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The first is referred to as Mercury (Shuiyin, 水银). It is extracted from Cinnabar (Zhusha, 朱砂) and is called true Mercury. The method for extracting Mercury: Use two porcelain jars. Dig a pit in the ground, deep enough to accommodate two jars. First, bury one jar at the bottom, compacting the soil around it firmly. Fill this buried jar completely with water. Take the second jar, fill it halfway with Cinnabar powder, cover it with crushed tile pieces, secure a round iron wire ring over the mouth, and invert it onto the lower jar so that the mouths of both jars face each other. Seal the joint with salt mud. Heat first with mild fire (Wenhuo, 文火) and then with strong fire (Wuhu, 武火) for the duration of one incense stick. At this point, the Cinnabar is fully decomposed, and Mercury flows into the water inside the lower jar. Remove the upper jar, pick off the surface crust, add fresh Cinnabar, reseal, and refine again. From one tael of good Cinnabar, typically seven or eight qian of Mercury can be obtained; for lower quality, only five or six qian are yielded. Mercury derived from Cinnabar has a slightly reddish hue. After collection, store it in a gourd to prevent loss. If boiled for one shichen (approx. 12 hours) with the natural juices of *Oxalis corymbosa* (Zibei Tiankui, 紫背天葵) and *Polygonum multiflorum* vine (Ye Jiaoteng, 夜交藤), its toxicity will naturally subside. To refine ten taels of Mercury, seven yi of these two juices combined are required.

Mercury has a pungent flavor and cold nature, and is toxic. Its therapeutic indications include promoting urination, clearing heat toxins, suppressing rebellious phlegm qi, treating vomiting and retroflexion of the stomach, calming the spirit and stabilizing the heart, treating malignant sores and scabies, killing parasites, and treating pediatric convulsions with fever and salivation. Mercury inherits the essence of extreme Yin, hence it is toxic; therefore, its flavor is pungent and its nature is cold, making it harsh upon ingestion. Even external application should not be used indiscriminately, let alone internal administration. (Commentary by Zhongchun) Mercury is the essence of extreme Yin, inheriting a heavy and settling nature. When refined by ordinary fire, it becomes volatile and transformative; when exposed to human breath, it penetrates bones and sinews, severing Yang qi and eroding the brain. No other yin-toxic substance compares to it. Since the Six Dynasties, people have ingested elixirs seeking longevity, resulting in severe debility and disability, affecting countless individuals. Nevertheless, its medicinal efficacy cannot be denied. When combined with Black Tin (Heiqian, 黑铅) to form Cinnabar-like compound, it suppresses phlegm saliva; when combined with Sulfur (Liuhuang, 硫黄) to form a compound, it rescues critical illnesses. It is truly a miraculous agent for adapting to changes, depending on whether the user grasps its key principles. (Commentary by Binhu)

Yangzheng Dan (Nourishing Righteousness Pill) treats conditions of excess in the upper jiao and deficiency in the lower jiao, impaired ascending and descending of Qi, depletion of Primordial Yang, shortness of breath, emaciation, stroke with phlegm flooding and unconsciousness, Shaoyin syndrome with Yin excess, spontaneous sweating, and cyanotic lips, as well as prolonged coldness of the Blood Sea in women. Formula: Mercury 1 tael, purified Black Tin 1 tael, finely powdered Sulfur 1 tael, finely powdered Cinnabar 1 tael. Using a black-glazed bowl, first melt the Black Tin until liquid. Add Mercury and stir with a willow twig. Then add Cinnabar and stir until no granular particles are visible. Apply slight heat, then add Sulfur powder. Stir rapidly until liquid. If flames appear, spray with vinegar to extinguish. Allow to cool, remove, grind extremely fine, and mix with glutinous rice paste to form pills the size of mung beans. Take 20–30 pills per dose, with salt water or jujube decoction as preferred. For pediatric acute convulsions, to suppress phlegm: Mercury 0.5 tael, raw Arisaema cum Bile (Sheng Nanxing, 生南星) 1 tael, Musk (Shexiang, 麝香) 0.5 fen. Grind into powder, mix with naphtha oil, and form pills the size of mung beans. Take one pill per dose with mint decoction. For mental disorder (Shixin Fengji, 失心风疾): Mercury 1 tael, lotus rhizome nodes 8 units. Grind into sand-like powder, form pills the size of Chinese chestnuts. Take two pills per dose with water from grinding knives, one or two doses. For malignant flesh and toxic sores: A woman had a bean-sized growth on her soft wrist, half embedded in flesh, red-purple in color, causing severe pain, unresponsive to various medicines. A practitioner applied Mercury mixed with crumpled white paper to the lesion. After three days, it fell off naturally.

[Discussion] Why does Mercury combined with Black Tin suppress rebellious phlegm? Phlegm is transformed from body fluids, and the Kidney governs the five fluids. Lead inherits the Qi of Northern Gui Water, being the essence of extreme Yin, capable of gathering fluids and returning them to the Kidney. Mercury represents Kan within Li, interacting with Lead's Qi, naturally seeking resonance to descend. However, the root of phlegm lies in the Kidney, while the transformation of fluids into phlegm occurs in the upper jiao. Phlegm generated by heat is primarily driven by Heart Fire. Cinnabar processed by fire corresponds to the Heart; Mercury contained within it represents "Water within Fire." Obtaining the Water from Fire clears heat, allowing upward-rebellious phlegm to descend smoothly. Dai Yuanli treated severe stroke with phlegm obstruction by occasionally administering Yangzheng Dan. Compared to Lead Frost (Qianshuang, 铅霜) which mainly treats phlegm-fullness and irritability, the addition of Sulfur and Cinnabar suggests Yin-Yang mutual supplementation. Lead returns to the Kidney to house Yin, while Sulfur adheres to Lead to return together. Mercury responds to the resonant Qi of Lead and Cinnabar, but also tends toward the resonant Qi of Sulfur. (At conception, Mingmen arises first; Heaven generates One Water; Ren is Yang Water, pairing with Ding's Yin Fire to generate Bing, then the Heart forms. Thus, Cinnabar also tends toward the resonant Qi of Sulfur; the principle is worth pondering.) This is an accurate formula for treating upper excess and lower deficiency. Severe phlegm-heat in the upper jiao indeed indicates severe Yin deficiency in the lower jiao, yet pure Yin agents cannot suppress it alone. It must rely on the guidance of returning Yang, resembling the "following treatment" (Congzhi, 从治) method, to achieve results in critical cases. In this formula, the four ingredients are equal in proportion. If Yin is deficient and Yang is hyperactive, Sulfur and Cinnabar should constitute only a small fraction. Even if both Yin and Yang are deficient, Sulfur and Cinnabar should not exceed half, to prevent further rebellion of deficient Yang. (The ratio for Lingsha can reference Mercury 8 parts to Sulfur 2 parts.) Mercury is the Mercury within Cinnabar; separating it makes it purely Yin. (Observing the extraction process where water catches the vapor rising and Mercury settles below confirms this.) Is it only pure Yang nature that is toxic? Pure Yin nature is equally toxic. Its penetration into bones and erosion of the brain occurs because bone is the remainder of the Kidney, brain is the filling of marrow, and marrow is the essence of bone; all are harmed by resonant Qi. When corpses are immersed in Mercury and do not rot immediately, it is because the fleshy body is Yin, preserved by this pure Yin Qi. Understanding this reveals that excessive Yin has no match.

If Mercury enters the ear, it can consume the brain entirely; entering flesh causes joint contraction, leading to inverted Yin and severed Yang. Applying it to those with sores and scabies is dangerous due to its slippery and heavy nature penetrating directly into flesh; caution is advised. It must never be used on head sores, lest it enter meridians and loosen sinews and bones. Thus, external use is also not to be taken lightly. Accidental ingestion by women often leads to infertility. (Commentary by Zhongchun)

[Differentiation and Treatment] When using Mercury, do not use Grass Mercury (derived from *Portulaca oleracea* var. *pusilla*) or Mercury from old vermilion lacquer, nor that processed by other drugs, or found in corpses as half-decayed. (Note by Leigong) Mercury coagulates with Lead, binds with Sulfur, disperses when ground with jujube flesh and human saliva, is subdued by Placenta Humanis (Ziheche, 紫河车), and is gathered by Sichuan Pepper (Chuanjiao, 川椒). Another method involves processing it into Nifen (Calomel) or Fenshuang (White Precipitate).