即硼砂。生西南番。有黄白二种。西者白如明矾。南者黄如桃胶。皆是炼结成。
西者柔物去垢。杀五金。与硝石同功。又与砒石相得也。
味甘微咸。气凉。主上焦痰热喉痹。破症结。除噎膈。消障翳。散瘀血阴溃。疗骨鲠恶
疮及口齿诸病。凡喉中肿痛。膈上痰热初觉。便含化硼砂咽津。不成喉痹也。（宗 ）硼砂
味咸气凉。色白质轻。能去胸膈上焦肺分之痰热。素问云。热淫于内。治以咸寒。以甘缓之
是也。其性能柔五金而去垢腻。故噎膈积聚骨鲠结核恶肉阴溃用之者。取其柔物也。痰热眼
目障翳用之者。取其去垢也。（濒湖）一人骨鲠咽中。百计不下。取南蓬砂含化咽汁。脱然
而失。此软坚之征也。（夷坚志）同龙脑人中白青黛为末。敷口舌疮。破棺丹。治咽喉肿痛。
用蓬砂白梅等分。捣丸芡子大。每噙化一丸。小儿阴溃。肿大不消。硼砂一分。水研涂之。
大效。 肉瘀突。南硼砂黄色者一钱。龙脑香少许。研末。灯草蘸点之。
〔修治〕 白如明矾者良。研如飞尘用。
出南海诸番。岭外州郡或有而不甚佳。鹅黄者名昆仑。黄赤色者名石亭脂。青色者
名冬结石。半白半黑者名神惊石。并不堪入药。一种水硫黄。出广南及资州。溪涧中流出。
以茅收取熬出。号真珠黄。气腥臭。止入疮药。亦可煎炼成汁。模写作器。如鹅子黄色。（
颂）有土石二种。石硫黄生南海琉球山中。土硫黄生广南。嚼之无声者佳。舶上倭硫黄亦佳
。（庚辛玉册）
味酸。气温。大热有毒。气味俱浓。纯阳之物也。入手厥阴经。主疗心腹积聚。邪气冷
癖在胁。咳逆上气。及腰肾久冷。脚冷疼弱无力。除冷风顽痹寒热。虚寒久痢滑泄。霍乱。
续阳气暴绝。治阴毒伤寒。小儿慢惊。妇人阴蚀疽痔恶血。坚筋骨。除头秃。能化金银铜铁
等物。（诸本草）凡人下元虚冷。元气将绝。久患寒泄。脾胃虚弱。垂命欲尽。服之无不效。
但当中病便已。不可尽剂。如病势危急。可加丸数。少则不效。仍加附子干姜肉桂服。硫黄
亦号将军。功能破邪归正。返滞还清。挺出阳精。消化阴魄而生魂。（好古）秉纯阳之精。
赋大热之性。能补命门真火不足。其性虽热。而疏利大肠。又与燥涩者不同。盖亦救危妙药
也。但炼制久服。则有偏胜之害。（濒湖）硫黄伏生于石下。阳气溶液。凝结而就。其性大
热。火炼服之。多发背疽。（孙升）金液丹。乃硫黄炼成纯阳之物。有痼冷者所宜。今夏至
人多服之。反为大患。（泊宅编）昔有人病不得溲。卧则微通。立则不能涓滴。遍用通利不
效。其人平日常服黑锡丹。因悟此必结砂时。硫飞去铅不死。铅砂入膀胱。卧则偏重犹可溲。
立则正塞水道。故不通耳。取金液丹三百粒。分十服。煎瞿麦汤下。铅得硫气则化。累累水
道下。病遂愈。（夷坚志）早衰齿落不已。以生硫黄入猪脏中煮熟捣丸。或入蒸饼丸梧子大。
随意服之。管范云。猪肪能制硫黄。此用猪脏尤妙。昔有遵服。年逾九十犹健。后醉牛血。
洞泄如金水死。（类编）石硫黄偏得山石剽悍之性。阳燧为体。动流为用。气禀火温。味兼
木酸。盖木从火得。风自火出故耳。本经主妇人阴蚀疽痔。及恶血为眚。无以奉发美毛。正
骨柔筋者。悉属阴凝至坚。对待治之。阳生阴长。阳杀阴藏矣。阴证伤寒。厥逆烦躁。腹痛
无脉。危甚者。舶上硫黄为末。艾汤服三钱。得睡汗出而愈。一切冷气积块作痛。硫黄焰消
各四两结砂。青皮陈皮各四两。为末。糊丸梧子大。每空心米饮下三十丸。元脏久冷。腹痛
虚泄里急。玉粉丹。生硫黄五两。青盐一两细研。蒸饼丸绿豆大。每服五丸。空心热酒下。
以食压之。伏暑伤冷。二气交错。中脘痞结。或泄或呕。或霍乱厥逆。二气丹。硫黄硝石等
分。研末。石器炒成沙。再研。糯米糊丸梧子大。每服四十丸。新井水下。老人冷秘风秘。
或泄泻。硫黄柳木槌研细。半夏汤泡七次焙研。等分。生姜自然汁调蒸饼。和杵百下。丸梧
子大。每服十五丸至二十丸。空心温酒或姜汤下。妇人醋汤下。此药暖元脏。除积冷。温脾
胃。进饮食。治心腹一切 癖冷气。酒鳖气鳖。嗜酒任气。血凝于气。则为气鳖。其痼冷败
血。入酒则为血鳖。摇头掉尾。大者如鳖。小者如钱。上侵人喉。下蚀人肛。或附胁背。或
隐肠腹。用生硫黄末。老酒调下。常服之。一切恶疮。真君妙神散。用好硫黄三两。荞麦粉
二两。为末。井水和捏作小饼。日干收之。临用细研。新汲水调敷之。痛者即不痛。不痛者
即痛而愈。
〔论〕硫黄入先天真火之窟以消阴翳。阳燧为体。动流为用。其所主治。当绎前哲痼
冷二字。并好古所谓破邪归正。返滞还清之义。（产硫之处。必有温泉作硫黄气。其性味大
热。而为纯阳之物。宜于痼冷可知。）夫水火二气相反。而乃以相合。硫黄为至阳之精。实
乃阴中之阳。其化铅与五金也。固感于所自始之阴而合和以化之。非止以猛毒而制所不胜也。
即其恋于铅也。义固可思矣。（石硫黄的入命门。为水中之阳。义具铅总按中。）
〔辨治〕 入药。取颗块莹净光腻色黄者。夹土及石者不用。凡入丸散。须以萝卜剜空。
入硫合定。糠火煨熟。去其臭气。次以紫背浮萍同煮过。消其火毒。更以皂荚汤淘之。去其
紫黑浆。方用。一法。打碎。盛绢袋。用无灰酒煮三伏时用。又。硝石能化硫为水。以筒盛
硫。埋马粪中一月。亦成水。名硫黄液。
This is Borax (Pengsha, 硼砂). It is produced in the foreign lands of the southwest. There are two types: yellow and white. The western type is white like alum (Mingfan, 明矾), while the southern type is yellow like peach gum. Both are formed through refining and condensation.
The western type can soften objects and remove dirt; it corrodes the "five metals" (Wujin, 五金 - traditionally gold, silver, copper, iron, and tin/lead) and has effects similar to Niter (Xiaoshi, 硝石). It also works well in combination with Realgar (Pishi, 砒石).
It tastes sweet with a slight salty flavor and has a cool nature. It primarily treats phlegm-heat in the upper jiao causing Hou Bi (Hou Bi, 喉痹 - sore throat with obstruction), breaks up accumulations and masses, relieves dysphagia and regurgitation (Yi Ge, 噎膈), dissipates eye opacities (Zhang Yi, 障翳), disperses blood stasis and yin ulcers. It treats bone splinters stuck in the throat (Gu Geng, 骨鲠), malignant sores, and various oral and dental diseases. Whenever there is swelling and pain in the throat, or when phlegm-heat above the diaphragm is first perceived, one should hold Borax in the mouth to dissolve and swallow the saliva; this prevents the formation of Hou Bi. (Zong Shi) Borax tastes salty, has a cool nature, is white in color, and light in texture. It can clear phlegm-heat from the chest, diaphragm, upper jiao, and lung branch. The *Su Wen* states: "When heat overflows internally, treat it with salty-cold substances, and use sweet flavors to moderate it." This is correct. Its property can soften metals and remove greasy impurities; therefore, it is used for dysphagia, accumulations, bone splinters, tubercles, malignant flesh, and yin ulcers because of its softening action. For eye opacities caused by phlegm-heat, it is used for its ability to remove impurities. (Li Shizhen) A person had a bone splinter stuck in the throat that could not be removed by any means. They took southern Pengsha, held it in the mouth to dissolve, and swallowed the juice, resulting in immediate relief. This demonstrates the effect of softening hardness. (*Yi Jian Zhi*) Borax combined with Borneol (Longnao, 龙脑), Human Urine Sediment (Ren Zhong Bai, 人中白), and Indigo Naturalis (Qingdai, 青黛) into powder, applied to oral and tongue sores. Po Guan Dan (Coffin-Breaking Pill) treats sore throat and swelling: equal parts Pengsha and White Plum (Bai Mei, 白梅) are pounded into pills the size of a Chinese quince seed; one pill is held in the mouth to dissolve each time. For children with yin ulcers where swelling does not subside, apply one fen of Borax ground in water externally; this is highly effective. For protruding flesh stasis, use one qian of southern Borax (yellow variety) and a small amount of Borneol, grind into powder, and apply using a rush pith dipped in the mixture.
[Processing] The white variety resembling alum is superior; grind it into a fine dust for use.
It originates from the various foreign lands of the South Sea. Although available in prefectures outside the Lingnan region, it is not of high quality. The goose-yellow variety is named Kunlun; the yellow-red variety is named Shitingzhi (Stone Ting Resin); the green variety is named Dongjieshi (Winter Stone Crystal); the half-white half-black variety is named Shenjingshi (God-Frightened Stone). None of these are suitable for medicinal use. There is a type called Water Sulfur (Shui Liuhuang, 水硫黄), produced in Guangnan and Zizhou, flowing out from streams and ravines. It is collected with rushes and boiled out, known as True Pearl Yellow. It has a fishy and foul odor and is only used in external sore medicines. It can also be refined into a liquid and molded into vessels, resembling the yellow of an egg yolk. (Su Song) There are two types: earth sulfur and stone sulfur. Stone sulfur grows in the mountains of Liqiu in the South Sea; earth sulfur grows in Guangnan. The best is that which makes no sound when chewed. Japanese sulfur brought by ship is also excellent. (*Geng Xin Yu Ce*)
It tastes sour, has a warm nature, is extremely hot, and is highly toxic. Its flavor and qi are both strong; it is a purely yang substance. It enters the Pericardium Meridian of Hand-Jueyin. It treats accumulations and masses in the heart and abdomen, cold pi-patterns (cold lumps) due to evil qi in the hypochondrium, coughing and reverse flow of qi, long-standing coldness of the waist and kidneys, cold painful weakness and lack of strength in the feet. It dispels cold wind, stubborn bi-syndromes, and alternating chills and fever; chronic diarrhea and loose stools due to deficiency-cold; cholera; restores sudden collapse of yang qi; treats Yin-Du Cold Damage (Yin Du Shang Han, 阴毒伤寒); infant slow convulsions; yin erosion, carbuncles, hemorrhoids, and malignant blood in women; strengthens bones and tendons; cures alopecia capillitii; and can melt gold, silver, copper, and iron. (Various Materia Medica) For anyone with deficiency-cold in the lower yuan, impending exhaustion of primordial qi, chronic cold diarrhea, weak spleen and stomach, and life hanging by a thread, taking it is invariably effective. However, stop once the disease is cured; do not consume the entire dose. If the condition is critical, increase the number of pills; a small dose will be ineffective. Combine with Aconite Root (Fuzi, 附子), Dried Ginger (Ganjiang, 干姜), and Cinnamon Bark (Rougui, 肉桂). Sulfur is also called the General; its function is to break evil and return to righteousness, clear stagnation and restore purity, bring forth yang essence, digest yin spirits, and generate soul. (Li Gao) It inherits the essence of pure yang and possesses the nature of extreme heat; it can tonify the insufficiency of the true fire of the Mingmen (Gate of Life). Although its nature is hot, it unblocks and lubricates the large intestine, differing from drying and astringent herbs. Thus, it is a miraculous medicine for saving critical conditions. However, prolonged use after refining may cause harm due to excessive bias. (Li Shizhen) Sulfur lies hidden beneath stones, formed by the condensation of yang qi solutions. Its nature is extremely hot; consuming it after fire-refining often causes back carbuncles (Fa Bei Ju, 发背疽). (Sun Sheng) Jin Ye Dan (Golden Fluid Pill) is made from refined sulfur, a purely yang substance suitable for those with entrenched cold. Nowadays, many people take it during the Summer Solstice, which instead causes great harm. (*Bo Zhai Bian*) In the past, someone suffered from inability to urinate; they could pass urine slightly while lying down but not at all while standing. Various diuretics were ineffective. This person usually took Hei Xi Dan (Black Tin Pill), leading to the realization that this must be due to sand formation where sulfur drove off the lead without killing it, and lead-sand entered the bladder. Lying down shifts the weight, allowing some urination; standing blocks the urinary pathway completely, hence the obstruction. Take 300 grains of Jin Ye Dan, divided into ten doses, taken with Qumai Decoction (Shepherd's Purse Soup). When lead receives the qi of sulfur, it dissolves and passes out in heaps through the urinary tract; the illness was thus cured. (*Yi Jian Zhi*) For premature aging and continuous tooth loss, place raw sulfur inside pig intestines, cook until done, pound into pills, or mix with steamed dough to make pills the size of a wutong seed; take as desired. Guan Fan stated that pig fat can restrain sulfur; using pig intestines here is particularly clever. Someone who followed this regimen lived to over ninety years healthy, but later died from severe diarrhea after drinking cow's blood. (*Lei Bian*) Stone sulfur inherits the fierce nature of mountain rocks; it takes Yang Sui (Solar Furnace/Pyrite) as its body and fluid movement as its function. Its qi bears the warmth of fire, and its taste combines the sourness of wood. This is because wood derives from fire, and wind arises from fire. The *Ben Jing* treats yin erosion, carbuncles, hemorrhoids, and disasters caused by malignant blood, failing to nourish hair and beautify fur. What truly strengthens bones and softens tendons belongs to yin coagulation that is extremely hard; treating it requires opposition. Yang generates yin, yin grows; yang kills, yin stores. For Yin-pattern Cold Damage with cold extremities, restlessness, abdominal pain, absent pulse, and critical severity, take powdered sulfur from ships, three qian taken with Mugwort Soup; sleep and sweating lead to recovery. For all pains caused by cold qi accumulations, combine four liang of Sulfur and Yan Xiao (Flame Eliminator/Niter) to form sand, with four liang each of Qingpi (Green Tangerine Peel) and Chenpi (Aged Tangerine Peel), grind into powder, bind with paste into wutong-seed-sized pills; take thirty pills on an empty stomach with rice drink. For long-standing cold of the Yuan Zang (Primordial Viscera), abdominal pain, deficiency diarrhea, and tenesmus, use Yu Fen Dan (Jade Powder Pill): five liang of raw sulfur and one liang of Green Salt, finely ground, steamed dough pills the size of mung beans; take five pills on an empty stomach with hot wine, pressing down with food afterwards. For summer heat trapped with cold injury, interaction of two qi, epigastric fullness, either diarrhea or vomiting, or cholera with cold extremities, use Er Qi Dan (Two Qi Pill): equal parts Sulfur and Niter, ground into powder, fried in stone mortar until sandy, then ground again, bound with glutinous rice paste into wutong-seed-sized pills; take forty pills with new well water. For elderly patients with cold constipation, wind constipation, or diarrhea, grind Sulfur with a willow wood pestle until fine, process Banxia (Pinellia Tuber) by soaking in water seven times, dry, and grind; mix equal parts, stir-fry with fresh ginger juice and steamed dough, pound a hundred times, make wutong-seed-sized pills; take fifteen to twenty pills on an empty stomach with warm wine or ginger soup; women take with vinegar soup. This medicine warms the Yuan Zang, removes accumulated cold, warms the spleen and stomach, promotes appetite, and treats all kinds of cold qi patterns in the heart and abdomen. Jiugie Qi Die (Alcohol Turtle Qi Turtle): indulging in alcohol and temper leads to blood coagulating in qi, forming Qi Die; stubborn cold and敗血 (broken blood) entering wine forms Xue Die (Blood Turtle). These move their heads and tails; large ones resemble turtles, small ones coins. They invade the throat from above, erode the anus from below, attach to the hypochondrium and back, or hide in the intestines and abdomen. Use raw sulfur powder mixed with old wine; take regularly. For all malignant sores, Zhen Jun Miao Shen San (True Lord Miraculous Spirit Powder): use three liang of good sulfur and two liang of buckwheat flour, grind into powder, mix with well water to form small cakes, dry in the sun, and store. When needed, grind finely, mix with fresh drawn water, and apply externally. Painful areas cease hurting; non-painful areas become painful and heal.
[Discussion] Sulfur enters the cave of the primordial true fire to eliminate yin shadows. It takes Yang Sui as its body and fluid movement as its function. Its indications should be understood through the phrase "entrenched cold" used by former sages, and Li Gao's meaning of "breaking evil to return to righteousness, clearing stagnation to restore purity." (Where sulfur is produced, there must be hot springs generating sulfur qi; its nature is extremely hot and purely yang, making it suitable for entrenched cold.) Water and fire qi are opposite yet combine. Sulfur is the essence of extreme yang, actually yang within yin. It transforms lead and the five metals, certainly sensing the initial yin from which it originated to harmonize and transform it, not merely using potent toxicity to control what it cannot overcome. Its affinity for lead invites deep reflection on its principles. (Stone sulfur entering the Mingmen acts as yang within water; see the general analysis of Lead for details.)
[Differentiation and Treatment] For medicinal use, select granular chunks that are crystal clear, clean, smooth, and yellow. Discard those mixed with soil and stones. For pills and powders, hollow out a radish, insert sulfur, seal it, and bake in bran fire until cooked to remove the foul odor. Then boil with Zi Bei Fu Ping (Purple-backed Duckweed) to eliminate fire toxicity. Further wash with Sophora Jonesii (Zao Jia, 皂荚) soup to remove purple-black residue before use. Another method: crush it, place in a silk bag, and boil in unadulterated wine for use during the Three Dog Days. Additionally, Niter can dissolve sulfur into water: place sulfur in a tube, bury it in horse manure for one month, and it becomes water, named Sulfur Liquid.