Library

Formula Nineteen

Regarding the collection of cypress seeds (Bai Zi), it should be done in the eighth month. After this time, they fall and are prone to insect damage; collecting them immediately after falling is also easy. Select those that sink in water, collect them in the eighth month along with their casings, dry them thoroughly, powder them, and take one *fangcun bi* (a square-inch measure) per dose. Gradually increase to five *he* (a unit of volume), or up to one *sheng* (a unit of volume) per day. If one wishes to abstain from grains, eat cypress seeds freely until full, and drink water when thirsty. Another method: Do not exceed five *he* of cypress seeds.

Regarding the collection of pine nuts (Song Shi), collect them in the seventh month before the cones open. Once they open, wind causes them to fall, making collection impossible. Aged pine nuts are preferred.

Method for Abstaining from Grains and Ascending to Immortality:
Take powdered pine nuts, three *he* per dose, three times a day, and hunger will cease. Drink water when thirsty and do not consume other foods. After one hundred days, the body becomes light, allowing one to walk five hundred *li* (Chinese miles) per day, achieving immortality through grain abstinence.

Method for Consuming Pine Nuts:
Process by sifting, take one *fangcun bi* per dose, three or four times a day, or up to one and a half to two *sheng* per day; more is better. After more than two hundred days, one can walk five hundred *li* daily. Another method: Do not exceed three *he* of pine nuts.

Pine nuts are sweet and sour, benefiting the essence and nourishing the brain. Long-term consumption extends life and prevents aging; even beyond one hundred years, one's complexion remains youthful, and the body feels light and radiant.
Equal parts pine nuts and chrysanthemum flowers, processed into pills the size of mulberry seeds using pine resin or honey. Take ten pills three times a day, increasing up to twenty if necessary. Alternatively, take two *fangcun bi* of powder three times a day. The efficacy is the same as above.

Another Formula:
Equal parts cypress resin and pine/cypress fruits, formed into pills with pine resin. This is effective.
Cypress resin and pine needles prevent aging, causing hair to grow green, one chi long, making the body light and fragrant, reversing aging, and turning white hair back. Long-term use allows grain abstinence without hunger. When thirsty, drink pine needle infusion or porridge juice. Initially, it may taste unpleasant, but becomes acceptable over time. Powdered form is less effective than fresh consumption.

Method for Consuming Pine Needles:
Finely chop and eat, three *he* per day, preventing hunger.

Another Formula:
Chop finely like millet grains. Take three *he* daily, suitable for all seasons. Fresh needles treat myriad ailments, lighten the body, boost qi, reverse aging, and extend life.

Another Formula:
Harvest according to seasons: East in Spring, South in Summer, West in Autumn, North in Winter. This lightens the body, boosts qi, protects against wind-cold and bi-syndrome, and extends life.

Gao Ziliang's Method for Consuming Cypress Leaves:
Harvest at any time. Chop leaves, fill a steamer basket, cover with a basin placed on a cauldron, and steam for the duration it takes to cook three *shi* (a unit of weight/volume) of rice; longer is better. After steaming, rinse with water over one hundred times, then dry in the shade. If not rinsed, dry directly after steaming. Take one *he*, postprandially, three times a day. The effect is mild; gradually increase from one *he* to one *sheng*. It promotes longevity and qi, aids grain abstinence, and serves as emergency food for reclusion during famines. Pang Boning, Yan Junping, Zhao Defeng, Tang Gongfang, etc., used this while cultivating Daoism during famines in Mount Emei. They met the immortal Gao Ziliang, who taught them this method, saving them from starvation. Later, Daoist Jin Tong learned of it and recorded it.

Another Formula:
Place cypress leaves in a large basin, soak in water, changing the water daily. To change water, invert the vessel. Soak for seven days or fourteen days (optimal). Then steam until the heat penetrates completely. Dry, sift, and powder one *shi*. Mix with one *dou* of jujube paste, similar to making dry rice. Take two *fangcun bi* three times a day. Water suffocation prevents hunger; take when hungry. Drink water when thirsty. In mountain dwellings, reciting scriptures maintains vitality; this can also aid during famine years.

Immortal's Formula for Reducing Grain Intake with Cypress Leaves:
Select upper branches of cypress leaves, excluding twigs. Thirty *jin* per batch. Use a leak-proof container. Submerge leaves in flowing eastward water, ensuring three *cun* of water above the leaves. Cover with a new basin, seal with mud. After twenty-one days (3x7), remove and dry in shade, keeping dust out. Grind and sift. Roast three *sheng* of soybeans until cooked, grind the yellow part, and sift. Mix the three ingredients thoroughly. Store in a reed bag. Take five *he* per dose. Use wine or water; three times daily. Eating and drinking are permitted. Treats myriad diseases, which resolve naturally; prevents cold in winter, improves complexion, regenerates teeth, sharpens senses, and strengthens intestines. Consumption of other foods is optional.

Another Formula:
Three *shi* of cypress leaves, steamed, dried, and sifted. One *sheng* of barley, roasted until color changes, finely ground. Mix all and take as desired. Can be made into porridge; slight alcohol consumption is allowed.

Another Formula:
Twenty *jin* of cypress leaves soaked in east-flowing water for twenty-one days. Remove and dry. Soak one *dou* of wheat in the leaf infusion for three to four days. Remove and dry, roast until fragrant. Do the same for cypress leaves. One *sheng* of salt, roasted until yellow. Pound the three ingredients and sift. Mix with two *jin* of lard (rendered from non-pure water pigs), finely chopped, into the powder, and sift again. Take one *fangcun bi* before meals, three times a day. Better without food, but can be taken with food.

Another Formula:
Take cypress leaves from shady areas and bark from the shady side of the tree. Chew/break, steam, and irrigate with water from the bottom of the cauldron. Repeat three times. Dry in shade for one hundred days. Sift. Mix with one *jin* each of barley powder and soybean powder. Take one *fangcun bi* three times a day. Used for grain abstinence, curing diseases, and extending life.

Another Formula:
Three *shi* of cypress leaves, boiled thoroughly, removed, and washed in cow milk until the water runs clear. Dry. Moisten with three *sheng* of white wine, steam gently until cooked. Let cool for the time it takes to cook one *shi* of rice, then dry. Grind three *sheng* of barley, roast until color changes. Finely grind and sift the dried leaves, mix with barley flour. Take three *sheng* daily, with water or wine. Stops grain intake, treats disease, wards off epidemic Qi and evil spirits, and facilitates transcendence over time.

Another Formula:
Ten *jin* of cypress leaves soaked in four *dou* of water overnight. Boil four or five times, strain, and reserve the liquid separately to dry. Soak one *sheng* of wheat in the cypress liquid overnight, remove, dry, and repeat until liquid is absorbed. Take one *sheng* of salt, one *sheng* of cypress leaves, one *sheng* of wheat, roast until fragrant, and powder. Mix with a piece of fat, knead, and take one *fangcun bi* with wine, three times a day. Diseases diminish naturally. After ten days, one can abstain from grains. If riding, drink one and a half *sheng* of water to prevent fatigue during travel.

Xiu Liang San Formula:
Cupressus funebris (Yi Bai) leaves (one *jin*, raw)
Black soybeans (Wu Dou)
Hemp seeds (Ma Zi) (each half *sheng*, roasted)
Pound and mix the three ingredients. Take one *fangcun bi* with cold water on an empty stomach.