（附∶朴硝炼玄明粉法）
朴硝∶味咸，微苦，性寒。禀天地寒水之气以结晶，水能胜火，寒能胜热，为心火炽盛有实热者之要药。疗
心热生痰，精神迷乱、五心潮热，烦躁不眠。且咸能软坚，其性又善消，故能通大便燥结，化一切瘀滞。咸入
血分，故又善消瘀血，治妊妇胎殇未下。外用化水点眼，或煎汤熏洗，能明目消翳，愈目疾红肿。《神农本草
经》谓炼服可以养生，所谓炼者，如法制为玄明粉，则其性尤良也。然今时之玄明粉，鲜有如法炼制者，凡药
房中所鬻之玄明粉，多系风化朴硝，其性与朴硝无异。
【附案】一少年女子，得疯疾癫狂甚剧，屡次用药皆未能灌下。后为设方，单用朴硝当盐，加于菜蔬中
服之，病患不知，月余全愈。
法库门生万××治一少女疯狂，强灌以药，竟将药碗咬破，仍未灌下。万××素阅《衷中参西录》，知此
方，遂用朴硝和鲜莱菔作汤，令病患食之，数日全愈。
奉天刘××，年四十余，得结证，饮食行至下脘复转而吐出，无论服何药亦如兹，且其处时时切疼，上
下不通者已旬日矣。俾用朴硝六两，与鲜莱菔片同煮，至莱菔烂熟捞出，又添生片再煮，换至六七次，约用莱
菔七八斤，将朴硝咸味借莱菔提之将尽，余浓汁四茶杯，每次温饮一杯，两点钟一次，饮至三次其结已开，大
便通下。其女时息痢疾，俾饮其余，痢疾亦愈。
奉天于姓妇，年近五旬，因心热生痰，痰火瘀滞，烦躁不眠，五心潮热，其脉象洪实。遂用朴硝和炒熟麦
面炼蜜为丸，三钱重，每丸中约有朴硝一钱，早晚各服一丸，半月全愈。盖人多思虑则心热气结，其津液亦
恒随气结于心下，经心火灼炼而为热痰。朴硝咸且寒，原为心经对宫之药，其咸也属水，力能胜火，而又寒能
胜热，且其性善消，又能开结，故以治心热有痰者最宜。至于必同麦面为丸者，以麦为心谷，心脏有病以朴硝
泻之，即以麦面补之，补破相济为用，则药性归于和平，而后可久服也。
硝石即焰硝，俗名火硝。味辛微咸，性与朴硝相近，其寒凉之力逊于朴硝，而消化之力胜于朴硝，若与皂
矾同用，善治内伤黄胆，消胆中结石、膀胱中结石（即石淋）及钩虫病（钩虫及胆石病，皆能令人成黄胆医论
篇中有“论黄胆有内伤外感及内伤外感之兼证并详治法”，载有审定《金匮》硝石矾石散方，可参观）。
（附：朴硝炼制成玄明粉的方法）
朴硝：味道咸，略带苦味，性质寒凉。它禀受天地间寒水之气而结晶，水能克火，寒能胜热，是治疗心火炽盛、体内有实热证候的重要药物。可治疗因心热产生的痰浊、精神迷乱、五心烦热、烦躁失眠。且咸味能软坚散结，其药性又善于消导，因此能通导大便燥结，化解各种瘀滞。咸味入血分，所以又善于消除瘀血，治疗孕妇胎死腹中未能排出的情况。外用可将朴硝化水点眼，或煎汤熏洗，能明目退翳，治愈眼部红肿疾病。《神农本草经》记载服用炼制后的朴硝可以养生，所谓“炼”，就是按照规范方法制成玄明粉，这样它的药性就更为优良了。然而当今时代的玄明粉，很少有不按规范炼制的，凡是药房中出售的玄明粉，大多是由风化朴硝制成，其药性与朴硝没有区别。
【附医案】有一个年轻女子，患疯癫狂躁之症非常严重，多次用药都无法灌服下去。后来为她制定方子，单用朴硝当作盐，加入蔬菜中让她服用，病人不知情，一个多月后完全痊愈。
法库门学生万××治疗一名少女发狂，强行灌药，竟然将药碗咬破，仍未灌下。万××平时阅读《医学衷中参西录》，知道这个方子，于是用朴硝和新鲜萝卜一起煮汤，让病人食用，几天后完全痊愈。
奉天刘××，四十多岁，患有结胸证（指邪气结于胸脘的病症），饮食下行至胃的下口又反吐出来，无论服用什么药都如此，而且该部位时时剧烈疼痛，上下不通已经十天了。让他用朴硝六两，与新鲜萝卜片同煮，等到萝卜烂熟捞出，再加入生萝卜片继续煮，更换到六七次，大约用了萝卜七八斤，将朴硝的咸味借萝卜提取殆尽，剩下浓汁四茶杯，每次温饮一杯，每两小时一次，喝到第三次时结滞已开，大便通畅排出。他的女儿当时正患痢疾，让他把剩下的药汁给女儿喝，痢疾也痊愈了。
奉天于姓妇女，年近五十，因心热生痰，痰火瘀滞，烦躁失眠，五心烦热，脉象洪大有力。于是用朴硝和炒熟的麦面加炼蜜制成丸药，每丸重三钱，每丸中约含朴硝一钱，早晚各服一丸，半个月完全痊愈。大概人如果多思虑则会导致心热气结，津液也常常随着气结聚在心下，经过心火的灼烧煎熬而变成热痰。朴硝既咸又寒，原本是治疗心脏对应脏腑（肾）的药物，其咸味属水，力量能胜火，而且寒性能胜热，并且其药性善于消导，又能开通结滞，所以用来治疗心热有痰的情况最为适宜。至于必须同麦面做成丸剂的原因，是因为小麦是养心的谷物，心脏有病时用朴硝泻实，就用麦面来补虚，补益与攻泻相互济助发挥作用，这样药性归于平和，之后才可以久服。
硝石即焰硝，俗名火硝。味道辛微咸，性质与朴硝相近，其寒凉之力不如朴硝，但消化之力胜过朴硝，如果与皂矾同用，善于治疗内伤黄疸，消除胆中结石、膀胱中结石（即石淋）及钩虫病（钩虫及胆石病，都能导致人患上黄疸，医论篇中有“论黄疸有内伤外感及内伤外感之兼证并详治法”，载有审定《金匮要略》中的硝石矾石散方，可以参考）。
(Attachment: Method for refining Glauber's Salt into Xuanming Powder)
Glauber's Salt (Puxiao): Salty in taste, slightly bitter, cold in nature. It crystallizes by inheriting the qi of cold water from heaven and earth; water can overcome fire, and cold can overcome heat, making it a key herb for patients with blazing heart fire and excess heat syndromes. It treats phlegm generated by heart heat, mental confusion, tidal fever in the five centers (palms, soles, and chest), irritability, and insomnia. Furthermore, salty substances can soften hardness, and its nature is good at resolving accumulation, thus it can unblock dry fecal impaction and resolve all kinds of stasis. Since salty flavors enter the blood level, it is also effective in resolving blood stasis and treating cases where a fetus has died in utero and not been expelled. Externally, dissolving it in water for eye drops or decocting it for fumigation and washing can brighten the eyes, reduce nebulae, and cure redness and swelling of ocular diseases. *Shennong Bencao Jing* states that taking refined Glauber's Salt can nourish life. The term "refined" refers to processing it according to standard methods to produce Xuanming Powder, which possesses superior properties. However, nowadays, very few Xuanming Powders are refined according to these standards. Most Xuanming Powders sold in pharmacies are derived from weathered Glauber's Salt, having properties indistinguishable from raw Glauber's Salt.
[Attached Medical Case] A young woman suffered from severe manic psychosis, and multiple attempts to administer medication orally failed. Subsequently, a prescription was devised using only Glauber's Salt as a substitute for sodium chloride, added to vegetables for her consumption. Unaware of the content, she consumed it for over a month and made a complete recovery.
Student Wan XX from Fakumen treated a young girl suffering from mania. Attempts to force-feed medication resulted in the girl biting through the medicine bowl, yet still failing to ingest it. Having previously read *Yixue Zhongzhong Canxi Lu*, Wan XX knew this method and thus used Glauber's Salt boiled with fresh radishes to make a soup, instructing the patient to eat it. She recovered completely within a few days.
Liu XX from Fengtian, aged over forty, suffered from Jie Zheng (a syndrome characterized by obstruction and pain in the chest and epigastrium). Food and drink would travel down to the lower stomach and then be vomited back up, regardless of the medication taken. The area was constantly tender, and there had been no passage of upper or lower functions for ten days. He was instructed to use six taels of Glauber's Salt, boiled together with slices of fresh radish. Once the radishes were thoroughly cooked and soft, they were removed, and fresh slices were added for further boiling. This process was repeated six or seven times, consuming approximately seven to eight jin of radishes. The salty flavor of the Glauber's Salt was extracted by the radishes until exhausted, leaving four cups of concentrated liquid. Each time, one cup was drunk warm, once every two hours. After three doses, the obstruction opened, and bowel movements resumed. His daughter, who was currently suffering from dysentery, drank the remaining liquid, and her dysentery also resolved.
A woman surnamed Yu from Fengtian, nearing fifty years of age, suffered from phlegm generated by heart heat, phlegm-fire stasis, irritability, insomnia, and tidal fever in the five centers. Her pulse was surging and solid. Consequently, Glauber's Salt was combined with roasted wheat flour and refined honey to form pills. Each pill weighed three qian, containing approximately one qian of Glauber's Salt per pill. One pill was taken morning and evening. She recovered completely in half a month. Generally, excessive thinking leads to heart heat and qi stagnation; body fluids often follow the stagnant qi and accumulate below the heart, where they are scorched by heart fire to become hot phlegm. Glauber's Salt is both salty and cold; originally, it is an herb corresponding to the organ opposite the heart (the Kidney). Its salty nature belongs to Water, possessing the power to overcome Fire, and its cold nature overcomes Heat. Moreover, its nature is good at resolution and opening obstructions, making it most suitable for treating heart heat with phlegm. The reason for forming pills with wheat flour is that wheat is the grain associated with the Heart. When the Heart is diseased and requires purgation by Glauber's Salt, wheat flour provides tonification. The combination of tonification and purgation balances the medicinal properties, making them mild enough for prolonged use.
Xiao Shi (Niter), also known as Yan Xiao, commonly called Huo Xiao. Salty-sweet in taste, its nature is similar to Glauber's Salt. Its cooling power is inferior to that of Glauber's Salt, but its resolving power surpasses it. When used together with Vitriol (Zao Fan), it is effective in treating internal injury jaundice, dissolving gallstones, bladder stones (i.e., Stone Lin/Gouty Arthritis equivalent in TCM context regarding stones), and hookworm disease (Hookworms and gallstones can both lead to jaundice; see the chapter "Discussion on Jaundice involving Internal Injury, External Contraction, and Combined Syndromes with Detailed Treatment Methods," which contains the reviewed formula Niter and Vitriol Powder from *Jin Gui Yao Lue* for reference).