一名黄丹。可入丸散。熬膏药。不入汤用。炒铅丹法。用铅一斤。土硫黄十两。硝石一
两。熔铅成汁。下醋点之。滚沸时。下硫一块。少顷下硝少许。沸定。再点醋。依前下少许
黄硝。待为末。即成丹。(会典云。黑铅一斤。烧丹一斤五钱三分。)若转丹为铅。只用连须
葱白汁拌丹慢煎。 成金汁。倾出即还铅矣。(濒湖) 今人以作铅粉。不尽者用硝石矾石
炒成丹。(又)
味微辛咸。气微寒。体重。性沉。内走血分。伏砒。制 硫。内服。治吐逆胃反。惊痫
癫疾。除热下气。(本经)除消渴。消积痢久积及疟。止衄血并痔证下血不止。疗热毒脐挛。
(当脐挛急而痛是阴阳不得升降也)中恶心腹胀痛。能固气敛神气。坠痰。杀虫。治疳疾。
(诸本草)外敷生肌止痛止血。诸疮金疮汤火疮。或煎膏用之。能解热拔毒。长肉去瘀。故
治恶疮肿毒。及入膏药。为外科必用之药。(濒湖)鼻衄初出。多不能止。此肺金受相火所
制也。用黄丹吹入鼻中。吐逆不止。北黄丹四两。米醋半升。煎干。炭火三秤。就铫内 红。
冷定为末。粟米饭丸梧子大。每服七丸。醋汤下。小儿瘅疟。壮热不寒。黄丹二钱。蜜水和
服。冷者酒服。温疟不止。黄丹炒半两。青蒿童便浸二两。为末。每服二钱。寒多酒服。热
多茶服。反胃气逆胃虚。铅丹二两。白矾二两。生石亭脂半两。先以丹矾研匀。入坩锅内。
用炭半秤 赤。更养一夜。出毒两日。入亭脂同研。粟米饮和丸。绿豆大。每日米饮下十五
丸。风痫发止。铅丹二两。白矾二两。为末。用三角砖相斗。以七层纸铺砖上。铺丹于纸上。
铺矾丹上。用柳木柴十斤。烧过为度。取研。每服二钱。温酒下。眼生珠管。铅丹半两。鲤
鱼胆汁和如膏。日点三五次。咽喉肿痛。追风散。用黄丹朴硝牙皂 砂仁壳 各五钱。为细
末。每以鹅毛蘸药少许。敷舌上下及肿处。后以温水灌漱。外痔肿痛。黄丹滑石。等分为末。
新汲水调
〔论〕夫就铅霜而言。铅汞固为一气之交感矣。(即取水银粉毒。用黑铅作壶。煮土茯
苓酒服之。是交感之一证。)就铅丹而言。铅合硫硝炒制。是何一水一火。其交感又如是耶。
(硫恋于铅。硫又能死铅。铅得硫则化。即治溲闭一案可验。详见硫黄条。然解硫毒者。还
用黑铅煎汤解之。)盖天一生水。地二生火。在人身水火同宫。故硫与铅交感而交化。至阳
者恋乎阴而得所归。至阴者合于阳而行其化。阳得所归则火降。阴行其化则水升。水火之气
和。而气血亦和。此铅丹所以能除热下气。治吐逆反胃及惊痫癫狂烦渴诸疾。而外敷疮疡更
效也。又按铅丹主治有数证。可以参其微义。如齿衄属肾虚者。服凉药反甚。宜盐汤下安肾
丸。间进黑锡丹。此因火乘水虚而上。或兼痰气壅塞。必用铅硫结砂子者为主剂。而和以温
补肾气。方能奏功。至神效方治痔疾下血不止。固以 皮为痔证专剂矣。其用白矾者。是收
阴于亢阳之中。以散阳邪而救真阴也。用绿矾火 者。俾之理脾阴。和脾气。转为血脏地也。
入伏龙肝者。更欲用阳以化阴。俾湿化行而血乃化。且又不属燥剂。而铅丹则固相助为理者
也。又治八般头风。用草乌尖细辛。必入铅丹少许以和血。正为风脏即血脏也。消瘅证心中
热渴欲饮者。用乌金散。止铅丹细墨二味合治也。久痢脐腹撮痛者。治以圣饼子。乃铅丹合
于定粉陀僧硫黄轻粉。同为相感相交之气味以化其积滞也。内治数证。举此可以类推。
吐逆由于胃虚。及因寒发吐者。皆不宜服。(仲淳)
〔修治〕 货者多以盐硝砂石杂之。凡入药用水漂去硝盐。飞去砂石。澄干。微火炒紫
色。地上去火毒用。
〔总论铅霜铅丹灵砂〕 黑锡之用。杂水银作片。醋薰成霜者。名铅白霜。合硫硝制为
末者。名曰铅丹。而汞合硫以 升者。为灵砂。又汞合于硝矾 升者。为轻粉。铅霜铅丹灵
砂。似其主治不远。但铅霜惟取坎离之纯阴。其所交感而出为精华者。以故上焦热可使清降。
上焦热所生痰可使镇坠。是病于阳之偏胜。乃其对待。至铅丹取铅同宫之阳以化阴。石硫是
也。更藉硝石之苦温而上胜者。同硫气以升阳。使至阴随阳以升。而清坠上焦之亢阳。所谓
藉升以为降也。是病于阴不升而阳不降者。此其中的之治。若灵砂则治上盛下虚者。阳极于
上。阴竭于下。阴阳将离而欲绝。最为危笃。故取阳中之阴下行者。阴中之阳上行者。两相
感而两相结。以交水火而媾阴阳。所谓斡旋于俄顷。徐为养阴驭阳之计者也。
[Lead Carbonate (Qian Dan)]
Also known as Huang Dan (Yellow Lead). It can be used in pills and powders, or to prepare plasters, but is not suitable for decoctions.
Method for stir-frying Qian Dan: Take one jin of lead, ten liang of native sulfur, and one liang of saltpeter. Melt the lead into liquid, then add vinegar drop by drop to induce reaction. When the mixture boils vigorously, add a piece of sulfur; after a short while, add a small amount of saltpeter. Once the boiling subsides, add vinegar again. Follow the previous method, adding a small amount of prepared Qian Dan and saltpeter. Wait until it becomes a powder, which constitutes the finished Qian Dan. (The *Da Ming Hui Dian* records: using one jin of black lead yields one jin and five qian three fen of Qian Dan.)
To revert Qian Dan back to lead, mix it slowly with juice from green onion whites (including roots) and simmer gently. Once a golden liquid forms, pour it out, and it returns to lead. (Li Shizhen cites)
Currently, people use it to make lead white powder (Qian Fen); the unconverted residue is stir-fried with saltpeter and alum to form Dan. (Another note)
Taste: slightly pungent and salty. Nature: slightly cold. Weight: heavy. Property: sinking. Internally, it enters the Blood aspect. It can subdue arsenic and control sulfur. Internal administration treats vomiting and regurgitation (Wei Fan), convulsive epilepsy, manic disorders. It clears heat and directs rebellious Qi downward. (*Shennong Bencao Jing*) It eliminates thirst-quenching diseases (Xiao Ke), resolves accumulated dysentery, chronic accumulations, and malaria. It stops epistaxis and continuous bleeding from hemorrhoids. It treats heat-toxin-induced umbilical cramping and pain. (When the umbilicus is cramped and painful, it indicates an inability of Yin and Yang Qi to ascend and descend.) It treats sudden evil invasion causing nausea, abdominal distension, and pain. It can consolidate Zheng Qi and gather Shen Qi. It descends phlegm, kills parasites, and treats gan diseases. (Various Materia Medica texts) Topically applied, it generates flesh, relieves pain, and stops bleeding. It is used for various sores, metallic wounds, scalds, and burns. Or it can be decocted into plasters. It resolves heat and draws out toxins, promotes tissue regeneration, and removes blood stasis. Thus, it is effective for malignant sores and swelling/toxins, and is included in plasters as an essential external medicine. (Li Shizhen cites)
For initial epistaxis that is difficult to stop, caused by Lung Metal being constrained by Ministerial Fire, blow Huang Dan into the nose. For persistent vomiting, take four liang of northern Huang Dan and half sheng of rice vinegar, decoct until dry, heat over charcoal fire for three cheng durations, red-hot in the pot, cool, and grind into powder. Form pills the size of wutong seeds using millet rice paste. Take seven pills per dose, washed down with vinegar water. For children suffering from dan malaria (fever without chills), take two qian of Huang Dan mixed with honey water; if cold-type, wash down with wine. For persistent warm malaria, take half liang of stir-fried Huang Dan and two liang of Qinghao soaked in child's urine, grind into powder. Take two qian per dose; wash down with wine if chills predominate, with tea if heat predominates. For regurgitation, Qi rebellion, and stomach deficiency, take two liang of Qian Dan, two liang of Bai Fan (Alum), and half liang of raw Shing Ting Zhi. First grind Dan and Fan evenly, place in a crucible, heat with half a cheng of charcoal until red, let rest overnight, remove toxicity for two days, add Ting Zhi and grind together. Mix with millet drink to form pills the size of mung beans. Take fifteen pills daily, washed down with millet drink. After wind-epilepsy attacks cease, take two liang of Qian Dan and two liang of Bai Fan, grind into powder. Place two triangular bricks facing each other, lay seven layers of paper on the brick, spread Qian Dan on the paper, then spread Bai Fan on top of the Dan. Burn ten jin of willow wood until consumed, collect and grind. Take two qian per dose, washed down with warm wine. For eye caruncle growth (pterygium), mix half liang of Qian Dan with carp bile to form a paste, apply 3-5 times daily. For sore throat and swelling, use Zhui Feng San. Mix five qian each of Huang Dan, Pu Xiao (Mirabilite), Ya Zao (Gleditsia sinensis fruit spine), and Sha Ren shell into fine powder. Dip a goose feather in a small amount of medicine and apply to the upper and lower tongue and swollen areas, then rinse with warm water. For external hemorrhoid swelling and pain, mix equal parts of Qian Dan and Hua Shi (Kaolin) into powder, tune with fresh well water.
[Discussion]
Regarding Qian Shuang (Lead Frost), lead and mercury are indeed in a state of mutual interaction. (This refers to using mercury powder toxicity, making a pot from black lead, and decocting Tu Fu Ling in wine to consume, demonstrating one instance of interaction.) Regarding Qian Dan, lead is stir-fried with sulfur and saltpeter; why is this a water-fire interaction, and how is their感应 (interaction) so profound? (Sulfur adheres to lead; sulfur can also "kill" lead, meaning lead transforms when combined with sulfur. This can be verified in cases treating urinary retention, detailed under the Sulfur entry. However, to resolve sulfur toxicity, one should still use black lead decoction.) Generally, Heaven generates Water first, Earth generates Fire second. In the human body, Water and Fire reside in the same palace. Thus, sulfur and lead interact and transform. The most Yang adheres to Yin and finds its return; the most Yin combines with Yang and executes transformation. When Yang finds its return, Fire descends; when Yin executes transformation, Water ascends. When the Qi of Water and Fire harmonizes, Qi and Blood also harmonize. This is why Qian Dan can clear heat and direct Qi downward, treat vomiting, regurgitation, convulsive epilepsy, mania, irritability, and thirst, and why topical application for sores is even more effective.
Furthermore, examining the multiple indications for Qian Dan reveals subtle meanings. For example, gingival bleeding due to Kidney deficiency worsens with cooling herbs; it is appropriate to take An Shen Wan washed down with salt water, occasionally taking Hei Xi Dan. This occurs because Fire exploits deficient Water and rises, or Phlegm-Qi is obstructed. One must use lead-sulfur calcined sand as the principal agent, combined with herbs that warm and tonify Kidney Qi, to achieve efficacy. As for *Shen Xiao Fang* treating persistent bleeding from hemorrhoids, although Huai Pi (Sophora bark) is the specific agent for hemorrhoids, the use of Bai Fan is to gather Yin amidst hyperactive Yang, to disperse Yang pathogenic factors and save True Yin. Using fire-calcined Lv Fan (Green Vitriol) regulates Spleen Yin and harmonizes Spleen Qi, transforming it into the earth of the Blood organ. Adding Fu Long Gan (Vermilion Dragon Liver/Calcined Clay) further utilizes Yang to transform Yin, allowing dampness to transform and blood to normalize. Moreover, this is not a drying agent; Qian Dan assists in this regulation. Also, for treating eight types of head wind, using Cao Wu Jian (Aconite tip) and Xi Xin (Asarum), a small amount of Qian Dan must be added to harmonize blood, precisely because the Wind organ is the Blood organ. For treating Xiao Dan syndrome with heart heat, thirst, and desire to drink, Wu Jin San is used, which simply combines Qian Dan and Xi Mo (Fine Ink). For chronic dysentery causing umbilical and abdominal cramping pain, Sheng Bing Zi is used, combining Qian Dan with Ding Fen (White Lead Powder), Tuo Seng (Red Lead Oxide), Sulfur, and Qing Fen (Calomel). These possess mutually inducing and interacting properties to transform stagnation. Internal treatments for these conditions, listed here, can be extrapolated.
Vomiting due to stomach deficiency, or vomiting triggered by cold, are both unsuitable for Qian Dan. (Chen Shigong cites)
[Processing]
Vendors often adulterate it with salt, saltpeter, sand, and stones. For medicinal use, wash with water to remove saltpeter and salt, winnow to remove sand and stones, clarify and dry, stir-fry over low heat until purple, and place on the ground to remove fire toxicity before use.
[General Discussion on Qian Shuang, Qian Dan, and Ling Sha]
Black Xi (Tin) mixed with mercury to form flakes, steamed with vinegar to form frost, is named Qian Bai Shuang (Lead White Frost). Mixed with sulfur and saltpeter to form powder, it is named Qian Dan. Mercury sublimated with sulfur is called Ling Sha. Mercury sublimated with saltpeter and alum is called Qing Fen. Qian Shuang, Qian Dan, and Ling Sha seem to have similar indications. However, Qian Shuang exclusively extracts the pure Yin of Kan and Li; its essence produced through interaction clears heat in the Upper Jiao and settles phlegm generated by Upper Jiao heat. This addresses diseases of Yang excess, serving as its counter-treatment. Qian Dan, conversely, takes the Yang within the same palace as lead to transform Yin, utilizing Shi Liu Huang (Litharge/Sulfur). It further relies on the bitter-warm nature of Saltpeter to rise and overcome, ascending Yang along with Sulfur's Qi, causing the most Yin to rise with Yang, thereby clearing and settling hyperactive Yang in the Upper Jiao. This is described as "using ascent to achieve descent." This is the correct treatment for diseases where Yin does not ascend and Yang does not descend. Ling Sha, however, treats Upper Excess and Lower Deficiency. Yang extremity at the top, Yin exhaustion at the bottom, with Yin and Yang about to separate and perish, is critically dangerous. Therefore, it takes the Yin within Yang to descend, and the Yang within Yin to ascend. The two interact and bind, communicating Water and Fire and mating Yin and Yang. This is described as "maneuvering in an instant," gradually planning to nourish Yin and驾驭 (control) Yang.