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(Recorded in the Song Dynasty *Kaibao Bencao*)

[Names] Silla Pine Nuts.

[Collection and Explanation] Ma Zhi stated: Haipengzi (Korean Pine Nuts) resemble small chestnuts and are triangular. The kernels inside are fragrant and delicious. People from Dongyi consume them as fruit, or grind them to replace sesame paste for food. They differ from pine nuts produced in China.

Li Bing stated: Wuliso (Five-needle Pine) grows clusters of five leaves like hairpins. Daoists consume it to abstain from grain foods. Its seeds are as large as Croton seeds (Ba Dou). Silla often presented them as tribute.

Su Song stated: The term "Wuli" (Five Grains/Seeds) should be written as "Wulie" (Five Needles), which is a phonetic error passed down. "Wulie" refers to a cluster; some have two or seven needles. The older the pine tree, the more abundant its fruits. Although found in the Central Plains, those produced there are smaller and inferior to those from the frontier regions.

Wang Rui stated: Pine nuts are divided into Southern and Northern varieties. Huayin pine nuts are small with thin shells, spotted, and extremely fragrant; those from Silla have very fragrant and delicious meat.

Li Shizhen stated: Haipengzi originates from Liaodong and Yunnan. Its tree is the same as Chinese pines. Only those with five needles per cluster produce seeds within cones, as large as Croton seeds but with three edges, pointed at one end, and becoming oily upon long storage. Ma Zhi's description of resembling small chestnuts significantly deviates from the true form. Chinese pine nuts are as large as Juniper seeds and can be used in medicine, but are unsuitable for eating as fruit. See details under the Pine section in the Wood Category. According to Duan Chengshi's *Youyang Zazu*: I planted two Five-needle Pines with roots as wide as bowls; their fruits were indistinguishable from those of Silla and Nanzhao. Those with three needles are commonly called Peacock Pines. There are also those with seven needles. Some say: Three-needled ones are Guazi Pines, and five-needled ones are Songzi Pines.

[Kernels]

[Properties and Flavor] Sweet, slightly warm, non-toxic.

Li stated: Silla pine nuts are sweet, delicious, and strongly warm. Consumed peeled, they are very fragrant, differing from Yunnan pine nuts (Yunnan pine nuts resemble Croton seeds and lack this flavor). They are similar to the kernels of Prunus persica var. angustifolia from Bizhan Country. Excessive consumption causes heat toxicity.

Li Shizhen stated: According to *Yishuo*: After consuming Hu (barbarian/northern) mutton, one should not eat pine nuts. However, *Wulei Xianggan Zhi* states that adding pine nuts to mixed-color mutton renders it non-toxic. Why do these statements differ?

[Indications] Treats joint wind (bi syndrome affecting joints), dizziness, removes dead flesh, whitens the complexion, dissipates water qi, moistens the five zang organs, and suppresses hunger (*Kaibao Bencao*). Drives out wind-bi cold qi, treats emaciation and shortness of breath, tonifies deficiencies, moistens the skin, and nourishes the five zang organs (*Daming Bencao*). Governs various wind pathogens and warms the stomach and intestines. Long-term consumption lightens the body, extends life, and prevents aging (Li Xun).

[Elucidation] Li Shizhen stated: Immortals and those seeking longevity use Haipengzi. Li stated: Chinese pine nuts have fine texture but weak efficacy, suitable only for medicinal use. According to *Liexian Zhuan*: Those who enjoy eating pine seeds grow body hair several inches long and run as fast as galloping horses. Du Zi, while young in Black Mountain, ate pine nuts and Poria cocos, living for hundreds of years. Chi Songzi enjoyed eating pine seeds, Asparagus cochinchinensis, and Kaolin clay; his fallen teeth regrew, and his fallen hair grew back again, with no known end to his life. All these refer to this type of pine nut.

[Attached Prescriptions] One old prescription, three new prescriptions.

Method of Consuming Pine Nuts: Collect pine seeds in July (they fall and become difficult to collect if overdue). Remove the woody husk, pound into a paste, and store. Take an amount the size of a chicken egg each time, mixed with wine, taken three times daily. After 100 days, the body becomes light; after 300 days, one can walk 500 li, abstaining from grains. Long-term consumption leads to immortality. Drink water when thirsty. It can also be taken together with refined pine resin (*Shenghui Fang*).

Lung Dryness Cough: Su You Fengsui Tang: Use 1 liang of Pine Kernel, 2 liang of Walnut Kernel, pound into a paste, and mix with 0.5 liang of cooked honey for storage. Take 2 qian each time, dissolved in boiling water after meals (*Waitai Miyao*).

Pediatric Cold Cough or Obstructive Asthma: Use 5 Pine Kernels, 3 fen of Stemona Root (Stir-fried), 3 fen of Ephedrae Herba, and 40 Apricot Kernels (peeled and tips removed, briefly boiled in a small amount of water for 3-5 boils). Dissolve white sugar and form pills the size of a Chinese tallow tree seed. Contend 10 pills after each meal for excellent results (Qian Yi, *Xiao'er Fang*).

Deficiency Constipation: Equal parts of Pine Kernel, Biota Seed, and Cannabis Seed are pounded into mud, melted with white beeswax, and formed into pills the size of a Chinese tallow tree seed. Take 50 pills each time, washed down with yellow wine (Kou Zongshi).