Arcane Discourses on Alchemy 丹房奥论
Paul PengArcane Discourses on Alchemy
Compiled by Taoist Cheng Liaoyi in the Northern Song Dynasty, this book is believed to have been completed around the fourth year of the Tianxi reign (1020 AD). Consisting of one volume, it is included in the Methods category of the The Dongshen Section in The Daozang.
Arcane Discourses on Alchemy
Focused on External Alchemy and gold-lead transmutation, the book is divided into sixteen discourses:
- Discourse on True Earth
- Discourse on True Lead
- Discourse on True Mercury
- Discourse on the Three Cinnabars (cinnabar, spirit cinnabar, mother cinnabar)
- Discourse on the Three Yellows (realgar, orpiment, sulfur)
- Discourse on the Three Whites (sal ammoniac, arsenic trioxide, mercuric chloride)
- Discourse on the Use of Lead
- Discourse on the Use of Mother Cinnabar
- Discourse on Substitution
- Discourse on Transformation
- Discourse on Drenching
- Discourse on Transmutation
- Discourse on Ash and Frost
- Discourse on Smoke and Residue
- Discourse on Herb Preparation
- Discourse on Packaging and Refinement
In general, the first six discourses mainly discuss the properties and uses of metallic and mineral medicinal materials for elixir refining; Discourses 7 to 12 elaborate on methods of refining golden elixirs and transmuting gold using mineral medicines; the last four discourses focus on techniques for subduing various mineral medicines with herbal medicines, as well as methods of adding medicines during the nurturing process in sealed containers. The book provides a comprehensive discussion but lacks specific production methods.
