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[Method for Grinding and Refining Stalactite (Zhongru)]
Select stalactite from Shaozhou, regardless of its density or thickness, provided that the color is bright, clean, and lustrous, which is suitable for refining. Only yellow and red colors are not to be used. When refining, boiling water is not strictly required. Add water as it evaporates. If the stalactite is thin, boil for three days and nights; if it is coarse, thick, and tubular, boil for seven days and nights until the color turns yellowish-white, indicating it is ripe. If there is doubt about whether it is fully cooked, boil for ten days for best results. After boiling, transfer it into a gold or silver bowl. Discard the yellow turbid water from the pot; do not let anyone consume it, as ingestion will damage the throat, harm the liver and lungs, cause headache, and lead to persistent diarrhea. Those who have ingested it can be cured by eating pork. After discarding this yellow water, add clear water and boil again according to the previous method. Remove after about half a day. Stop when the water remains clear and unchanged, indicating the stalactite is non-toxic. Then, grind it in a porcelain basin using a jade pestle with water. The basin and pestle should be wrapped in a double-layered white silk bag with a slightly long opening to allow the pestle to rotate freely and mix thoroughly. Add water daily and stir to ensure uniformity. Prevent the material from sticking. If water dries up, replenish it. Maintain a consistency like thin rice gruel. Fine particles float on top, while coarse ones sink at the bottom. Grind around the edges of the pestle and basin to ensure uniformity; otherwise, the texture will be uneven. Therefore, open and stir once or twice daily to scrape and mix evenly, preventing adhesion to the pestle. This yields a uniformly refined powder, avoiding coarse-fine disparity. Continue grinding for four to five days until the texture resembles milk. Check by rubbing: if it resembles the "white fish grease" described in texts, it is complete. It should naturally appear bright and white. Wash it with water; if it does not dissolve or fall off with the water, it is ripe. If it falls off upon contact with water, continue grinding until it no longer dissolves. After ripening, clarify and dry it. It can be used to compound medicines or taken orally with wine on an empty stomach for optimal effect. (Same record in *Qianjin Yifang*)

Indications: Five exhaustions and seven injuries, lung damage with shortness of breath, treatment for men suffering from aging and exhaustion of yang qi, cold hands and feet, and scanty qi in the heart. Marrow deficiency with lower back pain, numbness in legs, bodily restlessness, dry mouth, and inability to eat. Ingestion stabilizes the five zang organs, tonifies the spleen and stomach, cures myriad diseases, directs qi downward, aids digestion, promotes muscle growth, and harmonizes the middle jiao. (Used by Tang Dynasty Shangshu)

Ingredients: Zhongru (Stalactite) (2 liang, ground separately for 10 days), Wuzhuyu (Evodiae Fructus) (2 fen), Shihu (Dendrobii Caulis), Tusizi (Cuscutae Semen) (each 1 liang, soaked in wine and ground separately).
Grind the above four herbs into powder, mix with honey, and form pills the size of wu zi (cibotium seeds). Take 7 pills on an empty stomach, twice daily. After ingestion, walk several hundred steps, then drink 3 he of warm wine without ash. Walk another 200-300 steps until warmth is felt in the mouth and chest. Once the heat stabilizes, eat dry rice and bean sauce. Resume normal diet after one day. Maintain warmth and care; avoid odors of corpses or foul smells. Avoid rough, stale, or bad-tasting foods. Refrain from labor for the first seven days. After seven days, resume activities but avoid overexertion. If efficacy is felt after taking half a dose, continue for three full courses. One will be free from illness for life. To enhance sexual function, add 30 male moths (Xiong'e). For seminal emission, add 3 liang of Cistanche flower (Rongronghua) for better effect. (Same record in *Qianjin Yifang*)

[Another Method for Zhongru Pills]
Refined Zhongru (Stalactite) (24 fen), Shihu (Dendrobii Caulis), Shechuangzi (Cnidii Fructus) (each 5 fen), Renshen (Ginseng Radix), Guixin (Cinnamomi Ramulus) (each 4 fen), Ganjiang (Zingiberis Rhizoma) (3 fen), Jiaopei (Zanthoxyli Pericarpium) (3 fen, remove eyes and closed ones).
The above seven herbs total 48 fen, equivalent to 12 liang. Mix with refined white honey and pound 3,000 times. Form pills the size of wu zi. Take 25 pills on an empty stomach with clear wine without ash, twice daily. Drink according to one's usual alcohol tolerance, possibly adding a little more. Walk 300-500 steps afterward so that the qi of the stalactite flows downward. Food may be consumed freely, though moderation is preferred. Ancient methods suggest eating dry rice to accelerate the pill's action. If heat rushes upward, eat one or two mouthfuls of rice and walk slowly to observe. Food may be consumed freely, but moderation is ideal. Ancient texts recommend dry rice and bean sauce. Do not overeat. Do not strictly follow ancient methods; ultimately, dietary restraint is key. Abstinence from sexual activity is most important. If one adheres to this method with caution, the tonifying benefits are immeasurable and truly miraculous.