典藏书目

Bencao (Materia Medica) states: Excessive consumption of leeks (Allium tuberosum, Jiucai) leads to mental confusion and dim vision. Excessive consumption of green onions (Allium fistulosum, Cong) causes mental confusion, hair loss, and upward rushing of deficient qi (Xu Qi). Excessive consumption of daikon radish (Raphanus sativus, Laifu) disturbs the movement of qi. Excessive consumption of mustard greens (Brassica juncea, Jiecai) causes blurred vision, induces wind pathogen (Feng), and agitates qi. It is also stated that people with deficiency constitutions who consume bamboo shoots (Zhusun) often fall ill. People in Zhejiang who consume bottle gourds (Pugua) often suffer from vomiting and diarrhea. For large-leafed purslane (Portulaca oleracea, Machixian), pregnant women consuming it may miscarry. Such cases are countless; even common vegetables can cause harm. The rest can be inferred from this; hence, those who practice health preservation must be cautious about food intake.

Zhao Pingshan (courtesy name Zongfan, a Jinshi degree holder) from Shimen returned home from Ningbo, passing through Shaoxing to visit friends at the commandery city. One of his servants had family outside the city and requested leave to visit them. On the way, he bought eel (Shanyu) and brought it home, asking his wife to cook it. A neighbor happened to come visiting, so they were invited to eat together. After finishing the meal, all of them felt thirsty, suffered from abdominal pain, and cried out in agony. After a while, they died, their bodies turning into blood water, leaving only hair and bones. Experts attributed this to the mistaken ingestion of "Xiegeng" (a toxic organism/fungus). The next day, Zhao waited for the servant's return; when he did not appear, he sent someone to inquire, thus learning the truth. From then on, he never ate eel again. I have investigated that eels are round from head to tail, whereas "Xiegeng" is flat from head to tail and has two barbels at the mouth, which can serve as distinguishing features. However, some eels raise their heads out of the water by two or three cun due to mutation by other entities; their venom can also kill humans. Those practicing health preservation should use them cautiously.

Fungi growing in mountain valleys vary in species. Consumption often leads to poisoning and death, likely due to the accumulation of toxic vapors from snakes and vipers (Shehui). On the third day of the sixth month in the fifth year of Xianfeng (1855), Wu Yuren's mother in Shijiaqiao, Wucheng County, gathered many wild mushrooms in the mountains. The wife of Wu Juchang, a clansman, begged for some and shared them. They were stir-fried and served as an accompaniment to dinner. A daughter-in-law and a daughter ate them. After the second watch (9 PM - 11 PM), they experienced vomiting and abdominal pain. By dawn, their limbs trembled and contracted, muscles twitched, and teeth clenched. All four died simultaneously. Wu Yuren's mother also consumed the mushrooms and died. Chickens that ate the vomitus died instantly. Upon dissection, only the liver was hard, while the rest had rotted into toxic fluid. It is common for mountain dwellers to eat fungi; during wheat harvest and around Cold Dew (Hanlu), fungi are abundant and delicious. In Suzhou, some boil them into oil to prepare for vegetarian summer diets, seeking their freshness. Now, five members of the Wu family died from eating mushrooms, a tragedy both strange and cruel. Yang Yiting (courtesy name Bingqian, titled Fengweng) from Wucheng specially wrote a record and published it as a warning. He stated that if one must eat them, they must be boiled with silver vessels (left for a long time until cool for testing); if the silver turns dark blue or black, it must absolutely not be eaten. If poisoned by mushrooms, drinking fecal juice can detoxify; alternatively, earth slurry water (Dijiangshui) can detoxify. The method is to dig two or three chi deep in the shady ground near a wall, pour water in, stir well, take the clear supernatant, freeze it, and drink it. (Note: Donglin Shan Zhi records: During the heavy rains of May, mushrooms grow in valleys. Only pale red and yellow ones are non-toxic and edible. Mushrooms growing at Cold Dew are white, called Hanlu Xun, and are also non-toxic and edible. Large red and black ones are toxic and lethal. If poisoned, eating fecal juice can resolve it. Weisheng Lu records: Mushrooms with hairs on top, smooth and veinless underneath, those that curl up and are red, or those that are black or undercooked, must not be eaten. Wuli Xiaoshi records: Boiling with rush pith (Dengxin) or quenching with a silver hairpin; if the rush pith or hairpin turns black, it indicates toxicity.) Qingyi Lu records: In Huxiang regions, it is customary to use poison to harm others. The method involves killing a large snake, covering it densely with straw, and after several weeks, mushrooms grow from the snake's bones. When plump, they are harvested, dried, and ground into powder, sprinkled into wine, food, or tea. Victims invariably die and are buried in the earth, known by the world as "Xiuxiu." This shows that mushrooms growing in places harboring toxins are common occurrences. Can those engaged in dietary regimens afford to be careless?