Library

[Background Information]
Book: Zhenglei Bencao (Illustrated Compendium of Materia Medica)
Author: Tang Shenwei
Dynasty: Song
Chapter: Dangmo / Sha (Pot Ash / Borax)
Category: Materia Medica

[Translation]

**Dangmo (Pot Ash / Soot from the Bottom of a Cauldron)**

Mainly treats Gu poison (a severe disease caused by insect toxins), Zhong'e (sudden illness caused by foul pathogenic factors), blood syncope (dizziness and loss of consciousness due to blood loss or stasis), and hematemesis (vomiting blood). Grind finely with wine or water and take warm. It can also be applied externally to metal wounds (traumas caused by sharp metal objects) to promote tissue regeneration and stop bleeding. If the wound is on the face, do not apply it, as the black pigment may penetrate the flesh and leave an印-like mark. This refers to the soot from the bottom of a pot (i.e., soot from a cauldron). (Added in current edition)

Minister Yuxi et al. respectfully note that according to the Shu Edition: Dangmo is non-toxic.
The detailed illustrations and descriptions are found under the entry for "Duanshi" (Calcined Stone) in the *Tujing*.

*Qianjin Fang* (Prescriptions Worth a Thousand Gold): For treating bad breath and nasal congestion/blockage: Take pot ash powder with water. Another prescription: To treat sudden swelling of the tongue resembling a pig's bladder, filling the mouth; if untreated, death will occur within moments. Mix pot ash with wine and apply to the sublingual area; recovery is immediate. Another prescription: To treat heart pain, take Dangmo and mix with hot urine, administer two Qianbi (ancient measure). Another prescription: To treat dystocia (breech presentation). Dip the middle finger of the hand into the soot from the bottom of the pot and draw crossing marks on the infant's feet; birth occurs immediately. Another prescription: To treat Zhong'e with excruciating heart pain. Use half Liang of pot soot and one Qian of salt, grind together, mix with one cup of boiled water, and take at once. *Zhouhou Fang* (Prescriptions Kept in the Sleeve): To treat muscle spasms (tetany/cramps) where cramping moves into the intestines. Take pot ash powder, mix with wine, and take; recovery ensues.

*Jingyan Fang* (Experienced Prescriptions): To treat Huoluan (cholera-like syndrome with vomiting and diarrhea). Take a small amount of soot from the bottom of the cooking pot, no more than half a Qian. Also take a small amount from the top of the stove, add to one cup of boiling water, stir vigorously dozens of times, cover with a bowl. Once sweating occurs, sip one or two mouthfuls through the lips; vomiting and diarrhea stop immediately.

**Sha (Borax)**

Taste: Salty, bitter, pungent. Nature: Warm. Toxicity: Toxic. Do not take in large doses. Mainly treats accumulations (abdominal masses), breaks up congealed blood, induces abortion, relieves pain and directs Qi downward, treats chronic cold cough, removes necrotic tissue, and promotes healthy tissue growth. Softens gold and silver, used as soldering flux. Originates from Western Regions (Xi Rong). Shape resembles nitre (saltpeter); those that are bright and clean are superior. Also used in veterinary medicine for donkeys and horses.

Current analysis based on Chen Cangqi's *Bencao*: Sha treats emaciation and accumulation diseases in women and men, irregular Qi and blood, borborygmus (intestinal rumbling), indigestion, lower back and leg pain, Pi and Tan Yin (accumulated phlegm-fluids), Qi knotting in the throat, regurgitation and vomiting of water. It promotes appetite and strengthens the body. One calcination is called Suan Sha (Acid Borax), two calcinations Fu Yi, three calcinations Ding Jing. The color is like a yellow chick. When made into pills with various tonifying herbs, it causes sudden heat. Calcination follows specific methods and can transform iron. Another version notes: Hu people call it Nong Sha; its nature is greatly hot, whereas now it is said to be warm, which may be an error. (Previously attached in Tang edition)

Minister Yuxi et al. respectfully note *Yaoxing Lun*: Sha has great toxicity. It fears Jiangshui (fermented grain liquid) and avoids sheep blood. Taste: Sour, salty. It can melt the five metals and eight stones, corroding human intestines and stomach. Eating it raw turns human heart into blood. In case of poisoning, grind raw mung beans, drink one or two Sheng to detoxify. Daoist practitioners have Fu Lian methods. It removes cold diseases and greatly benefits Yang function. Xiao Bing says: Sha acts as an envoy herb. Raw form should not be taken in excess. Bright and clean quality is best; currently, Beiting origin is considered superior.

Rihua Zi says: Beiting Sha tastes pungent and sour, is warm, and non-toxic. It fears all acidic substances. It supplements the Water Zang (Kidney), warms the uterus, eliminates cold Pi and blood stasis, indigestion, Qi masses and Pi, metrorrhagia and leukorrhea, malignant sores and polyps. It treats bloating after eating meat, nocturia, female Qi-blood heart pain, male soreness and heaviness in waist and hips, and weakness in four limbs. For preparation, use Huangdan (Red Lead) and Duanshi to make a cabinet; red usage is non-toxic. People use it themselves for suspected rotting flesh, such as knife wounds; applying Beiting Sha forms a scab immediately. Also known as Di Yan.

*Tujing* states: Sha originates from Western Regions; currently produced in Xiliang Xia Kingdom and bordering prefectures of Hedong and Shaanxi. Those from Western Regions come in bright, lumpy pieces; large ones are fist-sized, weighing three to five Liang; small ones are finger-nail sized, most potent for medicinal use. Border-produced ones are fragmented like hemp seeds, mixed with sand and gravel; must be purified by flying and settling to remove earth and stones, otherwise ineffective; locals call it Qi Sha. This drug appeared recently in Tang times, yet ancient texts record single-herb usage, fire-subdued into pills, sometimes combined with sulfur and saltpeter. The origin of these prescriptions is unknown; they are certainly not ancient methods. This substance attacks accumulations; it is hot and toxic. Overconsumption corrodes intestines and stomach; raw use transforms heart into blood. Thus, it is not suitable for daily consumption. However, Western people pickle meat with it and roast it as salt without harm, likely due to long-term adaptation, similar to Emperor Wu of Wei consuming wild Gē (a toxic plant) without toxicity. Also known as Beiting Sha and Di Yan. *Benjing* states: Softens gold and silver, used as soldering flux. Currently, people use Pengsha (Borax) for soldering; Pengsha originates from South Sea. Nature: Warm, neutral. Now essential for treating throat conditions. Its appearance is very glossy; large blocks exist but are rarely used in prescriptions.

Chen Cangqi notes: Causes sudden heat, damages hair. *Shenghui Fang* treats sudden swelling of perineal abscesses. Use half a Qian of Sha, wrap in silk, hold in mouth, swallow saliva; recovery is immediate. *Waitai Miyao*: Emergency treatment for fish bone stuck in throat. Chew a small amount of Sha in the mouth and swallow; the bone falls out immediately. *Jingyan Fang*: Sha Pill Prescription. Place Sha in a jar, place another jar on top, seal with paper fiber and white clay. Dry in shade. From Chen hour, use fallen leaves of Xeranthemum indicum, grind to powder, spread over the medicine covering top and bottom. Add water to the upper jar, keep adding water, surround the outer jar with fire starting from five cun away. As fire diminishes, add more and move forward around the jar. Continue until one Si (approx. 2 hours) passes, then stop moving fire. Keep away from strangers and women. After one Si, stop. Grind to powder, make pills with vinegar and flour paste, size of wu-tzu seeds. Take 10-15 pills daily with warm wine or rice water; no taboos. If roasted and consumed in quantities of three to two Jin, digestion remains normal without disease.

Chen Xun: Treats Yuan Zang deficiency-cold, Qi attacking umbilical and abdominal pain. One Liang of Sha, raw Chuan Wutou (Aconitum carmichaelii) peeled and de-navelled, pounded to powder, take two Liang. Raw Sha ground, mixed evenly with two Liang of Qianxia Cao powder. Use a small clay jar, unsealed, slowly heated until red-hot. Put the mixed Sha inside, do not cover, add weight to top. Wait until fire burns out and furnace cools, take out, grind, mix evenly with Wutou powder. Make pills with steamed dough soaked in decoction, size of wu-tzu seeds. Take three pills each time with hot Mugwort Xiāng decoction or vinegar decoction.

Qingxiazi *Baozang Lun*: If Sha is covered with grass to extinguish fire without breaking, it can transform other stone drugs and guide other herbs, treating chronic cold in women. Sha is the thief of the five metals. If stone drugs and frost are subdued by it, they are unusable. *Taiqing Fulián Língshā Fǎ* states: Beiting Sha inherits the Qi of Yin stones, contains the essence of Yang toxicity. Its function is to eliminate decay, remove filth, and benefit Yang; its efficacy is prominent. *Danfang Jingyuan* states: Sha has great toxicity. It can cure deep-seated cold diseases if taken, but long-term use causes carbuncles and swellings. White-yellow Sha from Beiting is described as the thief of five metals, capable of controlling and combining group drugs. It acts as an envoy in medicines, self-controlling Realgar and Orpiment.

*Yanyi* states: Sha dissolves counterfeit gold and silver when thrown into melting crucibles, causing fake materials to dissipate. Furthermore, since humans have long-standing accumulations in the abdomen, it can disintegrate them. Combined with other herbs to treat eye nebulae, it must be washed with water, placed in porcelain, boiled in a double boiler, and dried naturally to kill toxicity and remove dust.