《食疗》云∶如肾气虚弱,取生栗子不以多少,令风干之。每日空心细嚼之三
五个,徐徐咽之。
神仙服黄精成地仙∶昔临川有士人虐其婢,婢乃逃入山中。久之,见野草枝叶
可爱,即拔取食之,甚美。自是常食之,久而不饥,遂轻健。夜息大木下,闻草动以为虎,
惧而上木避之,及晓下平地,其身豁然,凌空而去,或自一峰之顶,若飞鸟焉,数岁,其家
采薪见之,告其主,使捕之,不得。一日,遇绝壁下,以网三面围之,俄而腾上山顶。其主
异之,或曰∶此婢安有仙风道骨?不过灵药服食。遂以酒馔五味香美,置往来之路,观其食
否,果来食之,遂不能远去,擒之。问以述其故,所指食之草,即黄精也。谨按∶黄精宽中
益气,补五藏,调良肌肉,充实骨髓,坚强筋骨,延年不老,颜色鲜明,发白再黑,齿落更
生。
汉武帝东巡泰山下,见老翁锄于道,背上有白光高数尺。帝怪而问之,有道术
否?老翁对曰∶臣昔年八十五时,衰老垂死,头白齿落,有道士者,教臣服枣,饮水,绝谷
,并作神枕法,中有三十二物。内二十四物善,以当二十四气;其八物毒,以应八风。臣行
转少,黑发更生,堕齿复出,日行三百里。臣今年一百八十矣,不能弃世入山,顾恋子孙,
复还食谷,又已二十余年,犹得神枕之力,往不复老。武帝视老翁,颜壮当如五十许人,验
问其邻人,皆云信然。帝乃从授其方作枕,而不能随其绝谷,饮水也。
神枕方∶用五月五日,七月七日,取出林柏以为枕。长一尺二寸,高四寸,空中容一斗
二升,以柏心赤者为盖,浓二分,盖致之令密,又使开闭也。又钻盖上为三行,每行四十九
孔,凡一百四十七孔,令容粟大。用下项药∶
芎 当归 白芷 辛荑 杜衡 白术 本 木兰 蜀椒 桂 干姜 防风 人参
桔梗 白薇 荆实 肉苁蓉 飞廉 柏实 薏苡仁 款冬花 白衡 秦椒 麋芜
凡二十四物,以应二十四气。
乌头 附子 藜芦 皂角 草 矾石 半夏 细辛
八物毒者,以应八风。
右三十二物各一两,皆 咀。以毒药上安之,满枕中,用囊以衣枕。百日而有光泽,一
年体中无疾,一一皆愈而身尽香。四年白发变黑,齿落重生,耳目聪明。神方验秘,不传非
人也。武帝以问东方朔,答云∶昔女廉以此传玉青,玉青以传广成子,广成子以传黄帝。近
者谷城道士淳于公枕此药,枕百余岁而头发不白。夫病之来皆从阳脉起,今枕药枕,风邪不
得侵入矣。又虽以布囊衣枕,犹当复以帏囊重包之,须欲卧时乃脱去之耳。诏赐老翁疋帛,
老翁不受,曰∶臣之于君,犹子之于父也,子知道以上之于父,义不受赏。又臣非卖道者,
以陛下好善,故进此耳。帝止而更赐诸药。
According to *Shiliao* (Dietary Therapy): If there is deficiency and weakness of Kidney Qi (Kidney energy), take an appropriate amount of raw chestnuts, dry them in the wind. Chew three or five pieces finely every day on an empty stomach, and swallow slowly.
Immortals who consume Polygonatum sibiricum (Huangjing, 黄精) can become Earthly Immortals: In the past, a scholar in Linchuan abused his maid, so she fled into the mountains. After a long time, she saw wild grass with lovely leaves and branches, plucked them, and ate them; they tasted very delicious. From then on, she often consumed them. Over time, she no longer felt hungry, and her body became light and agile. One night, resting under a large tree, she heard movement in the grass and thought it was a tiger. Fearing for her life, she climbed the tree to hide. When dawn broke and she descended to the flat ground, she felt suddenly refreshed and seemed to fly through the air, sometimes leaping from the peak of one mountain like a flying bird. Years later, her family saw her while gathering firewood in the mountains and told her master, who sent people to capture her but failed. One day, at the foot of a sheer cliff, they surrounded her with nets on three sides. Suddenly, she soared up to the mountaintop. The master was amazed and someone said, "How could this maid have the demeanor of an immortal? It must be due to consuming spiritual herbs." So, they placed wine, food, and fragrant flavors along her path to see if she would eat them. She indeed came to eat them, which prevented her from escaping far away, and she was captured. When asked about the cause, the herb she pointed to as having been eaten was Polygonatum sibiricum (Huangjing, 黄精). Respectfully noted: Polygonatum sibiricum (Huangjing, 黄精) soothes the middle and benefits Qi (vital energy), tonifies the Five Zang organs (Heart, Liver, Spleen, Lung, Kidney), harmonizes muscles, enriches marrow, strengthens bones and sinews, prolongs life, brightens complexion, turns white hair black again, and causes fallen teeth to regrow.
When Emperor Wu of Han toured eastward to the foot of Mount Tai, he saw an old man hoeing by the road, with a white light shining several feet high above his back. The Emperor found this strange and asked him if he possessed Daoist arts. The old man replied, "When I was eighty-five years old, I was frail and near death, with white hair and lost teeth. A Daoist priest taught me to consume dates, drink water, practice Juegu (abstaining from grains), and make a Divine Pillow method, which contained thirty-two ingredients. Twenty-four of these were beneficial, corresponding to the Twenty-Four Solar Terms; the other eight were toxic, corresponding to the Eight Winds. After practicing this, I appeared younger, my black hair grew back, and my lost teeth reappeared. I could walk three hundred li per day. I am now one hundred and eighty years old. I cannot abandon the world to enter the mountains because I cherish my descendants, so I resumed eating grains. It has been over twenty years since then, yet thanks to the power of the Divine Pillow, I have not aged further." Emperor Wu looked at the old man and saw his face looked vigorous, like that of a man in his fifties. He verified this with the neighbors, who confirmed it was true. The Emperor then requested the formula to make the pillow but could not follow the practices of Juegu (abstaining from grains) and drinking only water.
Divine Pillow Formula: Use cypress wood collected on the fifth day of the fifth lunar month and the seventh day of the seventh lunar month to make the pillow core. It should be one chi two cun long, four cun high, with a hollow center holding one dou two sheng. Use cypress heart wood that is red as the lid, with a thickness of two fen. Cover it tightly to ensure it is sealed, yet allow for opening and closing. Drill three rows of holes on the lid, forty-nine holes per row, totaling one hundred and forty-seven holes, sized to hold millet grains. Use the following herbs:
Ligusticum chuanxiong (Chuanxiong, 川芎), Angelica sinensis (Danggui, 当归), Angelica dahurica (Baizhi, 白芷), Magnolia biondii (Xinyi, 辛夷), Duheng (Du Heng, 杜衡), Atractylodes macrocephala (Baizhu, 白术), Ligusticum wallichii (Gaben, 藁本), Magnolia officinalis (Mulan, 木兰), Zanthoxylum schinifolium (Shujiao, 蜀椒), Cinnamomum cassia (Guizhi, 桂), Zingiber officinale (Ganjiang, 干姜), Saposhnikovia divaricata (Fangfeng, 防风), Panax ginseng (Renshen, 人参), Platycodon grandiflorus (Jiegeng, 桔梗), Cynanchum atratum (Baiwei, 白薇), Tribulus terrestris (Jingshi, 荆实), Cistanche deserticola (Roucongrong, 肉苁蓉), Carduus crispus (Feilian, 飞廉), Platycodon grandiflorus seeds/Baijiu (Baishi, 柏实 - likely Cypress seeds), Coix lacryma-jobi (Yiyiren, 薏苡仁), Farfarae Flos (Kuandonghua, 款冬花), Baiheng (Bai Heng, 白衡 - possibly a variant or error for another herb), Zanthoxylum bungeanum (Qinjiao, 秦椒), Elsholtzia splendens (Miwan, 麋芜).
These twenty-four ingredients correspond to the Twenty-Four Solar Terms.
Aconitum carmichaelii (Wutou, 乌头), Aconitum carmichaelii processed (Fuzi, 附子), Veratrum nigrum (Lilu, 藜芦), Gleditsia sinensis (Zaorao, 皂角), Cao (Grass - text incomplete/ambiguous), Alum (Fanshi, 矾石), Pinellia ternata (Banxia, 半夏), Asarum heterotropoides (Xixin, 细辛).
These eight toxic ingredients correspond to the Eight Winds.
Take one qian of each of the above thirty-two ingredients, all cut into small pieces. Place the toxic ingredients on top, fill the pillow completely, and wrap the pillow in a cloth bag. After one hundred days, the pillow will shine. Within one year, bodily ailments will cease, all illnesses will heal, and the body will emit fragrance. After four years, white hair will turn black, lost teeth will regrow, and hearing and vision will become sharp. This is a miraculous and secret formula, not to be passed to unworthy persons. When Emperor Wu asked Dongfang Shuo about this, he answered, "In the past, Nü Lian transmitted this to Yu Qing, Yu Qing to Guangchengzi, and Guangchengzi to the Yellow Emperor. Recently, a Daoist priest named Chunyu Gong from Gu Cheng used this medicinal pillow and lived over a hundred years without white hair. Diseases arise from the Yang meridians. Now, by using a medicinal pillow, wind-pathogens cannot invade." He added, "Although wrapped in a cloth bag, it should be further wrapped in a silk pouch, removing it only when ready to sleep." The Emperor bestowed a bolt of silk upon the old man, but the old man refused, saying, "My relationship to Your Majesty is like that of a son to a father. A son who understands the Way offers it to his father and does not accept reward according to righteousness. Moreover, I do not sell the Way; I offer this because Your Majesty loves goodness." The Emperor ceased the bestowal of silk and instead granted him various medicines.