Taiqing Scripture of Grain Abstinence Methods 太清经断谷法

The author is unknown.

It was probably written during the Eastern Jin Dynasty.

This book was recorded in both Secret Catalogue of the Southern Song Dynasty and Bibliography of Arts and Literature in Comprehensive Records. It consists of one volume and is included in the Methods category of the Dongshen Section of The Daozang.

Taiqing Scripture of Grain Abstinence Methods

The book compiles approximately thirty methods of grain abstinence through ingestion of specific substances, claiming that taking these remedies can prevent hunger for an extended period. These methods include ingesting pine roots, poria cocos, rhizoma atractylodis macrocephalae, polygonatum sibiricum, polygonatum odoratum, asparagus cochinchinensis, sesame seeds, mixed rice and wheat, soybeans, mulberries, as well as cow and sheep suet. Additionally, it records recipes for mallow seed soup and hemp seed soup, which are used to resume normal eating after a period of grain abstinence. The method of ingesting sesame seeds documented in the book is derived from the Lingbao Five Talismans Scripture, and it also quotes the remarks of Ge Hong, the author of Baopuzi. These evidences confirm that this book should have been written in the Jin Dynasty. The dietary prescriptions and herbal applications in this text are deeply rooted in the health preservation concept of Taoism, and the compatibility of its medicinal and edible ingredients is closely associated with the five elements theory in traditional Chinese philosophy.