Library

First, select high-quality pieces and slice them. Use Schizonepetae Spica (Jingjie Sui) as the principal ingredient (Jun), and Glycyrrhizae Radix et Rhizoma (Gancao) as the assistant ingredient (Chen). Soak and decoct them into a concentrated herbal soup. Soak the slices until they become soft, then remove them and spread them on tiles. Slowly roast them over low heat until they turn golden yellow; discard any that are burnt. Then, decoct them once again in a white honey solution, dry them in the sun, and set aside for use.

Take an old chamber pot, fill it with water, place it on a stove, and pour out the water when it boils. Repeat this process several times to completely remove foul odors. Seal the pot firmly with salt mud, and calcine it over intense fire for half a day. Remove it, allow it to cool, and scrape off the mud shell. Collect the pale red residue from inside the pot for storage. It is advisable to store it on the ground for a period to dissipate "fire toxicity" and volatile gases, which is ideal.

Select hard, small, and unworm-eaten pieces. Roast them on tiles until their color becomes bright and crisp. Discard the two ends and use the middle part.

Select those that are straight, slender, and have a small belly as the "male" variety; those with a large and coarse belly are considered "female" and should not be used. Use a toothbrush dipped in water to brush away the lime (calcined gypsum) coating. Slowly roast them on tiles over low heat until they turn soy sauce-colored. The material should break cleanly without fibrous strands connecting the halves. Grind into a fine powder and set aside.

Carefully select the white variety. Spread it on a table, spray with clear water until moistened, and wait until the center is thoroughly damp. Select a sturdy, unbroken bamboo tube with uniform thickness at both ends. Wet the inside of the tube, tightly plug one end with a wet red cloth ball, insert rush pith (Jiedixin), and tamp it down firmly with a chopstick. Pour out the water. Gradually repeat this process until the tube is filled, then seal the top with wet red cloth. Calcine the tube in charcoal fire. Observe until the smoke ceases and the tube glows red throughout. Remove it and place it on a clean, flat surface that has been pre-moistened with water. Cover it with a bowl. Once cooled, remove it, peel off the outer ash, and open it. The medicinal ash should be black and form clumps, which is desirable. Ensure the bamboo tube does not burst; if it breaks, it is useless. Do not over-calcine, or the ash will turn white. Do not under-calcine, or it will not form ash properly. This medicine is very light in weight, so prepare ample amounts.

Select those with bright, clear patterns that make a rattling sound ("Qiang Qiang Ran"), hence the name. Also known as Natrii Sulfas Crystallizatus (Maya Xiao). Because they are long, white like teeth, and relatively large, first dip them in warm water, blot dry with cotton wool, wrap in paper, and place in a pepper-salt cavity on the stove for five to six days to absorb moisture and dry naturally. They become white like frost. Alternatively, purify them several times following the method for extracting Glauber's Salt (Xuanming Fen). This results in a milder taste and neutral nature, allowing the prepared medicine to be stored for a long time. It is best to process this during the twelfth lunar month. For use in the Golden Elixir (Jin Dan) formula, it is not necessary to process it this way.