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Non-toxic. Viviparous (gives birth to live young).

Musk (Shexiang) [Source: *Shennong Bencao Jing*]: Primarily used to repel evil qi, kill demonic spirits and entities, treat warm malaria (*Wen Nue*), gu poison (*Gu Du*), epilepsy (*Xian*), and spasms; eliminate the "three parasites" (*San Chong*). Long-term consumption removes pathogenic factors and prevents nightmares or sleep paralysis (*Yan Mei*). (The text in red characters is from *Shennong Bencao Jing*)

Treats various ominous pathogens, ghostly qi causing nausea, sudden abdominal pain, distension, urgency, bloating, and fullness; treats wind toxicity, difficult labor in women, and abortion; removes facial dark spots (*Yun*) and corneal opacities (*Fu Yi*) in the eyes.

(The text in black characters is recorded by famous physicians of later generations)

[Name] Musk Father (*She Fu*).
[Origin] *Tu Jing* states: Produced in Zhongtai valleys and mountains of Yizhou and Yongzhou. Currently found in the mountains of Shaanxi, Yili, Hedong routes, etc., with particularly high abundance among the barbarian tribes in Taizhou and Wenzhou. Its shape resembles a muntjac deer but is smaller, and it frequently consumes cypress leaves. Its fragrance is located within the skin of the prepuce, wrapped in a separate membrane. Collecting live musk at the Spring Equinox yields the best quality. Barbarians collect it by scraping the membrane using a seed-like tool, mixing it with other substances, and wrapping it with the skins of four legs and knees to form five "substances." Locals who buy these often rub them apart into two or three pieces, revealing the forgery. Only musk obtained from live animals is genuine. In Shangzhou and Ruzhou, groups of musk leave feces in concentrated areas. Although they forage over long distances, they always return to the same spot and do not leave traces elsewhere, fearing discovery. People use these traces to locate them, so hunters must mask the group's tracks to capture them. It seems musk highly values its umbilical region. When chased desperately, it jumps into rocks, scratches its own skin to release the scent, and even if bound to death, it arches its four feet to protect its umbilicus. Li Shangyin wrote: "The musk throws itself into the rock to shed its scent"; Xu Hun wrote: "Seeking musk to harvest fresh scent." This refers to this phenomenon. In Qizhou and Guangzhou, musk exists but has very small scent glands; one pod is only the size of a pea, yet it is often genuine because locals are less skilled at counterfeiting. Another theory posits three types of musk: The first is raw musk (*Sheng Xiang*). In summer, musk eats many snakes and insects; when cold arrives, the scent fills the body. In spring, the umbilical area becomes painful, and the animal scratches it out. Wherever it falls, grass and trees turn yellow and wither. This is extremely rare. Now, when people carry genuine musk through gardens, fruits and vegetables fail to set fruit, which serves as verification. The second type is umbilical musk (*Qi Xiang*), obtained from captured and killed animals. The third is heart-knot musk (*Xin Jie Xiang*). When musk is chased by large beasts, it panics, runs madly, falls off cliffs, and dies. Humans find it, cut open the heart, and see blood flowing out and solidifying into blocks. This dried musk is unusable. There is also water musk (*Shui She*), whose scent is even more extraordinary. The umbilical area contains liquid; one drop added to a bucket of water can wash clothes such that even worn-out garments retain the fragrance indefinitely. During the Tianbao era of Tang Dynasty, an imperial hunter caught a water musk, and the emperor ordered it kept in the imperial park. Whenever needed, its umbilicus was pricked with a needle, coated with real realgar (*Xionghuang*), and sealed again; its fragrance doubled that of regular musk. In recent years, no one has reported seeing such things.

[Season] [Growth] No fixed time. [Harvest] Collected at the Spring Equinox.
[Storage] Stored in porcelain vessels.
[Color] Black.
[Taste] Pungent (*Xin*).
[Nature] Warm.
[Qi Attribute] Strong aroma belongs to Yang.
[Odor] Fragrant.
[Indications] Repels evil filth, opens orifices.
[Processing] Leigong stated: When using musk, it must be opened on Zi days; do not grind it finely and sift it before use.
[Efficacy] Tao Hongjing stated: Expels snake venom, repels bad dreams, and eliminates corpse-possession (*Shi Zhu*) and ghostly qi. *Yaoxing Lun* stated: Eliminates hundred evils, demonic possessions, and ghostly diseases; treats heart and abdominal pain, pediatric convulsions and fright; calms the spirit and mind, stops frequent urination, and cauterizes pus in all carbuncles and sores. *Rimazi* stated: Induces labor, kills internal parasites, counters snake and scorpion bites, sand lice, and stream miasma toxins; expels wind-phlegm, returns the uterus to position, warms the Water Organ (*Shui Zang*, referring to Kidney/Bladder), and stops cold leukorrhea. *Bielu* stated: Eliminates hundred diseases and all evil qi.
[Combined Treatments] Mixed with milk and taken orally to treat water intoxication; effective for those who have taken medicine but remain unwell. Mixed with ink and applied to the forehead to remove evil nightmares; effective for treating malaria. Mixed with vinegar and taken orally to treat severe acute poisoning (*Zhong E*) and external invasion (*Ke Wu*) in critical condition.
[Contraindications] Do not take during pregnancy.
[Dietary Taboo] Garlic.
[Antidote] Resolves snake venom.