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(From *Bencao Shiyi* [Supplement to Materia Medica])
[Collected Explanations] Chen Cangqi stated: Shi Sui (Stone Marrow) is produced in the stone caves of Huagai Mountain, Linhai. Local people collect it, clarify and wash it until it resembles mud, form it into pills the size of marbles; those that are white or yellow are excellent, with yellow being preferred.
Li Shizhen stated: According to *Lie Xian Zhuan* [Biographies of Immortals], boiling and consuming Shi Sui (Stone Marrow) refers to Zhongru Shi (Stalactite). The *Xian Jing* [Immortal Classics] states: Every five hundred years, a sacred mountain opens, and Shi Sui (Stone Marrow) flows out; consuming it grants longevity. Wang Lie entered the mountains, saw a crack in the stone, obtained the marrow and ate it, and gave a small amount to Ji Kang, which turned into green stone. *Bei Shi* [History of the Northern Dynasties] records: In the northern mountains of Qiuci, there was something like grease flowing out to form streams, traveling several li before entering the ground, resembling Ti Hu (clarified butter); consuming it causes hair and teeth to regrow, and patients recover completely. *Fangzhen Bian Nian Lu* [Chronicles of Regional Governors] records: Gao Zhan, serving as a subordinate official in Bingzhou, one day saw foam seeping from between bricks. He scooped some with his hand and applied it to an old clerk's face, instantly removing wrinkles and restoring a youthful complexion. Gao Zhan considered this a divine medicine and asked Daoist priest Chengtian Dao. The priest said: This is named Di Zhi (Earth Grease); eating it prevents death. They dug up the bricks but found nothing. These accounts all approximate Shi Sui (Stone Marrow).
[Flavor and Toxicity] Sweet, warm, non-toxic.
[Indications] Alternating chills and fever, emaciation with lack of luster, accumulations and masses, abdominal distension and fullness, indigestion, dry and rough skin, frequent and urgent urination, fixed masses, borborygmus, dysentery, cold pain in the waist and legs, qi stagnation; suitable for individuals who are constitutionally cold and thin (Chen Cangqi).

(Corrected in Song Dynasty *Jiayou Bencao*, merged into the entry for Shi Qi in *Bencao Shiyi*)
[Names] Shi You (Petroleum) [*Bencao Gangmu*]; Shi Qi (Stone Lacquer) [*Bencao Shiyi*]; Meng Huo You (Violent Fire Oil); Xiong Huang You (Realgar Yellow Oil); Liu Huang You (Sulfur Yellow Oil) [*Bencao Gangmu*].
[Collected Explanations] Su Song stated: Shi Nao You (Petroleum/Naphtha) should be stored in porcelain vessels. It must not come into contact with gold or silver utensils; even if tightly sealed, it will permeate directly. Daoists use it frequently, but secular medical formulas rarely require it.
Su Zongshi stated: The genuine product is difficult to collect and often leaks or corrodes containers. Its medicinal use is minimal. Alchemists grind raw Pi Shuang (Arsenic Trioxide) into oil, then grind again until paste-like, place it in a crucible, cover with tile, and heat over fire. When the oil has seeped out, remove it, grind again, add more oil, and refine over fire; the arsenic becomes subdued.
Li Shizhen stated: Petroleum originates from various places, including Suchou, Yanzhou, and Yanchang in Shaanxi; Nanxiong in Guangdong; and Myanmar. It flows from rock crevices, mixing with spring water, gushing forth, thick like meat broth. Locals dip grass into jars to collect it; it is black, resembling pure lacquer, and emits the odor of Realgar and Sulfur. Locals mostly use it for lighting lamps; it burns brighter when wetted with water and cannot be ingested. Its smoke is dense; Shen Kuo, while serving in the west, swept its soot to make ink, which was glossy and black like lacquer, superior to pine-soot ink. Zhang Hua’s *Bowuzhi* [Insects and Things] records: In Yanshou County, stone springs flow into ditches; the water contains a greasy substance. Scooping it into containers, it starts yellow and turns black like congealed paste, burning very brightly, called Shi Qi (Stone Lacquer). Duan Chengshi’s *Youyang Zazu* [Miscellaneous Morsels from Youyang] records: In Gaonu County, there is Shi Zhi Shui (Stone Grease Water), oily and floating on water like lacquer, collected to lubricate carts and light lamps. Kang Yuzhi’s *Zuomeng Lu* [Records of Yesterday’s Dreams] records: Meng Huo You (Violent Fire Oil) comes from eastern Goryeo; it is liquid exuded by sun-heated stones, storable only in true glass vessels. A single drop in water ignites fierce flames; other quantities kill fish and turtles. Border residents use it against enemies. These accounts all refer to Shi Nao You (Petroleum/Naphtha). In the late Zhengde reign of our dynasty, salt wells were opened in Jiazhou, accidentally yielding oil-water that could illuminate the night with double brightness. Adding water intensifies the flame; covering with ash extinguishes it. It emits realgar-sulfur odors; locals call it Xiong Huang You (Realgar Yellow Oil) or Liu Huang You (Sulfur Yellow Oil). Recently, several more wells have been opened under official management. This is also petroleum, merely extracted from wells. Generally, these originate from local deposits of Realgar, Sulfur, and Stone Grease stones, sharing common veins, thus producing this substance. Wang Bing stated that Dragon Fire burns when wet and flares when meeting water, shooting flames to the sky until the object is consumed; this is precisely such a case, belonging to Yin Fire.
[Flavor and Toxicity] Pungent, bitter, toxic. Dugu Tao stated: It can melt copper and neutralize arsenic.
[Indications] Pediatric convulsions (Infantile Convulsion), resolving phlegm-fluids; can be combined with other herbs to make pills or powders (*Jiayou Bencao*).
Applied topically for tinea, scabies, and parasitic skin diseases; used in medicaments for treating arrows or needles embedded in flesh (Li Shizhen).
[Elucidation] Li Shizhen stated: Since the flavor of Petroleum matches that of Realgar and Sulfur, it kills parasites and treats sores. Its nature is penetrating and dispersing, permeating most vessels, except porcelain and glass which do not leak. Therefore, Qian Yi, in treating pediatric convulsive heat with diaphragmatic excess and vomiting of phlegm-fluids, used it in Yin Ye Wan (Silver Liquid Pill) mixed with Mercury, Qing Fen (Calomel), Long Nao (Borneol), Scorpion tails, and Bai Fu Zi (Aconitum carmichaelii root processed), not only for its phlegm-resolving properties but also for its ability to penetrate meridians and open orifices.
[Appendix] Di Sou (Earth Urine) Li Shizhen stated: Found in flowing streams and irrigation channels. It resembles oil and mud, color like gold, with a strong fishy odor. Collected in winter, heated red-hot soft iron immersed in it two or three times makes it hard enough to cut jade.