Art of Herbal Transmutation 纯阳真人药石制

The compiler is unknown.

Judging from its content and writing style, it was probably compiled between the Tang Dynasty and the Song Dynasty.

Consisting of one volume, it is included in the Methods category of the Dongshen Section in The Daozang.

This book is a herbal pharmacopoeia. It collects more than sixty types of "dragon sprout herbs", listing their names and accompanying poems that eulogize the herbs' appearance, producing areas, medicinal properties, and the function of using these herbs to subdue metals, minerals, and elixirs. For example, the first entry, "Tianbao Longya (Heavenly Treasure Dragon Sprout)" (also known as red celery), has a poem: "Ranking first among herbs, it takes precedence; turning false into true when encountering those destined. It subdues the Five Metals and Eight Stones, and can transform stubborn copper into something as soft as cotton." Another example is "Tianyan Longya (Heavenly Flame Dragon Sprout)" (also known as lotus flower), with a poem: "Its roots and leaves of longevity grow in water; flowers like flames, with red undersides of leaves. Picked in the sixth lunar month, it is worthy of offering; furthermore, it can subdue mercury and turn it into silver." The other entries follow a similar format. At the end of the book, there is a poem stating: "Seventy-two kinds of dragon sprout herbs", "Capable of transforming false things into true". It can be inferred that the original book should have contained seventy-two entries, but the existing version in The Daozang is incomplete.