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Realgar (Orpiment)

Taste: Acrid, Sweet. Nature: Neutral, Greatly Cold. Toxicity: Toxic. Indications: Primarily treats malignant sores (malignant ulcers), alopecia capitis (scalp hair loss), crusted scabies (scabies with crusts), kills toxic insects and lice, treats pruritus corporis (body itching), expels pathogenic factors (evil qi), resolves various toxins, erodes nasal polyps (polyps in the nose), treats sores of the lower orifices/genitals, disperses white patches on the face (vitiligo-like depigmentation), dissipates dead muscle tissue on the skin, and treats mental confusion and pathogenic factors. It also kills venom from bees and snakes. After calcination/refining, long-term ingestion makes the body light, increases longevity, prevents aging, and fills the brain. It is produced in the valleys of Wudu, growing on the same mountains as Realgar (Arsenic Disulfide). Where there are gold deposits on the shady side of the mountain, the "essence of gold" fumes upon it to generate Orpiment. Collection has no fixed time.

Tao Hongjing stated: The current Orpiment produced in Qiuchi, Wudu, is called "Wudu Qiuchi Huang," with a slightly reddish color. The one produced in Lin'yi, Funan, is called "Kunlun Huang," with a color like gold and resembling mica scales; this is highly valued by painters. Based on these statements, since there are names for male and female, corresponding to the yin and yang of the mountain, for medicinal compounding, Wudu origin should be preferred. Since Wudu Orpiment is rarely used and cheaper than Kunlun Orpiment... The *Immortal Classics* (*Xian Jing*) have no single-method usage, only combining it with Cinnabar (Zhusha) and Realgar (Xionghuang) for co-calcination into elixirs. The essence of gold is Orpiment, the essence of copper is Azurite (Kongqing), yet taking Azurite yields better results than taking Orpiment; the rationale is difficult to comprehend. Minister Yuxi et al. carefully note according to *Yao Xing Lun*: Orpiment serves as the Sovereign herb, but is not taken in decoctions.

*Tujing Bencao* states: Orpiment is produced in the valleys of Wudu, sharing mountains with Realgar. Where there are gold deposits on the shady side, the essence of gold fumes upon it to generate Orpiment. Currently, it is produced in Jiezhou. Those with a color like gold and resembling separable mica scales are considered superior. Those mixed with stone or black like iron are unusable. Some say: A piece weighing four liang that can be separated into a thousand layers is particularly excellent. Collection has no fixed time.

Lei Gong stated: When using, do not mistakenly use Stone-mixed Huang, Black Huang, or Po Shu. One piece of Orpiment weighs four liang. According to *Ganning Ji*: Capable of being split by finger into a thousand layers, soft like rotten gold, is the highest grade. For processing/preparation, avoid contact with women, chickens, dogs, persons who recently committed adultery, sick persons, eunuchs, persons with physical deformities, and foul odors from places where criminal punishments were executed; all these are taboo. If contaminated, Orpiment turns black like iron and becomes unusable, and it shortens lifespan. For processing four liang of Orpiment, use five liang each of Tianbi Zhi, Heyang Cao, and Susui Zi Cao. For three dry herbs, double the amount if wet. Boil in a porcelain crucible for three "Fu" days (the hottest period of summer). The color becomes like golden juice, settling at the bottom. Rinse vigorously with flowing water from the east. Perform this washing three times, remove water, take out and dry, then pound in a mortar, sieve, and grind to dust fineness for use. *Shenghui Fang*: Treats U Lai Chuang (black leprosy/ulcer), kills parasites. Grind Orpiment to powder, mix evenly with vinegar and egg yolk, apply to the sore, reapply when dry. Another prescription: Treats chronic cold syndrome in women, blood and qi attacking the heart, unceasing pain. Use two liang of Yezi Huang, finely ground, with one sheng of vinegar, boiled until thick paste-like, formed into pills the size of small beans. Take five pills at any time, washed down with vinegar soup. Another prescription: Treats chronic heart pain, irregular onset, frequent vomiting of clear fluid, inability to eat. Use two liang of Orpiment and two sheng of good vinegar, slowly boiled into a paste, formed into pills the size of wutong seeds using dried steamed bread. Take seven pills, washed down with ginger soup. *Baiyi Fang*: Treats abdominal fullness and inability to urinate. Finely powder Orpiment, honey-pill to the size of a jujube pit. Insert one pill into the urethra about half an cun, tighten the genital area with a bamboo tube, and blow air to open the passage. *Jingyan Fang* reduces urine volume. Use one and a half liang of block Orpiment, ground to powder, half a liang of chopped Dried Ginger (Shengjiang), and four qian of salt, stir-fried together until Dried Ginger turns yellow. Grind together into powder, form pills the size of mung beans using water and dried steamed bread. Take ten to twenty pills on an empty stomach, washed down with salt water. *Doumen Fang*: Treats lung consumption cough. Place one liang of Orpiment in a clay box without sealing. Place the box on the ground, surround firmly with ash, thickness about two cun. Surround with one jin of charcoal, ignite the top, burn off one-third of the charcoal, extinguish fire, wait for cooling, remove, and grind to flour fineness. Form pills the size of millet grains using Toad Venom (Chansu). Take three pills on an empty stomach daily with almond soup, until cured. *Shengjin Fang* treats chronic cough, sudden cough, and consumption cough. Jinli Wan: Grind one liang of leaf Orpiment finely. Seal with paper-clay mud in a small dry box, ensuring mud is not too thick. Place medicine inside, seal box mouth with red kaolin (Chishizhi) mixed with water, then seal with mud again. Once dry, place box on ground, cover top with un-fired tile fragments the size of pellets to form a peak. Surround with ten jin of charcoal, ignite top with a ladle-full of burning embers, let fire intensify from top down. When fire consumes one-third, extinguish, wait for cooling, open box and retrieve medicine. It should be mirror-smooth, bright red. Grind finely in a mortar, form pills the size of millet grains using steamed bread center soaked in water. Take three to five pills, washed down with licorice water. Sleep for a long time after ingestion, which is excellent. *Baozang Lun*: Orpiment suppresses fire, its fetal color does not change. Melted into liquid, it can turn silver into gold and copper into silver. *Danfang Jingyuan*: Yellow, shaded side is female Orpiment. Pure and soft ones can also be recorded/dried. Ship-borne blood Orpiment is superior; Hunan origin is secondary. Green is the original nature. Leaf-surface Orpiment can be transformed into sulfur and fu fen shuang (sublimated arsenic compounds). Remember not to misuse. Qingxiazi said: Orpiment expels evil and removes malignancy.

*Yanyi* states: Orpiment is rarely used in medicine; those taking mineral drugs should examine it carefully. It is mostly used externally; alchemists use it frequently in transmutation techniques, though the final outcome is unknown. Painters sometimes use it.