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<Night Bright Sand (Ye Ming Sha)>: It is the feces of bats, acrid in flavor and cold in nature. Wash it with water to remove dirt and foul odors, take the fine sand, dry it in the sun, and use it after roasting. It is incompatible with *Ampelopsis japonica* root (Bailian) and *Clerodendron cyrtophyllum* root (Baiwei).

<Cold Number Bird Feces (Han Hao Qin Fen)>*: It is the feces of the "Cold Number" bird (flying squirrel), sweet in flavor and warm in nature. Its color is black like iron, and its odor is extremely fishy and foul. The granules are as large as beans; some resemble paste, while others are sticky clumps like sugar. Those with a sugar-like core that are moist and lustrous are genuine. They often contain sand and stones, making them difficult to process. Remove the impurities, grind into a fine powder, pass through wine (wine-flown), dry in the sun, and use. It is incompatible with *Panax ginseng* (Renshen).
*(Note: The term "Cold Number Bird Feces" appears to be a textual anomaly or archaic alias in the source text, potentially referring to a mineral like Hematite based on physical description, but translated literally here.)*

[Unnamed Substance]: Sweet in flavor and slightly cold in nature. Refine and store it cleanly in the twelfth lunar month; it remains unspoiled for years. It is contrary to *Aconitum carmichaelii* (Wutou) and plum fruit (Meizi). In medicine shops, it is sometimes counterfeited with wild boar fat, so careful examination is required before use.

[Unnamed Dairy Product]: Sweet in flavor and cold in nature. Boil cow's milk in a pot for two or three boils, pour it into a basin, and let it cool until set. When a skin forms on the surface, remove this skin and boil it again. Skim off the oil, filter out the dregs, and return it to the pot to complete the preparation.

<Ejiao (Donkey-Hide Gelatin)>: Sweet and salty in flavor, slightly warm in nature. It can be stir-fried into beads, fried with flour, fried with clarified butter, fried with clam powder, fried with glutinous rice powder, or fried with wine. Most Ejiao sold in markets is counterfeit; genuine Ejiao is rare. Genuine Ejiao is transparent, brittle, and breaks easily when struck. Counterfeit Ejiao is soft, difficult to break, and dull and dark like ink. Li Shizhen said: In Dong'e, there is a well as wide as a wheel and six or seven zhang deep. Gelatin is boiled there annually to present to the imperial court. The well water is from the Ji River. Mostly cowhide is used [for gelatin], and later generations came to value it. One should select pieces that are yellow and translucent like amber, or glossy and black like lacquer.

>Huangming Jiao (Yellow Clear Gelatin): Sweet in flavor and neutral in nature. Li Shizhen said: Huangming Jiao is made from cowhide. Its color is yellow and bright, but it is not made with water from the Ejiao well. Its medicinal effects are similar to those of Ejiao. If Ejiao... [Text cuts off]

>Niu Huang (Calculus Bovis): Bitter and sweet in flavor, cool in nature. It is wrapped in a membrane like a garlic clove, with an interior resembling egg yolk. It consists of overlapping layers that can be peeled and broken apart. It is light, hollow, and fragrant. Its color is reddish-yellow with a luster; when applied to the fingernail, the yellow color penetrates the nail. [It interacts with] *Gentiana scabra* (Longdan), *Rehmannia glutinosa* (Dihuang), and *Dichroa febrifuga* (Changshan). Lei Xiao said: There are four types of Niu Huang. That obtained through fright and pressure is called "Sheng Huang" (Raw Yellow); that obtained from the horn after killing the ox is called "Jiao Zhong Huang" (Horn Yellow); that obtained by dissecting the heart after the ox dies of illness is called [Heart Yellow?]; that obtained from the gallbladder is called "Gan Huang" (Liver Yellow - *Note: Textual confusion likely exists here*). The *Bencao Tujing* states: Whenever an ox has calculus, its body glows at night, its eyes appear blood-red, it occasionally bellows and roars, frightening people, and it likes to look at its reflection in water. People use basins of water to catch [its shadow/reflection]. Those that are hollow and fragrant are superior. However, Kou Zongshi said: Niu Huang is light and natural, with a slight fragrance. There is a type of Niu Huang from the Western Regions that is hard and lacks fragrance. There is also Camel Calculus (Luotuo Huang) which is easy to obtain and can cause confusion.