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Lei Gong said: Whenever the herb is harvested, mix it thoroughly and steam it from Si hour to Wei hour (approximately 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM). After removing it from the steamer, soak it in Jiangshui (fermented grain water) overnight. Remove it the next morning, dry it by baking, and then use it.

Lei Gong said: For all harvested herbs, finely chop them, then pound them. Boil them in Sheng Gancao Shui (Decoction of Raw Glycyrrhizae Radix et Rhizoma) for one Fu Shi (a period of two hours), strain out the residue, and use the liquid.

Lei Gong said: When using this herb, do not use Caohua Teng (Flower Vine of Brassica chinensis var. parachinensis), because it resembles Zhen Baihua Teng (True White Flower Vine) but differs in taste. Caohua Teng has a sour and astringent taste and is unsuitable for medicinal use. The true Baihua Teng has a sweet and fragrant taste.
After harvesting, remove the roots, finely chop the stems, dry them in the shade, and then use them.

Lei Gong said: When using this herb, do not select thin slices; choose those that are purple and thick. Remove the coarse outer bark and use only the central part which tastes pungent. From one jin (approx. 500g) of large, thick, purple Cinnamon Twig, only five liang (approx. 250g) of Guixin (Cinnamon Heart) can be obtained. Select the parts with strong flavor for raw use; if used as powder, wrap it tightly in heavy, fine, boiled silk and paper to prevent exposure to wind. In certain regions, only Guicao (Cinnamon Grass/Herb) exists, and originally there was no Guixin. Guixin is made by boiling Dan Yang Mu Pi (Bark of Dan Yang Tree) with Guicao.
When using it, simply pound it alone and use it.

Lei Gong said: After harvesting, discard single-seeded and five-seeded fruits; only retain fruits with two or three seeds.
When using them, crush them with a copper hammer, soak them in Wu Niu Ru (Black Ox Milk) overnight, steam them, and then use them.

Lei Gong said: When using the root, after digging it up, soak it in Dong Liu Shui (East-flowing Water), scrub off the soil with a tool, let it dry, break it open, remove the heart (pith/core), soak it in Shu Gancao Tang (Decoction of Cooked Glycyrrhizae Radix et Rhizoma) overnight, then bake it dry and use it.
Roots that resemble living creatures or auspicious shapes are considered superior.
In spring, eat the leaves; in summer, eat the fruits; in autumn and winter, eat the roots and fruits.

Lei Gong said: When using this herb, first soak it in wine overnight. Strain it out the next morning, dry it in the sun, and then decoct it with Huangjing Ziran Zhi (Natural Juice of Polygonati Rhizoma) in sunlight, stirring constantly by hand. If the weather remains cloudy and rainy for a long time, add water to the pot, place the Baizi Ren (Biota Seed) in a bottle or vessel within the pot, and slowly boil over fire until it forms a paste.
For every three liang of Baizi Ren, use five liang of wine, soaking until the wine is absorbed/dried.

Lei Gong said: When using this herb, do not use Huabai Ye (Flowering Biota Leaf) or Congbai Ye (Clustered Biota Leaf). The round-leaf Biota with seeds grows in clusters like large sheets of mica, with leaves growing laterally and having slight red hairs on the surface. Huabai Ye trees have dense, flower-like foliage and produce no seeds; Congbai Ye trees are green and are not used in medicine.
Soak in Huangjing Ziran Zhi (Natural Juice of Polygonati Rhizoma), bake dry, then soak again and bake again, until the Huangjing juice is completely absorbed and dried, before using.
For processing one jin of this herb, use twelve liang of Huangjing Ziran Zhi (Natural Juice of Polygonati Rhizoma).