Compendium of Inner Alchemy 诸真论还丹诀

The author is unknown. Judging from its content and wording, it was presumably compiled during the Song Dynasty.

Consisting of one scroll, it is included in the Methods Category of the The Dongzhen Section within the The Daozang (Taoist Canon).

Compendium of Inner Alchemy

This text collects eighteen poems and verses about the Returning Elixir, including Qingxiazi’s Ode to the Golden and Jade Scripture of Dragon and Tiger, Rongchenggong’s Neidan (Internal Alchemy) Verses, Cao Shengtu’s Song of Lead and Mercury, as well as ten anonymous Odes to the Jade Pot and Ode to Wei Boyang’s Cantongqi (The Unity of the Three). Most of the verses praise Internal Alchemy (Neidan) while opposing external alchemy. For example, the annotation to Rongchenggong’s Neidan (Internal Alchemy) Verses states: "When essence and Qi (Vital Energy) converge, it is named the Internal Returning Elixir." Additionally, Cao Shengtu’s Song of Lead and Mercury proclaims: "Gold and stone are inert substances—how can they transform into golden fluid?" "Beyond nurturing oneself with Qi, all other things are mere guests."