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The castration method is roughly the same as the previous item, except that only male animals are castrated, while female animals are not. The timing of castration also varies by species. Generally speaking, horses should be castrated between half a year and one year after birth, cattle between six and nine months after birth, and sheep within one month after birth. If performed too late, it may endanger life; practitioners must pay close attention to this.

Roosters can be castrated two to three months after hatching. Before castration, they should be fasted from morning until evening. Then, bind both wings tightly, place the chicken on the castration table, which is made of bamboo or wood and features a pivot mechanism to fix the chicken's body, preventing movement. Next, remove feathers and make a longitudinal incision of about one cun anterior to the last rib, extract the testicles (referred to as "kidneys"), and suture the wound. Release the bird into its coop; it will return to normal the following day.

Hua Tuo’s Divine Formulas for Preparing Various Medicines

Yuanming Powder (Refined Mirabilite) is most effective in descending fire, resolving phlegm, and clearing and benefiting the zang-fu organs. It can eliminate critical conditions when taken, and cure mania and restlessness upon use. The refining method is suitable for use after the Winter Solstice: take ten jin of pure Puxiao (Natrii Sulfas), one dou five sheng of water, and five jin of white radish. Boil them together in a pot until fully dissolved. Once sufficiently boiling, remove the radish. Filter the liquid while hot using two layers of cotton paper spread over a bamboo winnowing basket. Place the filtrate outdoors for three days, during which the mirabilite will gradually crystallize. Drain the remaining water and dry it. Remove the mirabilite, place a clay pot on a charcoal stove, melt one bowl of mirabilite until boiling, and stir with a copper spoon. When it begins to congeal, scoop it into a small fish-vinegar jar, leaving about one cun of space at the top. Repeat the refining process. For each jar, drive three nails into the ground in a triangular formation, leaving half a cun exposed above ground. Rest the jar on these nails, cover the mouth with tiles, and build a hundred-eye furnace around it with bricks, leaving about one cun distance from the jar. Place burning charcoal inside the furnace, ensuring that the fire surrounding the sides, top, and bottom protects each other simultaneously. Continue until the mirabilite in the jar turns red. The next day, remove the jar. Spread clean cotton paper flat on a cool, shaded surface. Pour the mirabilite out of the jar, grind it finely, and sieve it through silk gauze onto the cotton paper to a thickness of approximately one qian. After three days, the mirabilite "revives," becoming white like powder, light, and forming flakes. Store it in a mortar, remove moisture, and keep it for future use.