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(The processing of leeches is extremely difficult. They must be finely chopped and then stir-fried over a mild fire until they turn yellow, indicating they are fully processed. If this is not done, they may "breed" inside the body and cause harm. Another method: after collection, store them in bamboo tubes until dry. Soak them overnight in rice wash water, sun-dry, spread out their bodies, inspect the abdomen for any offspring, and remove all if present. Then fry them in winter lard until scorched yellow, and finally add *Wei Duanshi* (fearful of iron slag) and salt.)

(When preparing for medicinal use, remove the wings and feet, stir-fry with glutinous rice until the rice turns yellow-black, discard the rice, and use the residue. Raw usage can treat vomiting and diarrhea. Another method: stir-fry with bran, then boil in vinegar. *Madao* (a type of mollusk/shell) serves as its guiding herb; it is inhibited by *Badou* (Crotonis Fructus), *Danshen* (Salviae Miltiorrhizae Radix et Rhizoma), and *Kongqing* (Azurite); it opposes *Fuqing*, *Gancao* (Glycyrrhizae Radix et Rhizoma), *Doushua*, *Banzhao* (Mylabris), *Yuanqing*, *Tingzhang*, and the toxicity of *Dichang*; *Dianzhi* (Indigo Naturalis), *Huanglian* (Coptidis Rhizoma), *Heidou*, green onions, and tea can all detoxify it.)

(One theory states that the head and tail, each one chi long, should be removed due to high toxicity, using only the middle section. Another view holds that because Qianshe snakes are large, removing one chi from both ends is acceptable, whereas for Qishe snakes, only three cun from each end need removal. Some use only the head and tail. From one large snake, only four liang of pure meat can be obtained. Long storage leads to insect infestation; however, if soaked in water, skin and bones removed, the meat roasted, and sealed in honey, it will not spoil even after ten years. The bone spines must be discarded far away, as their toxicity upon injury is the same as that of live specimens. For wine soaking: three nights in spring and autumn, one night in summer, five nights in winter. Take out, roast over charcoal fire, repeat three times. Store in a clay jar, bury underground overnight, then retrieve; the resulting wine is potent.)

(The processing method for pangolin scales is the same as above.)

(Collect on the fifth day of the fifth lunar month, steam, and store. When ready for use, roast; do not keep in water, as it induces vomiting.)

(This is the feces of the Cold-Number Bird. It often contains sand and stones, making it very difficult to process. When used, grind into fine powder, wash with wine to separate impurities, let settle, remove the sandy residue, sun-dry, and stir-fry with vinegar. It is incompatible with *Renshen* (Ginseng Radix).)

(The correct name is Lingli (Pangolin). Methods include calcining, burning, frying with butter, vinegar-frying, frying in child's urine, oil-frying, earth-frying, or flour-frying, according to the specific prescription. None are used raw. The tail scales possess the strongest efficacy.)

I observe that contemporary physicians, having studied since childhood, regard the *Yaoxing Kuopianyue* (Summary of Drug Properties in Parallel Prose) as a family treasure, while having never even dreamed of reading profound texts such as the *Shennong Bencao Jing* (Divine Farmer's Materia Medica) or the ancient processing methods of sages. In clinical practice, they cannot distinguish genuine from counterfeit drugs based on origin, and completely disregard standard processing procedures. Attempting to treat diseases with such ignorance is like sending untrained soldiers to battle; patients often willingly allow their bodies to be experimented upon, which is truly pitiable. The Master said, "Your words are indeed true." Therefore, he reviewed various commonly used herbs, applied the principles of Lei Gong's Processing Methods, eliminated those that were impractical or overly rigid, and incorporated his own methods where Lei Gong was silent. For items not covered by Lei Gong, he elaborated to supplement previous knowledge. All notes on synergistic actions, antagonisms, contraindications, and aversions were appended below, allowing patients to understand usage at a glance and helping to correct physician errors. The benefits are significant. The original notes contained only ninety-plus species; now expanded to four hundred thirty-nine. These were all dictated by the Master and recorded by my hand. Redundancies were removed, essentials highlighted, gaps filled, and omissions corrected. Every character was scrutinized strictly, every stroke carefully reviewed. After four revisions, the manuscript was finalized. I humbly contributed my modest efforts.

Zhuang Jiguang of Yanling respectfully records