《孫真人備急千金要方》Vol. 21

Remedies for Disorders of the Seven Orifices · Facial Medicines, Ninth Section (Formulas for Facial Beauty)

Five-Fragrance Powder: Used to treat facial spots, pimples, dark marks, and other blemishes, as well as to improve a ruddy complexion and make the skin look fair, smooth, and lustrous.

The formula contains thirty-two ingredients: astragalus root, white poria, Solomon’s seal, wild ginger, sprouted soybeans, and pokeweed root (two liang each); angelica root, dahurian angelica root, white aconite, wax gourd seeds, wild ginger, white silkworms, magnolia flower buds, cyperus rhizome, cloves, Sichuan water flower, inula flowers, saposhnikovia root, magnolia bark, ligusticum rhizome, angelica dahurica, Chinese honeylocust pods, white animal glue, apricot kernels, asparagus root, earth-gourd root, atractylodes, plum flesh, ground cherries, and duckweed (three liang each); adzuki beans (four liang); and two pig pancreases, dried in the sun.

Grind the ingredients into a fine powder and sift it. Use the powder to wash the face. According to the original text, after fourteen days the complexion will become fair; continued use for a year will make one’s appearance seem remarkable.

Powder for Washing the Hands and Face to Make the Skin Fair and Smooth

Zaodou was an ancient powder used to cleanse the skin.

The formula contains nineteen ingredients: one sheng of white bean flour; three sheng of wheat flour, mixed with pig pancreas into cakes, dried in the sun, then crushed and sifted; four ge of wax gourd seeds; two pig pancreases, preferably large ones, finely chopped; white poria, dahurian angelica root, white dittany root, snake gourd seeds, atractylodes, white aconite, ampelopsis root, dodder seeds, earth-gourd root, notopterygium root, Solomon’s seal, peach kernels, apricot kernels, pokeweed root, and ligusticum rhizome (one liang each).

Pound the ingredients together and sift them. Add the flour and pig pancreas, mix well, then pound again until fine. Use daily to wash the hands and face with fermented rice water. The original text says the results are very good.

Another Formula

One sheng of adzuki bean flour; three liang of snake gourd fruit (omitted in some versions); five pig pancreases, finely chopped; earth-gourd root, white poria, and Solomon’s seal (five liang each); and three Chinese honeylocust pods.

Pound and sift the ingredients, mix them with pig pancreas, then pound until evenly blended. Each morning, take some to wash the hands and face. The original text says that using it for one hundred days will make the skin fair.

Another Formula

Take equal amounts of dahurian angelica root, ampelopsis root, atractylodes, peach kernels, wax gourd seeds, apricot kernels, and Solomon’s seal; use twice as much Chinese honeylocust pod.

Grind the eight ingredients above into a fine powder and pass it through a silk sieve. Use it when washing your hands and face.

Another formula

Soybean flour (three sheng; yellow soybean flour may also be used), dahurian angelica, green costus root, nard, lysimachia, and patchouli (two liang of each); winter mallow seeds (some say wax gourd seeds may also be used); and snakegourd seeds (four liang).

Pound and sift the eight ingredients above, then use them as usual.

A formula for a fair, clear, and supple complexion

Chinese peony root, atractylodes, white aconite, and dahurian angelica (two liang of each); three pig pancreases, soaked in water to remove the reddish liquid and then finely ground; and ligusticum root (three liang).

Grind the six ingredients above into a fine powder. First take half a sheng of turnip seeds. Mix half a sheng of wine with half a sheng of water, bring it to a boil several times, then grind the seeds into a paste. Mix the paste with the other ingredients, place everything in the wine and water, seal it in a ceramic vessel, and leave it for three days. Apply it to the face each evening, then wash it off in the morning with rice-washing water that has a fermented smell.

A formula for a fair, supple complexion and rosy color

Five pig pancreases, two liang of turnip seeds, five liang of snakegourd seeds, and three liang of peach kernels.

Mix the four ingredients above with wine, pound them until smooth, and apply to the face. Avoid wind and direct sunlight while using it.

Another formula

Pick the blossoms from three peach trees, dry them in the shade, and grind them into a fine powder. On an empty stomach, take one square-inch spoonful with wine three times a day for seven days. According to the original text, this can also make the waist slimmer.

Another formula

Soak peach blossoms in wine and drink it. The original text claims this improves the complexion and can treat various illnesses. Pick the peach blossoms on the third day of the third lunar month.

A bean-powder bath formula for dry, poorly moisturized hands

Five sheng of soybean flour; one dou of peeled red beans; one dou each of lysimachia seeds and alfalfa; six ge each of wax gourd seeds and blumea; five ge of cloves; one liang of musk; and five finely chopped pig pancreases.

Finely pound and sift the nine ingredients above, then mix them evenly with the pig pancreases. Dry the mixture in the sun, then pound and sift it again. Use it to wash the hands and face. In ancient times, bath powders were used to cleanse and moisturize the skin.

Another formula

Two sheng of soybean powder, passed through a silk sieve; five pig pancreases, dried in the sun; one liang of cockspur grass ash; two liang each of nard and lysimachia; four liang each of white poria, ligusticum root, and dahurian angelica; and five liang of white pokeweed root.

The original text ends here and does not include instructions for preparation or use.

Grind the nine ingredients above into a fine powder and mix them thoroughly with pig pancreas, which was commonly used in ancient times as a base for skin creams. Pound the mixture until smooth. When needed, take a small amount to wash your hands and face. Prepare it in the eighth or ninth month and store it in a cool place. Do not use it after three months. This formula is very effective.

A Facial Cream to Moisturize the Face and Give It a Youthful Appearance

Winter melon seeds, Dahurian angelica root, poke root, and Chuanxiong rhizome, three liang each; Chinese angelica root, Ligusticum root, miwu, and peeled earth-melon root, one liang each; Solomon’s seal, Asarum, and Saposhnikovia root, one and a half liang each; magnolia bark, magnolia flower buds, nard, musk, white silkworms, white aconite, gardenia flowers, and Lysimachia fragrance, half a liang each; three pig pancreases, split open and soaked in water for six days. When ready to use, rub the pig pancreas with wine and soak the herbs in the resulting juice.

Slice the twenty-one ingredients thinly, wrap them in cotton cloth, and soak them overnight in the pig-pancreas juice. At dawn, put the herbs into six sheng of boiled lard and simmer them over low heat, bringing the mixture to a boil and removing it from the heat three times. When the Dahurian angelica turns yellow, the cream is ready. Strain out the herbs, add the musk, and store the cream in a porcelain container. Apply it to the face as needed.

A Formula for Treating Cracked, Darkened Skin and Other Facial Problems

Cloves, Lysimachia fragrance, gardenia flowers, peach kernels, Chinese peony root bark, poria, earth-melon root, dodder seeds, Saposhnikovia root, agarwood, magnolia flower buds, Chinese angelica root, musk, Ligusticum root, poke root, and Chuanxiong rhizome, three liang each; Solomon’s seal (some versions read “Bletilla rhizome”) and patchouli (omitted in some versions), one liang each; Dahurian angelica root, nard, white silkworms, and magnolia bark, two and a half liang each; Shu water flower and green costus root, two liang each; winter melon seeds, four liang; sheep kidney fat and goose fat, one and a half liang each; one sheng of sheep marrow; three sheng of raw pork fat.

Roughly chop the twenty-nine ingredients. First, rub six pig pancreases with five sheng of good wine and use the resulting juice to soak the herbs overnight. Then put the herbs into the pork fat and simmer thoroughly over low heat, bringing the mixture to a boil and removing it from the heat three times. When the Dahurian angelica turns yellow, wrap one large liang of cotton in plain cloth and strain out the herbs. Add powdered musk and stir with a white wooden spatula until the cream sets. Use as needed. This formula is very effective.

A Facial Ointment to Dispel Wind-Cold, Smooth the Complexion, Slow Aging, and Reduce Wrinkles

Green costus root, white aconite, white wax…

Take two liang each of bai zhi, chuanxiong, lingling xiang, and xiang fu zi; one liang each of fu ling and gan song; and one sheng of sheep marrow, half of which has been refined.

Chop the ten ingredients and soak them overnight in half a sheng each of wine and water. The next day, boil the mixture, bringing it to a boil and cooling it three times in succession, until the wine and water have boiled away and the medicinal paste has formed. Strain out the herbs and apply the paste to the face as one would makeup. Facial blemishes and dark spots will also come away.

Jade Shavings Facial Paste: Used to treat a dull complexion and rough, dark skin. According to the prescription, prolonged use can make the skin fair and lustrous.

Take one liang each of finely ground jade shavings, tu gua root, bai fu zi, shang lu, chuanxiong, wei rui (yu zhu), winter melon seeds, peach kernels, bai zhi, magnolia, and xin yi; eighteen zhu each of tu si zi, qing mu xiang, gao ben, dang gui, huang qi, bai jiang can, huo xiang, and xi xin; half a liang each of musk and fang feng; one he each of ying shi bai and shu shui hua; three pig pancreases, finely chopped; and one sheng each of white dog fat, goose fat, bear fat, and pork lard.

First soak the pig, goose, dog, and bear fats in water, changing the water repeatedly until all the blood has been washed out. Chop the remaining medicinal ingredients and soak them overnight in one dou of clear wine. The next day, cut up the fats and add them to the herbs. Put everything into a copper pot and simmer over charcoal until evening. Strain through cotton cloth and store in a porcelain vessel. Tie a piece of bai zhi with a fine thread and place it in the paste to check its color: when the bai zhi turns yellow, the paste is ready. Knead the pig pancreas that was soaked in the medicinal wine to extract its juice, then pour the juice into the pot. Grind the jade shavings, shu shui hua, ying shi bai, and musk into a fine powder. Add them once the paste is ready and stir well. Apply to the face as needed.

Jade Shavings Facial Grease Prescription

Take one liang each of jade shavings, bai fu zi, white fu ling, qing mu xiang, wei rui, bai zhu, bai jiang can, mi tuo seng, gan song xiang, wu tou, shang lu, gypsum, huang qi, hu fen, shao yao, gao ben, fang feng, mang xiao, and white sandalwood; two liang each of dang gui, tu gua root, peach kernels, and chuanxiong; half a liang each of xin yi, peach blossoms, bai tou weng, lingling xiang, xi xin, and zhi mu; and one sheng of pork fat.

The source text ends here, listing only the ingredients for this prescription; it does not provide instructions for preparation or use.

One he (a traditional measure) each of sheep kidney fat, white dog fat, and goose fat.

Chop the thirty-three ingredients listed above and soak them overnight in a mixture of one sheng of wine and one sheng of water. Remove the herbs and place them in a copper vessel. Simmer over low heat until the water has evaporated. When the baizhi has turned yellow, strain out the dregs and let the mixture stand overnight. The next morning, stir it with a willow twig until the paste turns white; it is then ready to use.

Another formula is said to turn black hair white and make the elderly look young. Its ingredients are:

Jade fragments, hanshuishi (cold water stone), magnolia bark, xuanfuhua, coral, clove, tuguagen, shushuihua, white poria, qiongqiong (Sichuan lovage), dodder seed, magnolia flower, winter melon seed, baitouweng, Chinese angelica, gaoben, white silkworm, qingmuxiang, turnip seed, gardenia flower, xixin, weirui, poke root, baizhi, fangfeng, huangqi, peach kernel, huoxiang, qianhu, guixin, banxia, bailian, apricot kernel, miwu, mirabilite, duheng, musk, qinliu, yushi, qinpi, dumu, shengma, Sichuan pepper, huangda, and baiwei, six zhu each (a traditional unit of weight).

One liang of snake gourd seed kernel; five he each of bear fat, goose fat, sheep marrow, raw marrow, and white dog fat; one he of white hawk droppings; and one sheng each of clear wine and pork fat.

Pound the fifty-four ingredients listed above and soak them overnight in wine. Add the various fats and simmer them together. During cooking, bring the mixture to a boil and let it cool three times, until the smell of wine has dissipated and the paste is ready. Strain out the dregs, add powdered musk, and stir until the paste sets and changes color. Seal it in a porcelain vessel to keep its medicinal aroma from escaping.

How to prepare the fats

Before making facial ointment, one should first know how to prepare the fats. In the twelfth month of the year, buy the fattest pork fat available and soak it in water for seven or eight days, changing the water daily. Then render it to obtain clarified fat, and soak the clarified fat in water to refine it further. Prepare goose fat and bear fat in the same way.

Topical ointment for dark facial spots

One liang each of baizhi and white wax; half a liang each of baifuzi, magnolia flower, fangfeng, wutou, linglingxiang, huoxiang, and weirui; one liang of gaoben; six zhu each of poke root and musk; two he of sesame oil; five he of sheep fat; and one sheng each of beef fat and goose fat.

Slice the sixteen ingredients thinly, moisten them with vinegar, and soak them overnight. The next morning, combine them and simmer.

When the bai zhi turns yellow and the ointment is ready, wash the face with a decoction of honey locust pods, then apply the ointment. Use it three times a day for good results.

Another formula

Three eggs, one liang each of powdered hu fen and cloves.

Soak all three ingredients in one sheng of vinegar for seven days. Then take the egg whites and mix them with the fragrant powder, stirring well. Wash the face with jiang water (rice-washing water or rice rinse water), then apply the mixture.

Another formula

Six zhu each of alunite, sulfur, and bai fu zi. (The zhu was an ancient unit of weight.)

Grind all three ingredients into a fine powder and soak them in one cup of vinegar for three days and three nights. Wash the face, then apply the mixture. Avoid wind and sunlight, and take care of the skin diligently for twenty-one days; the skin will become as white as snow.

A formula for a fair complexion

Three liang of oyster shell and one liang of tu gua root.

Grind both ingredients into a fine powder, mix with white honey, and apply to the face. The complexion will become as white as jade. In the morning, wash it off with warm jiang water. Take care to avoid wind and direct sunlight.

A formula for washing the hands and face with pig’s trotter broth to make the skin smooth and supple

One pig’s trotter; three liang each of mulberry root bark, chuan xiong, yu zhu, bai zhi, and white fu ling; and two liang each of shang lu (some versions give “dang gui”) and bai zhu.

Chop all eight ingredients. Add three dou of water and boil together with the pig’s trotter until one dou of medicinal broth remains. Strain out the ingredients. Each time, take one cup of the broth while warm and wash the hands and face with it. It works well.

A formula using pig’s trotter gelatin to firm facial skin, remove old wrinkles, and give the skin a sheen

Take one large pig’s trotter and clean and prepare it as usual for cooking. Simmer it in a pot with two sheng of water and one sheng of clear jiang water until it forms a gelatinous liquid. Use this to wash the hands and face.

The gelatin may also be mixed with zao dou (an ancient cleansing powder used for bathing), applied to the face at night, and washed off with jiang water in the morning. It can firm the facial skin.

Deer Antler Powder: a formula that makes the face of a centenarian look as it did in youth and leaves the skin smooth and fair

One hand’s length of deer antler, three sheng of cow’s milk, three liang each of chuan xiong, xi xin, tian men dong, bai zhi, bai lian, bai fu zi, and su (milk fat), and five to seven almonds.

There are eleven ingredients in all. First soak the deer antler in water for one hundred days. Remove it, place it in the cow’s milk with the other ingredients, and simmer over low heat until the milk has boiled away. Take out the antler and put the remaining ingredients in a fine white silk bag; do not put them away. At night, take the antler, dip it in cow’s milk, and grind it on a stone. Apply it to the face, then wash it off with jiang water in the morning. If cow’s milk is unavailable, grind it with urine.

That is also possible.

Wash-off face powder for treating a dark, unclean complexion

Two sheng of white bean flour; three liang each of white aconite, fragrant nard, cloves, Dahurian angelica, white silkworms, white eagle droppings, white sandalwood, white atractylodes, costus root (another version uses Ligusticum root), Ligusticum, and baixianpi; thirty jujubes and thirty almonds; two liang of musk; twenty-one plums; three sheng of wheat flour; five he of winter melon seeds; three pig pancreases; seven egg whites; and one liang of turpinia root. Another version uses sweet melon seeds.

There are twenty-one ingredients in all. First, mix the pig pancreas with the wheat flour and dry the mixture in the sun. Then combine it with the other medicinal ingredients and pound everything into a fine powder. Separately, take two sheng of white bean flour and grind it into powder. Each morning, use some to wash your hands and face. It is said that after ten days the complexion will become as white as snow; after thirty days, the skin will be smooth and delicate like congealed fat, with striking results.

The Qianjin Yifang omits white silkworms, Ligusticum, white aconite, and jujubes, and adds three liang of cassia bark.

Lead Cinnabar Powder: a formula for lightening the complexion

Thirty zhu of lead cinnabar and sixty zhu of genuine nüwan.

Grind the two ingredients finely and sift them. Take with wine, one knife-tip measure at a time, using an ancient small medicinal spoon. Take it three times a day. Men should take it for ten days, women for twenty. Stop once an effect is seen. The original text says that the blackness will be discharged with the stool, leaving the complexion as white as snow.

White Poplar Bark Powder: a formula for fading dark patches on the face, hands, and feet and making the skin bright and fair

Eighteen zhu of white poplar bark (another formula uses tangerine peel), one liang of peach blossoms, and thirty zhu of white melon seed kernels.

Grind the three ingredients finely and sift them. Take with warm wine, one square-inch spoonful at a time, three times a day. To make the skin fairer, increase the melon seed kernels; to give the complexion a rosier hue, increase the peach blossoms. The original text says that after thirty days the face will become fair, and after fifty days the hands and feet will also become fair.

Formula for treating a darkened face, spots, and pimples

Twelve zhu of bai lian; raw arsenic stone (omitted in the Jiujifang); six zhu of white mineral clay; and three zhu of almonds.

Grind and mix the four ingredients, then blend them with egg white. Apply to the face before bed at night, and wash it off with well water in the morning. “Well-flower water” refers to water drawn from a well at dawn.

Formula for reducing facial spots and pimples and making the complexion fair and smooth

Use six he (a traditional measure) of Trichosanthes seeds, five he of halloysite clay, two he of sparrow droppings with the black portions removed, and musk. Pound and sift the first three ingredients separately. Grind the musk, sparrow droppings, and halloysite clay finely, then mix them together. Add the juice of fresh dodder shoots to the powder and blend until it has the consistency of thin mud. First wash away dirt and oil from the face with zao dou, an ancient cleansing powder, then apply the medicine to dark facial spots. Apply it three or four times throughout the day and night. At dawn, wash it off with warm fermented rice water.

Formula for treating dark facial spots and small black moles, and making the complexion fair

Take two liang of horse conch shell, and one liang each of white aconite, white eagle droppings, and coral. Grind the four ingredients into powder and mix them. Blend with human breast milk. Apply to the face every night, then wash off the next morning with warm fermented rice water.

Formula for removing dark spots and moles from the face

At night, first wash the face with warm fermented rice water. Rub the mole with a piece of raw cloth until it reddens and feels sore. Grind white sandalwood with water and apply the concentrated liquid to the mole. The next morning, wash it off with warm fermented rice water, then apply white eagle droppings to the affected area.

Formula for washing the face to remove dark spots and give the complexion a radiant, fair appearance

Take two pig pancreases, with the fat removed; four sheng of bean flour; half a sheng of winter melon seeds; five acacia pods; one liang each of asarum and atractylodes; two liang each of saposhnikovia, ampelopsis, and angelica dahurica; and three liang of poke root. Add one liang of Trichosanthes root to these ten ingredients. Pound them and sift through silk. Boil one large pig’s trotter until tender, then mix the broth with the powdered ingredients to make a cake. Dry it in the sun, then pound it into powder again and sift. Use the powder to wash the face. The original text says that with continued use for no more than a year, the complexion will become fair.

Peach-kernel cleansing powder: formula for moisturizing the complexion and removing dark spots

Take one liang each of peach kernels and turnip seeds, two sheng of pea flour, six he of atractylodes, and seven he of Trichosanthes root. Pound and sift the five ingredients together. Use vinegar and fermented rice water to wash the hands and face.

Peach-blossom pills: formula for treating dark facial spots and making the complexion fair and lustrous

Take two sheng of peach blossoms, and one liang each of cassia bark, monkshood, and licorice. Grind the four ingredients into powder and use white honey to form pills the size of mung beans. Take ten pills twice daily. The original text says that after ten days, one will “change form,” meaning that one’s appearance will change noticeably. Another version of the formula adds two liang each of white aconite, melon seeds, and apricot kernels, making seven ingredients in all.

Remedies for facial dark spots, taken internally and applied externally

Grind refined pine resin into a fine powder and swallow it with warm wine. Take three he (an ancient measure of volume) each time, three times a day. After taking three sheng, the condition will be completely cured.

A remedy for facial dark spots

Grind plum kernels into a fine powder, mix with egg white, and apply overnight. The dark spots will peel away.

Another remedy

Take two liang of licorice root and grind it into powder; two sheng of white sheep’s milk; and the pancreases of two sheep. Soak the pancreases in water, then extract the juice. Chop them finely, mix with the other two ingredients, and leave overnight.

First wash the face with sour wash, an acidic cleansing liquid used in ancient times, then rub it with coarse cloth. Apply the medicine twice at night. The next morning, wash it off with pork trotter broth. Repeat this washing and application every night.

Another remedy

Grind white aconite into a fine powder, mix it with wine, and apply it to the face. The dark spots will peel away.

Another remedy

Take equal parts cinnamon bark, honey, and mineral salt. Grind them into a fine powder and mix together.

Another remedy

Grind high-quality cinnabar to a powder-fine consistency, mix it with white honey, and apply it to the face. Wash it off in the morning with sour wash. It works very well.

Another remedy

Take one liang each of white aconite, cyperus rhizome, white sandalwood, make, and red sandalwood. Grind the five ingredients into a fine powder and mix with white honey to form pills the size of almonds. Leave them to dry in a cool place. To use, grind a pill with water and apply it to the face; wash it off in the morning with warm water. Avoid wind and oily foods for seven days. Afterward, the complexion will be like a lotus flower.

Another remedy

Mix cinnabar powder with water and swallow one fangcunbi (an ancient spoon measure for powdered medicines) each time. Men should take it for seven days and women for fourteen days. The complexion will become as white as snow.

A remedy for facial dark spots, a dark complexion, rough and thickened skin, and an unattractive appearance

Grind the shinbones of a guyang (a male sheep) into a fine powder, mix with egg white, and apply it to the face. In the morning, wash the face with clean millet-rinsing water. After three days, the complexion will become as white as snow.

Another remedy

Mix white honey with poria powder and apply it to the face. It will be cured in seven days.

Another remedy

Soak almonds in wine. Once their skins have loosened, pound them and place them in a silk bag. At night, use the liquid to wipe the face.

Another remedy

Soak three eggs in wine, seal them for twenty-eight days, then take them out and apply them to the face. The complexion will become as white as snow.

Another remedy

Grind almonds into a fine powder and mix with egg white. Apply it to the face at night, then wash it off in the morning with rice-rinsing water.

A remedy for numerous facial dark spots that make the skin rough and dry, to preserve a youthful appearance

Take three liang each of cinnabar and realgar, half a liang of mercuric chloride, one sheng of yellow eagle droppings, and two liang of high-quality lead white. The original text ends here; the prescription is incomplete.

Grind the five ingredients above together into a fine powder and mix with face cream. After washing your face at night, apply it and massage gently with your hands until your face feels warm. In the morning, groom yourself as usual. Wash your face every five days, applying the mixture each time, for no more than three applications in a row. It will remove all kinds of blemishes from the face and make the skin appear twice as soft and delicate. Avoid using it on windy days. This is a secret formula; do not share it.

A formula for treating dark spots on the face, making the skin moist and radiant, and improving cracked hands

Two pig’s trotters, prepared as usual for cooking; one sheng of white sorghum rice, washed.

Add five dou of water to these two ingredients and boil them together until the trotters are tender. Take three dou of the clear broth and use it to decoct the next group of medicinal ingredients.

Five liang each of white poria and shanglu; three liang of fragrant Solomon’s seal; two liang each of angelica dahurica and ligusticum.

Cut up the five ingredients above, add them to the three dou of broth, then add one sheng of ground almonds. Boil together until the liquid is reduced to one and a half dou, then strain out the herbs. Pour the liquid into a porcelain bottle, add one liang each of ground nard and ground spikenard, and stir well. Cover with cotton cloth. Each night, apply it to the hands and face.

A powder formula for treating dark spots, wrinkles, and chapping on the face

Two liang each of white aconite, mithridate, oyster shell, poria, and ligusticum.

Grind the five ingredients above into a fine powder and mix with goat’s milk from a male goat. Apply it to the face at night and massage with your hands; in the morning, wash it off with fermented rice-water. After five or six uses, the outer layer of skin will peel away and the dark spots will fade.

A formula for treating dark spots on the face

Twelve zhu each of agarwood, bezoar, frankincense, orpiment, eagle droppings, cloves, and powdered jade; six zhu of mercury.

Grind the eight ingredients above into a fine powder, mix with honey, and apply to the affected area.

White Melon Seed Pills: A formula for treating dark spots and lightening the complexion

Two liang of white melon seeds; one liang each of polygala, ligusticum, duheng, powdered mica, plantain seeds, angelica dahurica, and Chinese angelica; half a liang each of asarum, biota seeds, snake gourd seeds, dried tangerine peel, white halloysite, and red lead; three liang of asparagus root.

Grind the fifteen ingredients above into a fine powder, mix with honey, and form pills the size of parasol tree seeds. Take twenty pills on an empty stomach, three times a day.

A formula for treating acne-like blemishes and dark spots

Twelve zhu of white ampelopsis root; six zhu of white halloysite.

Crush the two ingredients mentioned earlier and sift them finely. Mix them with egg white. Before going to bed at night, apply the mixture to the face; in the morning, wash it off with well-flower water (water freshly drawn from a well at dawn).

A Formula for a Clear, Fair Complexion

This formula is said to remove pimples, dark spots, wrinkles, blisters, and fine facial hair, leaving the face lustrous and smooth, as if one were fourteen or fifteen years old.

Astragalus root, largehead atractylodes rhizome, Chinese swallowwort root, fragrant Solomon’s seal rhizome, snakegourd root, pokeweed root, Sichuan water flower, white eagle droppings (one liang), saposhnikovia root (one and a half liang), angelica dahurica root, asarum, green costus root, chuanxiong rhizome, and apricot kernels (two liang each).

Grind all fifteen ingredients into a fine powder, mix with egg white, and shape into strips. Leave them to dry in a cool place. Then grind a small amount on a stone into a paste and apply it to the face with rice-washing water. Use it at night and wash it off with water in the morning. The results are said to be better if the mixture is sifted through fine silk to make a powder.

A Formula for Treating Facial Pimples

Fry alum, mix it with clear wine, and apply it to the affected area, no more than three times.

Another formula: Crush fresh dodder shoots to extract their juice, then apply it to the affected area, no more than three times.

A Formula for Treating Blistering Sores on Young People’s Faces

Lead powder, half a liang; mercury, one liang. Another version also includes pearls.

Mix the two ingredients with pork fat from the twelfth lunar month and grind thoroughly until the mercury has dispersed. Apply it to the face in the evening. In the morning, wipe it off with a cloth; under no circumstances wash it off with water. Apply it again in the evening, for no more than three applications. It is said to cure the condition.

White Ointment: A Formula for Treating Facial Pimples, Scabies, Abscesses, and Malignant Sores

Fifteen aconite tubers, one sheng of Sichuan pepper, and one chi of wild-kudzu vine.

Cut the three ingredients into pieces and soak them overnight in vinegar. Add one jin of pork fat and boil until the aconite turns yellow. Strain out the herbs and apply the ointment to the affected area three times a day.

A Formula for Treating Facial Pimples

One sheng of cormorant droppings, ground into powder and mixed evenly with pork fat from the twelfth lunar month. Apply it to the face at night.

A Formula for Treating Facial Pimples

Soak one jin of magnolia bark in vinegar that has aged for three years, making sure it is fully submerged. After one hundred days, remove it and dry it in the sun, then grind it into powder. Take it with warm wine, one square-inch spoonful at a time, three times a day.

A Formula for Treating Facial Pimples

Two sheng of pure wine, one gallbladder from a cow, and one gallbladder from a black ram.

Boil all three ingredients together three to five times, then apply the liquid to the affected area.

Another formula:

Two liang each of qining and cinnamon bark, ground into powder and taken with vinegar mash, one square-inch spoonful at a time, once a day. This formula is also used to treat dark spots, fade scars, and remove black moles.

Another formula:

Winter-mallow seeds, arborvitae seeds, winter-melon seeds…

The source text ends here, and the rest of the formula is missing.

The formulas above are recorded in an ancient medical text and include toxic substances such as mercury, aconite, and wild-kudzu vine. They should not be prepared or used based on these instructions.

Poria cocos (in the same amount as each of the medicines listed above)

Grind the four ingredients above into a fine powder. After meals, take one square-inch spoonful with wine, three times a day. This is used to treat severe facial acne.

Another formula:

Three jin of fresh Rehmannia root and ten jin of goji root.

First pound the goji root, then pound the Rehmannia root. Dry them in the sun, mix them together, and sift. Take one square-inch spoonful with wine on an empty stomach, three times a day. With long-term use, the complexion will become like a child’s. This is a secret formula.

Gardenia Pill: a formula for treating rosacea and acne on the nose.

Three sheng each of gardenia seeds and fermented soybeans; six liang of rhubarb; half a liang of magnolia bark; four liang each of Chuanxiong and licorice.

Grind the six ingredients into a fine powder, then mix with honey and form pills the size of parasol tree seeds. Begin by taking ten pills three times a day, gradually increasing to fifteen pills per dose.

A formula for treating acne on the nose:

One sheng each of tribulus fruit, gardenia seeds, and fermented soybeans; half a jin of magnolia bark (one other edition omits this ingredient).

Grind the four ingredients into a fine powder and mix with vinegar whey to make a paste. Apply it to the affected area at night. Wash it off with warm water before sunrise. It can also fade scars.

A formula for treating wind toxin of the face:

Two liang each of jade powder, litharge, and coral; three liang of white aconite.

Grind the four ingredients into a fine powder and mix with clarified butter. Apply it at night and wash it off in the morning. It can also remove scars.

A formula for treating severe sores caused by heat toxin on the face:

Equal amounts of lead powder (stir-fried), phellodendron bark (baked), and coptis.

Grind the three ingredients into a fine powder and apply it to the affected area. Stop using it once the sores have healed. If the sores become dry, mix the powder with facial cream and apply it three times a day.

A formula for removing scars:

Take three jin of pork fat and use it to feed a black chicken, letting the chicken eat it all within three days. Then collect the chicken’s white droppings, add one liang each of angelica dahurica and Chinese angelica, and cook until the angelica dahurica turns yellow. Strain out the herbs, then add half a liang of white eagle droppings and mix well. Apply three times a day.

Another formula: Take equal amounts of Limonite and pinellia, grind them into a fine powder, and mix with egg yolk. First rub the scar with a new cloth until the skin turns red, then apply the medicine. Keep the affected area away from wind and sunlight. It may heal in twenty days and can remove even scars that are ten years old.

Another formula: Mix human essence (usually meaning semen here) with white eagle droppings and apply twice a day; it may also be mixed with white honey. It can remove scars whether they are recent or old.

Another formula:

Half a liang each of white aconite, Durotropis, and asarum.

One liang of xinyi (magnolia flower buds) and one ge of white eagle droppings.

Grind the ingredients into powder, mix into a preparation, and apply it to the affected area. This can also make scars fade.

A formula for treating raised scars

One liang of white eagle droppings and fourteen clothing moths, also called booklice, small insects commonly found among clothes and books.

Grind the two ingredients into powder, mix with honey, and apply it to the affected area three to five times a day. This is said to work well.

Another formula

Two liang of white eagle droppings and one and a half liang of white silkworms stiffened by disease.

Grind the two ingredients into powder, mix with white honey, and apply it to the affected area three times a day. Carefully avoid spicy foods and raw vegetables.

Another formula

In spring and summer, use finely ground barley flour that has been dry-fried; in autumn and winter, use finely ground wheat flour that has been dry-fried. Sift it through fine silk, then mix it with butter and apply it to the affected area.

Another formula

In the twelfth lunar month, take four sheng of pork fat and simmer a large rat in it until the rat has completely dissolved. Rub the scar with plain cloth until the skin turns red, then apply the medicated fat. Four or five applications should suffice.

Another formula

Press a hot roof tile against the scar.

Another formula

Press a piece of ice against the scar.

A formula for treating tattoos on the body or face

Use a needle to prick the tattooed area, then mix red earth powder with vinegar and apply a thin layer. When it dries, replace the dressing. Continue until the tattoo darkens and fades, then stop.

Another formula

Apply the feces of an infant less than a month old to the affected area. After a month, the tattoo will disappear.

—Sun Simiao’s Essential Prescriptions for Emergencies Worth a Thousand Gold Pieces, juan 21

The opening of the source text lists only two ingredients, xinyi and white eagle droppings, but says “the five ingredients above.” Other ingredients may have been omitted when the passage was excerpted.