《通玄祕術》

Interpretation of the "Arcane Techniques of Mystical Mastery"

The foundation of human existence lies in strengthening the body through moral cultivation (De) and esoteric practices. While youth brings physical vigor, one must still prepare for the future. Humans embody the essence of the Three Powers (heaven, earth, and humanity)—the rounded skull symbolizing heaven, the square feet representing earth—so the body should never be treated lightly.

From my youth, I (Shen Zhiyan) devoted myself wholeheartedly to the Dao. In the early Taihe era of the Tang dynasty, I met the Daoist priest Ma Ziran at the confluence of the Zha and Tiao rivers. He imparted to me secret methods and five antidotes, including the "Mystical All-Purpose Elixir." At the time, my understanding was shallow, and I struggled to grasp their profound principles, though I gathered fragments of knowledge during my travels among the people. By the spring of the fifth year of Xiantong, an old friend from Huainan, Lord Zheng of Xingyang, further transmitted to me the secret alchemical methods (Neidan/Waidan) of various schools.

These arcane techniques can cure all manner of human ailments and prolong life. They include:

1. Refining the "Five Metals and Eight Minerals" (essential minerals in Daoist alchemy)

2. Transforming material properties

3. Resisting extremes of heat and cold

4. Sustenance without grain (Bigu)

5. Extracting deeply embedded arrowheads (simply applying the elixir causes them to emerge spontaneously)

I compiled these miraculous methods into three volumes—upper, middle, and lower—titled Arcane Techniques of Mystical Mastery, offering them to fellow seekers of longevity. However, they must never be carelessly disclosed.

[Zheng Family Three-Life Elixir Formula]:

1. Processed cinnabar, northern borax, and borneol—1.5 liang each (ground into powder, mixed with starch water, dried, then finely re-ground)

2. Magnetite—1 liang (preferably lodestone that attracts needles, quenched in vinegar and crushed)

3. Stalactite—1 liang (finely ground)

4. Red halloysite—3 liang (select pieces that adhere to the tongue, finely ground)

Preparation Method:

Seal all ingredients in a flask and bury it in an ash furnace. First, apply 2 jin of fire around the flask at a three-cun distance until the vessel heats uniformly. Gradually increase the fire to about 10 jin until the entire contents glow red—roughly the duration of a meal.

This scripture describes the method for refining a detoxifying elixir and its medicinal properties. After completion, the elixir must be cooled in water, then opened with an iron spoon to reveal its contents—white on the surface with a lustrous purple-gold interior. The substance is ground into fine powder, spread on clean ground with paper beneath, and covered with a basin for one day to eliminate "fire toxin" (the harmful heat generated during alchemical preparation).

Administration method: Roll the powder into millet-sized pellets, take three pills with warm water on an empty stomach to counteract hundreds of poisons (if someone has been poisoned, it can also be mixed with food or wine). It treats heart and abdominal pain, consumptive diseases (similar to tuberculosis), body odor, skin discolorations, pathogenic qi invasions, and malignant contagious disorders (ghost-infestation qi). For enhanced efficacy, take three qian (about 11 grams) of the powder mixed with vinegar.

The text particularly emphasizes "consumptive disease" (chuan shi bing), a dreaded familial contagion where one infected member could doom the entire household. However, if even one person takes this elixir and recovers, the transmission cycle breaks. Symptoms manifest as acute wasting with yellowing complexion.

For suppurating back ulcers, apply vinegar-mixed powder on paper cut to match the sore's size, changing the dressing every other day while taking the pills internally. Three to five treatments typically heal the wound—avoid "trigger foods" during treatment. Severe headaches or dizziness can be cured by taking three qian of vinegar-mixed powder.

In cases of accidental sulfur or arsenic poisoning, two pills provide immediate relief. The text highlights this formula as the "sovereign of all medicines," stressing that mineral-based medicines must always have their fire toxin removed before ingestion.

Other applications: For diabetes (triple-wasting disorder), take with coptis decoction; jaundice or back swelling with tea; oral ulcers with honey-mixed application on the tongue; gynecological discharges with wine; arrow wounds with melon vine root juice poultice to aid extraction; postpartum wind-pain or heart congestion with vinegar-wine mixture.

(Note: "Consumptive disease" refers to ancient concepts of contagious wasting illnesses; "ghost-infestation qi" denotes unexplained contagious pathogenic influences; "fire toxin" indicates toxicity from alchemical processing.)

Two Elixir Formulations from the "Secret Arts of Penetrating the Mysteries" Explained:

1. Azure Blossom Elixir (for treating skin ulcers and internal disorders)

[Ingredients] Kongqing (5g, mineral medicine), Dingfen (5g), Baishizhi (2.5g), Guangmingzha (2.5g), Baiyanhua, and Taohuashi (2.5g each; magnetite may substitute if unavailable).

[Preparation] Grind ingredients to flour-like consistency and place in a ceramic jar. Cover completely with salt crystals and seal. Begin with gentle heating of the vessel, gradually intensifying until the jar glows red. Maintain intense charcoal firing until natural cooling occurs. Remove the compound, pulverize it, then wash away salt residues with water. After drying, blend with a pinch of musk and form rice-sized pellets using cooked glutinous rice as binder.

[Administration] Take five pellets daily on empty stomach with wine. Avoid mutton blood and raw/cold foods during treatment.

[Efficacy] Effective against cholera-like abdominal distension, pediatric malnutrition syndromes, intestinal wind disorders with bleeding, and women's blood-qi imbalances of cold nature. Cumulative benefits manifest with prolonged use.

2. Solar Orb Elixir (for cold-pattern disorders)

[Ingredients] Benyang (300g), Mayaxiao (120g), Yanhua (120g, dry-fried until smoking), and Beiting (90g).

[Preparation] Grind all components, compact tightly in a jar, and seal with fried salt layer. Submerge the sealed vessel in molten lead for 100 days. After retrieval, fire for three additional days before quenching in cold spring water to neutralize toxicity. Final preparation involves grinding with jujube paste to form mung bean-sized pills.

[Administration] Consume two pills daily with tea before meals.

[Efficacy] Resolves intractable cold syndromes, wind disorders, and stubborn masses or nodules. Particularly efficacious for gynecological conditions.

Note: The term "solid sealing" (guji) refers to salt-clay luting of containers, while "water flying" (shuifei) denotes the traditional aqueous purification process for mineral drugs. These elixirs contain metallic/mineral components requiring professional supervision—historical ingestion of such preparations warrants cautious reevaluation.

This scripture records two types of Daoist elixirs (Waidan) with their preparation methods and therapeutic effects:

Yellow Court Elixir:

Effective for gynecological disorders (such as irregular menstruation and leucorrhea), intestinal bleeding, chronic dysentery, cold stomach with vomiting, and similar conditions. Preparation: Grind sulfur and "northern court" (two mineral medicines, one liang each) into powder, seal in an airtight container, and calcinate for seven days at controlled temperatures. After checking the material's positional changes, repeat the calcination until medicinal properties stabilize. Finally, detoxify by boiling with wax and form millet-sized pills. Take two pills daily on an empty stomach with wine or vinegar to activate blood circulation and resolve stasis, promoting bodily lightness. Long-term use prevents various diseases, with the medicine's efficacy remaining in the Dantian (lower abdominal energy center) for years. When old injuries flare up, simply guide with intention and massage the affected area—the elixir will flow like fire to the pain site.

Canopy Elixir:

Primary ingredient is premium black lead (three jin). Preparation involves suspending lead sheets above rice vinegar in a sealed urn, maintaining a one-cun gap between lead and vinegar. Every seven days, remove the lead and collect the frost-like crystals (lead acetate) formed on its surface using a feather brush. Replace lead sheets after three or four collections. Grind every two liang of lead frost with half-fen of borneol (Bingpian), then form phoenix tree seed-sized pills using natural dew water. Hold one pill in the mouth before bedtime, lying quietly without speech to allow gradual absorption.

(Note: Lead acetate and similar heavy metal compounds were commonly used in ancient Daoist external alchemy—modern readers should not attempt these preparations.)

This scripture records the formulas and effects of two elixirs:

Purple Gold Elixir (Zijindan):

This elixir preserves natural black hair. Take it sublingually every other day throughout life to prevent graying. For those with existing white hairs, after 20 days of use, plucked white hairs will regrow black. After consuming 60-100 pills, sideburns will become glossy black like lacquer. Remarkably, some hair follicles may produce two black strands simultaneously. This rare formula was personally transmitted by Zhenren (perfected beings). Long-term use maintains youthful appearance—a fifty-year-old may retain childlike features. It also treats heat toxins, rheumatism, and bone/muscle pain. Lifetime dietary restriction: avoid garlic.

Formula:

1. Processed Northern Cinnabar (5 liang, ground separately for final addition)

2. Fresh Rehmannia root (10 jin, crushed for juice)

3. Apricot kernels (5 sheng, peeled and ground)

4. Sichuan peppercorns (0.5 jin)

5. Processed Sichuan aconite (0.5 jin, detoxified and peeled)

Preparation:

Grind all ingredients (except Rehmannia juice) into powder. Simmer the juice in a silver cauldron (optimal) over charcoal fire. Add powdered ingredients while stirring 300 times, finally incorporating the processed cinnabar. When thickened, form pills the size of phoenix tree seeds. Take 1-10 pills daily on empty stomach with wine, followed by food. Contraindicated for pregnant women; avoid goat blood. Treats male exhaustion and cold syndromes. Prolonged use darkens hair, preserves youth, and strengthens bones/muscles.

Yellow Essence Elixir (Huangyingdan) Formula:

1. Jade dust (1 liang)

2. Arsenic trioxide (1 liang, boiled dry with 1 sheng vinegar)

3. Litharge (1 liang)

4. Frankincense (1 liang)

5. Human feces ash (1 liang, kiln-fired on tile)

Preparation:

Pulverize all ingredients. Simmer frankincense in 0.5 sheng aged rice vinegar until dissolved. Blend with powdered dried steamed cakes (specifically prepared during Cold Food Festival), then refine further into elixir.

The Mysterious Techniques of Penetrating the Profound (Tongxuan Mishi) contains the following elixir formulas and applications:

1. Heart Pain Relief Pills:

Mix medicinal paste with honey to form pills the size of black beans, specifically treating heart pain caused by cold qi. For women suffering from heart ailments due to blood qi deficiency, take one pill on an empty stomach with vinegar soup for rapid relief. For stubborn cases with deep roots, consume one pill daily before meals for twenty consecutive days to eradicate the condition. Women with chronic heart issues may take up to thirty pills to prevent lifelong recurrence. Contraindicated for pregnant women as it may harm the fetus. During treatment, avoid consuming sheep's blood and poisonous fish.

2. Method for Crafting Hidden Yang Purple Gold Elixir (Yinfu Zijin Dan):

Take refined sulfur (five liang, pounded and water-processed) and salt crystals (one sheng). Layer half the salt in a flat-bottomed pan, add the sulfur powder, then cover with remaining salt. Seal the pan tightly with earthenware, submerging the ingredients under two inches of water, and secure with wet paper. Maintain a gentle fire for seven days and nights at a "fish-eye bubble" simmer, replenishing water to prevent drying. Stir regularly to avoid sticking. After seven days, dry the mixture and calcine until glowing red. Cool, then rinse with hot water to remove salt residues before sun-drying. Finally, knead with jujube pulp into pills the size of small beans. Take five pills daily before meals with tea or wine. Avoid sheep's blood and mallows. This elixir regulates women's blood qi, warms the uterus, enhances beauty, and permanently cures chronic conditions like cold-type intestinal wind with bloody diarrhea or leukorrhea.

3. Solar Purple Powder Elixir (Taiyang Zifen Dan) Formula:

Combine sulfur, saltpeter, and mercury (three liang each). Grind with ash-free wine until silver specks disappear, then sun-dry before placing in a lidded crucible. Begin with three to five liang of charcoal fire for half a day, gradually increasing to seven or eight liang overnight. After cooling, mix the compound with white honey, steam in bamboo tubes for one meal-time's duration. Grind finely and form into phoenix tree seed-sized pills with jujube pulp. Take three pills daily before meals with salt soup, ginger decoction, or wine to treat acid reflux and abdominal masses (xuanpi).

This scripture records the formulas and administration methods of two ancient elixirs:

【Victorious Golden Elixir (Sheng Jin Dan)】

Ingredients:

• Cinnabar (3 liang, ground separately before adding)
• Orpiment (1.5 liang)
• Solar Powder (0.5 liang)

Preparation:

1. Grind ingredients into powder. First dissolve orpiment and solar powder in mulberry ash solution within a cauldron

2. Add cinnabar powder and mix thoroughly, then incorporate approximately 1.5 dou of ash solution

3. Simmer continuously for three days and nights, replenishing with warm ash solution periodically

4. After boiling, scrape the medicinal material into a tripod vessel and dry over gentle fire to eliminate yin energies

5. Seal and calcine with 20 jin of silver fire until only 3-5 jin of fire remains before extinguishing

6. After cooling, collect the white metallic flakes condensed at the vessel's base and grind into powder

7. Detoxify by boiling with licorice decoction and emblic fruit in porcelain for one day

8. Finally, form into mung bean-sized pills using millet rice

Administration:

Take 3-5 pills daily on empty stomach with cold zanthoxylum pepper decoction. Treats wind-stroke paralysis, facial distortion and similar conditions. Contraindicated for pregnant women; avoid mutton blood consumption.

【Radiant Golden Elixir (Qi Jin Dan)】

Ingredients:

• Refined yellow lead oxide (2 liang)
• Cinnabar (6 liang)
• Mercury (6 liang)

Preparation:

1. Grind ingredients until mercury completely dissipates

2. Mix thoroughly with concentrated licorice decoction and sun-dry

3. Seal in a bottle and calcine first with gentle fire for one day, then intensify to 5 jin fire for another day

4. Finally apply 10 jin fire until glowing red, cool and grind

5. Form sesame-sized pills using crystallized sugar

Administration:

Take 1 pill daily on empty stomach (2 pills for those over 50). Treats lumbar/leg pain and female uterine cold infertility. Contraindicated for pregnant women and married individuals under 20; avoid iron powder and peony root.

Important Notice:

Both elixirs contain heavy metals considered toxic by modern medical standards—do not attempt preparation or consumption. The described therapeutic effects reflect historical records without scientific validation.

Plain Interpretation of the "Arcane Techniques of Penetrating the Mysteries"

Northern Court Sulfur Elixir (Equal parts, one liang each, ground to a fine powder):

Take the breast meat and livers of 20 sparrows, simmer them in three sheng of bitter wine (vinegar) until the liquid evaporates, then grind into a paste and strain out the tendons. Mix the herbs with the sparrow meat and pound into pills the size of soybeans. Take five pills daily on an empty stomach with wine to replenish Jing (essence), warm the kidneys (the "water organ"), and achieve miraculous effects.

Formula for the Swift Horse Four Spirits Elixir:

Two liang of xilinzhi (a type of resin) and one fen of cinnabar (if unavailable, magnetite can be substituted). Grind all ingredients together, then add mercury and continue grinding until fully blended. Seal in a bottle and first bury a water-filled jar in the ground, placing the medicine bottle atop it. Repeat this process four or five times. Afterward, grind the mixture finely and store it in salt. Maintain it with four liang of fire for four days, then test a small amount over flame—if the medicinal properties stabilize, increase the heat until it glows red-hot. Cool it, mix with licorice decoction, steam once over rice, and form into rice-sized pills. Hold three pills in the mouth daily on an empty stomach to treat all cold-related ailments in men and women, dispel stagnant blood in women, warm the womb, beautify the complexion, harmonize Yin-Yang, strengthen sinews and bones, replenish Qi and blood, with remarkable effects.

Formula for the Hidden Descending Primordial Elixir:

Two liang each of mercury and sulfur, one jin of scrap iron (preferably from a pot’s base). First, break the iron into pieces, heat until red-hot, then quench in water. Scrub clean with sand and repeat three times. Place in a bottle with mercury and sulfur, then add half a bottle of water. Steam over water for seven days and nights (adding warm water if it dries out). After seven days, remove the bottle, dry it over fire, then roast fiercely until red-hot and immediately plunge into water to wash away iron residue. Let the elixir settle, dry in the sun, and bury underground for three days to neutralize fire toxicity. Finally, grind into powder with the Northern Court Sulfur Elixir and form into mung bean-sized pills with millet rice. Take two pills daily on an empty stomach with tea or wine—its miraculous effects will be self-evident.

Formula for the Life-Prolonging and Life-Preserving Elixir:

Four liang each of processed yangqishi (actinolite) and refined sulfur, one liang of raw realgar (ground to a fine powder).

This scripture records the preparation methods and efficacy of two types of medicinal elixirs, which I'll explain in modern terms:

The first elixir (Di-Sheng Gu-Yang Dan) preparation method:

1. Grind the following into powder: male sparrow livers (24 pieces, selecting males with more black neck feathers), dog kidneys with stems (sliced, sun-dried and powdered), male silkworm moths (4 pieces), wolfberries (fried in butter), and realgar (1 fen, which can be substituted with musk)

2. Mix the powder with sparrow eggs to form pill-sized balls (chicken egg yolks may substitute sparrow eggs)

3. Take 5 pills daily on an empty stomach with wine to treat male impotence and kidney deficiency

The second elixir has a more complex preparation:

1. First grind minerals like rock salt, mix with water to form balls, and wrap in paper to dry

2. Prepare 12 jin of white salt, pound into paste, fill half a flask, then hollow out the center for the medicinal balls

3. Seal the flask mouth, bake to remove moisture, then bury in charcoal fire for calcination (adjusting the heat in three phases over 15 days)

4. Extract the purple medicinal mass, wash and steam repeatedly, then add borneol and musk before forming sesame-sized pills with jujube pulp

5. Take 3-5 pills daily on an empty stomach to treat cold syndromes in both genders and women's Qi-blood disorders

6. Abstain from sexual activity for ten days before taking, and avoid mutton blood, carp, and garlic

Important notes:

• The process involves the Daoist-specific "salt chamber method" (a medicinal calcination technique using salt wrapping)
• "Double boiling" refers to indirect heating preparation methods
• "Empty heart" means taking medication on an empty stomach
• These elixirs belong to ancient Daoist Waidan (external alchemy) practices - modern readers should not attempt preparation without professional guidance

Plain Interpretation of Several Formulas from the "Secret Arts of Penetrating the Mysteries":

1. Lower Origin Bone-Tonic Elixir

Indications: Soreness and weakness in the lower back and legs with difficulty walking. Effects become noticeable after three doses, with remarkable efficacy beyond description.

Formula: 2 liang each of Psoralea fruit, Paper Mulberry fruit, and Baikui herb; 2 liang of processed Aconite; 37 pieces of roasted Mantis egg-case; 2 liang each of Poria cocos and Cnidium seed; 2 liang of Schisandra berry.

Preparation: Grind all ingredients into powder, mix with honey to form mung bean-sized pills. Take 15-25 pills daily on empty stomach with wine.

Effects: Specifically treats kidney yang deficiency in men, strengthening tendons and bones, warming kidney yang, and enhancing Jing (essence) and Qi.

2. Imperial Immortal Elixir

Formula: 3 liang of deer antler velvet roasted with butter; 1 liang each of processed Aconite carmichaelii, processed mountain Aconite, fried Hyoscyamus seed, sulfur boiled until purple, Cnidium seed, realgar frost, fried leek seed, cinnamon heart, and "Northern Court mineral" (a mineral medicine); 1 liang of dragon bone.

Preparation: Grind all ingredients into paste, add 3-5 sliced sheep kidneys (fat removed), and form into firmiana seed-sized pills. Take 10 pills daily with wine on empty stomach. Pork kidneys may substitute sheep kidneys.

Effects: The medicinal potency becomes naturally perceptible after consumption.

3. Sheep Kidney Elixir

Formula: One set of white sheep kidneys (fat removed, sliced, dried and powdered); 1 liang white sparrow droppings; 1 liang stalactite powder (deer antler may substitute); 1 liang sulfur processed by "subdued fire" method (ordinary sulfur boiled in oil until purple may substitute).

Preparation: Grind all ingredients into fine powder, mix with millet rice to form firmiana seed-sized pills. Take 20 pills on empty stomach with cold pepper broth, followed by food after some time to moderate the effect.

Effects: Warms kidney yang and alleviates kidney-cold symptoms.

Note: The term "subdued fire" (fuhuo) refers to ancient alchemical processing methods to reduce toxicity or modify medicinal properties. Caution is advised - ingredients like Aconite and sulfur require professional processing for detoxification and are not recommended for self-preparation.

Several elixir formulas and their effects from the Esoteric Arts of Penetrating the Mysteries:

1. Summer-Repelling Elixir (Bishu Dan)

Ingredients: Orpiment (finely powdered), white halloysite (finely powdered), cinnabar (select the lustrous variety, ground and mixed with yellow clay before calcination), magnetite (impurities removed and powdered).

Preparation: Combine equal parts of all ingredients, then mix with refined white pine resin to form pills the size of small beans.

Dosage: Take 4 pills with warm water on an empty stomach, repeated 3-2 times consecutively.

Effects: A fifty-year-old who consumes this will regain the sinews, bones, and vitality of a twenty-year-old. Wearers feel no heat even in fur coats during summer. This formula was administered to Emperor Yizong of Tang with remarkable results, later verified by the Ministry of Honors official.

2. Cold-Resisting Elixir (Yuhan Dan)

Ingredients: Realgar, red halloysite (select the tongue-adhering variety), cinnabar (lustrous), dried ginger.

Preparation: Grind all four ingredients to flour-like fineness, blend with honey and white pine resin into pills the size of phoenix tree seeds.

Dosage: Take 4 pills daily with wine on an empty stomach for ten consecutive days.

Effects: Eliminates winter chill—no need for padded clothing, even allowing activity in icy water. This secret formula, transmitted by immortals, should be guarded reverently.

3. Fruit-Casting Elixir (Zhiguo Dan)

Ingredients: Calcified "Northern Court" mineral, 14 male sparrows (heads and feet removed, livers retained), 7 rooster livers, half-catty of white goat blood, bezoar, roasted white horse penis (powdered), lapis lazuli, ginseng, cinnamon bark, and over twenty other herbs.

Preparation: Pound all ingredients into fine powder, blend with ox tallow and honey, then mix thoroughly with the three primary ingredients through 3,000 pestle strikes to form mung bean-sized pills.

Dosage: For those under twenty, take daily on an empty stomach (exact dosage unspecified in the text).

Important Notes:

1. Some mineral ingredients in classical alchemy (waidan) may contain toxic elements.

2. The use of animal-derived materials must align with contemporary ethical standards.

3. Phrases like "transmitted by immortals" reflect standard Daoist textual conventions.

Plain Language Interpretation of the Tongxuan Secret Arts Prescriptions:

【Fruit-Tossing Pills】

Usage: Take five pills with wine (ten pills for those over thirty), effective within two days. Dosage may only be reduced, never increased. Avoid eating rice after ingestion. Primarily treats male weakness and stunted development—continuous use for thirty days shows results. Unmarried men should avoid this formula as it may cause frequent nocturnal emissions or erotic dreams, hence its name "Fruit-Tossing Pills."

Formula:

Deer antler powder, male silkworm moths (0.8 fen), processed actinolite (1 fen), aster root (0.8 fen), polygala root (0.8 fen), cinnamon bark (0.8 fen), roasted mantis egg-case (1 fen), astragalus root (0.8 fen), dodder seeds (1 fen), cistanche (0.8 fen), cnidium seeds (0.8 fen), wine-ground stalactite (1 fen). Pulverize all ingredients into powder.

【Deer Antler Powder】

Usage: Take five qian on an empty stomach with wine. Reduce dosage if experiencing heat sensations, increase if feeling cold. Treats male "five exhaustions and seven injuries" (various deficiency syndromes), strengthens bones/muscles/Qi-blood, boosts Yang and secures Jing. Effective against night sweats and seminal loss after one dose.

【Cold Decoction】

Formula:

Fennel (0.3 fen—roots in spring/summer, seeds in autumn/winter), polygala root (0.3 fen, core removed), processed aconite (two pieces), alisma rhizome (0.3 fen), dioscorea root (0.3 fen), cistanche (0.3 fen), roasted mantis egg-case (twenty pieces).

Preparation: Grind and sieve into powder, divided into two packets. Simmer one pair of deboned lamb kidneys sliced thin in 1.5 sheng (900ml) water until reduced to 5 ge (300ml). Strain and leave outdoors overnight. Take 1 ge (60ml) cold on an empty stomach daily. Four courses per season. Prevents epidemics and nourishes kidney Qi.

【Creation Dew Powder Secret Formula】

Material Selection: Five-needle pine pollen (called "pine yellow"), ideally from Taiyi Peak of Zhongnan Mountain or by Star Pond on Linghua Mountain, Nanyue. Legend says palace beauties of Qin and immortal Wei Shuqing attained transcendence using this.

Method:

1. Place 10 dan (600 jin) pine pollen in large pine vat

2. Soak in spring grass dew (wheat stalk dew preferred)

3. Add wild cliff white honey

4. Steep 20 days until pollen softens, then filter

5. Sun-dry in cypress basin to powder

(Note: Ancient measurements—1 fen ≈ 0.3g, 1 ge ≈ 60ml, 1 sheng ≈ 600ml, 1 dan ≈ 60 jin)

This scripture describes several secret medicinal powders and celestial wines used in Daoist cultivation practices. I will explain each section in detail:

First Medicinal Powder Preparation:

Wash the ingredients with dew water as if cooking porridge, then filter the liquid through cheesecloth into a ceramic vessel. Grind the remaining residue repeatedly until completely pulverized, following the same method used for making rice flour. After clarification, sun-dry the mixture and pound it into powder using a cypress mortar and pestle, then package it in paper bags (one liter per bag). This powder contains jade dust (powdered jade) which can be boiled and consumed with cheese, having a pleasant taste. It enhances physical vitality, prolongs life, eliminates wrinkles, and improves fertility. After one year of consumption, one can run as fast as a horse; after two years, one may attain the Dao and achieve immortality.

Refinement of the Second Powder:

Take one liter of the above powder, add three liters of white cow's milk, and simmer in a large silver pot until it forms a thin paste. Transfer to a large bronze vessel and steam using the "grass boat" method (similar to modern double-boiling), stirring continuously with Acanthopanax wood (a medicinal herb) until it thickens into an ointment. Sun-dry, pound, and sift the mixture. This powder can also be taken with sesame beverages, said to turn white hair black, improve eyesight, and reportedly enable 200-year-old women and 300-year-old men to conceive. Remarkable effects manifest within 100 days of consumption.

Celestial Wine (Xianling) Brewing:

Use a large ceramic urn with a capacity of 2 dan 8 sheng (ancient measurement units). Place 1 dan 5 sheng of medicinal sprout water in a basin. Steam 1 dan 5 sheng of glutinous rice, then mix with the aforementioned medicinal powder, along with 5 large dou each of dried peach and apricot blossoms. The firewood must be exclusively Acanthopanax or pine wood. After cooking, transfer the rice to a large basin and add 5 dou of flower-refined milk powder and 20 jin of roasted wheat flour, pounding them together. Then incorporate 3 dou of lotus seeds, 8 jin of poria cocos (a medicinal herb) powder, 2 dou of roasted sesame powder, and finally 2 dou of fresh rehmannia juice. Seal everything in the urn for 21 days. Upon opening, you'll find a translucent green liquor in the center, as beautiful as colored glaze.

Notes:

1. The "dan" and "dou" mentioned are ancient capacity measurements

2. "Acanthopanax wood" refers to the tree used for Eleutherococcus bark

3. These methods belong to Daoist Waidan (external alchemy) and dietary longevity practices. Ancient practitioners believed specially prepared medicines could extend life and even lead to immortality.

This scripture describes the preparation and ingestion method of an immortality elixir called "Ling":

Preparation Method:

The refined essence of medicinal herbs can confer longevity when ingested. The specific process involves pressing the remaining herbs to extract their juice, which is then divided into three porcelain urns. Add two shuo (an ancient unit of measurement) each of golden salt flowers and jade bean flowers, along with two shuo of glutinous rice, maintaining appropriate temperature control. Mix in three dou of yeast powder, seal for seven days until fermentation completes, then filter and store separately. The resulting fragrant elixir possesses miraculous efficacy when consumed.

Ingestion Ritual:

At cockcrow (before dawn), face east and lay out five-colored silks as the seat for the Supreme Mysterious Elder Lord (a Daoist deity). The practitioner should wear Daoist robes, holding bamboo tablets while standing in the western position facing the rising sun, visualizing the Jade Maidens of Heaven before them. Burn incense and pray: "I beseech the protection of the Celestial Venerable of the Great Dao. May the Divine King of Medicine Mountain and the Sea God of Sweet Dew bring crimson jade blossoms to enhance this elixir, that through its consumption I may prolong life, reverse aging, and benefit all beings." After the prayer, arrange seven bundles of white cogongrass into seven seats, each covered with seven chi of red silk and bearing seven silver cups containing nine ge of medicinal wine each.

Incantation and Ingestion:

Recite the spell: "Exquisite medicine of Supreme Purity, essence descended from Supreme Mystery, I now partake in sincerity, grant me eternal life." Then pour the elixir into a large five-zun vessel, consuming it in three portions.

Effects of Ingestion:

• First 10 days: Profuse sweating
• After 10 days: Sweating ceases, body becomes fragrant and smooth as crystal
• 60 days: Bones become translucent
• 70 days: The Dantian (lower abdominal energy center) radiates light
• 90 days: Complexion becomes rosy like peach blossoms
• 100 days: White hair turns black
• 6 months: An eighty-year-old regresses to thirty, gaining extraordinary strength
• 1 year: Attains communion with divine spirits
• 2 years: Qualifies as terrestrial immortal (lower rank celestial being)
• 3 years: Achieves ascension to full immortality

Precautions:

The elixir may be taken anytime, though dosage should be adjusted according to constitution. After consuming ten dan (volume measure), when marrow becomes renewed, immortality is achieved. This formula is supremely precious and must not be carelessly disclosed, lest it bring misfortune to seven generations of ancestors. It should only be transmitted to accomplished adepts like the immortal Yin Xi (disciple of Laozi). To summon celestial guardians, mix white dragon bone powder with crimson gold powder.

(Note: "Shuo," "dou," "ge," and "dan" are ancient measurement units whose exact volumes varied across historical periods)

This passage details the collection requirements and methods for preparing a special medicinal formula:

When taking this formula, there are no particular dietary restrictions, but one must maintain physical and mental purity during preparation, avoiding any contamination by meat or foul odors. The specific preparation methods are recorded in other volumes.

Key points for herb collection: After the si hour (9-11 AM) on the first day of the first lunar month, gather the new sprouts of various medicinal herbs (the term "hundred herb sprouts" refers to young shoots of multiple medicinal plants) from sunny slopes. If certain herbs lack sprouts, their roots may be used as substitutes.

The text meticulously lists 21 required herb sprouts with substitution options, each specifying quantities. For example:

• Coltsfoot sprouts: 5 dou (approximately 75 liters)
• Trichosanthes sprouts: 5 dou (if unavailable, use achyranthes root instead)
• Dwarf lilyturf sprouts: 5 dou
• Rehmannia sprouts: 1 shuo (about 120 liters)

Special substitution cases are noted, such as using asarum when moneywort sprouts are unavailable, or purple orchid sprouts as replacements for saposhnikovia sprouts.

The concluding instructions emphasize: Herb sprouts generally possess warm properties because spring's yang qi is flourishing, thus only premium quality materials should be selected. When gathering the hundred herb sprouts from sunny slopes, uproot them completely and use the fresh sprouts immediately.

(Note: The measurement units "dou" equals approximately 15 liters and "shuo" about 120 liters. Mentioned herbs like dwarf lilyturf and rehmannia are common in traditional Chinese medicine.)

This passage explains the methods and precautions for gathering medicinal sprouts:

To test the quality of medicinal sprouts on dry clods of earth: Drop the juice of the sprouts onto the clod. If the juice seeps into the soil without causing the clod to swell, such sprouts are of excellent quality and can be collected for use. If the juice causes the clod to crack or swell, such sprouts must be discarded as unusable.

If one has previously consumed Danru (a mineral-based elixir) or other mineral medicines containing gold or stone components, during collection one should gather more of the aforementioned high-quality sprouts and fewer ordinary herb sprouts.

(Note: The "medicinal sprouts" mentioned here likely refer to specific young plant shoots used in Daoist alchemy (Neidan) or medicine preparation. Ancient practitioners believed the reaction between the plant juice and soil could determine medicinal potency. Individuals with different constitutions or medication histories required varying ratios of medicinal ingredients.)