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Commentary states: The *Gushen Lun* (Treatise on the Valley Spirit) mentions: Swallowing saliva and refining qi, expelling the old and absorbing the new, with essence ascending into the Newan Palace (the upper dantian in the head) and descending into the Dantian (the lower energy center), this is called Internal Alchemy; Yang Dragon and Yin Tiger, Wood Fluid and Metal Essence, the intersection of these two qi energies, cooked and refined to form, this is called External Alchemy. Practitioners of cultivation first achieve Internal Alchemy, then refine external medicines. When internal and external correspond, the state of immortality can be attained. However, the mysteries of elixirs have never been revealed by immortals since ancient times, so few are transmitted in the world. Now, selecting those that have been transmitted, they are recorded in this chapter.

Elixir for Immortals, Middle Grade Yellow Dragon Elixir Prescription
Chishizhi (Red Halloysite, 10 liang) Huangniu Ru Zhi (Yellow Ox Milk, 3 sheng) Xuxiang (Frankincense, transparent and high quality, 1 jin) Baisha Mi (White Sand Honey, 1 jin) Gancao (Licorice Root, 3 liang, powdered)
Baijingmi (White Japonica Rice, 3 dou 5 sheng, divided into five portions for cooking the medicine, until the rice is cooked.)

The above six ingredients: First, grind Chishizhi into fine powder, store it in a bag made of double-layered raw silk, and soak it in a basin of sweet clean water for half a day. Rub and swirl it in the water by hand. After it settles, scrape the sediment into a cardboard box, drain it, and take 5 liang of the finest part. Place it in a silver container.
First operation: Over seven days, wash 7 sheng of rice. Cook it like steaming rice, placing the medicine container inside to steam together. Stop when the rice is cooked. At night, remove the lid and expose it under the stars overnight.
Second operation: On the day of the full moon (Wang), follow the previous method to steam. Remove the lid and expose it under the moonlight overnight.
Third operation: On the morning of the 24th day, follow the previous method to steam. Remove the lid and expose it to the sun. Ensure sufficient absorption of the qi of the sun, moon, and stars.
Fourth operation: First, put 3 sheng of ox milk into a large container. Heat it over slow charcoal fire until it boils like fish eyes. Add Xuxiang and wait for it to melt. Then add the Chishizhi powder from the previous three steamings. Stir evenly with a willow wood spatula. Pour into a mortar and grind finely. Return to the container. Follow the previous method using 7 sheng of rice, placing the container on the rice to steam until the rice is cooked.
Fifth operation: Put 2 jin of honey into the container. Follow the previous slow fire heating until it boils like fish eyes. Immediately add the previous medicine. Stir constantly with a willow wood spatula until even. Add 3 liang of Gancao powder. Simmer together until slightly moist, then stop. Use 7 sheng of rice again, place the medicine container on the rice to steam until the rice is cooked. Take the container and soak it in fresh water for half a day. Take it out and place it in a clean area to settle.
For the first dose: Choose a Tiande day at dawn. Fast, burn incense, face east, and bow seven times. Mix one spoonful with good wine and swallow. This is an otherworldly longevity elixir. It has no toxicity from metallic minerals and does not cause harm to life. After taking it, the Four Qi harmonize, and the meridians flow without obstruction. It should only be transmitted to save people, not for profit. If done so, its effect will be miraculous. In the Guangping era of the Jin Dynasty, Zhu Shanshan from Huayue admired the Dao since childhood. At over sixty years old, he traveled to Zhongshan Mountain and met a strange person who taught him this elixir. He believed in it and took it. By the Longji era change of the Tang Dynasty, residing in Kaiyuan Temple in Yangzhou, he was already hundreds of years old. He then taught it to the Daoist priest Zhou Chongxing, saying: "After taking this elixir for more than ten days, one feels the viscera and bowels clear and comfortable, and the spirit refreshed. All major diseases such as wind, labor, qi stagnation, and cold are completely removed. If two doses are consumed, the intestines transform into sinews, and one can live as long as heaven and earth." Ordinary people must first nourish the Spleen. When the Spleen is prosperous, the Liver flourishes; when the Liver flourishes, the Heart strengthens; when the Heart strengthens, the Lungs thrive; when the Lungs thrive, the Yuan Zang (Primordial Viscus/Kidney) becomes solid; when the Yuan Zang is solid, the root is firm. This is the way of deep roots and firm stalks, long life and enduring vision. (Preparation requires clean vessels: One silver box for holding 1 liang of medicine, one silver container for holding 5 dou, three new clay pots for holding 1 dou, one wooden steamer, one lid for the steamer/pot, one new clean stove set, one new clean mortar, one silver spoon, one small silver ladle, one fine bamboo/grass sieve, one willow wood spatula, 100 jin of clean firewood).

Reviving the dead and supporting the declining, extending lifespan and reversing aging. Elixir for Immortals, Resurrection Soul Elixir Prescription
Dansha (Cinnabar) Xionghuang (Realgar) Cihuang (Orpiment) (Each 3 liang)

The above three ingredients: First, finely grind Xionghuang and Cihuang. Store them in a bamboo tube and bury them in the northern ground for three days. Take them out, pour out half, place Dansha (also finely ground) in the center, and cover it with the poured-out half. Plug the mouth of the tube with Yunmu Fen (Mica Powder, which has been rubbed clean in a silk bag and dried). Bury it in the ground, exposing only the tube mouth. Surround the tube mouth with charcoal fire. Slowly roast for 3x7=21 days until it transforms into water. Pour the medicinal liquid into a copper vessel. Hang it in a well for five days. If there is no well, use a deep basin with 3-4 cun of water, place half a sheng of soybeans in it, and float the medicine vessel on the water. Soak for five days. Then, expose it to the dew every night, collecting it only after sunrise. When the medicinal liquid turns red and can be formed into pills, make them the size of sesame seeds. Seal and store. If someone dies suddenly, place the pill in their mouth, and they will revive. Living persons who take it will be disease-free for life. Take one pill on the first day of each month. If poisoned by toxic drugs, the poison will be vomited out. It has seven names: 1. Fanhun (Return Soul), 2. Zaisheng (Rebirth), 3. Zhui Ming (Chase Life), 4. Gushou (Solidify Longevity), 5. Laisu (Revive), 6. Zhiming (Know Fate), 7. Dedao (Attain Dao). Its merits cannot be fully described. This was transmitted by Qian Zhongyi Wang.

Lightening the body and reversing aging, strengthening power and beautifying complexion, Longevity True Person's Pure Cinnabar Prescription
Dansha (Block form, 4 liang) Qingyan (Green Salt, 0.5 jin) Pisha (Arsenic Sulfide/Orpiment derivative, 1 liang, separately ground, divided into three parts) Cishi (Magnetite, 1 jin, quenched in strong vinegar 49 times over high fire)

The above four ingredients: First, grind Cishi and Qingyan together into powder. Moisten with vinegar and divide into four parts. Lay one part at the bottom of the container. Arrange Dansha in a layer like lotus seeds. Sprinkle one part of Pisha on top to cover. Cover with Cishi and Qingyan. Lay Dansha again as before. Total three layers. Cover with the remaining one part of powder. Press firmly. Cover the container with a tile. Place a clean brick at the bottom of the furnace. Spread 4 cun of ash on the brick. Sit the medicine container on the ash. Cover the four sides of the container with ash, each reaching 4 cun thick. Be very careful. Use top fire (heat from above) of 4 liang to nurture for seven days. Wait for it to cool, remove, take off the tile, replace with the original lid, seal the mouth with Chishizhi. Mix Yanqiandan (Lead Carbonate), Bai Xiuyinfen (White Earthworm Excrement), and Zhijin (Paper Fiber) with water and paste. Apply thoroughly around the four sides of the container to make it extremely secure. Follow the previous method of sitting on the brick in the furnace. Cover with ash. Use raw and cooked fire of over 3 jin. Forge until red hot. Let the fire subside for a long time. Cover with 5 sheng of ash and wait for it to cool. Carefully chisel open. Check the sand. The subdued fire sand looks gray, in chunks. Remove impurities. The Cinnabar does not break. This is the first turn. Take 1 liang of Pisha and 0.5 jin of Qingyan. Grind both熟 (cooked/processed) into powder. Add a little water and grind into a paste. Put it into the previous impurities. Mix to achieve appropriate moisture. Follow the previous method of laying sand and medicine. Do not seal. Only close it and put it into the ash pool. Nurture with 3 liang of fire. You may add fire up to five times per cycle. Do not let the nurturing cease. After seven days, extinguish the fire. Wait for it to cool and take out the sand. Purple color is excellent. This is the second turn. It is somewhat brittle. Crush and grind into powder. Add a little Qingyan. Grind together. Wrap in heavy copy paper. Size about half a walnut. Tie with thread. Grind Jingmo (Beijing Ink) with vinegar. Coat heavily and repeatedly. Dry thoroughly. Fix the pill in the container. Do not seal. Cover evenly with ash. Use only 3 liang of fire. Nurture for three shichen (6 hours). Use high fire of over 5 jin. Forge until red hot. Cool and take the sand pill. It should be snow-white. This is the third turn. Completed. Wash the sand to remove saltiness. Dry by roasting. Put 1 he of real ox milk and the sand into a jointed green bamboo tube. Wrap the mouth tightly with oiled silk. Drop into a well for seven days. Take out and dry. Grind into powder. Boil jujube flesh and mix to form pills, size of mung beans. On a Jiachen day, fast, cleanse, and burn incense. Take one pill. Increase by one pill daily. On the seventh day, decrease back to one pill, then increase again as before. By the sixtieth day, effects will manifest. By one year, the body is light and healthy. By three years, walking like a galloping horse, strength surpassing a hundred men. Long-term use leads to longevity. One can circulate qi and pulses to become a Earth Immortal. Face like a child, fallen teeth regrow, white hair turns black. Avoid sheep blood, dead meat, and fish.

Calming the mind and warding off evil, treating all evil qi, Taiqing Four-Sector Elixir Prescription
Dansha (4 liang, crushed like hemp beans. Pick peach blossoms on Shangsi Day. 20 liang peach blossoms, 1 jin true honey. Enter silver vessel. Boil in water bath until the first day of May. Wash clean with new well water. Have a boy grind the sand facing east) Qijie (Kylin Blood/Dragon's Blood, 4 liang, select authentic. Enter Dansha on May 2nd and grind) Moyao (Myrrh, 4 liang, transparent. Enter Dansha on May 3rd and grind) Shexiang (Musk, 4 liang, whole, using Dangmenzi. Enter Dansha on May 4th and grind together)

The above four ingredients: First, take 1 liang of Shanggrenshen (Codonopsis from Shangdang) and 1 fen of Gancao. Finely chop. Before sunrise on May 1st, collect 1 sheng of dew. Mix with 3 liang of true honey and soak. Until Dragon Boat Festival (Duanwu), boil down the water to half. Remove dregs. Add Da Mai Mian (Barley Flour) to make a paste. Mix with the medicine. Make it slightly hard. Form pills the size of Prunus spinosa fruits. Each time, chew one or half a pill with 2 he of warm water infused with Chenxiang (Agarwood). Tonifies the heart, guides blood, preserves youth, benefits qi, harmonizes all meridians, removes evil qi, especially wards off seasonal epidemics. In epidemic years, the whole family fasts and cleanses. Rise early, face east, and each person chews one pill with Jinghua Water (first drawn well water) to ensure non-infection. Long-term use brings peace of mind, no dreams, no evil invasion, and a ruddy complexion. During preparation, avoid women, cats, dogs, and filth. Store in a clean place. Also known as Tongshen Baoming Dan. Additionally treats women's blood and qi rushing to the heart causing pain, men's primordial qi deficiency, and all evil qi. Take with Ginger Wine. Women take with Stir-fried Ginger Vinegar Soup. For malaria, take one or half a pill with Lac Tea (aged Pu'er). Dosage depends on the severity of the illness.

Lightening the body and extending lifespan, Immortal Taiyi Fire-Forged Elixir Prescription
Shengzhizi (Boil, skim off white flowers, dry, grind 2 jin) Jiangfan (Vitriol/Copper Sulfate, finely ground 5 liang) Xiaoshi (Niter/Potassium Nitrate, 5 liang, finely ground, divided into ten parts, add one part per cycle) Mayou (Sesame Oil, 100 liang, divided into ten parts, add one part in the first cycle)

The above four ingredients: First, mix Jiangyan (Alum/Vitriol salt) and one part Xiaoshi. Grind evenly. Mix with 10 liang Mayou. Put into a sealed 5-sheng bottle. Cover with a tile. Burn 10 jin of charcoal until flames extinguish and charcoal is consumed. Take out and grind finely. Add one part Xiaoshi and one part oil. Follow the previous method, burning 10 jin of charcoal until consumed. Repeat this ten times. Total charcoal used: 100 jin. Later, pound and sift the medicine into powder. Take a small amount, grind finely. Mix with Tang Jin Meng Bing (Soup-soaked Steamed Bun Dough) to form pills, size of Sophora japonica seeds. Take 10 pills per dose, increase to 20. Take with cold water on an empty stomach. Long-term use cures all diseases. Beard and hair become black as lacquer. Bones and tendons become light and strong. Eyes and ears become sharp. The original text says: Take for one year, walk 200 li per day. Take for five years, attain immortality.

Extending lifespan and benefiting health, beautifying complexion, strengthening viscera, fortifying waist and legs, enriching blood and consolidating essence, Elixir for Immortals, Lingsha (Spiritual Cinnabar) Prescription
Shuiyin (Mercury, 4 liang) Liuhuang (Sulfur, 1.5 liang)

The above two ingredients: First, melt Liuhuang. Immediately throw in Shuiyin. Stir-fry with an iron spoon until it forms green sand-like particles. Weigh to ensure 4 liang. If weight decreases, continue frying until yellow disappears. Use one medicine container with a small opening. Put the green sand inside. Use a new tea cup with a larger base, flat, clean, and thick. Fill with 70% new well water. Place the container with sand on the cup. Use finely sieved Chishizhi powder mixed with water to make mud. Paste it thickly on the outer seams to make it airtight. Place the container over mild heat. Use strong flame appropriately. Fan slightly. As water in the cup evaporates, add water to keep it constant. After about half a day, let the fire cool naturally. Take it out. A cluster of Lingsha forms at the bottom of the cup. Scrape it off and weigh. If not finished, repeat the firing process. Once the sand is formed, store in a silk bag. Boil in water for 3-5 boils, or soak for half a day. Filter and grind finely into powder. Use Banxia Hu (Pinellia Paste) boiled in water to form pills, size of Sophora japonica seeds. Take one pill per dose. Take with well water on an empty stomach. It travels to the Zhongwan point, then descends to the Dantian. One should feel warmth. Avoid sheep blood.

Tonifying essence and nurturing spirit, extending lifespan and beautifying complexion, Elixir for Immortals, Fuhuo (Subduing Fire), Neigu (Internal Solidification) Prescription
Dansha (Cinnabar, 1 liang) Xilin Zhi (Stannous Oxide/Tin Ash, 1 liang)

The above two ingredients: Boil together in 2 bowls of Jiangshui (fermented grain water) until the water is gone. Use one sand container. Roll the boiled sand in honey to make it white. Then roll it in Baifuzi Fen (Aconitum carmichaelii side-root powder). Then wrap it in Hei Fuzi Fen (Black Aconite powder) mixed with water, placing it in the center of the sand. Line the bottom and top of the container with Shujiao (Sichuan Pepper). Seal the mouth with oil-mixed Ge Fen (Clam Shell Powder). Seal the outside with Yan Ni (Salt Mud) and Zhijin (Paper Fiber). Wait for it to dry. Roast with 5 jin of charcoal. When the fire is exhausted, wait for it to cool and take out. Wrap the Dansha in paper. Bury it in a hole in the ground overnight. Take out and grind finely. Use Nuomi Hu (Glutinous Rice Paste) to form pills, size of Sophora japonica seeds. Take one pill daily. Take with clean cold water. Long-term use is non-toxic.

Elixir for Immortals, Longevity, Two-Qi Elixir Prescription
Dansha (Cinnabar, 2 liang) Shuiyin (Mercury, 1 liang, ground together) Baihe Hua (Lily Flower) Yehe Hua (Albizia Flower) Gan Juhua (Dried Chrysanthemum) Huai Hua (Sophora Flower) (Any amount, ground together into powder)

The above six ingredients: Use a small porcelain container. Put half of the four flower powders at the bottom. Next, tightly press in Dansha and Shuiyin. Cover with Zhimu Fen (Anemarrhena Powder). Seal the container. Seal seams with Chishizhi. Reinforce with Yan Ni. Wait for it to dry. Wrap the entire thing in Cu Hui (Vinegar Ash) on a brick. Roast from the top with 3-5 jin of charcoal until the charcoal is exhausted. Wait for it to cool. Take out and grind finely. Wrap in oil paper. Hang in well water. Soak for three nights to remove fire qi. Take out and steam three times to remove water qi. Next, use jujube flesh to form pills, size of mung beans. Take one or two pills per dose. Take with wine. Extends lifespan. Additionally treats various qi disorders. Long-term use prevents insects and lice from appearing in the body.