《黃帝九鼎神丹經訣》Vol. 13

Regarding the miraculous properties of cinnabar (zhusha) and its application in the path to longevity, it should be noted that while ordinary medicinal herbs can cure diseases, they cannot grant immortality. In contrast, mineral-based medicines not only prolong life but also ward off all ailments.

Herbs are fragile in nature—they disintegrate when boiled too long, rot when buried in soil, turn to ash when burned, and decay when left unattended. If they cannot even preserve their own integrity, how could they strengthen the human body? If they cannot endure, how could they bestow longevity? Cinnabar, however, is entirely different. This crimson mineral is considered the supreme medicinal substance, with fine textures and an unyielding constitution. The longer it is stored, the more wondrous its transformations become—it can disperse into powder, refine into snow-like purity, transform into true mercury (shuiyin), or be refined into the "returned elixir" (huandan). It remains unharmed by fire, undamaged by water, and unchanged even after millennia of burial. Such spiritual potency is truly beyond description.

Yet caution must be exercised in its use: mastering the proper methods can preserve life, while mishandling it may shorten one's lifespan. People read in the Ben Cao (Materia Medica) that cinnabar is non-toxic and assume it harmless, unaware that mercury—a highly toxic substance—is extracted from it. As the Ben Cao states, "Mercury is the soul of cinnabar." If its refined product is poisonous, how could the original ore be entirely benign? Those with limited insight fail to consider the long-term consequences, only regretting when their lives are already harmed. Thus, ancient practitioners always purified cinnabar through repeated boiling and refining to remove its toxicity before using it to concoct the "great elixir" (da dan). Though methods vary, the key lies in subduing its properties through fire, never rushing the process.

Some may question: since all minerals turn to ash when burned, why does cinnabar alone remain unaltered? In truth, cinnabar's crimson hue gives rise to mercury's silvery-white color, which itself proves the transformation of substances. Just as clay mixed with water becomes pottery, or gold deposits often accompany cinnabar in mountainous regions, their mutual transformations ultimately return to the essence of gold—this is hardly surprising.

During the Han dynasty, there was a man named Li Shaojun who lived for centuries. His secret to longevity lay in refining cinnabar into the "golden elixir" (jindan), which he then fashioned into eating utensils. By using these vessels over time, the medicinal potency gradually permeated his digestive system, nourishing his Qi (vital energy) and blood throughout his body.

This passage primarily discusses the medicinal value and mining methods of cinnabar (vermilion), along with the story of Emperor Wu of Han's pursuit of immortality.

Emperor Wu of Han once became obsessed with heterodox practices like worshipping the Kitchen God, yet never mastered the orthodox methods for refining the Golden Elixir (Jindan), ultimately failing to attain immortality. The scripture points out that only the Nine-Cauldron Divine Elixir and the Taiyi Golden Elixir techniques passed down from the Yellow Emperor can truly grant longevity. However, if toxicity isn't properly removed during refinement, it would be like eating poisoned meat when hungry or drinking toxic wine when thirsty—not only ineffective but harmful.

Regarding cinnabar's medicinal properties: It has a sweet taste, slightly cold nature, and is non-toxic. It can treat all diseases of the five organs, nourish the spirit (Shen), calm the ethereal and corporeal souls, replenish Qi, brighten vision, promote blood circulation, relieve restlessness and thirst, beautify complexion, expel pathogenic factors, and treat abdominal pain or toxic sores. Long-term consumption can connect one with divine intelligence, prevent aging, and lighten the body. High-quality cinnabar can transform into mercury; when ground into powder, it shines like pearls and can be peeled like mica in layers. The finest cinnabar comes from Fuling Valley (modern Chongqing area), though it's no longer mined today.

Cinnabar sources and varieties: Mainly produced in southern Ba Commandery (eastern Sichuan), Wuling, and western Sichuan regions—historically called "Ba sand." Some comes from Linzhang, Guangzhou, known as "Yue sand." Premium cinnabar must be crystalline and translucent, categorized by shape: mica sand (flaky), horse-tooth sand (large purple chunks), bean sand (smooth bean-shaped), and powder sand (crushed). Bean and powder sands are inferior, only suitable for vermilion pigment. Mining requires descending dozens of feet into shafts, and even cinnabar from the same region varies in quality. These selection and consumption methods belong to esoteric longevity techniques, not detailed in ordinary medical texts.

Note that while cinnabar originates from Ba-Chu regions (modern Sichuan-Chongqing and Hunan-Hubei), in the author's time it was already...

This scripture primarily discusses the selection and refinement of cinnabar (a crucial ingredient in Daoist alchemy). It begins by detailing the characteristics of high-quality cinnabar: the finest specimens come from Mayang County in Chenzhou, displaying vibrant flame-like colors that shimmer when held to sunlight, with dense, heavy texture revealing white luster when broken. Bright crimson specimens are considered superior, followed by purple varieties, while dull reddish ones are inferior. Legend speaks of cinnabar naturally suited for alchemy, though such specimens are exceptionally rare in reality.

The text then introduces several refinement methods: The first involves grinding premium cinnabar into powder, simmering it in an iron vessel with high-quality vinegar over low heat for at least thirty-six days—success is achieved when it burns without smoke. If results are unsatisfactory, the process may extend to one hundred days. Alternatively, cinnabar can be placed in a cloth bag, steeped in fine wine for one hundred days (with daily wine changes), then sun-dried for later use.

Another method involves wine-boiling for twenty-one days, testing its combustibility. One may also crush cinnabar to soybean-sized granules, place them with wine in bamboo tubes, and steam-cook them in a double boiler. If refinement remains incomplete, continue boiling with added water.

A further technique requires simmering powdered cinnabar in an iron vessel with gradually added vinegar while stirring to prevent sticking—using one dou (peck) of vinegar per jin (catty) of cinnabar. After vinegar evaporates, sun-dry the residue before crucible smelting; success is confirmed if no material disperses during firing. Similarly, bean-sized cinnabar fragments may be simmered in copper vessels with vinegar, constantly stirred until dry, then sun-dried and smelted.

Finally, the text mentions placing finely ground cinnabar in new earthenware bottles, sealing them for steam distillation. These methods collectively aim to purify cinnabar by removing impurities, rendering it more suitable for alchemical use.

This passage describes several methods used by ancient Daoist practitioners for refining and using cinnabar (mercury sulfide), primarily divided into two categories: elixirs for longevity and ordinary medicinal pills.

Regarding the preparation of longevity elixirs: Premium-grade cinnabar must be ground into fine powder and boiled with high-quality vinegar for one hundred days until it no longer emits smoke during heating—a process called "subduing fire" (fuhuo). The ancients placed particular emphasis on fire control, employing a bain-marie (double boiling) method to prevent excessive heat. Fine wine must be used for boiling longevity elixirs, whereas ordinary medicinal pills require large quantities of vinegar. When boiling in iron vessels, constant stirring is necessary, and containers must be tightly sealed if stored in bottles. After complete vinegar evaporation, the substance must be sun-dried and condensed, then tested for proper "subduing fire" standards. Bronze and iron vessels are suitable for longevity elixirs, but precise fire modulation is crucial.

Special methods for ingesting cinnabar: Two jin of cinnabar are pounded and sifted, then soaked in three dou of bitter wine (a type of vinegar) until forming a paste. This undergoes thirty days of alternating drying and soaking until achieving a purple, non-sticky, thread-drawing consistency. Formed into sesame-sized pills, three are taken daily at dawn with well water. One day's dosage expels intestinal parasites; six days cure various ailments; sixty days improve eyesight, restore black hair, and regenerate teeth. Thirty days of purification (zhai) and bathing with five aromatic herbs must precede consumption.

A simplified ingestion method: Mix one jin of cinnabar powder with two sheng of pure lacquer and three sheng of bitter wine, simmering until pill-forming consistency. Three sesame-sized pills daily cure hundred illnesses in ten days, strengthen the body in one hundred days, and prolong life after three years' continuous use.

A concluding note clarifies: Cinnabar alone produces such effects over time, though efficacy increases when combined with other herbs. The "Three Corpses" (sanshi) mentioned refer to a Daoist concept of three disease-causing parasites or pathogenic qi within the body. Modern readers should note the toxicity of mercury compounds in ancient alchemy (waidan) and must never attempt these ingestion methods.

This passage explains several methods for processing cinnabar (mercury sulfide) when refining the Nine-Cauldron Divine Elixir. Cinnabar must first have its toxicity removed before being used medicinally, with the best detoxification method being immersion in fine liquor.

There are three specific techniques: The first involves mixing one jin of cinnabar, one dou of clear wine, one jin of white honey, and one sheng of pure lacquer, then repeatedly sun-drying the mixture until it can be kneaded into pills. The second method requires steaming cinnabar with clear wine in bamboo tubes, similarly sun-drying it before adding white honey to form pills. The third approach uses mulberry root juice to blend with cinnabar, which is then bottled and boiled in a water bath for two days and nights before being mixed with pure wine and finally combined with white honey to create pills.

Particular attention must be paid to the blending process: first mix the cinnabar thoroughly with wine, then add lacquer and simmer over very low heat. The flame should be extremely small, stopping as soon as the mixture can form pills. When consuming, the pills should be sesame-sized—beginning with two pills daily. After forty days, this regimen can expel the Three Corpse Worms (Daoist belief holds these as three harmful parasites in the human body). Long-term use promotes longevity and may even lead to the immortal state of "casting no shadow at noon."

The text emphasizes that among all cinnabar refining methods, soaking in high-quality liquor yields the best results. While new earthenware bottles or bamboo tubes can be used as containers, bamboo eventually rots, and sun-drying makes moisture control difficult. The most convenient method involves sealing cinnabar in new earthenware bottles with liquor, allowing gradual infusion through the wine vapors.

Additionally, the passage notes that cinnabar and realgar are the most potent medicinal minerals, though inferior to supreme elixirs, they remain fundamental materials for cultivation. The essence of cinnabar is mercury—when equal parts mercury and saltpeter are mixed in a copper vessel and steamed for a full day, then roasted over charcoal fire, they turn purplish-red. Formed into bean-sized pills with honey and consumed for one hundred days, the effects resemble those of cinnabar.

These represent important methods from ancient alchemical practice, but modern readers must note that substances like mercury mentioned herein are actually highly toxic and should never be attempted today.