典藏书目

During the Chongning era, five monks from Baiyun Temple on Tianping Mountain in Suzhou found a large cluster of mushrooms (a type of large fungus) while walking in the mountains. The mushrooms were orange-red in color. They boiled and ate them. By nightfall, three of them developed vomiting symptoms. They hastily gathered Yuanyang grass (Lonicera japonica, Honeysuckle) and ate it raw, after which they recovered. The other two were reluctant to eat it and died from persistent vomiting. This herb grows as vines with opposite leaves and yellowish-white flowers; it is found near water and at the foot of mountains. It is particularly effective for treating carbuncles, ulcers, swelling, and toxicity, whether taken internally or applied externally. People today call it Jinyinhua (Honeysuckle Flower) or Laowengxu (Old Man's Beard), and it is named Rendong (Honeysuckle) in materia medica texts (all from *Ji Zhi*).

In the past, a scholar enjoyed eating eels, turtles, and toads. He once claimed that these three animals should not be killed because the larger ones are toxic and can kill humans, while smaller toads can cause difficulty in urination and pain below the umbilicus, sometimes leading to death. One should take one large measure (an ancient unit of volume) of raw Douchi (fermented soybeans), soak it in half a bowl of freshly drawn water until the liquid becomes concentrated, and drink it all at once; the illness will then heal (from *Maoting Kehua*).

There was a person who became poisoned by eating tofu and received ineffective treatment. An alternative physician happened to see a couple arguing while making tofu on his way and asked about the dispute. They explained that in the morning, the wife mistakenly put radish soup into the tofu pot, causing the tofu to fail to set, because tofu fears radishes. Upon learning this, the physician went to the patient's home and used radish decoction for all medications, either mixing it or having the patient swallow it. The patient subsequently recovered.

Among various fruits, those containing toxins include: peach kernels and apricot kernels (specifically double-kernel varieties) are toxic. Eating unripe drupes in May can cause carbuncles, furuncles, and alternating chills and fever. Additionally, fruits that fall to the ground in autumn and summer and are crawled over by harmful insects can cause Jiulou (a lymphatic tuberculosis-like disease) when eaten. Consuming peach blossoms can cause Lin syndrome (urinary tract infections). Plum kernels should not be consumed with chicken eggs, as this causes internal stagnation and indigestion (from *Bencao Yan Yi*).

Lady Wang, a native of Zhejiang, suddenly developed several black spots on her face, which eventually covered her entire face despite extensive medical treatment without success. She encountered a folk practitioner who diagnosed her condition as food poisoning. After one month of treatment by "Certain Doctor," she recovered. Later, seeking his prescription, it was found to consist only of one jin (approx. 500g) of fresh ginger, chopped and juiced. The dregs were dried by roasting, and the juice was used to make pills. When asked for the rationale, the doctor explained that Lady Wang ate spotted doves daily, and these birds consume Banxia (Pinellia ternata) seedlings, leading to toxicity. Therefore, ginger was used to resolve the toxin (from *Mingyi Lu*).

For poisoning from centipede bites, applying a mixture of dark chicken droppings and water to the bite site is effective; applying garlic is also effective. Centipedes fear slug (Kuyu), avoiding paths where slugs have passed, and die upon contact with them. Thus, slugs are used to treat centipede venom. Applying mulberry sap mixed with white salt is also effective (from *Bencao Yan Yi*).