can focus light, or a concave bronze mirror, is pointed at the sun, and mugwort is held where the light is focused, the concentrated light will ignite it.

Lime

Lime tastes pungent and is warm in nature. It treats carbuncles and sores, scabies and ringworm with itching, pathogenic heat, malignant sores, leprosy, muscle decay, and loss of the eyebrows. It can kill the worms associated with hemorrhoids and remove dark moles and polyps; it can also be used to treat carbuncles in the bone marrow. Lime is also called “evil ash” and “xi ash.” It is found in the mountain valleys of Zhongshan.

The Tujing says: Lime is found in the mountain valleys of Zhongshan, and today it is common in places near mountains. It is made by burning blue-green stone to ash, and is also called “stone calcinate.” There are two kinds of lime: wind-weathered lime and water-slaked lime. Wind-weathered lime is made by leaving burned lime in the wind to break down on its own; its medicinal action is stronger. Water-slaked lime is made by pouring water over it so that it heats, steams, and breaks down; its medicinal action is weaker. Ancient prescriptions often combined lime with various herbs to make medicinal pellets or grind them into powder for treating metal wounds—injuries caused by swords and other weapons—with excellent results.

Medical practitioners today sometimes mix lime with the bile of a yellow ox collected in the twelfth lunar month, put the mixture back into the gallbladder, and hang it in a well-ventilated place for one hundred days before grinding it into powder. They consider this better than preparing it with plant leaves. Scraping off and using the ash of ru from old ships—the ash of material that has accumulated on the ships and been burned—has the same effect.

Tao Hongjing says: Zhongshan lies in the region of Dai Commandery. Today, the lime produced near the mountains is blue-white in color...

After limestone is burned to ash, water is poured over it. It heats up, steams, and breaks apart, eventually turning into powder.

Lime has a strong medicinal action. If someone drinks wine mixed with a measured amount of lime, it can cause abdominal pain and diarrhea. Applied externally, it is also highly effective for treating metal-inflicted wounds, such as cuts from swords. Among the people it is called “stone chalk.” From ancient times to the present, it has commonly been used to seal tombs, keeping out water and insects. For this reason, water that has collected in ancient tombs is said to wash and treat various wounds, which often heal quickly.

A note in the Tang Bencao says that the Bielu and physicians of that time both used lime to treat metal-inflicted wounds and stop bleeding, with notable results. If, on the fifth day of the fifth lunar month, one gathers fanlou, kudzu leaves, luhuocao, oak leaves, peony leaves, rehmannia leaves, cocklebur leaves, and sweet wormwood leaves, then pounds them together with lime into balls the size of eggs, dries them in the sun, and grinds them into powder, the preparation is highly effective for treating wounds and promoting the growth of new flesh.

The Rihuazi says that lime is sweet in taste and nontoxic. It promotes the growth of new flesh, stops bleeding, and treats vitiligo, skin diseases, scars, cold-related conditions, as well as women’s acne, hemorrhoids and fistulas, abscesses, goiters, and warts. It can also be used when the vagina fails to close after childbirth: simmer lime juice until concentrated, then use it to fumigate and wash the area. Lime also keeps sour wine from spoiling easily and treats alcohol poisoning. It warms the water-related organs, including the kidneys and associated organs in traditional medicine, and is more effective for this than furnace ash. Lime is also called “calcined stone.”

Lei Gong says that before using lime, soak it in vinegar overnight, strain it, and let it dry. Then calcine it over a fire until its foul odor has dispersed. Seal it in a bottle and let it cool. Wipe away the ash on the surface, wash it, and then use it.

Another commentary says that lime is the ash made by burning blue stone. There are two kinds of lime: air-slaked lime and water-slaked lime. Air-slaked lime is the better kind.

Yuxi says that a careful examination of the Shu Bencao shows it states that lime is toxic and can cause miscarriage. The Yaoxing Lun says that lime treats scabies and ringworm and corrodes diseased flesh. It is not taken internally in decoctions, but can be used to stop bleeding from metal-inflicted wounds. Mixed with egg white, lime is highly effective for treating “baichuanru” (a medicinal name in the original text whose precise referent is unknown).

The Baopuzi Neipian says that ancient tombs often contain lime water. In summer, travelers who developed sores would see the clear water in a tomb and wash in it, whereupon their sores happened to heal. Later, people who heard about this went there to bathe when they were ill; some also drank the water to treat ailments within the abdomen.

The Danfang Jingyuan says that lime can subdue sulfur, remove stains from tin, and be used to process realgar and niter, which are mineral medicines.

The Shenghui Fang records that to treat a mole cricket bite, lime is mixed with vinegar and applied to the affected area.

Another formula says that for long-standing weakness and cold in the large intestine, when the rectum prolapses with each bowel movement and cannot retract on its own, lime should be heated in a pan, wrapped in an old cloth, and sat upon. Replace it when it cools.

The Waitai Miyao records a secret, proven formula used by Attendant Yuan Xisheng to treat a sudden outbreak of rash, but the text does not preserve the formula that followed.

Any amount of lime may be used. Mix it evenly with vinegar and rice-washing water, then apply it; relief will come at once.

The Zhouhou Fang records: To treat the vagina remaining open after childbirth and unable to close, take one dou of lime and heat it in a pan until it is hot enough to burn grass. Pour two dou of water over the lime. Once the temperature is suitable, have the patient sit in the water.

The Meishi Fang records: To treat swelling and prolapse of the genital area after childbirth, with the intestines protruding through the birth canal and the canal unable to close, take one dou of lime and heat it in a pan until it turns yellow. Pour three dou of water over it. Once the water has cooled and settled, take one dou and two sheng, warm it, and use it to wash the affected area.

The Sun Yonghe Fang records: If gold, silver, or coins have been swallowed by mistake and remain in the abdomen, grind together a piece of lime the size of an apricot kernel and sulfur the size of a soapberry seed. Mix the powder with wine and take it.

The Doumen Fang records: For wounds caused by knives or axes, lime may be used as a dressing to hold the wound in place. It can stop pain and bleeding, and the wound will heal quickly.

The Cui Shi Fang records: To treat bloody dysentery lasting ten years, take three sheng of lime and heat it in a pan until it turns yellow. Add one dou of water and stir. Once the mixture has settled, take the clear liquid. Drink one sheng each time, three times a day.

The Yanyi says: Take one cup of limewater and mix it to a thick, porridge-like consistency. Select whole, high-quality grains of glutinous rice, place half in the lime and half outside it, and leave them overnight. The grains in the lime will become crystal-like. If someone has a mole on the hand or face, or a tattoo, first gently loosen the affected area with a needle tip, then apply a little of this gleaming rice. After about half a day, fluid will flow out of the mole on its own. Then remove the medicine and do not apply it again. Keep the area away from water for the next two or three days, and it will heal.

Alternatively, take one he of fresh, hard lime, heat it with vinegar, and mix it into a paste. Apply it to the unaffected side of the lips of someone with one-sided paralysis and a crooked mouth. It is said to quickly straighten the crooked lips.

Yu Stone

Yu stone tastes pungent and sweet, and is intensely hot in nature. Raw, it is warm; when processed, it is hot. It is toxic. It treats alternating chills and fever, scrofula—swollen, ulcerated lymph nodes in the neck—invasive sores, dead flesh, wind impediment—numbness and pain in the limbs caused by wind pathogens—as well as hard masses and pathogenic Qi in the abdomen. It can also clear heat, brighten the eyes, direct Qi downward, dispel heat in the chest and diaphragm, relieve wasting thirst, strengthen Liver Qi, disperse accumulations and longstanding cold, ease abdominal pain, and remove nasal polyps.

Taking it for a long time causes the sinews and vessels to contract. After refining it over fire for one hundred days, one may still take a tiny amount at a time, no larger than a knife-tip measure. Taken without refining, it can kill people and all kinds of beasts. Yu stone is also called Qingfen stone, Lizhi stone, Guyang stone, white Yu stone, Taibai stone, Zeru, and edible salt. It is found in the valleys of Hanzhong and around Mount Shaoshi, and may be gathered throughout the year. Fire readily activates its medicinal properties. Thorn needles serve as its assistant substance; avoid horse-eye.

Du Gong, duck droppings, tiger palm, and Asarum are all averse to water.

The Illustrated Classic says: Yu stone, an ancient medicinal mineral, occurs in mountain valleys around Hanzhong and Mount Shaoshi; today it is also found in Luzhou. It is extremely hot in nature. When placed in water, it keeps the water from freezing. It is hard and withstands fire. Burned for a full day and night, it will crumble but retain its hardness. People often pass pure white stones off as Yu stone, but these turn to ash when burned. Yu stone is effective for treating accumulations and stubborn cold conditions. Its medicinal effects are good, but only genuine Yu stone should be used.

There is also a kind called special-growth Yu stone, produced in the Western Regions. The Treatise on the Natural World says that the Yu stone found in a stork’s nest is the genuine kind; this refers to special-growth Yu stone. Because it is difficult to obtain, people mostly use the Yu stone produced in Hanzhong.

The Treatise on the Properties of Drugs says: Yu stone uses cinnabar as its assistant ingredient. It tastes sweet and is slightly toxic. It treats accumulations of Qi between the chest and diaphragm, and can also dispel cold wind, damp impediment, and itching. Avoid eating sheep’s blood while taking it.

Tao Hongjing says: Yu stone is now also produced in Shu and Hanzhong. Fine-quality stones come from streams south of Nankang, around Pengcheng, and from the moats south of Luoyang. People often place Yu stone from Mount Shaoshi in water; the water then does not freeze, showing that natural Yu stone is extremely hot in nature. Today, people wrap it in yellow earth and burn it over charcoal for a day and a night. Once it has crumbled and split apart, it can be used. It works well for illnesses caused by cold pathogenic influences that have congealed. Yu stone is also commonly used in alchemical formulas and in techniques for refining gold and silver. White Yu stone is also produced in Xiangdong’s Xinning and in Lingling; it can soften metal.

The Treatise on the Natural World says: When storks incubate their eggs, they fetch Yu stone and arrange it around them to help keep them warm. Practitioners of esoteric arts believe that the Yu stone found in a stork’s nest is the genuine kind.

Hu Qia’s “Great Dew Lodging Pill” treats various conditions caused by cold. The formula contains three liang each of Yu stone, processed dried ginger, cassia bark, Chinese honeylocust, and platycodon; and two liang of aconite. Pound and sift the six ingredients, then make them into pills with honey, each the size of a parasol tree seed. Take five pills three times a day, gradually increasing the dose to what the body can tolerate. The “Xiongnu Dew Lodging Pill” and “Sulfur Pill” are also used to treat accumulations, as well as difficulty swallowing food and hard, distended fullness in the chest and abdomen. Yu stone has rarely been used in recent times.

The Expanded Meaning says: The Treatise on the Natural World and Tao Hongjing both say that storks fetch Yu stone to protect their eggs. If so, the two kinds of stone must be one and the same. Tao Hongjing also says that the Immortals’ Scripture does not mention the name “special-growth,” so it must refer only to the white Yu stone discussed earlier. The modern supplementary commentary merely explains the original text and does not investigate the nature of special-growth Yu stone.

The two kinds of arsenic stone discussed here are in fact the same substance, divided only into “naturally occurring alone” and “not naturally occurring alone.” “Naturally occurring alone” means that the arsenic stone forms by itself, without adhering to another stone.

Arsenic stone is now rarely used as medicine. Only two medicines whose names include “arsenic stone” are still used, and they must be handled with exceptional caution because they are extremely poisonous. As for the claim about “arsenic stone in a stork’s nest,” some say that storks often go into the water and are afraid of the cold, so they take arsenic stone to protect their eggs. Yet cormorants, geese, ducks, and other water birds also forage and breed in the water, but do not use these two kinds of stone. Such claims often merely repeat what ordinary people say, without carefully investigating the facts or understanding the underlying principles.

Arsenic

Arsenic tastes bitter and sour and is poisonous. It is chiefly used to treat various kinds of malaria and wind-phlegm lodged between the chest and diaphragm. It can be used as an emetic, but must not be taken for a long time, or it will harm the body. Arsenic is made by refining arsenic yellow through sublimation; its method of preparation is specified separately.

The Illustrated Classic of Materia Medica says: Earlier materia medica texts did not record which prefectures and counties produced arsenic. It is now also found in places near copper mines, and the kind produced in Xinzhou is considered good. Some pieces of arsenic are large, bright and clear, free of impurities, and the color of an egg yolk. These are hard to obtain even locally. A single liang of this kind of genuine material is treated as a treasure and sells for no less than gold. It is sometimes used in ancient prescriptions for ingesting medicines, but only arsenic of this quality is suitable for medicinal use. The arsenic sold in markets is often in fine fragments mixed with earth and stone; taking it can cause great harm. If someone is accidentally poisoned by ingesting it, mung beans ground with cold water into a slurry and drunk are said to prevent harm.

Lei Gong says: To prepare it for use, first put the arsenic in a small porcelain bottle, then add the two medicines purple-backed Tian Kui and Shi Long Rui. Heat them together over a fire from the Hour of the Snake to the Hour of the Monkey. Then soak them in licorice water from the Hour of the Monkey until midnight. Take them out, wipe them dry, return them to the bottle, and continue heating. Afterward, grind them separately thirty thousand times before use.

Yuxi says: According to the Records of the Sun of Heaven, arsenic is warm in nature. It can be used for women suffering from upward surging of Blood and Qi and heart pain, and it can also induce miscarriage. Arsenic yellow is warm in nature and poisonous. It is counteracted by mung beans, cold water, and vinegar. It can be used to treat malaria and kidney Qi disorders, and to drive away fleas and other insects. Before using it as medicine, first boil it in vinegar to reduce its toxicity.

The Additional Discussion says: On investigation, there is now an arsenic well in Yushan, Xinzhou, which the authorities keep strictly sealed. Naturally formed arsenic stone that contains no other stones is bright red, like realgar. Ground with cold water, it can dispel heat-toxins and is highly effective for phlegm obstruction; but bringing it near a fire can cause death.

The scripture says that its value “exceeds that of gold.” This refers to this substance. The arsenic sold in markets today is made by roasting ore mixed with gravel from the mountains, raising its fumes, and then condensing them into a white frost. This frost consists of flakes with sharp points. When exposed to more heat, it forms larger lumps with a slightly yellow color. The Illustrated Classic of Materia Medica describes it as “like a pebble, bright and clear”; this is the same arsenic.

Ancient medical formularies did not use it as a medicine. Only those who refined mineral elixirs used it. In recent times, people have often used it to treat malaria. The original reasoning may have been that unroasted arsenic stone could dispel heat toxins, since malaria was thought to result from damage by summer heat. Today, some folk doctors give patients roasted arsenic without examining the reasoning behind its use.

The mine shafts are usually sealed. Inside the shafts is murky green water. After draining the water, miners chip out raw arsenic, known as “arsenic yellow.” It is the color of beef and sometimes has pale whitish veins. It is not quite stone, nor quite earth. Ground into powder and swallowed, it causes vomiting and diarrhea. So, when a case is occasionally cured, people take it as an established treatment; yet it has caused much harm afterward, and must be used with caution.

When arsenic ore is first mined and the white frost is being refined, people must stand more than ten zhang away, upwind. All the plants and trees nearby downwind will wither. If arsenic is mixed into food, it can kill rats; cats and dogs that eat the poisoned rats will also die. Its toxicity far exceeds that of shewang, a poisonous plant toxin. How could one fail to take care?

The Shenghui Formulary records this method for treating sudden stroke with unconsciousness, as if in a drunken stupor, phlegm and saliva obstructing the throat, and inability to move the limbs: take arsenic the size of a mung bean, grind it into powder, mix it with a little freshly drawn water, and administer it. Then induce vomiting with warm water. If the patient vomits profusely, the illness is said to be curable; if not, give another dose.

The Boji Formulary records this method for treating a child’s persistent bleeding gums, with foul-smelling, ulcerated gums: take one qian of arsenic yellow and half a qian of musk, and grind them together into a fine powder. Coat a strip of paper with raw oil, sprinkle it with the powder, and take a small amount. Cut it into pieces the size of a weiqi stone, and insert them into the loose, ulcerated area according to the size of the affected spot.

The Concise Formulary for Helping the People records the “Divine Elixir” for treating malaria: take half a qian of arsenic and one qian of black bean flour, grind them finely, and add drops of water to make pills the size of small beans. Coat them with realgar. Before a malaria attack begins, face east on an empty stomach and swallow three pills with freshly drawn water.

Qingxiazi says that the Treatise on the Precious Storehouse records: if arsenic can withstand plants and fire without changing color, and can be replenished after heating until it melts into liquid, it can be used to transform copper into silver. If it is dry and brittle and breaks easily, it cannot be used.

The Yanyi says: Arsenic is sometimes used to treat malaria, but even a slight excess in dosage can cause vomiting, diarrhea, or even fainting. If this happens, grind mung beans into a thick juice and drink it with cold water. Petroleum can counteract arsenic’s toxicity.

People in Xinzhou now dig pits and wells to obtain arsenic, then take it with wine to treat abdominal accumulations, said to be with good effect. But arsenic becomes toxic as soon as it encounters fire, so it must not be taken casually. To extract it, place raw arsenic over a fire and cover it with a vessel. Its fumes rise and cling to the vessel, condensing into lumps that hang down like nipples. The finer and longer the points, the better the quality; flat, short pieces are inferior. The Tujing says that large lumps are poor, while fragments like fine powder are the worst. For medicinal use, choose pieces with fine, elongated points, and handle them with great care.

Sal Ammoniac (a mineral-based medicine traditionally used to attack accumulations and break up masses)

Sal ammoniac is salty, bitter, and pungent in flavor, warm in nature, and toxic; it should not be taken in large amounts. It treats accumulations, breaks up masses and blood stasis, and can also relieve pain, regulate Qi, treat coughs and longstanding cold accumulations, remove dead flesh, and promote the growth of new flesh. It can also soften gold and silver and be used as solder. Sal ammoniac comes from the Western Regions, an ancient name for lands to the west, and resembles natron. The clean, bright variety is best. It is also used in medicines for donkeys and horses.

The Tujing says: Sal ammoniac comes from the Western Regions. It is now also produced in Xiliang and the Xia kingdom, as well as in prefectures near the frontier in Hedong and Shaanxi. Sal ammoniac from the Western Regions usually occurs in bright, solid pieces. The largest are as big as a fist and weigh three to five liang; the smallest are about the size of a fingertip. This variety is the best for medicinal use. The kind produced in frontier regions is more fragmented, in pieces the size of hemp seeds or beans, and mixed with sand and stones. Before use, it must be purified by sublimation and settling, to remove dirt and stone fragments; otherwise, its medicinal action is very weak. Local people call this kind “Qi sand.”

This medicine only became widely known in later times, beginning in the Tang dynasty. Yet medical formula books record that people in antiquity took it on its own, processing it by exposure to fire before making it into pills. Others took it in combination with sulfur, natron, and other medicines. It is unclear when these practices began, but none is an ancient method. Sal ammoniac is intended to attack accumulations; its nature is drying and hot, and it is toxic. Taking too much damages the intestines and stomach. Taken raw, it can even turn the heart to blood, so it is clearly not a medicine to be used casually in everyday life.

Chen Cangqi says: Sal ammoniac can treat wasting and weakness in men and women, accumulations, disharmony of Qi and blood, rumbling intestines, indigestion, cold pain in the lower back and legs, abdominal masses, phlegm and fluid retention, Qi lodged in the throat, and vomiting water due to food reversal. It can also increase appetite and strengthen the body. Sal ammoniac purified by sublimation once is called “sour sand”; purified twice, “hidden wing”; purified three times, “settled essence.” Its color is like…

Combined with various tonic medicines and made into pills, goose-yellow mineral produces a strong warming effect when taken. After fei lian (a special refining process), it is also said to have the power to transform iron.

Ri Huazi says: Beiting mineral salt, a mineral medicine often identified with sal ammoniac, tastes pungent and sour, is warm in nature, and is non-toxic. It is counteracted by all kinds of acidic substances. It can strengthen the kidneys and warm the womb, and dispel accumulations of cold, blood stasis, retained undigested food, Qi stagnation, abdominal masses known as xianpi, uterine bleeding, vaginal discharge, malignant sores, and polyps. It may also be used for abdominal distention after eating too much meat, frequent urination at night, women’s disorders of blood and Qi, and heart pain, as well as soreness and heaviness in men’s lower backs and hips and weakness in the limbs. To process Beiting mineral salt, make a vessel from red lead and lime, then calcine the medicine until it glows red to remove its toxicity. People may wonder why it makes flesh decay. Yet, when applied to a wound like a cut from a knife, it is said to make the wound scab over at once. Beiting mineral salt is also called “Di salt.”

Yuxi says: The Yaoxing Lun states that sal ammoniac, a mineral medicine, is highly toxic, is counteracted by rice-rinsing water, and must not be taken with sheep’s blood. It tastes sour and salty, can melt the five metals and eight stones, and can also harm the human digestive tract. Taken raw, it harms the heart and may even cause a person to vomit blood. If it is swallowed by mistake, grind raw mung beans, mix with water, and drink one or two sheng of the juice as an antidote. In Daoist practice there is a fu lian method, in which the medicine is sealed and refined according to a prescribed procedure. It is said to dispel cold illnesses and help strengthen Yang energy.

Xiao Bing says: Sal ammoniac should be processed before use and should not be taken in large amounts. The smooth, lustrous kind is best; today, the variety from Beiting is considered superior.

The Waitai Miyao records an emergency remedy: if a fish bone is lodged in the throat, take a small amount of sal ammoniac, chew it in the mouth, and swallow it. The bone is said to come loose.

The Jingyan Fang records how to make sal ammoniac pills: Use any amount of sal ammoniac. Put it in a jar, then invert a second jar over it and seal the rims of the two jars tightly with paper fibers and white clay. Leave them to dry in the shade. Beginning at the chen hour (7–9 a.m.), gather leaves that have fallen naturally from the cocklebur plant, pound and sift them into a powder, and spread it over the medicine, covering its base as well. Put water inside the upper jar, then heat the vessel from the outside. Move the fire gradually around the jars; once it has gone all the way around, continue moving it in the same way, until the jars have been heated for a full day and night. Do not move the fire during this time, and do not allow bystanders or women to watch. After a full day and night, remove the medicine, grind it finely, and sift it. Mix it with vinegar and flour to make a paste, then form pills the size of tongzi seeds. Take ten to fifteen pills each day with warm wine or rice water; there are no dietary restrictions. The formula claims that taking two or three jin of sal ammoniac refined by this method can improve the appetite and keep a person free of illness.

Chen Xun’s prescription is used to treat Kidney deficiency and cold, with cold Qi attacking the navel and abdomen and causing pain. Take one to two liang of Sichuan aconite, remove the skin and root, and grind it into powder. Separately, take one to two liang of raw sal ammoniac and grind it finely, then add two liang of powdered Xianxia herb and mix thoroughly. Put the powder in a small earthenware jar, leaving its mouth unsealed. Warm the jar over a low fire, then put the mixed sal ammoniac inside without covering the mouth. Calcine it over a fire made with one load of charcoal. When the fire has burned out and the furnace has cooled, take it out and grind it evenly with the raw aconite. Soak steamed cakes in hot water and use them to make pills the size of tong tree seeds. Take three pills at a time, with either a decoction of costus root or vinegar water.

Qingxiazi says in the Treatise on the Treasury: “If sal ammoniac can be subdued with herbs, it will not crack when heated. After it has been processed, it can be used to treat various mineral medicines and can also guide the effects of other medicines. It may be used to treat women’s chronic deficiency and cold. Sal ammoniac is a ‘thief of the Five Metals.’ If mineral medicines, ash, frost, and similar substances have already been subdued, sal ammoniac should not be used again.”

The Method for Taking and Refining Cinnabar in the Great Clarity Tradition says: “Beiting sand receives the Qi of a Yin stone, yet its nature contains the essence of Yang toxin. Its effects are to disperse decayed matter, remove filth, and supplement Yang Qi.”

The Mirror Source of the Elixir Chamber says: “Sal ammoniac is fiercely toxic. It may prove effective for people whose illnesses involve accumulation and cold, if it is suitable for them to take; prolonged use, however, will cause abscesses and swellings. Sal ammoniac comes from Beiting and is white with a yellow tinge. The oral formula calls it the ‘Metal Thief,’ saying that it can subdue and combine with many medicines, serving as an assistant among medicines. It can also subdue realgar and orpiment on its own.”

The Extended Materia Medica says: “When sal ammoniac is put into a furnace for smelting gold and silver, it makes all adulterants disappear. From this one may infer that it can also corrode long-standing accumulations inside the abdomen. Combined with other medicines, it can be used to treat eye membranes. Before use, it must first be processed by levigation with water, then placed in a porcelain vessel and heated in a water bath until the vessel dries on its own. This reduces its toxicity and removes impurities.”

Red lead: pungent in flavor and slightly cold in nature. It primarily treats vomiting, rebellious Stomach Qi, convulsions, and related illnesses. It clears heat, directs Qi downward, stops urinary incontinence, and treats toxic heat, cramping around the navel, and bleeding from metal wounds. After refinement, it can be transformed into what is called “Nine Radiances”; prolonged use is said to open communication with the spirits. Red lead is also called “lead white.” It is made from lead and comes from the plains of Shu Commandery.

The Illustrated Materia Medica says: “For related information, see the entry on ‘lead and tin.’”

Tao Hongjing says: “Red lead is the yellow lead pigment made today by melting and refining lead; it is also used in painting. Folk prescriptions rarely use it. Only the immortal scriptures record applying it to the surface of an alchemical furnace. The phrase ‘transformed into Nine Radiances’ probably refers to making ‘Nine Radiances elixir’ for use in an alchemical furnace. There is no other separate method of refining and transforming it.”

Rihuazi says: Yellow Lead is cool in nature and non-toxic. It can calm the heart and spirit and help people sleep soundly. It treats reflux, stops vomiting and coughing, and can be applied externally to metal-inflicted wounds—such as cuts from knives or swords—to help flesh grow back. It can also be used for scalds and burns, and to dye the beard and hair. It may be boiled down into a paste.

Yuxi says: I consulted the Treatise on the Nature of Medicines, which says that Lead Cinnabar (Yellow Lead) is a principal medicine. It treats palpitations, manic agitation and running about, vomiting, and vexing thirst. Boiled into a paste, it stops pain and promotes the growth of new flesh.

A modern note says: This is what is now called Yellow Lead. Both Yellow Lead and White Lead (lead white) are made by refining lead. I consulted Li Hanguang’s Sounds and Meanings, which says that both Yellow Lead and White Lead are refined from lead; it does not mention making them from tin. Thus the Cantong qi says: “When White Lead is put into charcoal, its color changes, and it again reveals the original color of lead.” The Inner Chapters of the Baopuzi also says that foolish people do not believe Yellow Lead and White Lead are made from lead. The commentary in the Tang Materia Medica now says that both substances are made by roasting tin; this is a grave error.

The Handbook of Prescriptions for Emergencies says: Illnesses such as sudden fright and demonic attack often occur by the roadside or outside a gate. The patient may have pain in the heart and abdomen, abdominal swelling, and Qi surging up into the chest. Without prompt treatment, the condition can become life-threatening. For treatment, take one square-inch spoonful of genuine cinnabar—about a spoonful of medicine—mix it evenly with three he of honey, and have the patient swallow it. If the patient’s jaws are clenched, pry the teeth apart and pour it in.

The Proven Formulas says: Bixia Dan quickly treats vomiting. Take four liang of Yellow Lead from the north, sift it, and fry it in a pot with half a jin of fine rice vinegar until dry. Then calcine it in the pot over three cheng of charcoal fire—a traditional measure whose precise weight is unknown—until the medicine is thoroughly heated and turns red. When cool, remove it and grind it into a fine powder. Make pills the size of Chinese parasol tree seeds with millet rice. Take seven pills at a time, swallowing them whole with fermented-rice liquid that has been boiled.

Wang’s Extensive Aid Formulary says: Wind-Dispelling Powder treats wind epilepsy, an ancient term for certain convulsive or episodic illnesses. Grind two liang of Lead Cinnabar and two liang of alum into powder. Place two bricks facing each other and cover them with paper. Spread the Lead Cinnabar on the paper first, then the alum, and cover them with another sheet of paper. Burn ten jin of willow wood until it is consumed. Remove the medicine and grind it finely. Take one qian at a time with warm wine.

A formula from the Liu family says: To treat childhood malaria, take two qian of Yellow Lead and mix it with honey water. If the medicine has cooled, mix it with wine instead. It works well.

Another formula for malaria: Mix equal amounts of pot-bottom soot and Yellow Lead, then grind them finely. Take two qian at a time, mixed with rice broth, on an empty stomach on the morning of the day the fever is due to strike. At most, two doses should bring a cure.

The Discussion of the Meaning of Materia Medica says: Lead Cinnabar was originally called Yellow Lead and is made by refining lead, using a special method. The commentary in the Tang Materia Medica says it is made by roasting tin, but the classical texts call it Lead Cinnabar, so the claim that it is made from roasted tin…

The previous account was mistaken. In fact, the distinction is easy to make: tin is dark in color, while lead is bright. Their properties differ, so lead is used in treating malaria and long-standing accumulations of illness.

Lead tastes sweet and is non-toxic. It can calm the mind and spirit, and treat the toxic Qi of cold damage, regurgitation, vomiting, and hiccups. For bites from snakes or lizards, heat the lead and apply it to the affected area.

The Illustrated Classic of Materia Medica says that lead comes from the plains of Shu Commandery, while tin comes from the mountain valleys of Guiyang. Today, most places with silver mines also have lead and tin, and Linhe produces especially large quantities of tin. Tin is also called white pewter. Red lead, yellow lead, and powdered tin (lead white) are all made by refining lead, so they are listed under the entry for lead. Although mirrors are made of copper, tin must be added to make them shine; therefore, the mirror fittings are listed under the entry for tin.

According to dictionaries, tin is called “pewter,” while lead is called “blue metal.” The two look alike but have different uses. There is also lead frost, which is made from lead: mix lead and mercury in a ratio of fifteen to one, refine the mixture into thin sheets, and place them in a sealed vinegar jar. After some time, frost forms; this is also called white lead frost. It is extremely cold in nature and can treat wind-phlegm, infantile convulsions, and conditions involving accumulated stagnation. Physicians often use it.

The Proven Formulas records this treatment for sores on the back and various boils, toxic sores, and swellings: take one piece of black lead, three liang of licorice that has been lightly roasted and chopped, and one dou of wine. First pour the wine into an empty bottle, then put the licorice into another bottle containing wine. Melt the black lead and pour it into that bottle; then pour the wine into the empty bottle. Repeat this process nine times, then remove the licorice and keep only the wine. Have the patient drink until intoxicated and then sleep; it is said that this will bring a cure.

The Victorious Golden Formula records that this method can darken the beard and temples, brighten the eyes, and strengthen the teeth. Melt half a jin of black lead in a large pot, gradually add mulberry-branch ash, and stir with willow wood until the lead turns into fine grains. Then sift it into powder through fine, well-woven silk. Each morning, rub the teeth with it, then rinse the mouth with warm water. Keep the rinse water in a basin and use it to wash the eyes; this is said to treat all kinds of eye diseases. Those whose beards or hair have turned yellow or white can also use it to make them black again.

Qingxiazi says in the Treatise on the Treasures that black lead, after being refined by the method called “herbal subduing,” can be turned into a solid substance capable of transmuting copper into silver. It can also be cast into a vessel for cultivating and refining cinnabar. It stabilizes the fire’s strength, prevents mercury from being affected by the heat during refining, and likewise protects the powdered frost—the powder produced through refining—from the heat.

Tin

Powdered tin tastes pungent, is cold in nature, and is non-toxic. It treats the poison called “hidden corpse” and injuries from insect stings, and can also kill the three worms.

Fenxi, also known as hufen or dingfen, is in fact lead powder. According to the old books, it can treat bie jia, a kind of abdominal mass, and malignant sores. It is also said to induce miscarriage and reduce excessive urination. “Jiexi” is another name for it. For a detailed account in the Illustrated Materia Medica, see the entry on lead.

Tao Hongjing believed that hufen was the powder made by processing lead in his own time. When it has a golden color, it is highly effective for treating corpse worms, which is why it is called “fenxi.” This account, however, does not agree with the classical text. The Tang commentary points out that lead cinnabar and hufen are indeed made from lead. Tao Hongjing’s description of it as “made by transforming lead,” and the classical text’s name “fenxi,” are both imprecise.

Chen Cangqi says that, in addition to its established uses, hufen can be used when prolonged dysentery develops into childhood malnutrition: mix hufen with water and egg white and take it until the stool turns black. The treatment is said to kill parasites and stop dysentery. According to Riyuezi, polished powder is cooling in nature and non-toxic. It can treat abscesses, ulcerating fistulas, vomiting, abdominal masses, and childhood malnutrition.

The materia medica commentary notes that the Benjing calls it “fenxi,” though in fact it is lead powder. Ying Gong’s preface, which says that lead and tin are difficult to distinguish, probably refers to this. Yuxi, citing the Yaoxing Lun, says that hufen may be used as an auxiliary medicine. Also called dingfen, it tastes sweet and acrid and is non-toxic; it can treat accumulations that do not disperse. Roasted until charred, it can be used for childhood malnutrition and dysentery.

The Waitai Miyao records that if someone accidentally swallows coins, gold, silver, or similar objects, one liang of hufen can be crushed, mixed for drinking, and taken in two doses. It also says that taking it after swallowing gold or silver objects will dissolve them in the abdomen and expel them. The Qianjin Fang records that when water enters a wound cavity, equal parts hufen, charcoal ash, and white powder can be mixed with fat and applied over the opening to stop the flow.

The Zhouhou Fang records that after recovering from a serious illness, returning to strenuous activity too soon or eating too much may cause a relapse, sometimes a dangerous one. A small amount of hufen may be taken with water. The Shanghan Leiyao gives the same advice. A prescription by Zhang Wenzhong says that for regurgitation and vomiting, or for persistently damp, foul-smelling sores in the genital area, a small amount of hufen may be dusted onto the affected area, with reportedly excellent results. Another prescription for cunbai worms, or tapeworms, says to roast hufen until very dry, then take one square-inch spoonful in meat broth in the morning. For childhood malnutrition sores, roast hufen until it is about eighty percent dry, mix it with lard, and apply it; oil may be used instead. To treat night crying in children, mix an amount of hufen about the size of three beans with water and give it three times a day.

The Yanyi says that fenxi is hufen, also called dingfen, and can be used to stop diarrhea and treat accumulations and prolonged dysentery.

Copper rust is neutral in nature and slightly toxic. It can treat heart pain caused by irregularities of women’s blood and Qi, and can also stop bleeding from wounds caused by metal. It brightens the eyes and removes red membranes and growths from them. Both raw and refined copper may develop a green coating; this green is the essence of copper. The green patina on copper vessels is called copper rust, and the finest comes from Beiting. For treating the eyes, it should first be washed thoroughly.

Chen Cangqi says: Tao Hongjing held that bronze was not used in medicinal prescriptions. According to accounts of copper rust’s medicinal uses, it brightens the eyes and removes red membranes from them, and can also stop bleeding from wounds caused by metal. It does not decay when placed in water and makes wounds turn bluish black. Both raw and refined copper can produce a green coating, which is the essence of copper. The larger pieces of copper essence are called Konglü, and the next grade Kongqing. “Copper rust” specifically refers to the green patina on copper vessels.

Dai Zhe (Dai Zhe stone, a reddish-brown mineral)

Dai Zhe tastes bitter and sweet, is cold in nature, and is non-toxic. It treats ghost affliction (an illness thought in ancient times to be caused by the invasion of evil spirits), sudden wind disorders (illness caused by an abrupt, abnormal wind pathogen), and gu poison. It drives away spirits, evil ghosts, and poisonous pathogenic Qi in the abdomen. It is also used for women’s red discharge, persistent uterine bleeding, vaginal discharge, and various illnesses, as well as difficult childbirth, retained placenta, and miscarriage. It nourishes blood and Qi, clears heat from the blood vessels of the Five Viscera, and treats blood impediment (obstructed blood and Qi causing numbness and pain in the limbs), blood stasis, convulsions in adults and children, fright-induced Qi entering the abdomen, and impotence.

Dai Zhe is also called Xuwan: material from Gumu is called “Xuwan,” while that from Daijun is called “Dai Zhe.” It is also known as “Blood Master.” It grows in the mountain valleys of Qi and is red or reddish blue, shaped like a cockscomb and lustrous. The best kind does not lose its color after dyeing a fingernail. It may be gathered at any time of year, and its medicinal nature is incompatible with Tianxiong.

The Illustrated Classic says: Dai Zhe grows in the mountain valleys of Qi, and is now also found in the mountains of Hedong and Jingdong. The best kind is bright red, shaped like a cockscomb, lustrous, and does not lose its color when used to dye a fingernail. Ancient prescriptions made it into pills to treat children. They state that if genuine Dai Zhe is unavailable, “left-turning oyster shell” may be used instead, showing that the genuine material was hard to obtain. Doctors today generally choose large pieces with raised, bubble-like markings on the surface, called “Dingtou Dai Zhe.” It may be gathered at any time of year.

The Bencao goes on to describe white chalk: it comes from the mountain valleys of Handan and is used by painters as a pigment. It is plentiful and inexpensive, and is also called “white good earth.” Hu Jushi says that white good earth is also found in the countryside of Xiaogui County in Shixing, though folk prescriptions rarely use it. It is now found in many places, and people commonly use it to wash clothes. The Classic of Mountains and Seas: Classic of the Western Mountains records that a river called Guan emerges north of Mount Shigui and flows north to join the Yu River. The river contains flowing ochre, which people apply to cattle and horses so that they do not fall ill. Guo Pu’s commentary says: “Ochre…”

Tao Hongjing says: Earlier accounts held that ochre was earth from beneath the city gate of Dai Commandery. For a long time, this substance had not been found in the Jiangdong region. Recently, what the Wei state presented was still local red earth, not genuine ochre. It has little practical use in everyday life, but is an important medicine in immortal’s recipes—formulas for Daoist cultivation or health preservation. Rong salt and lu salt are also urgently needed substances.

The Tang Materia Medica commentary says: This stone is mostly transported from Daizhou. It is said to be collected in the mountains, rather than taken from beneath the city gate. Another account says it comes from the valleys of Qi. Today, red stone is produced at Mount Ting in Qi Prefecture, in both red and blue varieties. The red kind is as bright as a cockscomb and glossy. Local people collect it only to decorate pillars. This stone is purplish and dull in color, resembling the kind produced in Daizhou; people have used it since ancient times.

Today, in the flatlands north of the river around Mingsha County in Lingzhou, digging down five chi yields a kind of stone with a smooth red surface and a purple interior like chicken liver. It is better than the varieties produced in Qi and Dai prefectures. Red earth is a different substance.

Some people today paint ox horns with cinnabar, saying this wards off evil. Another account says that the sunny slopes of Mount Daci are rich in white chalk. The Classic of the Northern Mountains says that Mount Tianchi has much yellow chalk. The Classic of the Central Mountains says that the great valleys of Mount Congxi contain much chalk in white, black, blue, and yellow. The commentary explains that “chalk” here means earth of mixed colors. From this, it appears that ochre from the west is prized; chalk comes in five colors, but only the white kind is used as medicine.

Rihua Zi says: Ochre is incompatible with aconite. It can stop vomiting blood, nosebleeds, intestinal bleeding, fistulas from hemorrhoids, persistent menstruation, infantile convulsions, and childhood malnutrition. It can also be used for regurgitation, diarrhea and dysentery, seminal emission, blood in the urine, bedwetting, and wounds from metal weapons. It promotes the growth of flesh in wounds, calms the fetus, strengthens the Spleen, and treats excessive urination at night.

Kou Zongshi says: According to the Treatise on Medicinal Properties, when ochre is used as an assistant ingredient, soil from Yanmen city and dried ginger can be added to support it. It tastes sweet and is neutral in nature. It treats uterine bleeding and persistent spotting in women, and can also be used when a fetus cannot be delivered during childbirth. Taking it warm is said to drive away ghosts and demons.

Xiao Bing says: In a formula, ochre serves as a minister ingredient, assisting the chief medicine.

The Dòumén Formula for treating small intestine qi says: Take one liang of bloodstone and one sheng of rice vinegar. Heat the bloodstone until red-hot, then quench it in the vinegar. Repeat this until no obvious change occurs. Pound it, sift it into powder, and take one qian mixed with a decoction. It is said to work quickly. Bloodstone is another name for ochre.

Stone swallows (a medicinal stone shaped like a swallow): Boil them in water and drink the liquid; this is said to help with urinary disorders. When a woman has difficulty giving birth, she should hold one stone swallow in each hand; this is said to work immediately. This substance is produced in Lingling.

The Illustrated Classic (Bencao Tujing) records that stone swallows are found in Lingling Commandery, on the riverbank sandbanks of what is now Qiyang County, Yongzhou. They are shaped like small clams, but are actually stone. Some say they grow in caves and fly out during thunderstorms, falling onto the sandbanks and turning into stone. Whether this account is true remains uncertain. Today, some people use stone swallows to hasten childbirth: the woman in labor holds one in each hand, and before long the child is born.

The commentary in the Tang Materia Medica says that the popular claim that stone swallows fly out of stone caves during thunderstorms and fall with the rain is not credible. Stone swallows are found on an earthen hillock 115 li northwest of Qiyang County in Yongzhou. They can be obtained by digging a little over one zhang into the ground. They resemble small clams and are hard and heavy like stone.

Chen Cangqi says that stone swallows can treat wasting-thirst, a condition involving excessive thirst and drinking. Boil the nose of a water buffalo in water and drink the liquid. It is said that a nose taken from a buffalo that died on its own is less effective than one from a buffalo that fell off a cliff and died. The Tang Materia Medica had already recorded this substance.

Rihua Zi says that stone swallows are cool in nature and non-toxic, and are found in caves in the south. Those that are solid and hard like stone are considered best.

Yuxi’s textual investigation notes that the Shu edition writes the name as “han.” Wang says that the Erya calls a small snail “han,” pronounced “han.”

Yuxi and others further note that Xiao Bing describes another kind of stone swallow that lives in milk caves and feeds on the cave’s milk-like deposits. It is alive, shaped like a bat, and has a square mouth. “Milk caves” here refers to caves containing milk-like formations such as stalactites.

The Dietary Therapy records that stone swallows from milk caves may be eaten if gathered in winter. Those gathered in other months are for medicinal use only and should not be eaten. Another preparation is to take ten stone swallows, fry them with seasonings, and soak them in one dou of wine for three days. Drink one or two small cups before bed each night, adjusting the amount to suit the individual. This is said to nourish the body, increase appetite, and strengthen physical vitality.

The Formulas from the Imperial Grace Pharmacy records that to treat cold damage with lower abdominal distension and inability to urinate, stone swallows should be pounded and ground into powder. Take half a qian mixed with scallion-white decoction at any time, until urination becomes unobstructed.

The Concise Formulas for Saving the People records that to treat strangury, with symptoms such as frequent, urgent, or painful urination, pound seven stone swallows into grains the size of millet. Take three liang of mulberry-root bark, cut into pieces the size of beans, and mix the two ingredients together. Divide the mixture into seven portions. For each dose, take one portion, add one cup of water, and boil. Strain out the dregs and drink half a cup warm. Take on an empty stomach, once in the morning, once before noon, and once at night.

The Bencao Yanyi says that the stone swallows people use today are shaped like small clams or mussels, earthy in color, and hard and heavy. They are indeed stone. Since they have no wings, how could they fly out of stone caves by themselves?

“Why would it fly out and then land only on the beach? This claim is almost absurd.” That is what the Tang Bencao says. Wang (perhaps an author’s name or a citation mark).

If you dig more than one zhang deep into the earthen mounds of Yongzhou, you can find this substance. It is shaped like a small ark shell and as heavy as stone. This is plainly a different substance; the other accounts cannot be trusted. It is often used in prescriptions for deficiency and debility.

Pot-bottom soot: Treats gu poison, sudden illness from an evil influence, blood fainting, and vomiting blood. Grind it finely with wine or water and take it warm. It can also be applied to metal-inflicted wounds to promote flesh growth and stop bleeding. Never apply it to wounds on the face: the medicinal soot can seep into the flesh and leave a black mark like a tattoo. This is the soot from the bottom of a pot.

Yuxi says: On careful examination, the Shu Bencao says that pot-bottom soot is nontoxic.

East-wall earth: Earth from the east wall of a house. Treats sores on the lower body and prolapse of the rectum.

Tao Hongjing says: This is earth from the east wall of a house. Take it from the wall’s east-facing side, where it first receives sunlight, by scraping it off for use. It can also treat wind-related illness of the navel in children and remove grease stains from clothing, working better than lime or talc.

Rihua says: East-wall earth is warm in nature and nontoxic.

Red copper filings: Mix them with vinegar into lumps the size of wheat cakes and put them in a cloth bag. First prick a vein beneath the armpit to let blood, then apply and cover the medicine. It is said to work remarkably well for body odor under the arms. Alternatively, heat the red copper filings until very hot, then plunge them into wine. Take five he (an ancient measure of volume) at a time, three times a day, to treat wind-induced stiffness and bending of the limbs. Another method is to heat five jin of red copper until red-hot, put it in two dou of wine, and immerse it one hundred times in succession. Then take it as described above; this is also very effective for treating wind-induced stiffness.

Yuxi says: On careful examination, Rihua says that copper filings taste bitter, are neutral in nature, and are slightly toxic. They can brighten the eyes and treat wind-related eye disorders; they are also used to set bones, solder teeth, and treat women’s blood and Qi disorders and heart pain.

Knob of a tin-bronze mirror: Yuxi and others, on careful examination of the Yuebi Tongyong Yao, say that the knob of a tin-bronze mirror is neutral in nature. It treats women’s stopped menstruation, abdominal masses, intestinal obstruction, infertility, and hidden corpse influences—evil forces believed to lie dormant in the body and cause illness. It is found in the mountain valleys of Guiyang.

Tao Hongjing says: This substance is not of the same kind as lead powder. It is listed under the same entry because the entry covers more than one medicine, so it has been attached to the section on tin. In ancient times, mirrors were not made of pure copper; they were made with tin mixed in. The “copper mirror knob” mentioned in the Bielu is the knob removed from a broken ancient bronze mirror. To use it, heat it until red-hot and put it in wine, then drink the wine. It can also be placed in vinegar and immersed one hundred times in succession before use, or pounded into pieces.

The Bencao Jing says that lead and tin come from Guiyang; today they are produced in Linhe. Linhe still belongs to the area originally established by dividing off land from Guiyang. Lead and tin look alike, but differ greatly in their medicinal uses.

Rihua says: An ancient mirror is neutral in nature and slightly toxic.

The sand at the bottom of a well is cold in nature and can be used to treat sores caused by scalds and burns.

The Qianjin Fang says that if someone is stung by a scorpion, apply mud from the bottom of a well to the wound. When the mud grows warm, replace it with fresh mud.

Rong salt, a salt produced in the Rong region, is salty in taste, cold in nature, and non-toxic. It treats dim vision and eye pain, and can also boost Qi and strengthen the muscles and bones. It may be used to counter toxins and to treat pain in the heart and abdomen, blood in the urine, vomiting blood, and bleeding from the gums or tongue. It is also called Hu salt and is produced at Hu Salt Mountain; it is also found in Xiqiang, Beidi, Jiuquan, and other places. Blue Rong salt comes from the area around the North Sea, southeast of Fulu City, while red Rong salt comes from the South Sea. It is harvested in the tenth month.

Tao Yinjü says that the so-called “lu xian” salt is no longer found among the people today. The only related salt is “lu salt,” presented by the state of Wei: the large salt of Hedong, which resembles congealed ice, is round and hard in texture, and tastes salty and bitter.

Rihua Zi says that Rong salt is neutral in nature. It nourishes the kidneys and increases Jing, and may also be used for accumulations in the Five Viscera, masses and pain in the heart and abdomen, and sores, scabies, ringworm, and other conditions. It is the salt produced in the Western Regions.

The Yanyi says that Rong salt forms into lumps which, when cut open, are shaped like pillows. It is fine and white in color, and tastes sweet and salty. It can also stop bleeding and enter the kidneys. It treats bloodshot eyes with stasis, soreness, pain, and blurred vision.

Large salt is sweet and salty in taste, cold in nature, and non-toxic. It treats accumulated heat in the stomach and intestines, labored breathing with Qi rising upward, and discomfort in the chest. It can also induce vomiting. It is produced in the salt ponds of Handan and Hedong. Loulu is a medicinal ingredient used in combination with it.

Yuxi says that, according to Xiao Bing, large salt serves as the minister ingredient in formulas.

The Yanyi says that freshly made large salt is not bitter, but grows salty and bitter after being stored for a long time. Today, salt from the Jiezhou salt ponds forms into blocks shaped like pecks, in various sizes, and also grows bitter over time. Salt made by boiling seawater has a milder taste. Each kind has its strengths and shortcomings. Large salt and Jie salt are commonly used in medicine and in working with gold and silver. People living by the sea often have dark complexions; the texts attribute this to eating fish and salt over a long period, with the salt entering the blood. For bleeding between the teeth, rinse the mouth with salt water. In medicinal combinations, salt is also used to guide medicines into the kidneys. Northern Hu peoples also use salt to preserve corpses and prevent decay.

Luyan, the salty earth that forms around salt ponds, is bitter and salty in taste, cold in nature, and non-toxic. It treats high fever, thirst, irritability, and pathogenic influences. It may also be used to counter gu toxins, soften the skin, and dispel accumulated heat and stagnant Qi in the Five Viscera and stomach and intestines. It treats hardness and fullness below the heart, vomiting after eating, labored breathing, and chest congestion. It can also brighten the eyes and treat eye pain. It is produced at the Hedong salt ponds.

Tao Yinjü says that luyan is the sediment that congeals at the bottom of the pots used for boiling salt.

The Tang Ben Zhu says that since luyan is produced in Hedong, where salt is not boiled in pots, this account is clearly mistaken. Luyan is actually the name for salty earth, which can be used in tanning leather.

Fermented millet water, a sour drink made from millet, tastes sweet and sour. It is slightly warm in nature and non-toxic. It harmonizes the Spleen and Stomach, helps Qi flow freely, and steadies the breath. It can also stimulate the appetite, ease the joints, relieve thirst, and be used for cholera, diarrhea, and dysentery; it also helps digest food that has accumulated. It is suitable for cooking porridge. Drinking a small amount in the evening can ease agitation, reduce drowsiness, and regulate the internal organs. It is best made from newly harvested millet with full grains. Simmering it until concentrated and sour can help stop vomiting and hiccups. It can make the skin smooth and white as silk, but because people use it so often, they no longer appreciate its benefits. Chilled fermented millet water is extremely cold and should not be consumed by pregnant women; this is listed among the dietary prohibitions.

The Yanyi says: Fermented millet water should not be eaten with plums, or it may cause abdominal pain, vomiting, and diarrhea.

Well-head water—the first bucket drawn from a well at dawn—tastes sweet, is neutral in nature, and is non-toxic. It treats fright and bleeding from the nine orifices. Sprinkling it on the face can also dispel bad breath. In the morning, hold a mouthful of well-head water and spit it into the latrine; repeat this several times, and, it is said, the condition will be cured. It can also improve one’s complexion. Mixed with cinnabar and taken, or used to prepare mineral medicines, it can prevent medicines from spoiling when added to wine or vinegar. It can also be used to wash the eyes, treat eye films, and address fever after drinking alcohol and heat-related dysentery. Unlike other kinds of water, it has many uses. Well-head water refers to the first water drawn from a well at dawn. The Bencao Jing zhu briefly mentions it under “well moss”; it is described in greater detail here. (Newly added)

Chrysanthemum water—water that flows past places where sweet chrysanthemums grow—tastes sweet, is warm in nature, and is non-toxic. It dispels Wind and strengthens those who are weak. Drinking it over a long period is said to delay aging, improve the complexion, strengthen the body, replenish Yang, warm the Spleen and Stomach, and eliminate chronic illness. It comes from a pool north of Li County in Nanyang. Fragrant sweet chrysanthemums grow all over the cliffs around the water’s source, giving the water its sweet, floral taste.

Hong Zhi’s Jingzhou Records states: “There is chrysanthemum water in Li County. Grand Commandant Hu Guang suffered from Wind illness and physical weakness for a long time. He often drank this water, and eventually recovered. The chrysanthemums were sweet and delicious. Hu Guang later gathered their seeds and brought them to the capital to sow, after which people began growing them everywhere.”

The Baopuzi says: “In the mountains of Li County, Nanyang, there is a valley called Sweet Valley. Its water is sweet because sweet chrysanthemums grow on both sides of the valley; their blossoms fall into the water, and over time its flavor changes. The people living beside the valley do not dig wells; they all drink from Sweet Valley. The local people are said to live long lives. For this reason, whenever Sima Wang Chang, Grand Commandant Liu Kuan, and Grand Tutor Yuan Wei took office as governors of Nanyang, they would arrange for forty hu of Sweet Valley water to be sent from Li County each month for them to drink. These ministers suffered from ailments such as Wind impediment and dizziness, and are said to have improved after drinking the water.” (Newly added)

The Yanyi says that the Bencao records the following about chrysanthemum water: the pool north of Li County in Nanyang was fed by a spring whose banks were covered with fragrant chrysanthemums, giving the water the taste of chrysanthemum. This account is strange and deserves scrutiny.

Chrysanthemums grow in loose soil and root only shallowly; even their deepest roots reach no more than a foot. Among flowers, they are especially likely to emerge above the ground. Springs, however, may rise from places far away and deep underground. How could the water acquire a chrysanthemum taste simply because chrysanthemums grow beside it? Besides, chrysanthemums have no fragrance in their roots. Their flowers bloom for only two or three ten-day periods in the ninth and tenth months. How could they keep the water fragrant all year? If the water smells fragrant because of the flowers, how is its fragrance explained in months when there are no flowers? These accounts are not sufficiently considered. Water naturally has different tastes—sweet, bland, salty, and bitter. Why assume that water itself could not taste of chrysanthemum? This should be examined carefully.

Earth slurry is cold in nature and treats agitation and distress after poisoning.

Tao Hongjing, a physician and pharmacologist of the Southern Dynasties, says: Dig a pit, pour water into it, and stir until the water becomes cloudy. After a while, draw off some water and drink it; this can cure all kinds of poisoning. Poisonous mushrooms grow in the mountains, and people who do not recognize them may cook and eat them, often with fatal results. Those who eat mushrooms growing on maple trees may laugh uncontrollably. Only earth slurry can cure them; no other medicine can save them.

Twelfth-month snow tastes sweet, is cold in nature, and is non-toxic. It can resolve all kinds of poison and treat seasonal epidemics and warm epidemics, as well as fever, convulsions, and incessant crying in children. It is also used for adults suffering a reaction to mineral elixirs, sudden fever after drinking alcohol, jaundice, and similar conditions. It should be taken slightly warmed. Twelfth-month snow water is also excellent for preserving various fruits. Spring snow contains insects, and its meltwater spoils easily, so it is unsuitable for storage. (This is a later supplement, based on the accounts of Chen Cangqi and Rihua Zi.)

Spring water tastes sweet, is neutral in nature, and is non-toxic. It treats thirst, regurgitation, hot dysentery, hot painful urination, and red, painful, difficult urination. It can also be used to wash lacquer sores and disperse abscesses and swelling caused by the venom of the shooting-work worm. Taken over a long period, it can dispel internal warmth, harmonize the middle burner, guide heat downward, and promote urination; it should be drunk in quantity.

Freshly drawn well water has several other uses. The Baiyi Fang says that a man suffering from a cold illness of the heart and abdomen should be given a cup of water by a woman, while a woman with the same illness should be given one by a man. Freshly drawn water can also neutralize the poison of folded-mouth pepper. If a fishbone or other bone gets stuck while eating fish or meat, take a cup of water, open your mouth toward it, and inhale its vapor; the bone will then dislodge by itself. If someone suddenly falls and is injured, causing the intestines to protrude, sprinkle cold water over the body. As the body contracts, the intestines will retract on their own.

Another practice is to have someone carry pepper to a well on the night of the twelfth-month sacrifice, without speaking to anyone, and put the pepper into the well. Drinking the well water can dispel internal warmth. The Bowu Zhi says that whenever various kinds of drinking water are used to treat illness...

Use clear spring water just drawn from a well. Do not use water that has been left standing, is dirty, or is warm. Such water not only has no healing effect but may also harm the body. (Newly added)

Half-Heaven River Water—water collected in a bamboo fence or a hollow tree—is slightly cold in nature and treats ghost afflictions, frenzied and demonic influences, and poison.

Tao Hongjing said: Water collected in a bamboo fence and water found in hollow trees can both be drunk and used to wash sores of various kinds.

The Yanyi says: Half-Heaven River Water belongs to “water from Heaven,” meaning water that has fallen from the sky and collected in a place. It is therefore used to treat heart ailments, ghost afflictions, frenzied and demonic influences, and poison.

Hot water can be used to revive someone who has fainted after a sudden shock. First fold three garments and place them over the person’s abdomen. Then pour hot water from a bronze or earthenware vessel over the garments. Remove them when the water cools. If it has become very cold, replace it with hot water; the patient will then recover.

When cholera strikes and the hands and feet cramp, apply hot water with a bronze or earthenware vessel. The patient may also stand on the vessel until the soles of the feet are thoroughly warmed, or the limbs may be rubbed with hot water; replace it when it cools. Water boiled with vinegar is better. A liquid made by boiling liao or Sichuan pepper is also suitable. Another method is to wrap the cramped area in cotton wadding or a piece of old felt, then pour hot water over it. The essential point is to warm the affected area thoroughly.

Silk-reeling water—the water left after boiling silkworm cocoons—is non-toxic and treats fever caused by roundworms. Take one cup. Water used to boil cocoons can kill worms.

Pig-scalding water—the hot water used to loosen a pig’s bristles—is non-toxic. It treats sharp pain in the heart caused by postpartum blood and Qi, when the pain is so severe that the patient seems close to death. Take one cup while warm. (Newly added; see the Baopuzi and Chen Cangqi’s account.)

The Yanyi also says: Hot water can support Yang Qi and promote the circulation of the channels and collaterals. People suffering from obstruction caused by Wind and Cold often soak their feet in hot water up to the knees, then cover themselves thickly to induce sweating. Even when other medicines are used, their effects often rely on the warmth of hot water to circulate.

If sudden diarrhea occurs in any season, accompanied by cold limbs and pain around the navel and abdomen, sit in a deep bath of hot water up to the abdomen and repeat as needed. Used together with medicines that support the rising of Yang Qi, this method works quickly. People with a constitution prone to Cold and deficiency may shiver when they first enter the hot water, so someone should remain nearby to watch over them.