一曰汞。出于丹砂为真汞。取汞法。用瓷罐二个。掘地成坎。开深可容二罐。先埋一
罐于底。四围土筑稳实。内盛水满。仍用一罐。入朱砂半满。上加敲碎瓦粒。扎铁线髻一圆
。闭塞罐口。倒覆下罐之上。两口相对。盐泥固缝。以熟炭火先文后武。炼一炷香久。其砂
尽出。水银流于下罐水内。复起罐。拣出皮壳。入新朱砂。固济再 。每好砂一两。常 出
七八钱。低者仅五六钱。水银从丹砂中出者。色微红。收得后。葫芦贮之。免遗失。若先以
紫背天葵。并夜交藤自然汁二味。同煮一伏时。其毒自退。若修十两。二汁合七镒。
气味辛寒。有毒。主治利水道。去热毒。镇坠痰逆。呕吐反胃。安神镇心。治恶疮 疥。
杀虫。疗小儿惊热潮涎。禀至阴之气而有毒。故味辛气寒。入口为厉。外治且不可乱投。何
况内服。（仲淳）水银乃至阴之精。禀沉着之性。得凡火 炼。则飞腾灵变。得人气熏蒸。
则入骨钻筋。绝阳蚀脑。阴毒之物。无似之者。六朝以下。服食贪生。致成废笃。不知若干
人。但其治病之功。自不可掩。同黑铅结砂。则镇坠痰涎。同硫黄结砂。则拯救危病。乃真
应变之兵。在用者得其肯綮耳。（濒湖）养正丹。治上盛下虚。气不升降。元阳亏损。气短
身羸。及中风涎潮。不省人事。伤寒阴盛。自汗唇青。妇人血海久冷。水银一两。黑锡去滓
净秤一两。硫黄研朱砂研细各一两。用黑盏一只。先熔黑铅成汁。次下水银。以柳条搅。次
下朱砂。搅令不见星子。下火少时。方入硫末。急搅成汁。和匀。如有焰以醋洒之。候冷取
出。研极细。煮糯米糊丸绿豆大。每服二三十丸。盐汤枣汤任下。小儿急惊。用坠痰涎。水
银半两。生南星一两。麝香半分。为末。入石脑油同捣和丸。绿豆大。每服一丸。薄荷汤下。
失心风疾。水银一两。藕节八个。研成砂子。丸如芡子大。每服二丸。磨刀水下一二服。恶
肉毒疮。一女子腕软处生物如黄豆。半在肉中。红紫色。痛甚。诸药不效。一方士以水银四
两。白纸二张揉熟。蘸水银擦之。三日自落。
〔论〕 水银同黑铅结砂。何以能镇坠痰逆。盖痰为液所化。而主五液者肾也。铅禀北
方癸水之气。阴极之精。能摄液而归肾。水银为离中之坎。与铅气交感。自同气相求以归于
下。但痰之原在肾。而液之化为痰也则在上。痰之由热化者。以心火为主。丹砂法火主心。
汞蕴于其内。是水在火中也。得火中之水以祛热。而痰之上逆者。乃得顺下而坠之矣。戴原
礼治中风痰壅甚者。间投养正丹。较铅霜之主痰实烦闷。更有硫砂二味。此非阴阳交补也。
盖铅归于肾以宅阴。而硫恋于铅以同归。汞固感乎同气之铅砂。亦趋乎同气之硫。（人生结
胎之始。先生命门。天一生水。壬为阳水。配丁之阴火而生丙。然后生心。即此则砂亦趋于
同气之硫。其义可思。）正治上实下虚之的剂也。夫上焦痰热甚者。固属下之阴虚甚。然又
非纯阴之剂所能坠。必藉阳之所归。因而导之。仿佛于从治之法。始能奏功于危笃耳。但本
方四味等分。如阴虚而阳盛。硫砂止宜居其少半。即阴阳两虚。硫砂亦宜如其半而止。防其
虚阳愈僭而上逆愈甚也。（灵砂分两汞八硫二可仿）水银乃砂中之汞。取汞离砂。则为纯阴
矣。（观取者用水下承以招之。使烟飞于上。汞满于下可见。）天地间宁独纯阳之性为毒。纯
阴之性。其毒等也。其入骨蚀脑者。骨为肾之余。脑为髓之充。髓为骨之精。皆其以同气致
害也。人死而入水银。能不即腐者。以血肉之躯属阴。此纯阴之气能全之也。知此则偏胜之
阴。洵无似之者矣。
水银入耳。能食人脑至尽。入肉令百节挛缩。倒阴绝阳。患疮疥人涂之。性滑重。直入
肉。宜谨之。头疮切不可用。恐入经络。必缓筋骨。是外治亦未可乱投也。妇人误服。多致
绝孕。（仲淳）
〔辨治〕凡使。弗用草汞。（取之细叶马齿苋者）并旧朱漆中者。或经别药制过者。在
尸中过半生半死者。（雷公） 得铅则凝。得硫则结。并枣肉人唾研则散。得紫河车则伏。
得川椒则收。别法。 为腻粉粉霜。
第一种称为汞。它从丹砂中提取，被称为真汞。提取水银的方法：使用两个瓷罐。在地上挖一个坑，深度刚好能容纳两个罐子。先将一个罐子埋在底部，四周用土夯实筑稳，罐内盛满水。再用另一个罐子，装入半罐朱砂，上面覆盖敲碎的瓦片，用铁丝扎成一个圆环盖住罐口，将两个罐口相对倒扣，下方的罐子在上。接口处用盐泥密封固定，先用文火后用武火，燃烧一炷香的时间。此时朱砂完全分解，水银流出并沉入下方罐子的水中。取出上面的罐子，拣去表面的皮壳，加入新的朱砂，重新密封再次炼制。每用好朱砂一两，通常能炼出水银七八钱，品质低的仅得五六钱。从丹砂中提炼出的水银颜色微红，收集后需用葫芦储存，以防流失。如果先用紫背天葵和夜交藤的自然汁液这两种药材，共同煮一个时辰（约12小时），其毒性自然消退。如果要炼制十两水银，两种汁液共需七镒（古代重量单位）。
水银气味辛、寒，有毒。主治功效包括通利水道，去除热毒，镇坠痰气上逆，治疗呕吐反胃，安神定志，治疗恶疮疥癣，杀虫，以及治疗小儿惊风发热流涎。水银禀受至阴之气因而有毒，所以味道辛、气性寒，入口具有烈性毒性。外用尚且不可随意投用，何况内服。（仲淳评注）水银是至阴之精，禀受沉着之性，遇到凡火锻炼，就会飞腾灵变；遇到人气熏蒸，就会钻入骨头筋脉，断绝阳气，腐蚀脑髓。这种阴毒之物，没有比它更甚的了。自六朝以来，人们服用丹药以求长生，结果导致身体废疾沉重，不知有多少人因此受害。但是，它治病的功能，确实不可掩盖。与水银同黑铅结合成砂，就能镇坠痰涎；同硫黄结合成砂，就能拯救危重病人。这真是应对变化的奇兵，关键在于使用者能否掌握要领。（濒湖评注）
养正丹，治疗上盛下虚，气机升降失常，元阳亏损，气短身体消瘦，以及中风痰涌，不省人事，伤寒阴盛，自汗唇青，妇人血海久冷等症。配方：水银一两，黑锡（去杂质净秤）一两，硫黄研细，朱砂研细各一两。用一只黑釉盏，先熔化黑铅成液态，接着下水银，用柳条搅拌，再下朱砂，搅拌到看不见星点状颗粒，稍加热后，才放入硫黄粉末，快速搅拌成液态。如果有火焰冒出，用醋喷洒熄灭。冷却后取出，研磨极细，用糯米糊制作成绿豆大小的丸药。每次服用二三十丸，用盐汤或枣汤送服均可。小儿急惊风，用于坠痰涎：水银半两，生南星一两，麝香半分，研成粉末，加入石脑油同捣和匀制成丸药，绿豆大小。每次服用一丸，薄荷汤送服。失心风疾：水银一两，藕节八个，研成砂状，制成芡实大小的丸药。每次服用二丸，磨刀水下服，一二剂即可。恶肉毒疮：一名女子手腕柔软处长了像黄豆大小的赘生物，一半长在肉里，呈红紫色，疼痛剧烈，各种药物无效。一位方士用水银四两，白纸两张揉熟，蘸取水银擦拭患处，三天后自然脱落。
〔论述〕 水银同黑铅结合成砂，为什么能镇坠痰气上逆？大概痰是由津液转化而来，而主管五液的脏腑是肾。铅禀受北方癸水之气，是阴极之精，能够摄纳津液回归于肾。水银为离卦中的坎象，与铅的气机交感，自然会同气相求而归于下部。但是痰的根源在肾，而津液转化为痰则发生在上部。由热化生的痰，以心火为主。丹砂经过火炼，主应于心，汞蕴藏于其中，这就是“水在火中”。得到火中的水来祛除热邪，那么上逆的痰就能顺势下行而被镇坠。戴原礼治疗中风痰壅严重的患者，偶尔投用养正丹，相比铅霜主要治疗痰实烦闷，多了硫黄和丹砂这两味药，这不是阴阳交补吗？大概铅归于肾以安宅阴气，而硫黄依恋于铅一同归附。汞固然感应同气的铅和丹砂，也趋向于同气的硫。（人在结胎之初，先生命门，天一生水，壬为阳水，配丁之阴火而生丙，然后生心。由此可知丹砂也趋向于同气的硫，其中的道理值得深思。）这是治疗上实下虚的确切方剂。上焦痰热严重的，固然属于下焦阴虚严重，但又不是纯阴的药剂所能镇坠的，必须借助阳气的归附，从而引导它，类似于“从治”的方法，才能在危重情况下奏效。但是这个方子四味药分量相等，如果是阴虚而阳盛，硫黄和丹砂只宜占很少一部分；即使是阴阳两虚，硫黄和丹砂也只宜占一半，以防止虚阳更加亢逆而上行更甚。（灵砂的分量比例可以参考汞八硫二的比例）水银是丹砂中的汞，将汞从丹砂中分离出来，就变成纯阴之物了。（观察提取者用水承接以招引它，使烟气飞散于上，水银积聚于下，就可以看出这一点。）天地间难道只有纯阳的性质是有毒的吗？纯阴的性质，其毒性也是一样的。它侵入骨头腐蚀脑髓，因为骨是肾之余，脑是髓的充盈，髓是骨的精华，这都是因为同气相求而导致危害。人死后浸泡在水银中，如果不立即腐烂，是因为血肉之躯属阴，这种纯阴之气能保全它。知道这一点，就知道偏胜的阴气，确实没有比它更甚的了。
水银进入耳朵，能吃尽人的脑髓；进入肌肉，会让全身关节挛缩，导致阴气倒置、阳气断绝。患有疮疥的人涂抹它，因其性质滑润沉重，直接深入肌肉，应当谨慎。头部的疮疡切不可使用，恐怕进入经络，必然松弛筋骨，所以外治也不可随意投用。妇女误服，多会导致不孕。（仲淳评注）
〔鉴别与治疗〕 凡是使用水银，不要用草汞（取自细叶马齿苋的汞）以及旧朱漆中的汞，或者经过其他药物炮制过的，以及在尸体中存放过半生半死的。（雷公注） 水银遇到铅就会凝固，遇到硫黄就会结合，并与枣肉、人唾液一起研磨就会分散；遇到紫河车就会被抑制伏藏；遇到川椒就会被收敛。另有方法：将其制成腻粉、粉霜。
The first is referred to as Mercury (Shuiyin, 水银). It is extracted from Cinnabar (Zhusha, 朱砂) and is called true Mercury. The method for extracting Mercury: Use two porcelain jars. Dig a pit in the ground, deep enough to accommodate two jars. First, bury one jar at the bottom, compacting the soil around it firmly. Fill this buried jar completely with water. Take the second jar, fill it halfway with Cinnabar powder, cover it with crushed tile pieces, secure a round iron wire ring over the mouth, and invert it onto the lower jar so that the mouths of both jars face each other. Seal the joint with salt mud. Heat first with mild fire (Wenhuo, 文火) and then with strong fire (Wuhu, 武火) for the duration of one incense stick. At this point, the Cinnabar is fully decomposed, and Mercury flows into the water inside the lower jar. Remove the upper jar, pick off the surface crust, add fresh Cinnabar, reseal, and refine again. From one tael of good Cinnabar, typically seven or eight qian of Mercury can be obtained; for lower quality, only five or six qian are yielded. Mercury derived from Cinnabar has a slightly reddish hue. After collection, store it in a gourd to prevent loss. If boiled for one shichen (approx. 12 hours) with the natural juices of *Oxalis corymbosa* (Zibei Tiankui, 紫背天葵) and *Polygonum multiflorum* vine (Ye Jiaoteng, 夜交藤), its toxicity will naturally subside. To refine ten taels of Mercury, seven yi of these two juices combined are required.
Mercury has a pungent flavor and cold nature, and is toxic. Its therapeutic indications include promoting urination, clearing heat toxins, suppressing rebellious phlegm qi, treating vomiting and retroflexion of the stomach, calming the spirit and stabilizing the heart, treating malignant sores and scabies, killing parasites, and treating pediatric convulsions with fever and salivation. Mercury inherits the essence of extreme Yin, hence it is toxic; therefore, its flavor is pungent and its nature is cold, making it harsh upon ingestion. Even external application should not be used indiscriminately, let alone internal administration. (Commentary by Zhongchun) Mercury is the essence of extreme Yin, inheriting a heavy and settling nature. When refined by ordinary fire, it becomes volatile and transformative; when exposed to human breath, it penetrates bones and sinews, severing Yang qi and eroding the brain. No other yin-toxic substance compares to it. Since the Six Dynasties, people have ingested elixirs seeking longevity, resulting in severe debility and disability, affecting countless individuals. Nevertheless, its medicinal efficacy cannot be denied. When combined with Black Tin (Heiqian, 黑铅) to form Cinnabar-like compound, it suppresses phlegm saliva; when combined with Sulfur (Liuhuang, 硫黄) to form a compound, it rescues critical illnesses. It is truly a miraculous agent for adapting to changes, depending on whether the user grasps its key principles. (Commentary by Binhu)
Yangzheng Dan (Nourishing Righteousness Pill) treats conditions of excess in the upper jiao and deficiency in the lower jiao, impaired ascending and descending of Qi, depletion of Primordial Yang, shortness of breath, emaciation, stroke with phlegm flooding and unconsciousness, Shaoyin syndrome with Yin excess, spontaneous sweating, and cyanotic lips, as well as prolonged coldness of the Blood Sea in women. Formula: Mercury 1 tael, purified Black Tin 1 tael, finely powdered Sulfur 1 tael, finely powdered Cinnabar 1 tael. Using a black-glazed bowl, first melt the Black Tin until liquid. Add Mercury and stir with a willow twig. Then add Cinnabar and stir until no granular particles are visible. Apply slight heat, then add Sulfur powder. Stir rapidly until liquid. If flames appear, spray with vinegar to extinguish. Allow to cool, remove, grind extremely fine, and mix with glutinous rice paste to form pills the size of mung beans. Take 20–30 pills per dose, with salt water or jujube decoction as preferred. For pediatric acute convulsions, to suppress phlegm: Mercury 0.5 tael, raw Arisaema cum Bile (Sheng Nanxing, 生南星) 1 tael, Musk (Shexiang, 麝香) 0.5 fen. Grind into powder, mix with naphtha oil, and form pills the size of mung beans. Take one pill per dose with mint decoction. For mental disorder (Shixin Fengji, 失心风疾): Mercury 1 tael, lotus rhizome nodes 8 units. Grind into sand-like powder, form pills the size of Chinese chestnuts. Take two pills per dose with water from grinding knives, one or two doses. For malignant flesh and toxic sores: A woman had a bean-sized growth on her soft wrist, half embedded in flesh, red-purple in color, causing severe pain, unresponsive to various medicines. A practitioner applied Mercury mixed with crumpled white paper to the lesion. After three days, it fell off naturally.
[Discussion] Why does Mercury combined with Black Tin suppress rebellious phlegm? Phlegm is transformed from body fluids, and the Kidney governs the five fluids. Lead inherits the Qi of Northern Gui Water, being the essence of extreme Yin, capable of gathering fluids and returning them to the Kidney. Mercury represents Kan within Li, interacting with Lead's Qi, naturally seeking resonance to descend. However, the root of phlegm lies in the Kidney, while the transformation of fluids into phlegm occurs in the upper jiao. Phlegm generated by heat is primarily driven by Heart Fire. Cinnabar processed by fire corresponds to the Heart; Mercury contained within it represents "Water within Fire." Obtaining the Water from Fire clears heat, allowing upward-rebellious phlegm to descend smoothly. Dai Yuanli treated severe stroke with phlegm obstruction by occasionally administering Yangzheng Dan. Compared to Lead Frost (Qianshuang, 铅霜) which mainly treats phlegm-fullness and irritability, the addition of Sulfur and Cinnabar suggests Yin-Yang mutual supplementation. Lead returns to the Kidney to house Yin, while Sulfur adheres to Lead to return together. Mercury responds to the resonant Qi of Lead and Cinnabar, but also tends toward the resonant Qi of Sulfur. (At conception, Mingmen arises first; Heaven generates One Water; Ren is Yang Water, pairing with Ding's Yin Fire to generate Bing, then the Heart forms. Thus, Cinnabar also tends toward the resonant Qi of Sulfur; the principle is worth pondering.) This is an accurate formula for treating upper excess and lower deficiency. Severe phlegm-heat in the upper jiao indeed indicates severe Yin deficiency in the lower jiao, yet pure Yin agents cannot suppress it alone. It must rely on the guidance of returning Yang, resembling the "following treatment" (Congzhi, 从治) method, to achieve results in critical cases. In this formula, the four ingredients are equal in proportion. If Yin is deficient and Yang is hyperactive, Sulfur and Cinnabar should constitute only a small fraction. Even if both Yin and Yang are deficient, Sulfur and Cinnabar should not exceed half, to prevent further rebellion of deficient Yang. (The ratio for Lingsha can reference Mercury 8 parts to Sulfur 2 parts.) Mercury is the Mercury within Cinnabar; separating it makes it purely Yin. (Observing the extraction process where water catches the vapor rising and Mercury settles below confirms this.) Is it only pure Yang nature that is toxic? Pure Yin nature is equally toxic. Its penetration into bones and erosion of the brain occurs because bone is the remainder of the Kidney, brain is the filling of marrow, and marrow is the essence of bone; all are harmed by resonant Qi. When corpses are immersed in Mercury and do not rot immediately, it is because the fleshy body is Yin, preserved by this pure Yin Qi. Understanding this reveals that excessive Yin has no match.
If Mercury enters the ear, it can consume the brain entirely; entering flesh causes joint contraction, leading to inverted Yin and severed Yang. Applying it to those with sores and scabies is dangerous due to its slippery and heavy nature penetrating directly into flesh; caution is advised. It must never be used on head sores, lest it enter meridians and loosen sinews and bones. Thus, external use is also not to be taken lightly. Accidental ingestion by women often leads to infertility. (Commentary by Zhongchun)
[Differentiation and Treatment] When using Mercury, do not use Grass Mercury (derived from *Portulaca oleracea* var. *pusilla*) or Mercury from old vermilion lacquer, nor that processed by other drugs, or found in corpses as half-decayed. (Note by Leigong) Mercury coagulates with Lead, binds with Sulfur, disperses when ground with jujube flesh and human saliva, is subdued by Placenta Humanis (Ziheche, 紫河车), and is gathered by Sichuan Pepper (Chuanjiao, 川椒). Another method involves processing it into Nifen (Calomel) or Fenshuang (White Precipitate).