Library

Heaven and Earth possess the virtue of cherishing life, and sages harbor the heart to save the world. Because of cherishing life, Qi condenses into the Five Elements (Wu Xing), and Essence concentrates into hundreds of herbs. Because of saving the world, Qibo analyzed medicinal properties, and Sun Simiao formulated prescriptions. Such alchemical formulas benefit human society, sufficiently extending the benevolent hearts of Heaven, Earth, sages, and worthies to assist good physicians; is this not a significant contribution? Today, the Holy Emperor is sagely and benevolent, encompassing the universe, nurturing all things like rain and dew, and harmonizing Yin and Yang. For over a hundred years, Yuan Qi has been fermenting, and the Great Harmony (Tai He) permeates everywhere. Indeed, we have long enjoyed the blessings of peace, and frequently witnessed auspicious signs of longevity. Yet, he still views the people's suffering as his own injury, caring for them with double diligence. The painful and distressed conditions of the common people often occupy his royal thoughts. This is truly an intention to unite the realm in ascending to the Terrace of Spring (an era of peace) and entering the Realm of Longevity.

Cheng Pengcheng resides quietly at Mount Lu, personally witnessing the prosperous age, and always feels deep concern for his compatriots. I previously published "Quanjie Leichao" (Collection of Exhortations and Warnings) to awaken the deaf and blind. Now, driven by a compassionate heart to relieve suffering and a refined aspiration to revive lives, he has extensively collected medical texts, carefully categorized them, selected those proven effective, compiled them into a volume, had them printed, and circulated them widely. Thus, in remote villages, when illness strikes at night and there is no time to summon a doctor, one can consult this book, apply appropriate remedies, and instantly bring the dying back to life. Would this book not be considered a supreme treasure? I wish that those who read this collection, while intending to heal others' bodies, would first heal their own hearts. Those with means should donate funds to distribute medicines; those without means should excerpt content to advise peers and relatives. Starting from the near and extending to the far, eventually families, states, and the whole world will benefit. This will not only honor the profound intentions of Heaven, Earth, and sages but also expand feelings of compassion and love, enabling all under heaven to reach the realm of benevolence and longevity. I certainly appreciate his virtuous aspirations and am happy to write this preface.

Written in early March of the Guihai year of the Jiaqing reign (1803) at Chengguan Place in the deep mountains, by Shuangkou Daoren.

Article 1: Medicine and healthcare determine life and death; empirically tested alchemical formulas are most effective in treating diseases. I have never studied medicine, but my heart deeply agrees with its value. After decades of searching and collecting, I compiled over three thousand formulas, covering both internal and external treatments. Later, I reflected that internal decoctions and infusions, once ingested, cannot be retrieved if they fail to match the disease pattern, potentially causing irreversible harm. Therefore, I deleted them. I retained only over fifteen hundred external treatment formulas, categorized by type, supplemented with preventive advice and moral maxims, forming ten volumes.

Article 2: Methods of treating diseases require syndrome differentiation combined with pulse diagnosis. However, pulse theory is subtle; how can shallow learners penetrate its mysteries? Between cold, heat, deficiency, and excess, a slight error can lead to disastrous consequences. If one pretends to diagnose without discerning subtleties, many errors will occur. In contrast, external treatments involve applying formulas based on visible symptoms, which is straightforward. They act faster than decoctions, and even if ineffective, washing them off causes no major harm. Thus, I exclusively recorded these to form this collection.

Article 3: Buddhist scriptures state that the human body suffers from four hundred and four types of diseases, indicating the vastness of illnesses. Hence, ancient formulas include various external treatments such as plasters, paints, acupuncture, bian stone therapy, scarification, soaking, warming, steaming, and massage, running parallel to internal treatments. My compilation does not imply that external methods can replace decoctions; rather, it aims to provide convenience for emergencies, offering patients the joy of recovery without necessarily needing medication ("wu yao you xi").

Article 4: This collection was originally designed for emergency rescue; therefore, only simple and convenient formulas are recorded for备用 (backup use). Formulas with expensive ingredients or complex preparation methods are excluded, as poor families cannot afford them, and even wealthy ones may find them difficult to procure urgently. Moreover, most ingredients listed are common daily items, suitable for remote areas where rare herbs might be hard to find or identify. Uncommon or hard-to-identify herbs are intentionally omitted.

Article 5: This collection is suitable for reading at home or during travel, for officials or commoners alike. It promotes health and benefits society. If benevolent gentlemen reprint and widely disseminate it, this would be deeply hoped for.

Article 6: My family focused on imperial examinations, so our medical books were incomplete. Borrowed texts were copied hastily and returned without verification, leading to many errors. Any corrections offered would be appreciated to prevent harm.

Article 7: Ancient and modern alchemical formulas are countless, beyond the scope of one person to collect. Fellow enthusiasts possessing simple, effective home remedies are requested to copy and share them for inclusion in future supplements.

Article 8: Dosage systems in formulas vary—some present, some absent, some detailed, some brief—all following the original sources.

Article 9: For secret formulas of past sages that cannot be traced to specific authors, notes will indicate the source book for verification purposes.