崔氏造胭脂法。
准紫 (一斤别捣) 白皮(八钱别捣碎) 胡桐泪(半两) 波斯白石蜜(两 )
上四味,于铜铁铛器中着水八升,急火煮水令鱼眼沸,纳紫 ,又沸纳白皮讫,搅令调
,又沸内胡桐泪及石蜜, 经十余沸,紫 并沉向下,即熟,以生绢滤之,渐渐浸叠絮上,
好净绵亦得,其番饼小大随情,每浸讫,以竹夹如干脯猎于炭火上炙之燥,复更浸,浸经六
七遍即成,若得十遍以上,益浓美好。(出第九卷中)
千金翼飞水银霜法。
水银(一斤) 朴硝(八两) 大醋(半升) 黄矾(十两) 锡(二十两成炼三遍者)
玄精
(六两) 盐花(三斤)
上七味,先炼锡讫,又温水银令热,乃 锡中,又捣玄精黄矾令细,以绢下之,又捣锡
令碎,以盐花并玄精等合和,以醋拌令湿,以盐花一斤藉底,乃布药令平以朴硝盖上讫,以
盆盖合,以盐灰为泥泥缝际,干之,微火三日,武火四日,凡七日,去火一日开之,扫取极
须勤,心守勿使须臾间解慢,则大失矣。(出第五卷中)
崔氏造水银霜法。
水银 石硫黄 伏龙肝(各十两细研) 盐花(一两盐末是也)
上四味,以水银别铛熬,石硫黄碎如豆,并别铛熬之,良久水银当热,石硫黄硝成水,
即并于一铛中和之,宜急倾并,并不急,即两物不相入,并讫,下火急搅,不得停手,若停
手,即水银别在一边,石硫黄如灰死,亦别在一处,搅之良久,硫黄成灰,不见水银,即与
伏龙肝和搅令调,并和盐末搅之令相得,别取盐末罗于铛中,令遍底浓一分许,乃罗硫黄伏
龙肝盐末等于铛中,如覆蒸饼,勿令全遍底,罗讫,乃更别罗盐末覆之,亦浓一分许,即以
盆覆铛,以灰盐和土作泥,涂其缝,勿令干裂,裂即涂之,唯令勿泄炭火气,飞之一复时开
之,用火先缓后急,开讫,以老鸡羽扫取,皆在盆上,凡一转后,即分旧土为四分,以一分
和成霜,研之令调,又加二两盐末,准前法飞之讫,弃其土,又以余一分土和飞之,四分凡
得四转,及初飞与五转,每一转则弃其土,五转而土尽矣,若须多转,更用新土,依前法飞
之,七转而可用之。(出第九卷中)
Cui's Method for Preparing Rouge.
Zicao (Radix Saposhnikoviae, one jin, separately pounded) Baipi (Bark of a specific tree, eight qian, separately pounded and crushed) Hutonglei (Tamarix Gum, half liang) Boshi Baishi Mi (Persian White Rock Honey, one liang).
Take the above four ingredients, place them in a copper or iron pot with eight sheng of water. Boil the water over high heat until it bubbles like fish eyes. Add Zicao. When it boils again, add Baipi and stir to mix evenly. When it boils once more, add Hutonglei and Shimi. After boiling more than ten times, when the residue of Zicao sinks to the bottom, it is ready. Filter through raw silk gauze. Slowly soak stacked silk floss; clean cotton is also acceptable. The size of the resulting cakes depends on preference. After each soaking, clamp the material with bamboo tongs and dry it over charcoal fire like dried meat jerky. Repeat the soaking process. Six or seven repetitions are sufficient. If repeated ten or more times, the color will be richer and more beautiful. (From Volume 9)
Qianjin Yi Fang's Method for Preparing Mercury Frost.
Shuiyin (Mercurius, one jin) Puxiao (Natrii Sulfas, eight liang) Da Cu (Vinegar, half sheng) Huangfan (Calcinatum Aluminis et Ferri, ten liang) Xi (Stannum, twenty liang, refined three times) Xuanjing (Mineral crystal, six liang) Yanhua (Salt flowers, three jin).
First, refine the tin. Heat the mercury until hot, then pour it into the tin. Next, pound Xuanjing and Huangfan until fine, and sift through silk gauze. Pound the tin until crushed. Mix Yanhua, Xuanjing, etc., and moisten with vinegar. Line the bottom of the container with one jin of Yanhua. Spread the medicinal mixture evenly, cover with Puxiao, and seal with a basin. Seal the seams with mud made from salt ash. Dry thoroughly. Use low heat for three days, then high heat for four days, totaling seven days. Stop heating for one day before opening. Collection requires diligence; do not relax even for an instant, or the result will be lost. (From Volume 5)
Cui's Method for Preparing Mercury Frost.
Shuiyin (Mercurius), Shi Liuhuang (Sulfur), Fulonggan (Caulis Longae Cibus, ten liang each, finely ground) Yanhua (Salt powder, one liang).
Separately heat the mercury in a pot. Crush the sulfur into bean-sized pieces and heat it in another pot. After a long time, when the mercury becomes hot and the sulfur melts into liquid, quickly combine them in one pot. Immediate mixing is crucial; otherwise, the two substances will not merge. Once combined, apply heat and stir rapidly without stopping. If you stop, the mercury will separate to one side, and the sulfur will resemble dead ash on the other. Stir until the sulfur turns to ash and the mercury is no longer visible. Mix with Fulonggan until uniform, then add salt powder and stir to integrate. Sieve salt powder into the pot to form a base layer about one fen thick. Then sieve the mixture of sulfur, Fulonggan, and salt powder onto this base, resembling a steamed cake, but do not cover the entire bottom completely. After sieving, cover with another layer of sieved salt powder, also about one fen thick. Cover the pot with a basin and seal the seams with mud made from ash and soil to prevent drying cracks. Ensure no carbon fire heat escapes. Sublimate for one shichen (two hours). Adjust heat from gentle to intense. Upon opening, collect the frost using old chicken feathers from the basin. After one cycle, divide the used earth into four parts. Take one part to mix with the collected frost, grind until smooth, add two liang of salt powder, and sublimate again as before. Discard that portion of earth. Use the remaining earth for further sublimation. In total, four cycles yield the product. Including the initial sublimation and the fifth cycle, discard the earth after each cycle. After five cycles, the earth is exhausted. For more cycles, use fresh earth and repeat the method. Seven cycles make it suitable for use. (From Volume 9)