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[Classified as Upper Grade in the *Shennong Bencao Jing*]
【Name Explanation】 Li Shizhen says: Xu Kai stated: "Ying" (glittering gem) is also written as "Ying", referring to the luster of jade. The five types of quartz currently known are all stones that resemble jade and possess a glossy luster.
【Collection and Explanation】 The *Bie Lu* states: Bai Shuying (White Quartz), grows in the valleys of Mount Hua and Mount Tai. It is as thick as a finger, two to three cun long, with six faces as smooth as if cut, white, transparent, and lustrous. Those five to six cun long are superior. Those with yellow tips and white edges are named Huang Shuying (Yellow Quartz); those with red tips and white edges are named Chi Shuying (Red Quartz); those with green tips and red edges are named Qing Shuying (Green Quartz); those black, lustrous, and glossy are named Hei Shuying (Black Quartz). Gathered in the second lunar month, there is no fixed time.
Tao Hongjing says: Physicians now mostly use those from Xin'an, which are extremely slender, white, and transparent. Those from Bagong Mountain in Shouyang are large but not used formally. The *Xian Jing* uses both large and small, provided they are pure, white, and free of flaws or impurities. According to this, larger pieces are better. The four colored quartzs are no longer used.
Su Gong says: Bai Shuying is found everywhere; it is produced in the mountains of Zezhou, Guozhou, and Luozhou. The Guozhou variety is large, three to four cun in diameter, five to six cun long. Currently, the Zezhou variety is considered superior.
Cheng says: Bai Shuying resembles Zishuying (Purple Quartz), but is slightly larger and has six edges, white like rock crystal.
Li Shizhen says: In Zezhou, there is a bird called Yingji, which eats quartz and has the most tonifying nature. See the section on Birds.
【Flavor and Toxicity】 Sweet; slightly warm, non-toxic. The *Bie Lu* adds: Pungent.
Li Dang says: Shennong: Sweet; Qibo, Huangdi, Leigong, Bianque: Non-toxic. Xu Zhicai says: Adversely interacts with Mamudu Gong.
【Indications】 Treats Xiao Ke (Wasting-Thirst), insufficient Yang potency (impotence), cough with reversed Qi, chronic cold in the chest and diaphragm, benefits Qi, dispels wind-damp Bi obstruction, and long-term consumption lightens the body and prolongs life (*Shennong Bencao Jing*). Treats Fei Wei (Lung Atrophy), directs Qi downward, promotes urination, tonifies the Five Viscera, brightens the complexion like sunlight and moonlight, and enables resistance to cold and heat (*Bie Lu*). Treats Fei Yong (Lung Abscess) with pus expectoration, cough with reversed Qi, and jaundice (Zhen Quan).
Firms the Large Intestine (Hao Gu).
Five-Colored Quartz
【Indications】 Expels evil Qi from the heart and abdomen, treats abdominal pain in women, calms the Heart, warms cold Qi in the Stomach, benefits hair, enhances complexion, treats palpitations and fright, stabilizes the Soul and Ethereal Soul, strengthens the Yang pathway, and promotes lactation. Treats according to the viscera: Green treats the Liver; Red treats the Heart; Yellow treats the Spleen; White treats the Lung; Black treats the Kidney (Da Ming).
【Elucidation】 Sun Canger says: Dampness can remove dryness; Bai Shuying and Zi Shuying belong to this category.
Li Shizhen says: Bai Shuying is a herb for the Qi aspect of the Hand-Taiyin and Hand-Yangming meridians, treating diseases such as Wei Bi (flaccidity and obstruction), Lung Abscess, and dryness. However, being a mineral, it should only be used temporarily and is not suitable for long-term consumption.
Su Song says: In ancient times, only Bai Shuying was valued for ingestion. Zi Shuying was only used in Wu Shi Yin (Five-Stone Drink). The yellow, red, green, and black varieties, though named in herbal texts, were rarely used by practitioners. The *Rushi Lun* regards Zhongru (Stalactite) as "Ru" and Bai Shuying as "Shi". Among the six types of quartz, the white one is the most precious. It further states: Ru is Yin within Yang; Shi is Yang within Yin. Therefore, after the Jiazi day in the 11th lunar month when Yang generates, one takes Ru; after the Jiazi day in the 5th lunar month when Yin generates, one takes Shi. However, they have mutual aversions and contraindications; if adverse reactions occur, the harm is significant. Thus, although there are many treatments for Rushi disorders, few are effective; indeed, one must not take them lightly.
Cheng says: For Zi Shuying and Bai Shuying, decocting the juice for temporary use to attack disease is acceptable, but long-term benefits are unheard of. Zhang Zhongjing only instructed chewing without grinding into fine powder; did he not have a reason? If taken long-term, one must be cautious.
【Attached Prescriptions】 Two old prescriptions, eight new ones.
Method for taking Quartz: Take one jin of Bai Shuying, crush into bean-sized pieces, wash repeatedly with coarse sand in a mortar until clean, place in a willow basket with some Artemisia leaves, boil with water until clean and shiny, store in a cotton bag, and hang on the door. Before combing hair each morning, swallow seven pills with water or wine, pressing down with two spoons of rice. All taboo items for stone-takers, such as foul substances, white wine, and beef, are not forbidden here. Over time, new stones push out old ones; the stone remains warm in the lower abdomen, harmonizing Qi, unblocking meridians, strengthening the waist and kidneys, and eliminating various diseases. If effective, one jin suffices; if not, ten jin may be needed. This substance is smooth, does not cause ulcers by adhering to the intestines, and does not trigger diseases via stone Qi. Another method: Use pure Zezhou Bai Shuying, crush to bean size, remove fines, wash clean, bag, and suspend in a pot. Boil five sheng of clear water to obtain one sheng of decoction, clarify, and take in the morning. Cooking porridge with the decoction is even better. After taking, drink two or three cups of wine and walk a hundred steps. One bag can be boiled twenty times. If ineffective, wrap in cloth, bury three chi deep under the south wall for one hundred days, then reuse. Stone-boiled Pork Method: One liang of Bai Shuying in a bag, boil in three dou of water to yield four sheng; boil one jin of pork with scallion, pepper, salt, and fermented soybeans, eat as soup. Stone-steamed Mutton Method: Three liang of Bai Shuying crushed, wrapped in one jin of lean mutton, then lotus leaf, steamed with one shi of rice until cooked. Remove stone, slice meat, mix with scallion and pepper to make small wontons, cook well. Swallow one hundred empty-stomached in the morning with cold Jiangshui (fermented grain water), press with cold rice. No taboos, never triggers attacks. Stone-boiled Milk Method: Five liang of Bai Shuying crushed, packed in fine silk, decoct with three sheng of cow milk and three sheng of wine to four sheng. Remove stone, bottle. Warm and take three ge before meals. Treats deficiency wasting, dry skin, impotence, weak legs, and painful irritability. Stone-fed Calf Method: Three jin of Bai Shuying crushed and sifted. Take a female calf over ten years old, mix with beans and feed daily. After seven days, collect milk. Take one sheng hot every morning, rest for porridge. No taboos. Moistens and nourishes viscera, beautifies muscles, strengthens the body. When taking stones, avoid mustard greens, turnips, wormwood, okra, and shepherd's purse; consume winter melon and black nightshade to suppress stone Qi. (Sun Simiao, *Qianjin Yifang*) Wind-deficiency cold Bi, insufficiency of all Yang meridians, and kidney-deficiency deafness, benefiting essence and preserving spirit. Three liang of Bai Shuying, quenched three times in alcohol fire in a crucible, sealed in a bottle. Warm take one zhong every morning, press with little rice. Another method: Cishi (Magnetite, quenched five times in vinegar) and Bai Shuying, five liang each, in silk bags, soak in one sheng of wine for five to six days, warm take. Add wine as needed. (*Qianjin Yifang*) Palpitations, forgetfulness, Heart unrest, upper diaphragm wind-heat, resolving phlegm and calming spirit. One liang of Bai Shuying, one liang of Zhusha (Cinnabar). Powder. Take half qian after meals, washed down with decoction of gold and silver. (*Jianyao Jizhong Fang*)
Shi Shui (Stone Water) with hard, full, distended abdomen: Ten liang of Bai Shuying, crushed to bean size, soaked in two dou of good wine in a porcelain jar, sealed heavily with mud, burn with horse manure and chaff, keep simmering from Mao hour to Wu hour, then stop fire. Next day, warm take one zhong, three times daily. When wine is finished, burn again. (*Shenghui Fang*)