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Treats sore throat and swelling, or the formation of sores and ulceration in the throat caused by wind-heat attacking upwards.
Babaozi (Fructus Arctii, 2 qian) Xuan Shen (Radix Scrophulariae, rhizome removed) Shengma (Rhizoma Cimicifugae) Jiegeng (Radix Platycodonis, rhizome removed) Xijiao (Cornu Rhinocerotis, shaved into thin slices) Huang Qin (Radix Scutellariae) Mutong (Caulis Akebiae, bark removed) Sheng Gancao (Radix Glycyrrhizae, raw, each 1 qian)
Take the above ingredients as one dose, add two zhong of water, decoct until reduced to eight fen, and take after meals.

Not only can it darken hair, but it also improves vision.
Take one black sheep liver, slice it with a bamboo knife, place it in a porcelain basin, smear with sheep bile, and dry in the sun. Apply bile daily and dry until one hundred pieces are processed; thirty to fifty pieces are acceptable if necessary, provided there is ample bile. Cover with fine silk during drying to prevent contamination by flies and dust. Next, prepare:
Dang Gui (Radix Angelicae Sinensis, 4 liang, soaked in wine) Shu Di Huang (Radix Rehmanniae Preparata, sourced from Huaiqing, steamed and sun-dried nine times in wine, dried weight 6 lian) Chuan Xiong (Rhizoma Chuanxiong) Bai Shao Yao (Radix Paeoniae Alba, stir-fried with wine) He Shou Wu (Polygoni Multiflori Radix Praeparata, mixed with wine, washed, steamed, sun-dried, and dried, 4 lian each) Han Lian Cao (Ecliptae Herba, steamed, 4 lian) Fu Pen Zi (Fructus Rubi, stir-fried) Shan Zhu Yu (Fructus Corni, soaked in wine, pitted, flesh dried, 4 lian each) Bai Fu Ling (Poria, peeled and sliced, soaked in human milk, sun-dried by day and dew-exposed by night until dry) Sheng Di Huang (Radix Rehmanniae, sourced from Huaiqing, washed in wine, 4 lian each) Zhuang Xue Yu (Calcinatus Ossis Femoris Bovis) along with hair from virgin boys and girls, personal hair, and fetal hair, quantity unrestricted. Soak all in boiling water prepared with Zha Jiao (Zanthoxyli Pericarpium), wash clean, dry, place in a small earthenware jar, seal tightly with yellow mud and salt, heat over charcoal until red-hot, bury in the ground for three days. Remove, discard soil, break the jar, scrape off the contents; four lian is ideal, two lian is acceptable if unavailable. All above herbs must not touch iron. Sun-dry and grind into fine powder using a stone mill. Separately, take twelve lian of Shu Di Huang, decoct strongly in wine to obtain two bowls of juice, remove dregs, boil into a paste to form pills the size of Sophora seeds. Take one hundred pills on an empty stomach with wine, and seventy pills before sleep with wine. This effectively darkens beard and hair (and benefits hearing, vision, and complexion).

Another prescription using only one or two ingredients is extremely effective.
Wu Bei Zi (Galla Chinensis, quantity unrestricted, remove ash, grind fine, stir-fry in a clay pot until charred but retaining efficacy, press into cakes using blue cloth and foot tread, store in earthenware jar, use 1 qian per time) Ku Bai Fan (Alumen Exsiccatum, 2 fen) Sheng Bai Fan (Alumen, 1 fen) Qing Fan (Vitriolum Viride, 1.5 fen) Nao Sha (Natrii Nitras, transparent variety, 1 fen) Hong Tong Mo (Cuprum Metallicum Pulvis, stir-fried with vinegar until red-hot, quenched with vinegar, re-stir-fried until red, collected, use 0.5 fen per time) Mei Shi Zi (Myrobalan Fructus, 0.5 fen)
Grind all above ingredients into fine powder. Decoct Xi Cha (Fine Tea, 5 qian), Shi Liu Pi (Pericarpium Granati, 1 qian), and Ke Zi Rou (Semen Terminaliae Chebulae, 1 qian) strongly to obtain half a wine cup of juice. Mix the medicine in a small cup with this juice. Place the medicine cup in water heated by a copper spoon. Wipe the temples with this solution. After drying, apply the paste from the cup to the hair roots and beard dozens of times. Dry slightly with mild heat, then thoroughly apply the dye to the beard and temples. Cover the beard with several layers of wet paper, wrap externally with blue cloth, and leave until dawn. When dry, wash the roots with warm soap pod water. If the color is not black enough, rub with oil using fingers, then massage gently. If the beard feels dry, rub with walnut meat wrapped in silk. Repeat dyeing twice according to this method; the resulting luster will be indistinguishable from natural hair. The remaining decoction in the spoon can be applied to the hair roots once or twice nightly to prevent white hair growth, making short roots appear naturally grown.