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I received my father's teachings since childhood, and at no time did I fail to vigilantly uphold the four characters "doing good to others" (yǔ rén wéi shàn) in the depths of night and early morning. However, I often feared that my shallow views and limited knowledge were insufficient to fulfill my aspiration for broad humanitarian relief. The Way of medicine is such that from a young age, I took delight in treating illnesses; whenever I traveled through the regions of Wu and Yue, I invariably sought out eminent physicians and extraordinary scholars to discuss and thoroughly investigate medical principles. Thus, I once expounded these ideas orally, recorded them in books, collected prescriptions, and selected medicinal materials. Fortunately, my body remained intact and free from illness, and now at the age of fifty, my spirit and physical strength are ten times greater than before. My past experiences were indeed numerous. Yet I have often told people: If one is born without being able to benefit others, gentlemen consider it a wasted life. If one merely engages in self-regulation and preservation but keeps [medical knowledge] secret and does not share it with others, then how would the techniques of Huangdi (Yellow Emperor) and Qibo be transmitted to this day? And why did Lu Gong Bianque hold the view that he could not treat himself? Therefore, together with my eldest brother Erjie and my second brother Yanfang, I carefully selected medicinal materials and secretly prepared pills and powders, such as Cundan Jin (Cun Gold Pill), Cuisheng Wan (Labor-Inducing Pill), and Taiyi Linggao (Taiyi Spirit Ointment). These were widely distributed and given away freely, without accepting any payment. This is well known to people near and far. Nevertheless, I still believe that transmitting prescriptions is superior to transmitting raw herbs, because while only our family can identify the former, anyone can understand the latter. Consequently, I gathered old records and collected new compilations, spending considerable effort on selection and verification, before entrusting them to the printers. My intention was to disseminate them throughout the land, so that families in remote villages could clearly understand how to prevent and treat diseases, thereby fulfilling my original intent. Any content that had not been personally verified was excluded. Upon completion, I retained the title *Danfang Leibian* (Classified Compilation of Alchemical Prescriptions). Originally, Mr. Qian Qinglun of Wumen possessed a book of this name, which Shen Zihui had previously reprinted, with prefaces by Xu Shi Yu Muchen, Wu Shangcai, and other gentlemen. As I could not obtain the original text, I asked a friend to make a handwritten copy. Now, following various printed editions, I commissioned a new carving, yet retained the original name to avoid forgetting its source. This also fulfills my long-standing vow to strictly adhere to my father's teachings and do good to others. Hence, I write these few words at the beginning of the volume to inform contemporary readers of this compilation.
Written by Yu Huan (Xiaoyuan) of Xin'an, in the Mid-Autumn Month of Ren-Shen Year, 17th Year of Qianlong.