一名轻粉。言其质也。一名腻粉。言其性也。即水银升炼者。故名汞粉。又名峭粉
。言其状也。升炼轻粉。分红白两种。白者用水银一两。白矾焰硝各二两。皂矾海盐各一两
。同研不见星。贮罐内。先以滑石九两。研细水飞。晒干再研。更以黑铅四两。分作数块。
打成薄片。一层滑石。一层铅片。铺置药上。筑极实。上余空数寸。使药气易转。以盏盖罐
口。先于灰火中徐煨罐底。听罐内无声。乃扎定之。用盐泥封固罐口。先用底火一炷香。次
用二寸火。渐至三寸火二炷香。用火时。以凉水常擦盏内。火足。（即一炷二炷香之谓）去
火冷定。药升盏上及空处矣。红者只用水银一两。焰硝白矾各二两。同研极细。升炼法悉与
白同。即釜碗之内亦可升取。并不必水擦釜顶也。前法用滑石黑铅为匮。则盐矾咸涩之味。
俱从铅石拔尽。功力转更神异。但火候以缓为贵。取药以少为良。此为丹家不传之秘。（子
由）水银粉合二矾盐硝而升者。嫩色黄。老色白。取用贵黄不贵白也。仅合白矾硝石而升者。
嫩色赤。老色紫。取用贵嫩不贵老也。其质本有能升之 。（汞同）而所显之色。与味之醇
烈。即缘盐矾硝石合化以成紫白赤黄。但味醇则气清而色黄赤。味烈则气浊而色紫白。黄赤
点饵咸宜。近世以味醇黄嫩者点疮毒顽肉。赤嫩者弥诸疮毒肤皮。捷如影响。（又） 诸矾
不与水银相合。而绿矾和盐能制水银成粉。何也。盖水银者金之魂魄。绿矾者铁之精华。二
气同根。是以暂制成粉。无盐则色不白。（海客论）
气味辛冷。有燥毒。升也。浮也。黄连土茯苓陈酱黑铅铁浆可制其毒。畏磁石石黄。忌
一切血。外敷。杀疮疥癣虫风痒瘰 下疳阴疮一切毒疮。去风杀虫。内治下膈涎。通大肠。
转消痰积。（如治疠风遇仙散。用以驱诸药入阳明经。开其风热拂郁。逐出恶风臭毒。杀所
生之虫。循经上行至牙齿 薄之分而出之。此可类推。）止血痢。疗水肿鼓胀。及小儿螈
疳瘅。用水银粉洁净淫疮。取效固速。第骨髓与形脏之至毒。从经气会归于胃。循胃上口而
出。多致口舌烂龈。（人卧气归于脏而会于胃。胃气上熏。毒不得泄。故并发于口舌。）惟卧
时衔管。则毒瓦斯从外泄。斯无糜烂之患矣。（子由） 轻粉利大肠。东垣又云抑肺而敛肛门。
何也。盖轻粉经火本燥。原自水银。性冷。用之于润药则利。用之于涩药则止。所以又能消
水肿。止血痢。吐风涎。要之虚病禁用。实者亦量用之。（文清） 小儿涎喘。服药不退者。
用无雄鸡子一个。取清。入轻粉抄十钱。拌和。银器盛。置汤瓶上蒸熟。三岁儿尽食。当吐
痰或泄而愈。气实者乃可用。大小便闭。胀满欲死。二三日则杀人。腻粉一钱。生麻油一合。
相和空心服。大便壅结。腻粉二钱。黄丹一钱。为末。每米饮服一钱。消中嗜食。不生肌肉。
多因外伤脾热。内积忧思。啖食咸物及面。致脾胃干燥。饮食倍常。大便反坚。小便无度。
用轻粉一钱为末。姜汁拌匀。长流水下。齿浮是效。后服猪 丸补之。一切虚风。不二散。
用腻粉一两。汤煎二度。如麻脚。慢火焙干。麝香半两细研。每服一字。温水调下。水气肿
满。汞粉一钱。乌鸡子去黄盛粉。蒸饼包。蒸熟取出。苦葶苈炒一钱。同蒸饼杵丸。绿豆大。
每车前
〔论〕 水银在丹砂中。伏火则溜汞于下。同他药炼之。则结粉于上。历稽升汞粉者。
多不能离矾硝二味。盖其收痰涎摄水。缘与焰消得火性之升举者。故转润下而成炎上。以结
于极顶。此频湖所谓化纯阴为燥烈。其性走而不守者也。然小儿急惊。又取其能下膈涎。因
痰涎为水液所结。汞固砂中金精。为水母。与铅交感。最能下坠。假矾石火消 炼。使阴滞
之质化于阳浮之气。能直就膈上而下其痰涎者此耳。寇氏谓惊为心气不足。切宜禁此。不知
惟慢惊属火。土虚者忌之。若急惊则因于热盛生痰。痰盛生惊。先哲谓治惊先豁痰。焉得禁
此。但其燥烈。未可独任。惟多同辛凉用之。乃为适宜。（如比金丸。轻粉滑石南星青黛。
又利金丸。轻粉青黛牵牛末天竺黄） 又按水银为阴毒之物。入肉令百节挛缩。倒阴绝阳。
而矾石又最能燥水伤骨。是皆损人之真阴者也。矾石本铁之精。铁禀太阳之气。与阴气不交。
其
夫物性随所感而移。纯阴化燥。理固不谬。加以入骨挛筋之性。贻害可胜言哉。方书乃止以
烈火 炼为言。或又止以汞毒为言。彼灵砂非烈火 炼者耶。独无汞毒耶。守一说而失之目
睫。可笑也。
水银乃至阴毒物。加以盐矾。炼为轻粉。加以硫黄。升为银朱。轻飞灵变。化纯阴为燥
烈。其性走而不守。善劫痰涎。消积滞。故水肿风痰湿热毒疮被劫。涎从齿龈而出。邪郁暂
开。疾亦因愈。若服之或误或过。则毒瓦斯窜入经络筋骨。莫之能出。痰涎既去。血液耗亡。
筋失所养。变为挛痛。发为痈疳。或手足皲裂。虫癣顽痹。经年累月。遂成废痼。其害无穷。
（濒湖）凡闭结由于血虚。小儿疳病。脾胃两虚。慢惊痰涎上壅。杨梅结毒。发于气虚久病
者。咸忌。（仲淳）腻粉善下小儿膈涎螈 。但多用有损。若惊风属心气不足者。下之则里
虚。惊气入心必死。（文清）
〔辨治〕真水银粉。体轻色白。如雪片可爱。撮些须放铜铁器内。置火上化无痕。假者
多搀石膏。焚之有滓。亦有搀朴硝者。须细辨之。大都如法自制乃可用。市肆中物。不可凭
也。
附取轻粉毒方 出山黑铅五斤。打壶一把。盛烧酒十五斤。纳土茯苓半斤。乳香三钱。
封固。重汤煮一日夜。埋土中。出火毒。每日早晚任性饮数杯后。用瓦盆接小便。自有粉出
为验。服至筋骨不痛乃止。
Qingfen (Calomel). This term describes its texture. Also known as Nifen (Greasy Powder), this term describes its nature. It is produced by sublimating Mercury (Hydrargyrum, Shuiyin), hence the name Gongfen (Mercury Powder). It is also called Qiaofen (Cliff Powder), describing its appearance.
The sublimation of Qingfen yields two types: red and white. For the white type: use one qian of Mercury, two liang each of Alum (Alumen, Baifan) and Saltpeter (Niter, Yanxiao), and one liang each of Green Vitriol (Sideritum, Zaofan) and Sea Salt (Halitum, Haiyan). Grind them together until no distinct particles are visible ("stars"). Store in a jar. First, take nine liang of Talcum (Talcum, Huashi), grind it finely, process by water flotation (shuifei), dry it, and grind again. Then take four liang of Black Lead (Lithargyrum, Heiqian), divide into several pieces, and beat into thin sheets. Alternate layers of Talcum powder and Lead sheets, placing them on top of the medicinal ingredients. Pack extremely firmly. Leave a few cun of empty space above to allow medicinal vapors to circulate easily. Cover the jar mouth with a lid. Slowly warm the bottom of the jar over ash fire. When no sound is heard from inside the jar, secure it. Seal the jar mouth with salt mud. First, apply base fire for one incense stick's duration. Then use a two-cun high fire, gradually increasing to a three-cun high fire for another two incense sticks' duration. While heating, frequently wipe the inside of the lid with cool water. Once the heat is sufficient (referring to the duration of one or two incense sticks), remove the fire source. After cooling and solidifying, the medicine will have sublimated onto the lid and the empty space. For the red type: use only one qian of Mercury, and two liang each of Saltpeter and Alum. Grind them extremely fine. The sublimation method is exactly the same as for the white type. It can be collected even within a cauldron bowl, without needing to wipe the top of the cauldron with water. The previous method uses Talcum and Black Lead as containers, so the salty and astringent flavors of Salt and Alum are completely extracted by the lead and stone, making the efficacy even more miraculous. However, the fire control should prioritize slowness, and obtaining less medicine is considered better. This is a secret not passed down among alchemists. (Ziyou) Mercury powder sublimated with two Alums, Salt, and Niter appears yellow when fresh and white when aged; yellow is preferred over white. Mercury powder sublimated with only Alum and Niter appears red when fresh and purple when aged; fresh color is preferred over aged. Its substance inherently possesses the ability to sublimate (same as Mercury). The colors displayed, and the purity or intensity of its taste, result from the combination of Salt, Alum, and Niter forming purple, white, red, and yellow hues. A pure taste implies clear qi and yellow-red color; an intense taste implies turbid qi and purple-white color. Yellow-red varieties are suitable for small doses. In recent times, people use the pure-tasted, yellow-fresh variety to dab on sore toxins and stubborn flesh, and the red-fresh variety to spread on skin with various sore toxins, acting as swiftly as a shadow follows a form. (Another discussion) Various Alums do not combine with Mercury, but Green Vitriol and Salt can restrain Mercury to form powder. Why? Mercury is the soul and spirit of Metal; Green Vitriol is the essence of Iron. These two energies share the same root, thus temporarily forming powder. Without Salt, the color will not be white. (Haike Lun)
The flavor is pungent and cold; it has dryness and toxicity. It ascends and floats. Coptis Rhizome (Coptidis Rhizoma, Huanglian), Smilax Glabra Rhizome (Smilacis Glabrae Rhizoma, Tufuling), Aged Soybean Paste (Chenjiang), Black Lead (Lithargyrum, Heiqian), and Iron Slag (Tiexiang) can restrain its toxicity. It is incompatible with Magnetite (Magnetitum, Cishi) and Realgar (Realgar, Shihuang). Avoid all blood products. External application kills parasites causing sores, scabies, tinea, wind-itch, scrofula, chancres, yin sores, and all toxic sores; expels wind and kills insects. Internally, it treats phlegm-fluid below the diaphragm, unblocks the large intestine, and resolves phlegm accumulation. (For example, in Yuxian San used for treating Leprosy, it guides other herbs into the Yangming meridian, opens wind-heat stagnation, drives out foul wind and toxic pathogens, kills generated parasites, and moves upward along the meridian to exit at the teeth and gums. This logic can be extrapolated.) Stops bloody dysentery, treats edema and distension, and addresses pediatric convulsions, malnutrition, and jaundice. Using clean Qingfen for purulent sores yields rapid results. However, the extreme toxicity in bone marrow and visceral organs converges with channel qi into the Stomach, exits via the upper Stomach opening, often causing oral and tongue ulcers and gum rot. (When sleeping, qi returns to the zang organs and converges in the Stomach; Stomach qi steams upward, preventing toxin excretion, hence complications in the mouth and tongue.) Only by inserting a tube while sleeping can the toxic vapor escape externally, avoiding erosion. (Ziyou) Qingfen benefits the Large Intestine. Li Dongyuan also stated it suppresses Lung qi and astringes the anus. Why? Qingfen becomes dry after fire processing, originally derived from Mercury which is cold. Used with moistening herbs, it promotes bowel movement; used with astringent herbs, it stops diarrhea. Thus, it can also reduce edema, stop bloody dysentery, and induce vomiting of wind-phlegm. Generally, it is contraindicated in deficiency syndromes and should be used cautiously in excess syndromes. (Wenqing) For pediatric phlegm-wheezing unresponsive to medication: take one egg white from a rooster-less hen, add ten qian of Qingfen, mix well, store in a silver vessel, steam over boiling water until cooked. A three-year-old child consumes it entirely, likely vomiting phlegm or having diarrhea, then recovering. Only usable for those with excess qi. For constipation and urinary retention causing severe distension, fatal within two to three days: take one qian of Nifen mixed with one he of raw Sesame Oil, taken on an empty stomach. For fecal impaction: take two qian of Nifen and one qian of Minium (Hongdan), grind to powder, take one qian with rice water per dose. Polyphagia with muscle wasting often stems from external injury to Spleen heat, internal accumulation of worry and thought, consumption of salty foods and wheat, leading to Spleen-Stomach dryness, doubled food intake, hard stools, and frequent urination. Take one qian of Qingfen as powder, mixed with Ginger Juice, taken with long-flowing water. Floating teeth indicate efficacy. Subsequently, treat with Pig Kidney Pill for tonification. For all deficiency winds, Erbu San: take one liang of Nifen, boil twice until resembling hemp roots, dry over slow fire, mix with half a liang of finely ground Musk, take one zi per dose with warm water. For water-type edema and fullness: take one qian of Gongfen, place in a black hen egg yolk removed shell, wrap in steamed dough, steam until cooked, remove. Mix with one qian of fried Semen Lepidii (Kutingli), pound into pills the size of mung beans. Take with...
[Discussion] Mercury within Cinnabar flows downward when subjected to hidden fire; when refined with other drugs, powder forms upward. Examining methods of sublimating mercury powder, they rarely omit Alum and Niter. This is because their ability to collect phlegm-fluids relates to the ascending nature gained from Niter under fire, transforming descending moisture into ascending heat, condensing at the very top. This is what Li Shizhen referred to as transforming pure yin into dryness and intensity, possessing a nature that moves but does not stay. However, for pediatric acute convulsive disorders, it is used for its ability to descend phlegm from the diaphragm. Since phlegm is congealed fluid, and Mercury is the essence of metal in Cinnabar, the mother of water, interacting with Lead, it has a strong descending quality. Assisted by Alum and fire processing, it transforms stagnant yin qualities into floating yang qi, allowing it to directly act on the diaphragm to descend phlegm. Kou Zongshi believed convulsions stem from Heart qi deficiency and strictly prohibited this herb. He did not realize that only chronic convulsions belong to fire patterns, where Earth deficiency is a contraindication. Acute convulsions arise from excessive heat generating phlegm, and excessive phlegm generating convulsions. Ancients stated that treating convulsions requires resolving phlegm first; how can this herb be banned? However, due to its dryness and intensity, it should not be used alone. It is appropriate only when combined extensively with acrid-cool herbs. (e.g., Bijin Wan contains Qingfen, Talcum, Arisaema, Indigo Naturalis; Youjin Wan contains Qingfen, Indigo Naturalis, Morning Glory Seed, Bamboo Residue). Furthermore, Mercury is a yin-toxic substance; entering flesh causes joint contraction, leading to inverted yin and severed yang. Alum is most capable of drying fluids and damaging bones; both damage true yin. Alum is essentially the essence of Iron; Iron receives Taiyang qi and does not interact with yin qi.
The nature of substances shifts according to interaction; transforming pure yin into dryness is theoretically sound. Adding the property of entering bones and contracting tendons, the harm caused is incalculable. Medical texts merely mention fierce fire refining, or again, merely mention mercury toxicity. Is Lingsha not refined with fierce fire? Does it lack mercury toxicity? Clinging to one view while missing what is right before one's eyes is laughable.
Mercury is a supreme yin toxic substance. Added with Salt and Alum, it refines into Qingfen; added with Sulfur, it sublimates into Yin Zhu (Red Mercury). Light, flying, spiritual, and changeable, it transforms pure yin into dryness and intensity. Its nature moves but does not stay, good at seizing phlegm-fluids and eliminating stagnation. Thus, for edema, wind-phlegm, damp-heat, and toxic sores, the seizure causes phlegm to exit via gums, temporarily opening pathogenic stagnation, and the disease may heal. If taken erroneously or in excess, toxic vapors invade channels and sinews/bones, unable to exit. Once phlegm is gone, blood is depleted, sinews lose nourishment, becoming contracted and painful, developing into carbuncles and sores, or hand-foot fissures, parasitic tinea, and stubborn numbness. Over years, it becomes a chronic disability. The harm is endless. (Binhu) All cases of constipation due to blood deficiency, pediatric malnutrition, Spleen-Stomach dual deficiency, chronic convulsions with phlegm obstruction, Syphilis chancres, and conditions arising from qi deficiency and chronic illness are all contraindicated. (Zhongchun) Nifen is good at descending pediatric diaphragmatic phlegm and convulsions. But excessive use causes damage. If convulsions belong to Heart qi deficiency, descending it causes interior deficiency; convulsive qi entering the Heart leads to death. (Wenqing)
[Differentiation and Treatment] True Mercury Powder is light in weight, white in color, lovely like snowflakes. Place a tiny amount in a copper or iron vessel, melt over fire without leaving traces. Fake ones often contain Gypsum; burning leaves residue. Some contain Mirabilite; careful distinction is required. Generally, self-made according to method is usable; market goods cannot be trusted.
Appendix: Formula to Extract Qingfen Toxin. From Shan: Five jin of Black Lead, beaten into a pot shape. Hold fifteen jin of Rice Wine. Add half a jin of Smilax Glabra Rhizome and three qian of Frankincense. Seal tightly. Boil over double boiler for one day and night. Bury in earth to remove fire toxicity. Drink several cups freely morning and evening. Catch urine in a clay basin afterward; the emergence of powder confirms efficacy. Continue taking until bone and tendon pain ceases.