Song of the Penglai Elixir 蓬莱山西灶还丹歌

Originally attributed to Huang Xuanzhong.

The author claimed to be "Inspector General, Grand Master of the Golden and Purple Palace, and Minister of the Household" of the Western Han Dynasty. During the Yuanshou reign period (110-105 BC) of the Western Han, he was ordered to travel to Penglai to seek profound techniques, where he encountered a great immortal, personally received the wonderful way of returning elixir, and recorded it to compile this book.

However, the official titles, place names, and poetic style in the book all originated from the Tang Dynasty, so the actual compiler was likely a Tang Dynasty figure. It was recorded as a one-volume work in Secret Catalog, Bibliography of Arts and Literature in Comprehensive Records, and Bibliography of the Song Dynasty during the Song Dynasty. The existing version in The Daozang consists of two volumes, included in the Methods category of the Dongshen Section.

This book collects 172 types of herbal medicines. Except for the first one, "Making Yellow Sprout (a key alchemical ingredient)", each of the other herbs lists the name, along with notes on its appearance, producing area, harvesting season, and "life and death days" (auspicious and inauspicious days for collection). Following each herbal medicine is an appendix of four-line poems (either five-character or seven-character) that eulogize its properties and efficacy. Additionally, the book records 85 other herbal medicines, listing only their names without annotations or poems. The classification and application of herbs in the book reflect the integration of Taoism's alchemical thought and traditional herbal knowledge, adhering to the theoretical guidance of Five Elements in ingredient compatibility.