《孫真人備急千金要方》Vol. 60

Sun Simiao’s Essential Prescriptions Worth a Thousand in Gold for Emergencies, Scroll 60

Supplementing the Kidneys, Chapter Eight (Discussion, Prescriptions, and Moxibustion)

The discussion says that restorative prescriptions can be used to treat deficiency disorders known as the “five fatigues, six extremes, and seven injuries.” The “five fatigues” are injuries to the five Zang organs: first, fatigue of the will; second, fatigue from excessive thought; third, fatigue from worry; fourth, fatigue of the heart; and fifth, physical fatigue. The “six extremes” are injuries to the six Fu organs: first, extreme depletion of Qi; second, extreme depletion of blood; third, extreme depletion of the sinews; fourth, extreme depletion of the bones; fifth, extreme depletion of the marrow; and sixth, extreme depletion of essence. The “seven injuries” refer to seven signs of damage within and outside the body: first, injury to the liver, which often causes dreaming; second, injury to the heart, which makes one prone to forgetfulness; third, injury to the spleen, which makes one prone to excessive drinking; fourth, injury to the lungs, which makes one prone to weakness and wasting; fifth, injury to the kidneys, which makes one prone to spitting saliva; sixth, injury to the bones, which makes one prone to hunger; and seventh, injury to the vessels, which makes one prone to coughing.

Excessive far-reaching thought and overexertion of the mind both harm the person. Worry, anger, and grief are harmful; so is excessive joy. Anger that is difficult to calm is harmful, as is an urgent pursuit of one’s desires. Worrying about what ails one is also harmful, as are failure to regulate changes between cold and heat. These are therefore called the “five fatigues, six extremes, and seven injuries.” There are many kinds of damage; only one or two are briefly mentioned here. All the prescriptions in this chapter can be used to treat these disorders.

Jianzhong Decoction

Jianzhong Decoction is used to treat the five fatigues and seven injuries, as well as cramping pain in the lower abdomen, weakness and distention of the bladder, cold hands and feet, frequent acid regurgitation after meals, abundant phlegm with retching, diarrhea, shortness of breath, dizziness and blurred vision, deafness, dry mouth, and frequent urination.

Ingredients: half a jin of maltose; three liang each of astragalus root, dried ginger, and Chinese angelica; two liang each of ginseng, pinellia, tangerine peel, peony, and licorice; one liang of aconite; and fifteen jujubes.

Cut the eleven ingredients into pieces, add one dou of water, and decoct until three and a half sheng of liquid remain. Add the maltose after decocting and stir until it dissolves, then bring the mixture to a boil. Take in four portions. The prescription in the Shen Shi formula adds six liang of cassia bark and one jin of fresh ginger, and omits tangerine peel.

Dried Ginger Formula

Another formula is used to treat bodily weakness, shortness of breath, abdominal distention, cramping in the abdomen that pulls down to the lower abdomen and causes coldness, inability to bend or stretch the body, inability to eat, alternating chills and fever, headache, cold hands and feet, and difficulty passing urine or stool. At times there may also be diarrhea, dry mouth, nocturnal emissions during dreams, or frequent vomiting.

A formula for a sallow, drawn complexion, some swelling, and aching joints throughout the body

Take one liang each of aconite and magnolia bark; two liang each of ginseng, licorice, cinnamon bark, Chinese angelica, poria, ophiopogon, astragalus, and dragon bone; four liang of peony root; five liang of fresh ginger; eight liang of maltose; one jin of fresh Rehmannia root; and thirty jujubes.

Cut the fifteen ingredients into pieces. Boil them in one dou and two sheng of water until four sheng remain, then strain out the herbs and add the maltose. Take eight he per dose, three times during the day and once at night. If there is a cough, double the amount of fresh ginger.

A formula for treating the Five Taxations and Seven Injuries, with bodily weakness and wasting

This formula is used for weakness and wasting, a dark complexion and dark skin around the eyes, and pain in the hands and feet. Standing for a long time brings on lower back pain; rising causes blurred vision and dizziness. There may also be a gripping, suspended feeling in the abdomen, along with injury-related pain that extends into the limbs.

Take five liang each of fresh ginger, dried peony root, Rehmannia root, licorice, and chuanxiong, plus thirty jujubes.

Cut the six ingredients into pieces and soak them overnight in six sheng of water. The next morning, add another five sheng of water and boil everything until three sheng remain. Divide into three doses. If, after taking the medicine, you feel its effects reaching the limbs and the body feels as though you are drunk, the treatment is working. If fresh ginger is unavailable, soak two liang of dried ginger in wine overnight and use it instead. This formula works very well when used regularly.

Major Construct the Middle Decoction

This formula is used for deficiency taxation and bodily weakness, when cold and retained fluids collect below the ribs. There may be gurgling in the abdomen; after drinking water, it can feel as though the water flows down one side, accompanied by gurgling in the abdomen. Other symptoms may include abdominal swelling and distention with pulling sensations, pain along the inner sides of the breasts, abdominal cramping, frequent dreams and nocturnal emission, shortness of breath, a dazed gaze, and forgetfulness.

Take two he of Sichuan pepper, one sheng of pinellia, one jin of fresh ginger, two liang of licorice, three liang of ginseng, and eight liang of maltose.

Cut the six ingredients into pieces and boil them in one dou of water until three sheng remain. Strain out the herbs and add the maltose. Take warm, seven he per dose. If there is abdominal cramping and pulling pain, add three liang each of peony root and cinnamon bark. If the hands and feet are cold and the lower back and back feel chilled, add one aconite. If weakness is due to overexertion, add one liang of astragalus.

Another formula: for treating the Five Taxations and Seven Injuries, lower abdominal cramping, fullness below the navel, distention in both sides…

There is pulling pain in the lower back and spine, dryness of the nose and mouth, dim vision, mental confusion and low spirits; the breath in the chest is rapid and rises upward, and there is no appetite. There is a faint pain in the penis, the urine is yellow, and dribbling continues after urination. In dreams, one consorts with ghosts and spirits and has nocturnal emissions; one is easily frightened, and the body feels weak and fatigued.

Formula

Malt sugar (half a jin), astragalus root, polygala root, and Chinese angelica root (omitted in Qianjin Yifang), and alisma rhizome (three liang each); peony root, ginseng, dragon bone, and licorice root (two liang each); fresh ginger (eight liang); and jujubes (twenty).

Cut the eleven ingredients into pieces. Boil them in one dou of water until two and a half sheng of decoction remain. Once the decoction is ready, add the malt sugar and let it dissolve. Take eight he of the preparation per dose, and take another dose according to the body’s response.

The Shenshi Fang contains no malt sugar, polygala root, alisma rhizome, or dragon bone. Instead, it uses six liang of cassia bark, one sheng of pinellia tuber, and one aconite.

Minor Construct the Center Decoction

When men or women become debilitated through prolonged overwork, or fail to recover their usual health after a serious illness, they often feel heaviness in the limbs, aching in the bones and flesh, shortness of breath, and fatigue; exertion may leave them gasping. They may also experience cramping in the lower abdomen, stiffness and pain in the lower back and spine, a hollow feeling and palpitations in the chest, dryness of the throat and lips, pallor in the face and body, loss of appetite, weakness in Yin and Yang, sadness and worry, and a tendency to lie down and seldom rise. Longstanding illness may persist for years without recovery; even milder cases may last a hundred days, with the body gradually wasting away. If the Qi of the Five Viscera is depleted, recovery is difficult. The treatment formula is as follows.

Licorice root (two liang); cassia bark and fresh ginger (three liang each); peony root (six liang); malt syrup (one sheng); and jujubes (twelve).

Cut the six ingredients into pieces. Boil them in nine sheng of water until three sheng remain, then strain out the herbs and add the malt syrup, letting it dissolve. Take one sheng per dose, three times a day. After three days of taking the medicine, prepare another dose in the same way. Afterward, various pills and powders may be taken.

The Treatise on Cold Damage says that people who vomit frequently should not take this formula. The Zhouhou Fang says it is better to add two liang each of astragalus root and ginseng. If there is excessive phlegm with chest oppression, or loose stools, the malt syrup may be omitted. The Huoqia Fang gives a different version, with eight liang of pinellia tuber and three liang of astragalus root. The Gujin Luoyan calls this formula “Peony Decoction.”

Front-Hu Construct the Center Decoction

This formula treats excessive overwork and physical debility accompanied by alternating chills and fever, vomiting with rebellious Qi, deficient heat in the lower burner, dark yellow and painful urination, and externally contracted heat that disturbs the head and eyes, along with pain in the bones and flesh and dry mouth. The formula is as follows.

Three liang of qianhu; two liang each of huangqi, peony root, angelica root, poria, and cinnamon twig; one liang of licorice root; eight liang of fresh ginger; six liang of white sugar; and six fen each of ginseng and pinellia.

Chop the eleven ingredients. Boil them in one dou and two sheng of water until four sheng of liquid remain. Strain out the dregs, add the white sugar, and divide into four doses.

Huangqi Jianzhong Decoction: Treats taxation fatigue, cramping and tightness in the abdomen, and various forms of deficiency and weakness.

Three liang each of huangqi, fresh ginger, and cinnamon twig; two liang of licorice root; six liang of peony root; twelve jujubes; and one sheng of maltose.

Chop the seven ingredients. Boil them in one dou of water until three sheng of liquid remain. Strain out the dregs and stir in the maltose until it dissolves. Take warm, one sheng per dose, three times a day. If the decoction tends to cause vomiting, double the amount of fresh ginger. If there is abdominal distension, omit the jujubes and add four liang of poria; this works better. (This formula appears in the works of Zhongjing and in the Collection of Tested Formulas.)

The Collected Proven Formulas from Past and Present and the Master Shen give the same account. The Master Shen says that this formula treats taxation fatigue, abdominal distension, poor appetite, and frequent urination. In that version, maltose is omitted and two liang of ginseng and one sheng of pinellia are added. It is also used for extreme weakness, cramping and tightness in the lower abdomen, exhaustion with chills, pain that pulls toward the navel, Qi surging up into the chest, shortness of breath, confused speech, inability to eat, rapid breathing, and Qi deficiency with oppression in the chest. The Formula of Proven Efficacy says it is used for taxation fatigue, deficiency and cold in the lower burner, little thirst, and frequent urination; two liang each of ginseng and angelica root are added. If there is seminal emission, add one liang each of dragon bone and baiji. The Collected Proven Formulas from Past and Present says it is used for taxation fatigue, cramping and tightness in the abdomen, acute pain in the lower abdomen, Qi pulling toward the chest and ribs with pain, or heart pain and shortness of breath. In that version, dried ginger replaces fresh ginger, and four liang of angelica root are added.

Huangqi Decoction: Treats deficiency and exhaustion, vexing pain in the limbs, poor appetite, abdominal distension after eating, and sweating.

Three liang each of huangqi, ophiopogon, peony root, and cinnamon twig; two liang each of licorice root, angelica root, schisandra, asarum, and ginseng; twenty jujubes; six liang of qianhu; four liang of poria; and eight liang each of fresh ginger and pinellia. The text here lists only the ingredients and their amounts; it does not give instructions for decocting or taking the formula.

Take the fourteen ingredients and chop them coarsely. Boil them in one dou and four sheng of water until three sheng of liquid remain. Take eight he per dose, twice a day.

The formula recorded in the Shenshi Fang is used for weakness and fatigue, heaviness in the limbs, dry mouth, shortness of breath, and low Qi. Omit maidong (Ophiopogon), wuweizi (Schisandra fruit), xixin (Asarum), and qianhu (Peucedanum root), and add twenty sangpiaoxiao (mantis egg cases). This version is suited to men weakened by chronic illness who have been exposed to wind and cold and are gradually wasting away, or who have overexerted themselves too soon after a serious illness, leading to stiffness in the lower back and spine and painful, weak legs and feet. It may also be used to nourish the body when it is depleted.

The formula recorded in the Xiaopin Fang is used for chronic weakness with low Qi and excessive urination. Omit wuweizi, xixin, renshen (ginseng), qianhu, fuling (Poria), and banxia (Pinellia), and add one liang of huangqin (Scutellaria root) and two liang of dihuang (rehmannia root). Boil in nine sheng of water until three sheng remain.

This formula is also used for chronic weakness accompanied by cold Qi in the chest; accumulations and blockage in the chest and abdomen; undigested food retained from earlier meals; vomiting or belching; and fluid accumulation between the ribs. Other possible symptoms include fluid retention in the body, rumbling intestines, failure to gain muscle despite eating, headache, a heavy head and unsteady legs, blurred or confused vision, intermittent agitation and heat that prevent sleep, tightness in the lower abdomen, reddish urine or difficulty fully emptying the bladder, inability to achieve an erection during intercourse, dampness in the genital area, or cloudy white urine.

Some transmitted editions say that, to treat these conditions, maidong, wuweizi, xixin, danggui (Chinese angelica), qianhu, fuling, and banxia should be omitted and two liang of houpo (magnolia bark) added. The formula in the Hu Qia Fang for internal injury to the five zang organs omits maidong, wuweizi, danggui, xixin, qianhu, and fuling, and is called “Major Huangqi Decoction.” The formula recorded in the Yannian Milu is used to nourish what is depleted and strengthen Kidney Qi. It omits maidong, wuweizi, xixin, and qianhu, and adds three liang each of fangfeng (Saposhnikovia root) and qiongqiong (Ligusticum rhizome).

Le Ling Huangqi Decoction: Used for chronic weakness with low Qi; coldness in the chest and pit of the stomach; occasional palpitations and a pounding heart; cold hands and feet; frequent spontaneous sweating; depletion of the five zang and six fu organs; rumbling intestines; wind-damp; and disharmony between nutritive Qi and defensive Qi. It is also used to nourish the body in various states of depletion and to treat stiffness caused by pathogenic wind.

Ingredients: two liang each of huangqi (Astragalus root), renshen, chenpi (aged tangerine peel), danggui, guixin (cinnamon bark), xixin, qianhu, shaoyao (peony root), gancao (licorice root), maidong, and fuling; and five liang of fresh ginger.

Here, “fǔjǔ” means to chop the ingredients coarsely. “Sheng,” “he,” and “liang” are ancient units of measure.

Two and a half liang of Pinellia and twenty jujubes.

Chop the fourteen ingredients listed above. Boil them in two dou of water and reduce the liquid to four sheng. Take five ge at a time, three times during the day and once at night.

The formula recorded in the Shen Shi Fang contains no tangerine peel, asarum, hogfennel root, licorice, or dwarf lilyturf root; instead, it includes three liang of aconite. Sichuan pepper and polygala root are added, two liang of each. The Hu Qia Fang and the Cui Shi Fang both include Sichuan pepper. The Cui Shi Fang uses one liang of it and also adds five aconite roots. The Cui Shi Fang calls this formula “Le Ling’s Astragalus Decoction.”

Kidney-Liquor Decoction: Used to treat patterns of debility and deficiency, including emaciation and weakness, coughing with rebellious Qi, shortness of breath, vexing heat and pain in the limbs, pain pulling through the lower back and spine, tinnitus, a darkened complexion, heat between the bones, reddish-yellow urine, palpitations, and dizziness.

One sheep kidney, one liang of cinnamon bark, and two liang each of ginseng, alisma, schisandra, licorice, Saposhnikovia root, Sichuan lovage rhizome, lycium bark, astragalus, and Chinese angelica; four liang each of poria, scrophularia, peony, and fresh ginger; and five liang of magnetite.

Chop the sixteen ingredients listed above. First boil the sheep kidney in one dou and five sheng of water, reducing the liquid to one dou. Remove the kidney, add the remaining ingredients, and boil until three sheng of liquid remain. Divide into three doses. It may be taken for an extended period.

The formula recorded in the Guang Ji Fang is used to treat various disorders of debility. It omits ginseng, licorice, Sichuan lovage rhizome, Chinese angelica, peony, fresh ginger, and scrophularia, and adds three liang of cistanche and two liang each of Chinese teasel root and Siberian ginseng bark.

The formula recorded in the Hu Qia Fang is used to treat severe deficiency and debility, waking in fright from dreams, palpitations, Qi surging upward, rapid breathing, wind-damp affecting the kidneys, tightness in the lower abdomen with pain pulling through the lower back and spine, persistent coldness in the limbs, difficulty or ease in urination and bowel movements with reddish or whitish discharge, slight swelling of the feet, a clouded mind, and a tendency to forgetfulness. It omits alisma, Saposhnikovia root, astragalus, scrophularia, magnetite, and lycium bark, and adds one liang of baical skullcap root, three liang each of dwarf lilyturf root, dried rehmannia root, and polygala root, and twenty jujubes.

The Cui Shi Fang formula is used to nourish and replenish damage caused by kidney deficiency and debility. It omits Sichuan lovage rhizome, scrophularia, magnetite, and lycium bark, and adds two liang each of baical skullcap root and polygala root, three liang of dried rehmannia root, four liang of dwarf lilyturf root, and twenty jujubes. This formula treats the Five Taxations, Six Extremes, Eight Winds, and Twelve Obstructions, and replenishes various forms of deficiency and damage. Another account says that the formula omits alisma and licorice; the text that follows is incomplete in the original.

The preceding fragment lists several groups of prescriptions. The first group includes identifiable ingredients such as schisandra fruit, saposhnikovia root, peony, fresh ginger, Scrophularia root, Lycium root bark, aconite, moutan bark, dried Rehmannia root, Vitex fruit, sweet flag, and mantis egg-case. Some ingredient names and dosages cannot be determined because the original text is incomplete.

A prescription recorded in the Jingxin lu is used to treat deficiency of Kidney Qi and deafness. It contains schisandra fruit, saposhnikovia root, astragalus root, peony, fresh ginger, Scrophularia root, Lycium root bark, moutan bark, Vitex fruit, dried Rehmannia root, and jujube. The text also includes the words “without Alisma and licorice,” but because the passage is damaged, it is difficult to know exactly which ingredients are to be omitted.

The Jinxiao fang’s lamb-kidney soup is said to dispel Wind, regulate the flow of Qi, strengthen the lower back and legs, improve hearing and eyesight, eliminate phlegm and fluid retention, and harmonize the nutritive and defensive functions (the body’s internal and external protective and regulatory functions, in Chinese medicine). It is also said to protect people from seasonal illnesses and various forms of pathogenic Wind. The ingredients include angelica root, peony, magnetite, pubescent angelica root, achyranthes root, ophiopogon root, and red sage root, among others. They are coarsely ground and divided into twenty-four portions. For each dose, take one portion, add one part fresh ginger and fourteen apricot kernels, and decoct in three sheng of water until reduced to one sheng, then take.

Another prescription calls for one lamb kidney, split open and trimmed of fat. Boil it in one dou and six sheng of water, then strain off one dou and three sheng of liquid. Add twenty jujubes; six liang of mulberry root bark; and three liang each of schisandra fruit, astragalus root, cistanche, saposhnikovia root, morinda root, gentian root, Alisma root, ginseng, cinnamon bark, Chinese yam, red sage root, polygala root, poria, asarum, and achyranthes root. Also add five liang each of dendrobium and fresh ginger, and eight liang each of eucommia bark and magnetite. Coarsely chop these twenty-two ingredients, add them to the lamb-kidney liquid, and decoct until three sheng remain. Divide into three doses. Leave about as long as it takes to walk five li between doses.

The modified Kidney-Infusion Decoction is used to treat extreme bodily weakness, frequent urination, shortness of breath, a dry and hot throat, intense thirst, and fullness and urgency in the bladder. The ingredients listed are one lamb kidney; four liang each of ophiopogon root, Lycium root bark, ginseng, dendrobium, Alisma root, and trichosanthes root; and polygala root, fresh ginger, licorice, angelica root, cinnamon bark, poria, and schisandra fruit. The text says to take three courses of this prescription each year during the three hottest periods of summer; the quantities may be adjusted as circumstances require.

Mulberry bark (some editions instead read “mulberry mistletoe,” two liang of each), and thirty jujubes.

Chop the seventeen ingredients. Add one dou and five sheng of water and first boil the pig kidney until the liquid is reduced to one dou and two sheng. Remove the kidney, add the herbs, and continue boiling until three sheng remain. Strain out the herbs and take the liquid in three portions.

The account in the Xiaopin Fang does not include dendrobium, snake gourd, wolfberry root bark, mulberry bark, or poria. Instead, it adds two liang each of ligusticum, coptis, and dragon bone, and twenty mantis egg cases. Another formula is for kidney Qi insufficiency accompanied by thirst and excessive drinking, frequent urination, and pain in the lower back and spine: omit dendrobium, snake gourd, wolfberry root bark, mulberry bark, and licorice; add two liang of ligusticum, one liang each of scutellaria and peony, twenty mantis egg cases, and one liang of the yellow inner lining of a chicken gizzard. Cui’s formula for deficiency and exhaustion caused by weakness of the internal organs, as well as the modified formula by Li Ziyu, omit dendrobium, snake gourd, wolfberry root bark, and mulberry bark, and add two liang each of astragalus, scutellaria, peony, and saposhnikovia.

A formula for Qi surging upward in the left side below the ribs, fullness and distension in the chest and diaphragm, a sensation like insects crawling on the head, numbness and impaired movement in the hands and feet, nasal congestion, cramping in the legs that prevents bending or straightening, and recurrent swelling and pain in both eyes:

One pig kidney; one liang each of saposhnikovia, ligusticum, tangerine peel, alisma, cassia bark, and dendrobium; one liang each of fresh ginger, salvia, poria, tetrapanax, and pinellia; and three liang of dried rehmannia.

Chop the thirteen ingredients. Boil the pig kidney in one dou and five sheng of water until the liquid has reduced by three sheng. Remove the kidney, add the herbs, and continue boiling until two sheng and seven ge remain. Strain out the herbs and take the liquid in three portions.

Five-Tonic Decoction: Used to treat internal deficiency in the five viscera, shortness of breath, coughing with rebellious Qi, bodily debility, oppression of the heart, and insufficiency of Qi, blood, and fluids. The formula also replenishes the lower burner and promotes the flow of fluids.

One liang each of schisandra, cassia bark, licorice, and ginseng; one sheng each of ophiopogon and wheat; eight liang of fresh ginger (this ingredient is absent from the Qianjin Yifang); three ge of polished rice; and one jin each of Chinese chive and the white bark of wolfberry root.

Chop the ten ingredients. Boil them in one dou and two sheng of water until three sheng remain. Take one sheng per dose, three times daily. For dry mouth, first boil a handful of bamboo leaves in water until the liquid has reduced by one sheng. Remove the leaves, then add the other ingredients and boil.

Condensing Saliva Decoction: Used for weakness and depletion, shortness of breath, and thick phlegm in the throat that cannot be coughed up or swallowed, as though the throat were blocked with glue. This formula is also called “Poria Decoction.”

Ophiopogon root, five liang; ginseng, two liang; purple-flowered peucedanum root, three liang; licorice, dried rehmannia root, cinnamon bark, and peony, one liang each; thirty jujubes; and poria, two liang. Cut the nine ingredients into pieces and decoct them in nine sheng of water until three sheng of liquid remain. Divide into three doses and drink warm.

Tonic Decoction: Plantain seeds, three liang; saposhnikovia root and cinnamon bark, two liang each; morinda root, red-rooted salvia, dried rehmannia root, deer antler velvet, goji bark, and Siberian ginseng bark, five liang each. Cut the nine ingredients into pieces and decoct them in eight sheng of water until three sheng of liquid remain. Strain out the dregs and divide into three doses.

Ginseng Decoction: Used for men suffering from the “five taxing injuries and seven harms,” a general term for various forms of strain and weakness, accompanied by rebellious, distended Qi in the chest, inability to eat, lack of strength, and vomiting; or by distension in the flanks and gripping pain in the lower abdomen, so severe that the person cannot find relief in any position. The formula is intended to regulate the Qi of the middle burner and restore harmony among the viscera, treating weakness caused by overstrain.

Ginseng, Chinese angelica root, peony, licorice, fresh ginger, Ophiopogon root, white sugar, and cinnamon bark, two liang each; purple-flowered peucedanum root, poria, Schisandra fruit, Sichuan pepper, and tangerine peel, one liang each; immature bitter orange, three liang; and fifteen jujubes. Cut the fifteen ingredients into pieces and soak them for half a day in one and a half dou of east-flowing water. Then decoct them using reed tips that have been stored for three years, until four sheng of liquid remain. Add the white sugar, return the decoction to the heat, and let it boil a dozen or so times. People over twenty and under sixty should take one sheng per dose; those under twenty or over sixty should take seven or eight he. Even those in the prime of life who have been weak for a long time should take seven or eight he. Take three doses during the day and one at night. Otherwise, the medicine’s effects will not carry through, making the illness difficult to treat.

The formula specifically requires the water used to soak the ingredients and the old reed tips. Without these, the water’s force is too strong and the fire too fierce, preventing the medicine’s full potency from being drawn out. In the early years of the Zhenguan era, someone had been ill for a long time and grown so thin and weak that he was near death. The author treated him with this formula, and one dose cured him; its effect was as swift as hot water poured over snow. The author therefore recorded it. The same was true of other formulas, which could not all be described in detail.

Internal Supplement Powder: Used for men suffering from the “five taxing injuries and six severances,” referring to severe strain, depletion of Jing and Qi, and related conditions. The passage goes on to say that damage to the heart can make a person prone to focusing on or attending closely to something.

Injury to the spleen can make a person easily startled and fearful, prone to sudden anger, and emotionally changeable. The abdomen becomes distended and full; the person often belches, wants to lie down after eating, and has a sallow complexion.

Injury to the lungs can lead to insufficiency of Jing and Qi, pain in the lower back and spine, and coldness in the limbs. Injury to the liver can cause a deficiency of blood and a darkened complexion. Injury to the kidneys may bring on accumulations—lumps or stagnation in the abdomen—fullness and numbness in the lower abdomen and lower back, coughing with phlegm, and difficulty urinating.

Conditions of this kind, called the “Six Exhaustions,” all arise from overwork and weakened pulse Qi, together with exposure to Wind pathogens and internal effects of cold and heat. The patient may have pain in the hands and feet, coldness below the knees, rumbling in the abdomen, and bouts of diarrhea alternating with constipation or normal bowel movements. The face and eyelids may become puffy; the person feels troubled and uncomfortable, does not want to speak, and dislikes hearing other people’s voices.

Formula

Dried Rehmannia root, Chinese dodder seed, Asiatic cornelian cherry, and “ground wheat” (five fen each); Polygala root and Morinda root (half a liang each); Ophiopogon root, Schisandra fruit, licorice, ginseng, cistanche, dendrobium, cinnamon bark, poria, and aconite (one and a half liang each).

Grind these fifteen ingredients into a fine powder and sift. Take one square-inch spoonful (an ancient measure for medicinal powder, roughly one spoonful) with wine. Take it three times on the first day, then gradually increase the amount, up to a maximum of three square-inch spoonfuls. The source states that there are no dietary restrictions while taking it.

Dendrobium Powder

This formula is used for symptoms attributed to “Great Wind”: the limbs do not obey the person, who cannot turn over without help; both shoulders hurt, the body feels heavy, the calves are cramped, and the sinews and vessels are swollen, making walking impossible. The condition may alternate between chills and fever; the calves hurt as if stabbed with a knife, and the body is difficult to support.

According to the source, these conditions often arise from encountering a strong wind after drinking wine, or from lying on damp ground, allowing cold to enter from below. The body becomes cold below the waist, Jing and Qi grow deficient, the vessels are chilled, and the lower body becomes damp; the penis shrinks. The person may also feel low in spirits and mentally disoriented, and may sometimes feel sad. This formula is used to dispel Wind, ease heaviness in the body, replenish strength, improve vision, strengthen kidney Qi, and support fertility and recovery from weakness.

Dendrobium, ten fen; Chinese teasel root, two fen; aconite and eucommia bark, four fen each; arborvitae seed, Ranunculus ternatus, peony, pine resin, mica powder, Asiatic cornelian cherry, Alisma rhizome, tokoro yam rhizome, Chinese dodder seed, saposhnikovia root, asarum, and cinnamon bark, three fen each.

Grind these sixteen ingredients into powder and sift. Take one square-inch spoonful with wine twice daily. If the penis cannot become erect, double the amounts of Chinese dodder seed and eucommia bark; for abdominal pain, double the peony; for knee pain, double the Chinese teasel root; for back pain, double the tokoro yam rhizome; if Wind affects the lower back, double the saposhnikovia root; if there is shortness of breath, then…

Increase the amount of arborvitae seed kernel twofold. If the patient’s legs and feet are weak and atrophied, making walking impossible, double the Alisma rhizome; the amount may also be increased as appropriate to the location of the symptoms. A dose of three fen may also be used. Form the ingredients into pills, using date paste as a binder, each about the size of a parasol tree seed. Take seven pills with wine.

Kidney Essence Powder: A Formula for All Diseases of Deficiency and Exhaustion

One sheep kidney, dried in the shade; Poria, one and a half liang; Schisandra fruit, licorice, Morinda root, cinnamon bark, Ranunculus ternatus, Chinese teasel root, Asiatic cornelian cherry fruit, Saposhnikovia root, dried ginger, and Asarum root, one liang each; dried Rehmannia root, two liang; ginseng, powdered stalactite, Dendrobium stem, dodder seed, red sage root, cistanche, and aconite, five fen each.

Grind the twenty ingredients into a fine powder and sift. Add the powdered stalactite and mix evenly, then sift once more. Each morning, take one spoonful, the amount held by a square-inch ancient powder measure, with clear wine. Gradually increase to two spoonfuls. After taking the medicine for seven days, take another dose.

Another Formula: For Men’s Five Taxations, Seven Injuries, Eight Winds, and Twelve Bi Syndromes, in Winter or Summer; Also for Grief and Anxiety, a Haggard Appearance, and Similar Conditions. Anyone with these symptoms should take this formula.

One sheep kidney, dried in the shade; Magnolia bark, Schisandra fruit, ladybell root, Asarum root, Vitex seed, peony root, Morinda root, Dendrobium stem, Chinese waxgourd seed, Ranunculus ternatus, Poria, Asiatic cornelian cherry fruit, dried lacquer, alum, gentian root, cinnamon bark, Sichuan lovage rhizome, cistanche, Sichuan pepper, white atractylodes, chrysanthemum, Chinese teasel root, polygala root, ginseng, astragalus root, Alisma rhizome, Dioscorea hypoglauca, and baical skullcap root, one liang each; dried ginger, aconite, Saposhnikovia root, sweet flag rhizome, and Chinese teasel root, one and a half liang each; platycodon root, two and a half liang; Chinese yam and Gentiana macrophylla root, two liang each.

Grind the thirty-seven ingredients into a fine powder and sift. Take one spoonful, the amount held by a square-inch measure, three times daily. Abstain from sexual intercourse while taking the medicine.

Another Formula

Ranunculus ternatus, Chinese teasel root, platycodon root, dried ginger, sweet flag rhizome, Asiatic cornelian cherry fruit, and Poria, two liang each; Chinese yam, Sichuan pepper, peony root, Morinda root, ginseng, gentian root, ladybell root, Magnolia bark, cistanche, Asarum root, Dioscorea hypoglauca, aconite, Dendrobium stem, astragalus root, Sichuan lovage rhizome, Chinese waxgourd seed, and monkshood.

Aconite, cinnamon heartwood (one and a half liang each), gentian root, atractylodes, arsenolite (some editions read “alum stone”), schisandra, chaste-tree seeds, chrysanthemum, and achyranthes root (one liang each); polygala (two and a half liang); dry lacquer (three liang); and one sheep kidney, dried in the shade.

Grind the thirty-six ingredients into a fine powder. Take with wine, one square-inch spoonful (the amount of powder held by an ancient medicinal spoon) each time, three times daily. This is one prescription.

Compared with the previous prescription, this one omits alisma, scutellaria, and saposhnikovia, and adds monkshood and aconite, one and a half liang each. The other ingredients are the same.

Yam Powder: A prescription for replenishing and strengthening men in various conditions; the situations for which it is suitable cannot all be listed.

Chinese yam, chaste-tree fruit (some prescriptions substitute goji berries), teasel root (some substitute polygala), poria (some substitute poria with spirit), achyranthes root, dodder seeds, morinda root, and eucommia bark (one liang each); cistanche (two liang); schisandra; Japanese cornel fruit (some prescriptions substitute saposhnikovia); and cnidium seeds (two fen).

Grind the twelve ingredients into a fine powder. Take with wine, one square-inch spoonful each time, twice during the day and once at night.

While taking the medicine, avoid only vinegar and garlic; there are no other restrictions. After five nights, one will begin to feel its effects; after ten nights, strength will gradually increase; after fifteen nights, the body will be as strong as in one’s prime; after twenty nights, strength will double. For those who are forgetful, polygala and poria may be added; for those who feel sluggish or stiff in the body, biota seeds may be added. After taking two or three doses, the muscles will begin to develop. The medicine may also be made into pills. Take thirty pills each time, twice during the day and once at night, until the head, face, and body feel warm. This medicine is mild in nature and not heating; it can harmonize the Five Viscera. Taken over a long period, it can increase strength. When women take it, five colors will appear on the face.

Prescription for replenishing the five forms of fatigue:

Gather the stems of Siberian ginseng on the fifth day of the fifth month, its leaves on the seventh day of the seventh month, and its roots on the ninth day of the ninth month. Grind them into a fine powder and take one square-inch spoonful each time, three times daily. Taken over a long period, it is highly effective for dispelling wind and treating fatigue and weakness.

Prescription for treating the five forms of fatigue, the six forms of exhaustion, the seven injuries, and deficiency and debility:

Cistanche, white dragon bone, yang-rising stone, teasel root, and aconite (seven fen each); oyster shell, schisandra, cnidium seeds, dried rehmannia, mulberry mistletoe, asparagus root, and white quartz (one liang each); field gromwell seeds, plantain seeds, and Chinese chive seeds.

(The original text ends here; the remainder of the prescription is missing.)

Dodder seed and Chinese wolfberry root bark, in the amounts specified in the formula.

Grind the seventeen ingredients above into a fine powder. Take it with wine, one square-inch spoonful at a time, three times daily. A square-inch spoon was an ancient small measure for medicines.

Zhongru Powder: A formula for the five kinds of fatigue and seven kinds of injury, bodily weakness and wasting, loss of strength, and severe deficiency.

Six liang of stalactite, of any grain size. The best is white and pure, with no red, yellow, or black impurities. Place the stalactite in a copper pot that holds two or three dou of water, add about two he of coarse rice husks, and bring to a boil five or six times before adding the stalactite. As the water nearly evaporates, replenish it in the same way, and continue boiling for a full day and night. Remove the stalactite, wash it with warm water, and dry it in the sun. Grind it with a jade pestle until no sound can be heard as you grind. Then strain it through dense, fine silk, using water to draw out the fine powder. Let it settle, then collect it.

One liang each of deer antler (choose white antler), white horse penis (pounded separately), sulfur (ground separately), dendrobium, iron essence, ginseng, magnetite, cassia bark, and stiff silkworm; three liang of cnidium seed.

Grind the eleven ingredients above into a fine powder, mix with date paste, and pound repeatedly three thousand times. Take with wine, thirty pills at a time, each the size of a parasol tree seed, twice daily. While taking the medicine, abstain from sexual activity and avoid cold, raw, sour, or greasy foods, as well as chicken, pork, fish, and stale or spoiled food.

Cold-Food Zhongru Powder: A formula for bodily damage, diminished Qi and strength, consumptive weakness, and various illnesses. It is said to help strengthen the body, improve appetite, and dispel wind-cold. The formula appears in the “Qi Extremes” chapter.

Rehmannia Powder: Used to replenish Qi and strength and harmonize the middle burner, the area associated with the spleen and stomach. It replenishes deficiency, improves appetite, and clears internal heat.

Thirty jin of fresh rehmannia root, finely sliced and sun-dried; and another thirty jin of fresh rehmannia root, pounded to extract its juice. Soak the dried rehmannia in the juice until it has fully absorbed it, then remove it and dry it in the sun. Repeat this process nine times. Finally, sun-dry the rehmannia and pound it into a fine powder. Take one square-inch spoonful with wine after meals, without interruption.

Three-Stone Powder: A formula for illnesses caused by wind and consumptive weakness, pathogenic toxins, and cold, as well as deficiency that has resisted treatment for a long time.

Five fen each of stalactite, amethyst, white quartz, white atractylodes, balloon flower root, and siler root; ten fen each of trichosanthes root, ginseng, Sichuan pepper, dried ginger, aconite, oyster shell, cassia bark, eucommia bark, asarum, and poria.

Grind the sixteen ingredients above into a fine powder. Take one square-inch spoonful with wine, three times daily. After taking it, begin by walking a dozen or so paces, gradually increasing to more than fifty. This formula is said to be highly beneficial, but young people should not use it. Other tonic formulas are generally suitable for both young and old, and may also be taken in winter. This formula is also included in the Qianjin Yifang.

The Shiwei Pill records that the Yellow Emperor asked Gaoyang Fu about the “five strains and seven injuries.” Gaoyang Fu explained that the seven injuries are: first, decline of the genitals; second, thin, watery semen; third, reduced semen; fourth, depletion of Yin Qi; fifth, dampness beneath the scrotum; sixth, pain in the lower back and flanks; and seventh, cold, painful knees that make walking difficult. Other possible symptoms include a feverish sensation in the bones, tearing when looking into the distance, dry mouth, rumbling in the abdomen, occasional fever, dribbling or difficulty urinating, pain inside the penis, or involuntary emission of semen. The five strains are strain of the will, strain from overthinking, strain of the heart, strain from worry, and physical fatigue. When the Yellow Emperor asked how to treat them, Gaoyang Fu replied that the Shiwei Pill was the principal remedy.

The Shiwei Pill is made from nineteen ingredients: shiwei, asarum, arsenolite, polygala, poria, alisma, sweet flag, eucommia bark, cnidium, cistanche, platycodon, monkshood, achyranthes, dogwood fruit, arborvitae seeds, teasel root, Chinese yam, saposhnikovia, and red halloysite. Seventeen ingredients, including teasel root and Chinese yam, are listed at two liang each; saposhnikovia and red halloysite are listed at three liang each. Grind the ingredients into powder, mix with jujube paste, and form pills the size of Chinese parasol tree seeds. Take thirty pills with wine, three times a day. The original text says that the illness may be cured after seven days, and that after twenty days the pills can dispel a hundred diseases; long-term use is also beneficial. The version recorded by Cui omits arsenolite, poria, alisma, platycodon, and Chinese yam, adds two and a half liang of trichosanthes root, and identifies the formula as the “White Water Marquis Formula.”

The Five Tonifying Pill is used to treat deficiency of Kidney Qi, as well as the five strains and seven injuries. The symptoms listed in the original include aching in the lower back and legs, joint pain, blurred vision, forgetfulness, a wandering and unsettled mind, frequent dreams at night, dry mouth on waking, an inability to taste food, persistently low spirits, irritability, diminished sexual function, fullness in the chest and abdomen, pain and numbness in the limbs, sour fluid coming up into the mouth, cold sensations in the lower abdomen, dribbling after urination, and constipation. The original says the formula can be used for these symptoms and that long-term use promotes longevity. It should be taken throughout the year without interruption, and the text claims that after one year it can cure a range of illnesses.

The ingredients listed for the Five Tonifying Pill are eucommia bark, morinda root, ginseng, Siberian ginseng bark, schisandra, monkshood, achyranthes, saposhnikovia, polygala, dendrobium, Chinese yam, and cibotium. Morinda root is listed at six fen, and the other eleven ingredients at four fen each.

Prepare a fine powder from dried Rehmannia root, yellow cistanche (Cistanche deserticola; twelve parts of each), deer antler velvet (fifteen parts), dodder seed, poria, and raspberry fruit (five parts of each), stone buttercup (eight parts), tokoro yam rhizome, common cnidium fruit, magnolia vine, and white atractylodes rhizome (three parts of each), and asparagus tuber (seven parts). There are twenty-four ingredients in all. Mix the powder with honey and form pills the size of parasol tree seeds. Take ten pills with wine, three times a day.

For wind disorders, add three parts each of tiānxióng aconite, ligusticum rhizome, Chinese angelica root, astragalus root, five-flavor bark, magnolia vine, poria with hostwood, pubescent angelica root, arborvitae seed, and white atractylodes rhizome. For Qi disorders, add three parts each of magnolia bark, immature bitter orange, and tangerine peel. For a constitution tending toward cold, add three parts each of dried ginger, cassia bark, evodia fruit, aconite, Chinese asarum, and Sichuan pepper. For seminal emission, add three parts each of Chinese chive seed, white dragon bone, oyster shell, and deer antler velvet. For diarrhea or dysentery, add three parts each of red halloysite, dragon bone, coptis root, and smoked plum flesh.

In spring, take the original formula as written. In summer, add five parts of Rehmannia root, three parts of baical skullcap root, and four parts of ophiopogon tuber. If you still feel cold, remove these ingredients and instead add three parts each of dried ginger, cassia bark, and Sichuan pepper. If your constitution tends toward neither heat nor cold, make no additions or removals and take the original formula. After taking more than three batches, you should begin to feel improvement in all respects. Carefully avoid vinegar, garlic, raw fish, stale or foul-smelling foods, and extremely cold foods. Do not vomit after drinking alcohol to excess. There are no other special dietary restrictions. The dose may be gradually increased to thirty pills, but no further; this is generally the limit.

Wubi Shuyu Wan: A Formula for Treating Various Forms of Deficiency and Bodily Debility

Prepare a fine powder from Chinese yam (two ounces), cistanche (four ounces), schisandra fruit (six ounces), dodder seed and eucommia bark (three ounces of each), and achyranthes root, Asiatic cornelian cherry fruit, dried Rehmannia root, oriental waterplantain rhizome, poria with hostwood (also identified in one account as poria), morinda root, and red halloysite (one ounce of each). There are twelve ingredients in all. Mix the powder with honey and form pills the size of parasol tree seeds.

Take twenty pills with wine before meals, gradually increasing the dose to thirty pills, twice a day. There are no other special restrictions; avoid only vinegar, garlic, and stale or foul-smelling foods. After seven days of taking the medicine, the original text says, the limbs will feel strong, the skin moist, the lips rosy, the hands and feet warm, and the complexion bright. Digestion will be smooth, the body settled, and the voice clear. These are the signs of efficacy described for the formula. After ten days, the muscles will gradually become fuller and firmer. The medicine’s effects will circulate through the body and reach the head; you may feel soreness inside the nose, which is nothing to be alarmed about. To make the body even more robust, add Dunhuang…

Two liang of gypsum. If there is forgetfulness, add one liang of polygala root; if the body has too little fluid and lacks moisture, add one liang of biota seeds. (The Gu Jin Lu Yan records an additional two liang of white horse penis, bringing the total to sixteen ingredients.)

This is a formula for treating the “five taxations and seven injuries” in men, a general term for various patterns of deficiency and debility. It is used for headache, blurred vision, cold hands and feet, or bouts of vexing heat. It is also used for cold pain and numbness in the limbs, bone pain, difficulty moving the lower back and hips, and eating a lot without gaining muscle; or for poor appetite with abdominal bloating, dry skin lacking luster, weakened Yang, and impaired circulation of Yin.

The original text says that this medicine replenishes the twelve meridians and harmonizes Yin and Yang, allowing internal circulation to flow freely and the body’s outward condition to settle. It calms the hun and po souls, opens the Triple Burner (the upper, middle, and lower regions through which Qi circulates, in Chinese medicine), disperses accumulations, nourishes the stomach and intestines, and resolves pathogenic influences in the five viscera and constrained heat in the heart. It also strengthens the sinews and bones, makes the body feel light, brightens the eyes, and dispels wind and cold. The original text describes it as treating a wide range of conditions and suitable for regular use. It claims that even a seventy-year-old can regain remarkable physical strength after taking it; the effect on a younger person, it says, is easy to imagine.

Major Chinese Yam Pill: Used to treat deficiency and debility in men and women, including dizziness, blurred vision, troublesome pain in the joints, poor appetite, and wasting.

Ingredients: Chinese yam, aconite (listed as poria in the Gu Jin Lu Yan), ginseng, and water plantain (eight fen each); asparagus tuber, dried rehmannia root, scutellaria root, and Chinese angelica root (ten fen each); dried lacquer, apricot kernels, and donkey-hide gelatin (two fen each); white atractylodes, Chinese peony root, gypsum, and hogfennel root (three fen each; white atractylodes is listed as saposhnikovia root in the Gu Jin Lu Yan); platycodon root, dried ginger, and cassia bark (four fen each); rhubarb, six fen; schisandra fruit, sixteen fen; licorice root, twenty fen; soybean sprouts, five fen (listed as astragalus in the Gu Jin Lu Yan); and one hundred jujubes.

Grind the twenty-four ingredients into a fine powder, combine with honey and jujube paste, and pound repeatedly, three thousand times, then form into pills the size of Chinese parasol tree seeds. Take five pills with wine three times a day, gradually increasing to ten pills per dose.

The formula used by Zhang Zhongjing omitted aconite, scutellaria root, gypsum, dried lacquer, schisandra fruit, and rhubarb. It added ten fen of medicated leaven, six fen each of Sichuan lovage root and saposhnikovia root, and five fen of poria. Form the mixture into pills the size of a large pellet and take one pill per dose; one hundred pills make a course of treatment.

“Fen” and “liang” in the original are traditional units of medicinal weight. Ingredient names and formula details vary among editions.

Kidney Qi Pill: Used to treat lower back pain caused by deficiency and depletion or insufficient Kidney Qi, coldness in the genital area, frequent urination, a cold, damp scrotum, dribbling after urination, involuntary emission of semen, erectile dysfunction, and symptoms such as mental confusion and sudden shifts between sadness and joy.

Ingredients: dried Rehmannia root, eight fen; polygala root, siler root, dried ginger, Achyranthes root, dwarf lilyturf tuber, fragrant Solomon’s seal (yu zhu), Chinese yam, dendrobium stem, asarum, lycium root bark, licorice root, aconite, cinnamon bark, and poria, in suitable amounts; Asiatic cornelian cherry fruit, four fen; cistanche, six fen; powdered stalactite (powder made from stalactite), ten fen; and one ram’s kidney.

Grind the nineteen ingredients into a fine powder and use honey to form pills the size of Chinese parasol tree seeds. Take with wine, fifteen pills per dose, three times a day, gradually increasing to thirty pills.

The formula recorded in Gujin Luyan does not include polygala root, siler root, dried ginger, Achyranthes root, lycium root bark, fragrant Solomon’s seal, licorice root, or powdered stalactite. Instead, it includes one liang of cibot rhizome, four liang of astragalus root, three liang of ginseng, two liang each of Alisma rhizome and dried ginger, and one hundred jujubes.

Another formula: Treats exhaustion and debility in both men and women, and is also used for symptoms such as chills and weakness after a cold-induced illness. The source says that this formula “treats everything.”

Ingredients: dendrobium stem, two liang; aster root, Achyranthes root, and white atractylodes rhizome, five fen each; hemp seed, one fen; ginseng, Chinese angelica root, poria, Sichuan lovage rhizome, sprouted soybeans, baical skullcap root, and licorice root, six fen each; apricot kernel, Sichuan pepper, dried Rehmannia root, siler root, and cinnamon bark, four fen each; and one sheep’s kidney. One version also adds six fen of cistanche.

Grind the eighteen ingredients into a fine powder and use honey to form pills the size of Chinese parasol tree seeds. Take with wine, ten pills per dose, twice a day, then gradually increase the dose.

Another formula: The source says this formula is superior to the “Hu Gong Kidney Qi Pill” and the “Five Mineral Pill.”

Ingredients: dried Rehmannia root, poria, and Scrophularia root, five liang each; Alisma rhizome, Chinese yam, Asiatic cornelian cherry fruit, cinnamon bark, and peony root, four liang each; aconite, three liang.

Grind the nine ingredients into a fine powder and use honey to form pills the size of Chinese parasol tree seeds. Take with wine, twenty pills per dose, gradually increasing to thirty according to how the body feels. Qianjin Yifang also records four liang of moutan bark, making ten ingredients in all.

Another formula: Used to treat a range of conditions caused by insufficient Kidney Qi, including progressive weight loss, shortness of breath, heaviness of the body, deafness, and blurred vision. The text does not continue with the ingredients or preparation for this formula.

Four liang of cinnamon heart (the bark of the cinnamon tree), one jin of dried Rehmannia root, eight liang each of Alisma, Chinese yam, and Poria, six liang of moutan bark, and one liang of Pinellia.

Grind the seven ingredients into a fine powder and use honey to form pills the size of Chinese parasol tree seeds. Take ten pills with wine, three times a day.

Eight-Ingredient Kidney Qi Pill: Used to treat deficiency and debility, thirst and a desire to drink, lower back pain, tightness in the lower abdomen, and difficulty urinating.

Eight liang of dried Rehmannia root; four liang each of Cornus fruit and Chinese yam; three liang each of Alisma, moutan bark, and Poria; and two liang each of cinnamon heart and prepared aconite.

Grind the eight ingredients into a fine powder and use honey to form pills the size of Chinese parasol tree seeds. Take fifteen pills with wine, three times a day, gradually increasing to twenty-five pills. The Zhongjing Formulary says that for long-term use, remove aconite and add Schisandra fruit. Lord Yao says to add three liang of Schisandra fruit and four liang of cistanche. Zhang Wenzhong says to use four liang each of Schisandra fruit and cistanche. The Handbook of Prescriptions for Emergencies says to use four liang of Rehmannia, one liang each of aconite and Alisma, and two liang of each of the remaining ingredients.

Astragalus Pill: Used to treat the Five Taxations and Seven Injuries (various forms of overexertion and debility), general weakness and deficiency, and blurred vision or deafness caused by depletion of kidney Qi.

Two liang each of astragalus, dried ginger, Chinese angelica, notopterygium (another version gives Atractylodes), Chuanxiong, licorice, Poria, asarum, cinnamon heart, monkshood, prepared aconite, saposhnikovia, ginseng, peony, dendrobium, dried Rehmannia root, and cistanche; five ge of jujube paste; and one sheep kidney.

Grind the nineteen ingredients into a fine powder and use jujube paste and honey to form pills the size of Chinese parasol tree seeds. Take fifteen pills with wine, twice a day, gradually increasing to thirty pills. Another version omits Chuanxiong, dried ginger, Chinese angelica, and notopterygium, leaving fourteen ingredients. The version recorded in Verified Prescriptions Ancient and Modern omits the sheep kidney and adds notopterygium, stalactite, amethyst, sulfur, red halloysite, white halloysite, and alum, two fen of each. It is called the “Five Minerals Astragalus Pill.”

Another Formula: Used to treat deficiency and debility.

Three each of astragalus, deer antler, Poria, monkshood, and dried ginger; dried Rehmannia root …

Angelica root, cinnamon heart (the inner bark of the cinnamon tree), and Sichuan lovage rhizome, four parts each; white goji root bark, dodder seed, schisandra fruit, biota seed, and white atractylodes, five parts each; twenty jujubes.

Grind these fifteen ingredients into a fine powder and mix with honey to form pills the size of parasol tree seeds. In the morning, take ten pills with wine, then take ten more at night. Adjust the dose according to how the body responds. Follow the usual dietary restrictions for these medicines while taking them.

Spirit Transformation Pill is used to treat the five taxations and seven injuries (various forms of strain and debility), insufficient Qi, dampness and itching or sores in the genital area, frequent urination or dribbling after urination, cold and painful glans, involuntary seminal emission, tightness in the lower abdomen and pain around the navel, heaviness in the knees that makes standing for long periods difficult, blurred vision, tearing in the wind, aching lower legs, weakness of Jing and Qi, reluctance to rise from bed, and cold hands and feet. It also regulates the middle burner and improves appetite.

Cistanche, achyranthes, and Chinese yam, six parts each; teasel root, Asiatic cornelian cherry fruit, and rhubarb, five parts each; polygala root, water plantain rhizome, tall aconite, biota seed, dodder seed, ginseng, saposhnikovia root, dendrobium, trichosanthes root, eucommia bark, coptis, white atractylodes, licorice, arsenic stone (a mineral medicine), and angelica root, one liang each; cinnamon heart, Chinese photinia, dried ginger, cnidium seed, red halloysite, tokoro rhizome, poria, asarum, sweet flag rhizome, and Sichuan lovage rhizome, three liang each.

Grind these thirty-one ingredients into a fine powder and mix with honey to form pills the size of parasol tree seeds. Take five pills with wine three times a day, gradually increasing the dose to twenty pills.

Three Kernels and Nine Seeds Pill is a formula for the five taxations and seven injuries, intended to strengthen the body.

Jujube kernel, biota seed, coix seed, dodder seed, chrysanthemum seed, goji berry, cnidium seed, schisandra fruit, Artemisia japonica seed, kochia seed, black sesame seed, chaste tree seed, dried rehmannia, Chinese yam, and cinnamon heart, two liang each; cistanche, three liang.

Grind these sixteen ingredients into a fine powder and mix with honey to form pills the size of parasol tree seeds. Take twenty pills with wine twice a day, and take another dose at night.

Bone-Filling Pill is used to treat the five taxations and seven injuries, strengthen the five viscera, and eliminate various illnesses. The formula lists the following ingredients: dendrobium, ginseng, angelica root, peony root, stone longevity herb, pyrrosia leaf, white atractylodes, polygala root, cistanche, morinda root, aster root, and poria.

Grind the above ingredients into a fine powder, mix with white honey, and form pills the size of parasol tree seeds. Take with wine, three pills per dose, three times daily.

Tongming Pills are used to treat deficiency and debility associated with the Five Taxations, Seven Injuries, and Six Extremes. They are also used when forced sexual activity, heavy lifting or labor, or illness leaves the bone marrow not yet replenished, resulting in poor digestion and disharmony of Stomach Qi.

Take three jin of Ophiopogon, one jin each of dried Rehmannia and Pyrrosia leaf, and half a jin each of Aster, Schisandra, Cistanche, licorice, donkey-hide gelatin, Eucommia bark, Polygala, Poria, and Aconite. Grind into a fine powder and form honey pills the size of parasol tree seeds. Take before meals, with wine if desired: ten pills per dose, twice daily, gradually increasing to twenty pills per dose.

Great Pills for Tonifying Deficiency and Benefiting Essence are used to replenish deficiency, strengthen Jing and Qi, and treat the Five Taxations, Seven Injuries, and various illnesses.

Take eight liang of dried Rehmannia; six liang each of dried ginger, Chinese angelica, Dendrobium, Cistanche, Chinese asparagus root, Atractylodes, licorice, peony, and ginseng; half a liang of hemp seed; five liang each of Aster, rhubarb, and Scutellaria; three sheng of Sichuan pepper; four liang of Saposhnikovia; three liang each of Poria and apricot kernels; and one liang of Dahurian angelica. Grind into a fine powder and use white honey and jujube paste to form pills the size of a marble. Take on an empty stomach, one pill per dose, three times daily. Effects are said to appear after ten days.

Red Stone Fat Pills are used to treat the Five Taxations, Seven Injuries, and various ailments in men, especially when one’s efforts often fail to go as intended and the body is weakened.

Take seven fen each of red stone fat and Cornus fruit; four fen each of Saposhnikovia, Polygala, Trichosanthes root, Achyranthes, Eucommia bark, and Chinese yam; three fen of Pyrrosia leaf; two fen of Cistanche; six fen of Cnidium seed; and five fen each of Acorus, teasel root, Aconite, and arborvitae seed. Grind into a fine powder, mix with honey and jujube paste, and form pills the size of parasol tree seeds. The original text breaks off here; the rest of the preparation and dosage instructions are missing.

“Parasol tree seed size” is a common pill-size description in traditional formulas. Measures such as liang, fen, and sheng were historical units whose precise modern equivalents varied by period and region.

Take five pills each time, three times a day. You should see results after ten days. Long-term use can help prevent aging; adding four parts of dodder seed makes the formula more effective.

Deer Antler Pill: A Tonic Formula

The ingredients are deer antler, white horse penis, dendrobium, Chinese yam, dried Rehmannia root, ginseng, dodder seed, Saposhnikovia root, and cnidium seed, five parts each; Cornus fruit, Eucommia bark, red halloysite, Alisma rhizome, and dried ginger, four parts each; Ranunculus sceleratus and Polygala root, three parts each; Schisandra fruit and Achyranthes root; Morinda root, six parts; Aconitum root, two parts; and Cistanche, seven parts.

Another version omits dried ginger and Schisandra fruit.

Grind the twenty-one ingredients into a fine powder and use honey to form pills the size of parasol tree seeds. Take thirty pills with wine, twice a day. Avoid rice vinegar.

Cistanche Pill

This formula is used to replenish deficiency and debility and increase strength. It treats weakness and exhaustion of the five viscera, Yin impediment (discomfort caused by obstruction in the genital area), dampness and itching or sores in the genital area, pain in the penis, dribbling after urination, poor Qi circulation in the limbs, depletion of Yang Qi, and damage to the Yang pulse.

The ingredients are Cistanche and Chinese yam, five parts each; cnidium seed and Polygala root, four parts each; dodder seed, six parts; Aconitum root, eight parts; Schisandra fruit and Cornus fruit, seven parts each; and Morinda root, four parts.

Grind the nine ingredients into a fine powder and use honey to form pills the size of parasol tree seeds. Take twenty pills with wine, twice a day, gradually increasing to twenty-five pills.

Dried Rehmannia Pill

This formula treats the five kinds of taxation damage, the seven kinds of injury, the six extreme forms of bodily and organ depletion, weakness of the viscera and bowels, difficulty swallowing food, a dark, dull complexion, and affliction by evil winds from the eight directions. It also replenishes deficiency, boosts Qi, improves appetite and complexion, and supports Yang Qi.

The ingredients are dried Rehmannia root, Poria, and Aconitum root, seven parts each; cnidium seed, six parts; cassia bark and Ophiopogon root, five parts each; Polygala root, Cistanche, and Eucommia bark; licorice, ten parts; Schisandra fruit, four parts; and donkey-hide gelatin and jujube flesh, eight parts each.

Grind the thirteen ingredients into a fine powder and use honey to form pills the size of parasol tree seeds. Take twenty pills with wine, twice a day, gradually increasing to thirty pills. Regular use is preferable.

It treats consumptive debility, impotence, itching and sweating beneath the scrotum, dribbling urination, and frequent discomfort in the penis.

If urination is painful and the urine is dark yellow, with severe symptoms; or if distress from involuntary seminal emission is accompanied by blood in the urine; if vision is blurred, the eyes water in the wind, the penis feels cold, Jing and Qi are depleted, the knees are swollen, standing for long is impossible, and rising brings dizziness and vertigo, the following formula for replenishing deficiency may be taken.

Snake-bed seed, asarum, tianxiong, rhubarb, arborvitae seed, dodder seed, eucommia bark, poria, saposhnikovia, Dioscorea hypoglauca, sweet flag, and alisma (four liang each); polygala and achyranthes root (six fen each); trichosanthes root (three fen); dogwood fruit, cinnamon bark, cistanche, Chinese yam, Sichuan pepper, pyrrosia leaf, and atractylodes (five fen each).

Grind the twenty-two ingredients into a fine powder and mix with honey to form pills the size of wutong seeds. Take with wine, fifteen pills twice daily, gradually increasing to fifty pills. The original text states that after fifteen days the body will feel light and vigorous; after thirty days, hearing and eyesight will improve; and after fifty days, health and strength will be restored.

Raspberry Pill: Used for the five taxations and seven injuries and for emaciation and weakness. It also nourishes and helps make the body full and strong.

Raspberry and dodder seed (twelve fen each); cistanche, deer antler, morinda root, white dragon bone, poria, tianxiong, white quartz, schisandra, teasel root, and Chinese yam (ten fen each); dried rehmannia root (eight fen); snake-bed seed (five fen); polygala and dried ginger (six fen each).

Grind the sixteen ingredients into a fine powder and mix with honey to form pills the size of wutong seeds. Take with wine, fifteen pills twice daily, gradually increasing to thirty pills. While taking the pills, carefully avoid raw, cold, stale, and spoiled foods. This is a formula by Zhang Wenzhong.

The commentary says that another version omits dragon bone, deer antler, tianxiong, teasel root, and quartz, and instead uses dendrobium, atractylodes, cinnamon bark, goji berries, ginseng, arborvitae seed, and alisma (six fen each); achyranthes root (four fen); dogwood fruit (five fen); red ochre and licorice (eight fen each); and asarum (four fen).

Formula for treating the five taxations and seven injuries, weakness, emaciation, and lack of strength:

Dodder seed and schisandra (two liang each), and snake-bed seed (one liang).

Grind the three ingredients into a fine powder and mix with honey to form pills the size of wutong seeds. Take ten pills three times daily. Follow the usual prohibitions.

Nourishing formula:

Dry lacquer, arborvitae seed, dogwood fruit, and sour jujube seed (four fen each).

(The original text ends here; the remaining ingredients and directions for use are not recorded.)

Grind the four ingredients above into a fine powder and use honey to form pills the size of parasol tree seeds. Take fourteen pills at a time, gradually increasing to twenty pills, twice daily.

Qu Nang Pills: Used to treat wind-cold and bodily weakness, as well as a range of illnesses.

Dried rehmannia root, Chinese yam, oyster shell, prepared aconite, common cnidium fruit, Chinese senega root, Eucommia bark, deer antler, cassia bark, schisandra fruit, deer medicine herb, dendrobium, plantain seed, dodder seed, Chinese cistanche, rooster liver, and unmated silkworm moths, in equal parts.

Take as much as needed of the seventeen ingredients above, pound them into a fine powder, and use honey to form pills the size of small beans. Swallow three pills with wine, gradually increasing to seven. Take them three times during the day and once at night. While taking the medicine, follow the usual dietary restrictions. The body should always have the medicine’s effects within it; this is said to be very beneficial. After ten days, the body will gradually grow stronger.

Cui Pingshi’s Formula for Treating the Five Taxations and Seven Injuries: Used to address overexertion and various conditions of deficiency and debility.

One part each of powdered stalactite and tokoro; two parts Morinda root; three parts dried ginger (some versions read “dried rehmannia root”); and two parts each of dodder seed and Chinese cistanche.

Grind the six ingredients above into a fine powder and use honey to form pills the size of parasol tree seeds. Swallow seven pills with wine, three times daily. After taking them, walk one hundred paces, then drink three ge of wine and walk another three hundred paces. Once the heat in the chest has subsided, eat plain rice. Soup made with beef, mutton, or rabbit is also permitted. Remove the fatty portions; there are no other special dietary restrictions.

A formula to brighten the eyes, benefit essence, strengthen resolve, and double physical strength; long-term use may prolong life and preserve youth:

Five fen each of Chinese senega root, poria, asarum, dodder seed, magnolia, teasel root, ginseng, sweet flag, dragon bone, Chinese angelica, Chuanxiong, and spirit poria.

Grind the twelve ingredients above into a fine powder and use honey to form pills the size of parasol tree seeds. Take seven to ten pills at a time, twice during the day and once at night. After taking them for three years, one may gain greater wisdom.

Magnetite Wine: Used to treat male debility, cold and pain in the bones, insufficient Yang Qi, and scabies or pain in the genital area (some versions read “pain” instead of “scabies”).

Five liang each of magnetite, dendrobium, oriental water plantain, and saposhnikovia; four liang each of Eucommia bark and cassia bark; three liang each of prepared aconite, Chinese taxillus, Chinese asparagus root, and astragalus root; two liang of Chinese photinia; and eight liang of Japanese tokoro.

The original text ends here; the following content has not been recorded.

Cut the twelve ingredients into small pieces and soak them in four dou of wine. Take three he of the liquid each time, gradually increasing to five he, twice a day. Alternatively, the wine can be prepared with magnetite alone.

Quartz Decoction Formula: Used for men and women who have become thin and weak from the “Five Taxations and Seven Injuries” (a general term for various forms of overexertion and debility), have been affected by wind pathogens, suffer from long-lasting coldness and weakness, lack strength, have a dull complexion and difficulty moving, or experience a bitter taste in the mouth, a dry throat, restless sleep, and frightening, disturbing dreams.

Pound white quartz to the size of grains of rice. Place it in a copper vessel with nine sheng of pure wine and simmer over a low flame until three sheng remain, stirring constantly with a bamboo spatula. Strain out the dregs and let the liquid stand until clear. Prepare one jin of purple quartz in the same way.

One jin of dried Rehmannia root; three sheng each of white honey, butter, and peach kernels; five liang of dendrobium; two liang each of arborvitae seeds, polygala root, poria, Asiatic cornelian cherry, ginseng, dwarf lilyturf root, cassia bark, dried ginger, schisandra, white atractylodes, cistanche, licorice, monkshood, angelica dahurica, Chinese wild ginger, Sichuan lovage, astragalus, saposhnikovia, and Chinese yam.

Grind the twenty-four ingredients above into a fine powder and sift it into the prepared decoction. If there is not enough liquid, add wine to make up the difference. Continue cooking until the liquid is thick enough to form pills. Make pills the size of parasol tree seeds and take them with wine, twenty at a time, three times a day. Gradually increase the dose, up to a maximum of forty pills each time. If the other ingredients are unavailable, the decoction may be taken on its own; it is said to make the body fuller and the complexion rosy.

Musk Deer Antler Pill Formula

Choose antlers that have grown in the current year, preferably ones still attached to the crown of the skull. Antlers with cut marks at the base may also be used; those that have fallen off and have a flat base cannot be used.

There are 110 formulas for musk deer antler pills, and this one is especially outstanding. Tradition says that Rong Chengzi and Gao took it and attained feathered transcendence—becoming immortals and ascending through Daoist cultivation.

For one batch, use five, four, three, two, or one set of musk deer antlers. First remove a little over one cun from each tip. From what remains, cut off a section seven or eight cun long, dividing it into lengths that are convenient to handle. Shave the antler with a plane and place the shavings in a bamboo container. Suspend it in a long stretch of flowing water for about ten days. If no such water is available, put the shavings in a clean basin filled with water and change the water each night.

Then take out the antler and scrape away the wrinkled skin. Using a sharp plane, shave off the white inner material, working toward the center. Soak it in clean millet-washing water for two nights. After the first night, take it out and squeeze out the water by hand…

Place the medicinal ingredients on fresh silk cloth that has been rinsed with old water. Dry them in the sun, then sort them carefully, removing impurities, coarse, hard bone and bark, and any unevenly sliced pieces. Soak the ingredients for two nights in good wine without ash residue, in a large white porcelain vessel. Adjust the amounts of wine and the size of the vessel according to how much medicine there is.

Pour the ingredients and wine together into a clean pot. First boil over high heat for about the time it takes to eat a meal, then reduce the heat and simmer until small bubbles like crab eyes appear. Slowly stir without stopping with a willow-wood spatula four feet long and three fingers wide; when the person stirring grows tired, have someone take over. Keep adding good wine as it cooks, until the preparation is done. Begin the entire cooking process early in the morning, and do not let it run into the next day. Watch to see whether the medicinal powder has dissolved. When the mixture has thinned and become glue-like, add five sheng of cow’s milk and one jin of butter, then add the remaining ingredients in the order given below.

One antler of a young deer, roasted until yellow and ground to powder, then cooked with the other ingredients; betel nut, rice-paper plant pith, large-leaved gentian, ginseng, licorice, dodder seed, soaked in wine for two nights, dried, and pounded separately; and one liang of cistanche.

Pound the ingredients above into powder. If no tonic effect is needed, this ingredient may be omitted. These ingredients may also be cooked together with those listed earlier. Cook for about the time it takes to eat a meal, and when the liquid is as thick as porridge, take it off the heat. Let it stand briefly until the steam has subsided, then add the powder, stirring to mix it evenly. Let it stand again. When the paste thickens and becomes sticky enough to roll into pills, transfer it to a clean vessel. Have everyone work at once to roll the medicine into pills the size of Chinese parasol tree seeds. If there are too few people, the paste may be warmed slightly while the pills are rolled slowly. If it sticks to the hands, rub a little butter on them.

Take it on an empty stomach with a drink made from three fruits; if that drink is unavailable, wine may be used instead. At first, take thirty pills at a time, then increase the dose by one pill each day, up to a maximum of fifty pills, taken twice daily. Refrain from sexual activity for the first hundred days after beginning the medicine.

After one month of use, various ailments in the abdomen will be expelled on their own. If mild diarrhea occurs, there is no need for concern. There may then be a gradual increase in passing gas. This medicine can increase the appetite, sharpen hearing and vision, replenish the mind and spirit, bring the internal organs to harmony, strengthen the bones and marrow, improve the movement of the lower back and legs, and enable one to stand for a long time. White hair will turn black, and an aged appearance will become youthful.

For those suffering from Qi disorders, add one large liang each of immature bitter orange and green costus root to the original prescription. Those who have previously taken mineral medicines such as Dan and Shi should take Sanhuang Pills, a medicinal formula, before meals to promote elimination. If drinking alcohol or eating wheat-based foods causes dry mouth, labored breathing through the nose, dry eyes, or similar symptoms, …

Take it with honey water immediately after an episode, and the symptoms will stop. If they persist, take another dose of Sanhuang Pill (the name of a formula) to loosen the bowels slightly and relieve the symptoms. Whenever this method is used, treat only that single episode; afterward, continue with restorative care until the body returns to a state of balance and ease.

According to the original text, after taking it continuously for two hundred days, facial wrinkles will smooth out on their own and the complexion will become lustrous. After one year, lost teeth will grow back, memory will improve, and the body will feel light and strong; one will walk like the wind and cover several hundred li in a day. After two years, people will often feel plump and satisfied, able to maintain themselves even while eating little; those over seventy will become like the young. After three years, the intestines, sinews, and marrow will all change, and one may even foresee what will happen before dawn. After four years, one will often feel full without needing to eat and will be able to see immortals. For those under thirty who take it continually, their appearance will become fixed and no longer change.

Prepare this medicine in a clean room. Do not let chickens, dogs, women, or sons observing mourning for their parents see it. Women may also take this medicine.

A formula for treating weakness and damage in the five viscera, with tightness and fullness in the lower abdomen and fever:

Apply fifty moxa cones to Shenshu (a back point associated with the kidneys), reducing the number as appropriate for the old or young. For deficiency cold, increase the treatment to one hundred cones. Space the points three cun apart horizontally.

Essential Prescriptions Worth a Thousand in Gold for Emergencies by Master Sun, juan 60.