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Mercury (Shuiyin)

Pungent in flavor, cold in nature, toxic. It primarily treats scabies (skin disease caused by mites), crusty sores, and tinea capitis (scalp ringworm); kills lice on the skin; induces abortion; and clears heat. Applied to the male genitals, it causes atrophy of the penis and loss of sexual desire. It can neutralize the toxicity of gold, silver, copper, and tin, melting them down to be re-refined into cinnabar. Long-term ingestion is said to confer immortality. Also known as Gan (Quicksilver). It is produced in the flat lands of Fuling and originates from Cinnabar (Zhusha). (It fears Magnetitum [Cishi].)

Tao Hongjing stated: Currently, there are raw and processed forms of mercury. The type mentioned as originating from the flat lands of Fuling comes from within the body of cinnabar ore or separately from sandy soil; it is bluish-white and of the highest quality. The type derived from cinnabar is obtained by roasting coarse cinnabar powder; it is pale white and turbid, inferior to the raw form. Mercury is highly effective at dissolving gold and silver into a paste, which people use for gilding. The process of reverting it to cinnabar is recorded in *The Immortal Classics*. Mixed with wine and exposed to the sun, it is taken for longevity. The ash that flies up and adheres to the pot during roasting is called Mercurii Sublimati Corrosivum (Hongfen), commonly known as mercury ash, which is most effective against lice. The *Tang Bencao* commentary states: Mercury originates from cinnabar due to heat; there is no record of it spontaneously emerging from within cinnabar ore. The method of obtaining it by fire and sublimation is well understood. Southerners obtain it by steaming; although the yield is low, the cinnabar remains undamaged, changing only slightly in color. Current research indicates: Chen Cangqi’s *Bencao* states: In addition to its primary functions, mercury promotes urination and eliminates heat toxins. If it enters the ear, it can consume the brain entirely; if it enters the flesh, it causes spasms of all joints and leads to the severance of Yin and Yang. People often apply mercury to wounds and scabies; due to its slippery and heavy nature, it penetrates deeply into the flesh, so caution is advised. Previously, Prince Xu of Northern Qi treated spastic diseases by applying heated metal objects. Mercury reacts with gold, causing corrosion; when the gold turns white, it is effective. After several applications, the condition resolves. Ministers Yu Xi et al., according to *Guangya*, state: Silver is called [character missing/obscured] (pronounced Hong Dong). *Yaoxing Lun* states: Mercury is a sovereign herb, neutralizes gold and copper toxicity, belongs to the Yin category, and is highly toxic. It is the liquid essence of cinnabar, the primal mother of the Elixir of Reversion, and the drug for immortality. It can refine the five metals into mud; in its raw state, it induces abortion. It treats scabies and similar conditions because it kills parasites. Ri Huazi states: Mercury is non-toxic. It treats epidemic febrile diseases, facilitates childbirth, expels dead fetuses, treats malignant sores, dispels wind, and calms the spirit and anchors the heart. People who work with gold plating and powdered mercury often suffer from wind disorders; if used in large quantities, one should drink alcohol, consume fatty pork, and take ferrous sulfate solution to counteract the toxicity.

*Tujing* states: Mercury is produced in the flat lands of Fuling. Currently, it is produced in Qinzhou, Shangzhou, Daozhou, and Shaowu Jun. Qinzhou’s mercury comes from the Western Qiang border. The *Classic* states: The type derived from cinnabar is coarse-grade cinnabar mined from mountains, placed in a furnace, with water below and a vessel above covered by a pot. Fire is applied externally; smoke rises, and mercury flows downward. It is pale white and turbid. Tao Hongjing stated: The Fuling flat land type comes from within cinnabar or sandy soil, appearing bluish-white. This is no longer heard of. As for the Western Qiang variety, locals also claim it is produced this way. However, the deposits there are extremely abundant, with some mountains splitting open to reveal large chunks of sandstone like measuring vessels, which must be crushed before roasting. Thus, mercury from the West is far more abundant than that from the South. According to *Guangya*, mercury is called [character], while alchemists call it Gan (Quicksilver); these characters are likely interchangeable. The ash on the furnace lid is also called Mercurii Sublimati Corrosivum. Furthermore, mercury is refined into Calomelas (Qingfen), an essential medicine for clearing the diaphragm. Those taking it should avoid blood products, as it originates from cinnabar.

Lei Gong stated: When using mercury, do not use that collected from grass, nor that from old vermilion lacquer, nor that processed by other drugs, nor that exposed to corpses, nor half-raw half-dead mercury. If mercury is produced within cinnabar, it has a slight red hue; collect it and store it in a gourd to prevent loss. If first boiled with natural juices of *Ottelia acuminata* (Zibei Tiankui) and *Polygonum multiflorum* vine (Ye Jiaoteng) for one shichen (two hours), its toxicity will naturally dissipate. To process ten taels, use seven yi of each of the aforementioned juices and boil until sufficient. *Shenghui Fang*: For accidentally swallowed silver rings or hairpins, administer half a tael; a second dose will cause expulsion. *Jingyan Houfang*: Treats Heart Wind constipation. One tael of mercury and eight lotus rhizome nodes. First grind the lotus nodes finely, then mix with mercury and grind into sand-like particles. Form pills the size of corn kernels. Take two pills at a time, washed down with water from sharpening a knife. Cure after one or two doses. *Mei Shi Fang*: Treats retained dead fetus where the mother’s vital energy is exhausted. Swallow two taels of mercury; the fetus is expelled immediately. Another formula for difficult labor: Boil two taels of mercury, then ingest; cure is immediate. Another formula for hemorrhoids with unbearable itching in the anus: Mix two taels of mercury with two taels of jujube paste. Shape like a jujube, wrap in thin silk, and insert into the lower orifice. The worms will exit the next day. If painful, add three parts of powder and form pills. *Han Wudi Neizhuan* states: Feng Junda, from Longxi, consumed Coptis Rhizoma (Huanglian) for over fifty years. He entered Wufeng Mountain, consumed mercury for over a hundred years, and returned home looking twenty years old. He often rode a green ox, hence the title "Green Ox Daoist." *Taiqing Fu Lian Lingsha Fa*: Mercury inherits the spiritual energy of the Five Yang deities; its essence converges to form its body, allowing it to fly lightly and transform mysteriously, interacting with myriad spirits. *Danfang Jingyuan*: It can amalgamate with gold and serve as a source for Yongquan springs, relying on the qi of dead mercury.

*Yanyi* states: Although mercury has various methods of preparation for medicinal use, extreme caution is required due to its high toxicity. Frequent consumption by women leads to sterility. Currently, many physicians use it frequently to treat pediatric convulsions, fever, and salivary overflow. The *Classics* mention nothing about this, so it should be examined carefully. Mercury coagulates with lead, binds with sulfur, and disperses when ground with jujube meat. Other methods refine it into Mercurii Sublimati Mite (Nifen); the powder霜 (Fenshuang) mixed with saliva kills lice. Copper becomes bright when combined with it; injected into a corpse, it prevents putrefaction. Gold, silver, copper, and iron float on it; Purple Placenta (Ziheche) makes it sink. Han Yu of the Tang Dynasty wrote: Li Gan, a Doctor of the Imperial Academy, met Liu Ben, a sorcerer from Xin’an, who could refine mercury into an elixir of immortality. He filled a tripod with lead, hollowed the center, filled it with mercury, sealed the edges, and roasted it into cinnabar. After ingestion, the patient passed blood. Four years later, the illness worsened, and he died. I do not know when the theory of ingesting elixirs began. Countless people have died, yet worldly admiration for it grows stronger; this is truly delusion. I will not recount written records or hearsay. Instead, I present six or seven high officials whom I personally observed ruined by such drugs, as a warning to the world. Gui Deng, Minister of Works, said: After taking mercury, I suffered as if a red-hot iron rod pierced me from head to toe, burning and shooting fire through my orifices and joints. I cried out in madness and pain, begging for death. His bedding absorbed mercury, causing hair loss and hemoptysis; he died after ten years. Li Xuzhong, Censor-in-Chief, died of a carbuncle on his back. Li Xun, Minister of Justice, told me: "I was misled by medicine." He then died. Li Jian, Vice Minister of Justice, died suddenly without illness. Meng Jian, Minister of Works, invited me to Wanzhou and privately said: "I have obtained a secret elixir for immortality. I cannot keep it alone. I leave a vessel for my son; you may take it as pills with jujube paste." A year later, he fell ill. Later inquiries revealed: "The previous medicine was mistaken; he needed purgatives. Once purged, he would have recovered." He died two years later. Lu Tan, Military Commissioner of Dongchuan, suffered from hematuria and unbearable muscle pain, begging for death. Li Daogu, General of the Jinwu Guard, was implicated by Liu Ben’s crimes, ate Liu’s medicine, and died at sea at age fifty. These cases serve as warnings. Seeking immortality but hastening death cannot be called wisdom. Grains, meats, salt, vinegar, fruits, and vegetables are daily sustenance. People urge each other to eat heartily. Yet the deluded claim grains cause premature death and advocate dietary restriction, regretting only at the point of death. Alas, how sorrowful! Now, some burn mercury into cinnabar. Physicians, unaware, grind it for coating or incorporate it into medicines. Is this not a grave error? Must we not be cautious?