Complete Collection of Shou Yang Series

Author: Hu Wenhuan
Editor: Fu Kang
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 1997-12-01
Features: This book is a series on traditional Chinese health preservation and Qigong in ancient China. It consists of 34 types, totaling 68 volumes. The content covers health preservation, longevity-enhancing diets, daily routines, regulation, and emotional cultivation, as well as taboos; Qigong and health preservation practices, including breathing exercises and commonly used dietary therapies. It also discusses fundamental theories of health preservation and the relationship between the universe, the five movements and six Qi, and human physiology and pathology. Therefore, this book not only provides theoretical guidance but also offers practical methods for physical and mental care and exercise. It is particularly unique in its approach to longevity for middle-aged and elderly individuals, disease prevention, self-cultivation, and beauty preservation for women. This book is suitable for medical professionals and readers interested in health preservation.
Excerpt: Winter frost water is cold but ( means harmless). For those who eat in groups, it helps relieve alcohol-induced heat, cold-induced nasal congestion, and redness after drinking alcohol. Hail water has an unpleasant taste. If a couple of liters are placed in a jar, it returns to its original flavor. Fangzhu water is sweet①, cold, and (harmless). It helps improve eyesight, calm the mind, alleviate children's heat and restlessness, and quench thirst. Fangzhu refers to a large clam. In the Book of Rites, it is described as a vessel that collects water under the moon, known as Fangzhu, and is used as pure water for offerings. Flower water is②, harmless. It quenches thirst. For those traveling without water, mix it with bitter gourd and loofah into balls to prevent thirst. Liangying water is pungent and slightly harmful. It helps dispel evil spirits, relieve stomach pain, and eliminate nightmares. Drinking a small amount may cause dizziness. It is also said that washing eyes with this water can reveal ghosts emerging from ancient tombs. Jingqi water promotes hair growth. During rice cooking, collect the steam with an object and use it to wash hair, making it grow thicker, darker, and more lustrous. It is not easy to obtain in large quantities, but regularly combing a child's hair in the morning gradually yields benefits. Shengshu (raw and cooked soup) is salty and (harmless). When used to drink after boiling salt, it helps expel accumulated toxins and relieve bloating. It also treats malarial fever and improves digestion. After excessive drinking or eating fruits and vegetables, immersing the body in Shengshu (which carries the aroma of alcohol and fruits) can help.
Roof-leak water is highly toxic. Ingesting it may cause severe illness. However, it can heal dog bites. Pigsty water is harmless. It treats venomous bites and can be used to soak wounds. Pit water is harmless. It quenches thirst and neutralizes the toxicity of pufferfish. Salt bile water is salty and bitter, highly toxic. This water is the black juice from salt that has just finished boiling in a ( means trough). It is not consumed by humans or animals. Tomb well water is toxic. Ingesting it is fatal. To test its toxicity, first dip a chicken feather. If it falls straight, it is harmless; if it swirls, it is toxic. First, pour several buckets of hot vinegar into the well to make it safe for drinking. Dishwashing water treats stubborn sores. Boil it with salt and wash the sores for immediate relief. Crab fat water, when mixed with lacquer, turns into water. (ancient people) used it to mix with medicine. Another method is to remove earth from earthworms, coat them with salt, or place them in scallions to turn them into water. It treats various fevers, epilepsy, and other diseases. It can also be applied to scrofula and lacquer sores for relief. Underground flowing spring water causes malaria and makes feet soft. It is also said that drinking stagnant water from marshes causes abdominal tumors.
Salt water is bitter and slightly toxic, but harmless. It treats high fever, quenches thirst, relieves restlessness, dispels evil spirits, eliminates toxins, softens the skin, removes dampness, reduces phlegm, dissolves hard masses, and cleanses dirt. Do not overconsume, as it can harm health. Earth juice water is cold and harmless. Dig a pit, pour water into it, stir until it is cloudy, and collect it after a while. It relieves toxicity, clears confusion, and treats mountain mushroom poisoning. Drinking it can also relieve laughter induced by eating mushrooms from maple trees. Qingming water and Guoyu water are sweet. Longjiang water is the best. It can be used to make wine that lasts long, with a deep purple color and crisp taste. This water is valued for its seasonal essence. Cooking water makes the face lack color after overnight use and causes skin rashes when used on the body.
Sweet dew water and Lixuan water are sweet and delicious, harmless. They nourish the five organs, promote longevity, relieve chest heat, improve eyesight, and quench thirst. This water is rare and is included here for reference. The above waters are commonly used in daily life but are often overlooked. However, humans are born to be nourished by water and grains. As the saying goes: "When water is gone, vitality disperses; when grains are gone, defense weakens." Zhang Zhongjing said, "Water enters the meridians, and blood is formed; grains enter the stomach, and meridians flow." How important is water to humans? Therefore, people's physical constitutions vary in thickness, and lifespans differ, largely due to differences in the nourishment provided by local soil and water. This can be seen in the contrast between northern and southern regions.
Grains:
Jingmi (white rice) is sweet and bitter, balanced, and harmless. It boosts energy, relieves restlessness, stops diarrhea, strengthens muscles and bones, promotes blood circulation, harmonizes the five organs, and nourishes the stomach. No other grain matches its benefits. For newborns, cooking it into porridge with milk-like consistency is excellent for appetite and digestion. Mixed with Erya (lotus seeds), it enhances vitality, sharpens the mind, and improves eyesight. Fresh rice may slightly increase wind, while stale rice is even better for lowering gas. People who take (Xanthium) should avoid it, as it may cause sharp chest pain. There are early, midday, and evening harvests, with white and evening rice being the best. Rice varieties vary by region, but differences are minor. Heaven provides five grains to nourish humans—without them, life is impossible. They embody the balanced essence of the universe, akin to the creative power of nature, making them unmatched by other things. The Herbal Classic focuses on medicinal properties, so details are omitted.
Sorghum () is salty and slightly cold, harmless. It nourishes kidney energy, dispels heat from the stomach and spleen, and boosts energy. Stale sorghum is bitter, treating stomach heat, thirst, diarrhea, relieving smallpox and wheat toxicity. Boiled into porridge, it is warm and ideal for newborns when finely ground into milk-like consistency. It aids digestion and promotes growth. Avoid eating with almonds, as it may cause vomiting and diarrhea. Sorghum varieties are numerous, but this is the type commonly eaten in the north. In spring, it is ground into flour, helping weak digestion and relieving toxicity. Steamed into cakes, it is sweet, bitter, and slightly cold, or sour and cold, treating cold, thirst, and relieving abdominal accumulation. A type of glutinous sorghum, known as zhi, is similar to jingmi (white rice).
Glutinous rice () is bitter and sweet, warm, and harmless. It warms the center, may cause heat, hardens stools, and promotes longevity. Some say it is slightly cold, not suitable for pregnant women or mixed with meat, as it may soften the body and cause drowsiness. Others say it is cool, promoting energy, moving blood, and relieving vomiting. Opinions vary. The so-called "softness" and "drowsiness" are due to its nature. If it is cold, why is it used to make wine? Farmers use it to make cakes in winter to feed cattle, which prevents frostbite, suggesting its properties align with traditional texts.
Millet () is sweet and warm, harmless. It boosts energy, but excessive consumption may cause heat and restlessness. Some say it is cold and slightly toxic, not suitable for long-term consumption, as it may dull the five organs and cause drowsiness. Children may become lethargic. It weakens muscles and bones and disrupts blood flow. Avoid eating with white wine, (garden gourd), or beef. There are black varieties, slightly larger than sorghum. Locally grown, it is mostly zhi millet, sticky, also called yellow glutinous rice, used mainly for wine (yellow millet wine). It may cause wind and should be consumed in moderation.
Glutinous millet () is sweet and slightly cold. It stops fever, promotes bowel movement, treats lacquer sores, and eliminates skin toxicity. However, it may cause wind and is sticky, suitable only for wine. Its juice is minimal.
Yellow millet () is sweet and balanced, harmless. It boosts energy, harmonizes the stomach, stops diarrhea, and relieves (wind-dampness). Its ears are large, with long hairs, and both grains and rice are coarser than white millet. It yields less and is not drought-resistant. It is fragrant and tastier than other millets, known as "bamboo root yellow." Its green and white varieties are slightly cooling, but its balanced sweetness suggests it embodies the essence of harmony.
White millet () is sweet and slightly cold, harmless. It relieves heat, boosts energy, moves the five organs, strengthens bones and muscles, and relieves restlessness. Its ears are large, with long, coarse, and flat grains, unlike round sorghum. The rice is white and large, tasty but less so than yellow millet, also used for flour.
Green millet () is sweet and slightly cold, harmless. It treats stomach pain, heat, thirst, diarrhea, promotes urination, boosts energy, strengthens the spleen, stops leakage, and lightens the body. Some say it can be soaked in vinegar for three days, steamed and dried repeatedly, and stored for travel, providing meals for several days. Its ears are hairy, slightly green and fine, early-maturing with low yield. It is cooling in summer but slightly bitter and less appealing in color, so less cultivated.
Sorghum () is sweet and harmless. It boosts energy and treats deficiency. Some say it is cooling, treats heat, and relieves cold diseases and gourd toxicity. Due to its early maturity and pleasant aroma, it is used in sacrifices. However, it is bland, the lowest among grains, grown mainly to prevent famine.
Stale stored rice () is salty and slightly sour, warm, and harmless. It relieves gas, quenches thirst, harmonizes the stomach, and stops diarrhea. Some say stale stored rice includes both jing and sorghum, but both are cold when stale, causing loose stools, which contradicts earlier texts.
Zhi () is the longest grain of Shu (), with large and numerous grains, grown in the north to prevent food shortages or feed cattle. Southerners call it Luzhu.
Aromatic rice () is sweet and soft, with a sweet and fragrant aroma. There are red and white varieties. A type of red, long-grain rice with three grains measuring about an inch is late-maturing, improves appetite, and nourishes the stomach. However, it is not commonly eaten or cultivated.
Lotus rice () grows in lakes, slightly cold, and harmless. It was considered a delicacy, but its rice is brittle and (astringent).