Mawangdui Bamboo Slips and Ancient Sexual Practices and Health Preservation

Author: Zhou Yimo
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-02-01
Features: 5. The earliest record of using gecko juice to stain a woman's arm is found in Shengyang Fang. There are two formulas in Shengyang Fang that use gecko (also known as wall lizard or gecko) ground into powder or juice to stain a woman's arm to test her chastity. The text of the formulas is severely damaged, but the general idea is that geckos are raised with medicinal herbs, then killed and buried under the stove. The juice is extracted with water and used to stain a woman's arm. If the woman has had sexual intercourse with a man, the stained area will fade or fall off; if she has not had sexual intercourse with a man, the stained area will remain unchanged. The second formula is as follows: "Take geckos and place them in a new jar, and place cinnabar (in) the jar, letting the geckos eat it. Wait until they die, then grind them, and use them to stain a woman's arm or body. If this woman has had sexual intercourse with a man, the stained area will become unclear." This formula uses a new jar to hold geckos, feeding them with cinnabar, and grinding them after they die to use them to stain a woman's arm or body. If this woman has had sexual intercourse with a man, the stained area will become unclear. Generations of imperial courts often used ground geckos to stain the arms of palace maids to test whether they had remained chaste, hence the name "gecko." This formula has a long history, and Shengyang Fang is the earliest record of this formula. According to Ping Yu Yu Luo Volume 946, which cites the Han Dynasty Nuo Nan Wan Bi Shu, it says: "Staining a woman's arm with gecko creates patterns. Take geckos, one male and one female, after they have mated, and place them in a jar. Dry them in the shade for a hundred days. Use them to stain a woman's arm to create patterns. If she has sexual intercourse with a man, the patterns will fade." The same volume cites the Zhang Hua's Bao Wu Zhi from the Jin Dynasty, which says: "Geckos or wall lizards, raised in a container, fed with cinnabar, turn entirely red. The amount they eat fills seven pounds, and when ground into powder and applied to a woman's limbs, the mark lasts a lifetime, hence the name 'gecko.'" Ben Cao Gang Mu Volume 43, under the entry for "Gecko," cites Tao Hongjing from the Liang Dynasty, who says: "Wall lizards like to climb on fences and walls. Feed them with cinnabar until they weigh three pounds, then kill them, grind them into powder, and use them to stain a woman's body. If she has sexual intercourse, the mark will fall off; otherwise, it will remain like a red mole, hence the name 'gecko.'" Note: Ancient emperors had three palaces and six courtyards, and most nobles also had three wives and four concubines. They indulged in lust and debauchery but feared their consorts would have affairs, so they came up with the practice of grinding geckos and using them to stain a woman's arm to test her chastity. However, this practice lacks a scientific basis, and Li Shizhen of the Ming Dynasty pointed out, "The claim that staining the arm..."