Alchemical Formulas of Grand Clarity 太清石壁记

Originally attributed to "Compiled by Mr. Chu Ze".

Comprising three volumes, it is included in the Methods category of the Dongshen Section of The Daozang.

The Baopuzi: Chapter on Distant Views has already recorded "Three Volumes of Stone Wall Texts by Fan Ying". The New Book of Tang·Bibliography of Arts and Literature also records "Three Volumes of Records of the Taiqing Stone Wall by Su Yuanming of Xuanjin". The annotation states: "Compiled by the Sima of Jianzhou during the Qianyuan era (758–760), the author's name is lost." According to research, Su Yuanming is Su Xuanlang, a hermit of Luofu Mountain in the Sui Dynasty, styled Qingxiazi, who was proficient in both external and internal elixir refining techniques. This book seems to be compiled by Su Xuanlang based on elixir texts of the Wei and Jin dynasties, and later revised by Mr. Chu Ze of the Tang Dynasty. The book records more than fifty prescriptions for external elixir ingestion, each listing the dosage of medicinal ingredients and the methods of pounding, refining and preparation. The first volume contains more than twenty prescriptions such as the Supreme Unity Golden Flower Divine Elixir Formula, the Great Reversible Elixir Formula, the Yellow Emperor's Nine Cauldrons Elixir Formula, the Supreme Unity Golden Paste Elixir Formula and the Sulfur Elixir Formula, as well as methods for making Liuyi clay, constructing elixir furnaces and cauldrons, and taboos for elixir refining. The middle volume includes more than thirty elixir-making methods such as the Eight Gods Elixir Formula, the Three Envoys Elixir Formula and the Soul Summoning Elixir Formula, accompanied by elixir-taking methods, taboos and efficacy records. It also contains Secret Key Instructions of Elixir Classics and Elixir Compounding Instructions, listing the alternative names of more than sixty medicinal ingredients. The last volume presents elixir formulas such as the stalactite refining method, the iron powder preparation method and the arsenic elixir making method, as well as instructions for taking various elixirs, methods for treating diseases, health maintenance tips for elixir takers, and methods for identifying the quality of metal and stone medicinal materials. It is claimed that taking elixirs in accordance with the prescribed methods can cure diseases or lead to ascension to immortality.

As an integral part of the elixir culture of Taoism, the classification and compatibility of medicinal ingredients in this book are closely linked to the five elements theory in traditional Chinese philosophy. It also serves as important material for researching the early history of elixir alchemy and medical science.