治冷劳气血枯竭，肉脊齿落，肢倦言微。
吴鹤皋曰∶凡人之身有真火焉，寄于右肾。行于三焦，出入于甲胆，听命于天君，
所以温百骸，养脏腑，充九窍者，皆此火也，为万物之父，故曰∶天非此火，不能生
物，人非此火，不能有生，此火一息，犹万物无父，故其肉衰而瘠，血衰而枯，骨衰而
齿落，筋衰而肢倦，气衰而言微矣。
硫磺（一斤） 猪大肠（二尺） 将硫黄末，实猪肠中，煮三时取出去肠，蒸饼丸，桐子
大，每服十丸，日渐加之。服硫磺者，忌食诸禽兽血，此足少阴命门药也。硫黄，火之
精也，亦号将军，故用之以补火，以其大热有毒，故用猪肠烂煮以解之。庸俗之人忌而
罕用，盖不知其有破邪归正，返滞还清，消阴回阳，化魄生魂之力也。
戴元礼曰∶诸凉药皆滞，惟黄连寒而不滞。诸热药皆燥，惟硫磺热而不燥。有真阳
虚衰，桂、附所不能补者，非硫磺不能补之，《本草》称为救危妙药，道家以之服食，
尊之为金液丹，固人所可常服者。且硝与磺，一阴一阳，皆同类之物，今人惟知用芒
硝，而不敢用硫磺，可见今人之不逮古人矣。
治劳热骨蒸，四肢微瘦，有汗脉长者。
劳热之症，不尽属阴虚，亦有阳邪入里，变为骨蒸，令人先寒后热，渐成嬴瘦
者。有汗，胃实也。脉长，阳明症也。
石膏，研细，每夕新汲水调服方寸七，取热退为度。此足阳明药也。石膏大寒质
重，能入里降火，味辛气轻，能透表解肌，虽寒而甘，能缓脾益气，火劳有实热者，非
此不为功，故《外台秘要》、《名医录》载之。《玄珠》曰∶五行六气，水特其一耳。
一水既亏，岂能胜五火哉！医不知邪气未除，便用补剂，邪气得补，遂人经络，至死
不悟。夫凉剂能清火养水，热剂以补火燥水，理易明也。劳为热症，明矣，尚可补
乎？惟无热无积之人，脉微无力，方可补之，必察其胃中及右肾二火果亏，后用补剂可也。
夫痨瘵为害，由于气血之亏损，血不足则火热为殃，气不足则阴寒为害。惟为调补
气血，则寒热自平。然草木无情，故大寒大热之药，先哲尚谆谆垂戒，况石药燥悍，岂
可常试耶！存此大寒大热石药二方，以广识见耳。
治疗冷劳导致的气血枯竭，肌肉消瘦、脊柱凹陷、牙齿脱落，四肢倦怠、声音低微。
吴鹤皋说：凡是人的身体里都有真火，寄居在右肾。它运行于三焦，出入于胆经（甲胆），听命于心（天君），所以能温暖全身骨骼肢体，滋养脏腑，充盈九窍的，都是这股火。它是万物的父亲，所以说：天没有这把火，不能化生万物；人没有这把火，不能维持生命。如果这把火有一刻熄灭，就像万物失去了父亲，所以会出现肌肉衰弱而消瘦，血液衰弱而干枯，骨骼衰弱而牙齿脱落，筋脉衰弱而四肢倦怠，气息衰弱而声音低微的情况。
硫磺（一斤） 猪大肠（二尺） 将硫磺研成粉末，填入猪大肠中，煮三个时辰后取出，去掉肠衣，用蒸饼和药粉制成丸剂，如梧桐子大小。每次服用十丸，逐渐增加剂量。服用硫磺的人，忌食各种禽兽的血，这是足少阴肾经命门穴的药物。硫磺是火的精华，也被称为将军，所以用它来补火。因为它大热且有毒，所以用猪大肠长时间煮制以解除其毒性。庸俗之人忌讳它而很少使用，大概不知道它具有破除邪气、回归正气，消除阴寒、恢复阳气，化解阴浊、生成阳气的力量。
戴元礼说：所有的凉性药物都容易凝滞，只有黄连寒凉而不凝滞。所有的热性药物都容易燥烈，只有硫磺热性而不燥烈。如果有真阳极度虚衰，肉桂、附子所不能补益的，非硫磺不能补益，《本草》称它为挽救危重症的妙药，道家把它作为服食之物，尊称为金液丹，确实是人们可以常服的药物。而且硝石与硫磺，一阴一阳，都是同类物质，现在的人只知道用芒硝，却不敢用硫磺，可见今人不如古人了。
治疗劳热导致的骨蒸潮热，四肢轻微消瘦，有汗出且脉搏长的症状。
劳热的病症，并不完全属于阴虚，也有阳邪入里，转变为骨蒸，让人先感到寒冷然后发热，逐渐形成消瘦的情况。有汗出，说明胃中有实热。脉搏长，说明是阳明经的病证。
石膏，研磨细末，每晚用新打的井水调服一方寸匕（约2-3克），以热退为度。这是足阳明胃经的药物。石膏大寒且质地沉重，能入里降火；味道辛、气味轻清，能透达体表解肌散热；虽然性寒但味带甘，能缓和脾气、益气。对于火热劳损伴有实热的患者，非此药不能见效，所以《外台秘要》、《名医录》中都有记载。《玄珠》说：五行六气之中，水只是其中之一罢了。一旦肾水亏损，怎么能抵御五种火的灼烧呢！医生如果不了解邪气尚未清除，就使用补剂，邪气得到补剂的资助，就会深入经络，直到死亡都不醒悟。清凉剂能清火养阴，温热剂能补火燥阴，道理是很明显的。劳病属于热症，这是明确的，还可以用补法吗？只有那些无热无积滞的人，脉搏微弱无力，才可以进行补益，必须仔细检查其胃中和右肾的命门之火确实亏损后，才能使用补剂。
痨瘵这种病的危害，是由于气血亏损造成的，血不足则火热为害，气不足则阴寒为害。只有通过调理补益气血，寒热症状自然平复。然而草木无情，所以大寒大热的药物，先贤还谆谆告诫慎用，何况矿物药性质燥烈悍猛，怎么可以经常尝试呢！保存这两首大寒大热的矿物药方子，只是为了拓宽见识而已。
Treats cold lao (consumption due to cold) leading to exhaustion of Qi and Blood, emaciation of flesh, retraction of the spine, loss of teeth, fatigue of limbs, and faintness of voice.
Wu Hegao stated: In every human body, there exists True Fire (Zhen Huo), residing in the right Kidney. It circulates through the San Jiao (Triple Burner), enters and exits the Gallbladder channel (Jia Dan), and obeys the command of the Heart (Tian Jun). Thus, it is this fire that warms the entire skeleton and limbs, nourishes the Zang-Fu organs, and fills the nine orifices. It is the father of all things; therefore, it is said: Without this fire, Heaven cannot generate living beings; without this fire, humans cannot maintain life. If this fire ceases for even a moment, it is like all things losing their father. Consequently, flesh becomes weak and emaciated, blood becomes weak and dry, bones become weak and teeth fall out, sinews become weak and limbs become fatigued, and Qi becomes weak and voice becomes faint.
Sulfur (one jin), Pig Large Intestine (two chi). Grind sulfur into powder, pack it into the pig intestine, boil for three shi (6 hours), remove, discard the intestine, mix with steamed bread dough to make pills the size of tung tree seeds. Take ten pills per dose, gradually increasing the amount. Those taking sulfur must avoid eating the blood of various poultry and beasts. This is a medicine for the Mingmen (Gate of Life) of the Foot-Shaoyin Kidney channel. Sulfur is the essence of fire, also known as the General, so it is used to tonify fire. Because it is extremely hot and toxic, it is boiled extensively in pig intestine to resolve its toxicity. Vulgar people fear it and rarely use it, likely unaware of its power to break pathogenic factors and return to righteousness, eliminate Yin and restore Yang, transform turbidity and generate spirit.
Dai Yuanli stated: All cooling medicines tend to cause stagnation, except for Coptis Rhizome (Huanglian), which is cold but not stagnant. All heating medicines tend to be drying, except for Sulfur (Liuhuang), which is hot but not drying. In cases of extreme deficiency of True Yang where Cinnamon Twig (Guizhi) and Aconite Root (Fuzi) cannot provide tonification, only Sulfur can. The Materia Medica calls it a miraculous medicine for saving critical conditions, and Daoists use it for ingestion, honoring it as Golden Liquid Pill (Jinye Dan). Indeed, it is something people can take regularly. Moreover, Niter (Xiaosha) and Sulfur are one Yin and one Yang, both being similar substances. Today, people only know how to use Mirabilite (Mangxiao) but dare not use Sulfur, showing that modern people are inferior to the ancients.
Treats lao heat causing bone-steaming tidal fever, slight emaciation of the four limbs, sweating, and a long pulse.
The syndrome of lao heat does not exclusively belong to Yin deficiency; it can also result from Yang pathogens entering the interior, transforming into bone-steaming, causing initial chills followed by fever, and gradually leading to emaciation. Sweating indicates excess heat in the Stomach. A long pulse indicates a Yangming syndrome.
Gypsum (Shigao), finely ground. Each evening, mix with fresh well water and take one fangcun qi (approx. 2-3 grams) orally. Continue until the fever subsides. This is a medicine for the Foot-Yangming Stomach channel. Gypsum is extremely cold and heavy in texture, capable of entering the interior to descend fire; its acrid taste and light aroma allow it to penetrate the exterior and relieve muscle tension. Although cold, its sweet flavor can moderate the Spleen and benefit Qi. For patients with fire-related lao and excess heat, no other medicine achieves such efficacy. Therefore, it is recorded in *Waitai Miyao* and *Mingyi Lu*. *Xuanzhu* states: Among the Five Elements and Six Qi, Water is merely one aspect. Once Kidney Water is deficient, how can it overcome the five Fires? Physicians who do not realize that pathogenic factors have not been eliminated and instead use tonic agents allow the pathogens to gain strength from the tonics, penetrating the meridians until death without realization. Cooling agents clear fire and nourish Water; heating agents tonify fire and dry Water. The principle is easy to understand. Lao disease is clearly a heat syndrome; can tonification still be applied? Only in individuals without heat or accumulation, with a faint and forceless pulse, can tonification be considered. One must carefully verify that the fire in the Stomach and the Mingmen fire in the right Kidney are truly deficient before using tonic agents.
The harm caused by lao zhai (chronic consumption disease) stems from the depletion of Qi and Blood. Insufficiency of Blood leads to disaster from fire/heat; insufficiency of Qi leads to harm from Yin/cold. Only by regulating and tonifying Qi and Blood will the cold and heat symptoms naturally level out. However, herbs are unfeeling; thus, sages strictly warned against the use of extremely cold and extremely hot medicines. How much more so for mineral drugs, which are drying and fierce, should they be tried frequently! These two formulas of extremely cold and extremely hot mineral drugs are preserved here merely to broaden knowledge.