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The prescription of Zhang Di (courtesy name Zihua, who served as Tongpan), transmitted by Shu Fugan.

Take non-boring soap pods (Gleditsiae Fructus), cut into small segments about one cun long. First, melt black lead (Nigrum Plumbum) until it becomes liquid, then throw in the soap pods and stir-fry until they resemble charcoal. Do not overcook them to the point of turning into ash. Remove and allow to cool, then grind into a fine powder. Add a small amount of salt. Brush teeth twice daily, morning and evening. White hair that has already turned white will turn black after three or four brushings; hair that is already black will not become whiter. This is a dyeing formula.

Ingredients: Myrobalan nut (Terminalia chebula Retz.), Mother Clove (Caryophylli Flos), Almond (Armeniacae Semen Amarum), Walnut kernel (Juglandis Semen).
Take equal parts of superior quality for each ingredient. Burn each item individually over a lamp flame until the medicinal properties are preserved (cinnabarized/charred but not carbonized), then grind together into a fine powder. When needed, wash the beard clean with grain water or brine water, dry it, and apply the powder to the beard. Each application can keep the beard black for two months.

Ingredients: Castor bean (Ricini Semen, 49 seeds), Prepared Radix Rehmanniae (Rehmanniae Radix Preparata, 1 liang), Dragon bone (Fossilia Ossis Mastodi), Green salt (Mare Sal, 0.5 liang each), Asarum (Asari Radix et Rhizoma, 1 fen, preferably from Huayin).
Take one large Trichosanthes fruit (Trichosanthis Fructus), make a small opening, remove the pulp, and fill the cavity with the above ingredients. Cover with the original lid, seal tightly with paper and salt mud, and dry in the sun. It will be effective!

The method of Zhang Shiboshi in Guangnan, transmitted by Yang Shuzi, Zhifu.

Take five liang of magnetic sand (Hematitum). Sieve out coarse large pieces; only use fine particles. Wash with water to settle and remove mud and sand, then dry and roast. Soak in strong acidic rice vinegar for several days. Then place in a yin (a type of pot) and stir-fry until the hematitum turns red hot. Pour onto the ground and cover with a bowl to dissipate the fire heat. Store in a porcelain jar sealed with honey. When needed, take an appropriate amount according to the volume of the beard.

When using, first wash off the grease on the beard with warm soap pod water. Then use two bamboo strips to pick up the medicine and rub it onto the beard from the roots. This medicine does not damage the skin or flesh, provided it is applied thickly. Prior to this, boil lotus leaves in boiling water until soft, cut them into slices according to the thickness of the beard, and press them between thick paper sheets to absorb moisture. After applying the medicine evenly, cover immediately with the cut lotus leaf slices, ensuring they are tight. Wrap with cloth to prevent staining clothes or bedding, and to keep the lotus leaves from shifting. The next morning, wash gently with warm water. White hairs will have turned yellow, and yellow hairs will have turned black. Using soap pod or bath bean powder to wash the face is acceptable, but do not let your fingers touch the dye directly to avoid staining them. Patience is required; reapply the medicine on the second night.

Additionally, four or five days before use, take Hezi (Chebulae Fructus) in any quantity, fry in sesame oil in a yin until blackened. Remove and place in hot furnace ash, changing the ash daily to absorb all the oil. Before temporary use, wash clean with soap pod water, dry, and grind into a fine powder. Also, pit the Hezi, take any quantity, and stir-fry with wheat bran, stirring quickly until the Hezi turns reddish. Remove and discard the bran, then grind into a fine powder. Store these two types of processed Hezi separately in clean sand jars. For each use, depending on the beard volume, take 1 qian or half a qian, and mix equally with the fine powder of Baiyaojian (Quercus infectoria extract) and the two aforementioned Hezi powders. Take wheat bran in an amount similar to the total weight of the three medicines. Mix with the water from the second washing of white rice, and cook in a double boiler to form a paste. If the consistency of the paste used the previous night was suitable for applying to the beard, repeat the dyeing process three to five times according to the above method. Later, the medicines from two nights can be combined and mixed into a paste for use.