The Grand Clarity Canon - Practical Alchemy 太清经天师口诀

The author is unknown.

Judging from its content, it seems to have been written during the Northern and Southern Dynasties.

It consists of one volume and is included in the Methods category of the Dongshen Section of The Daozang.

The Grand Clarity Canon - Practical Alchemy

The scripture expounds the essential formulas of external elixir alchemy and can be divided into two parts. The first half is Key Formulas of the Taiqing Divine Elixir Scripture, which includes methods of making the Flower Pond, Water Pearl, converting lead and tin into mercury, Silver Snow, and Male Snow—all belonging to water-based elixir refining techniques. Its content is roughly consistent with that recorded in Baopuzi: On Golden Elixirs. The second half is Chisongzi's Pocket Formulas for Medicines, which records ten methods of making pills, powders and ointments passed down by Chisongzi, namely Duzai Lingfei Powder, Yuling Feixia Powder, Baijing Guming Powder, Qianyuanzi's Yellow Divine Ointment, Huchongzi's Jade Divine Ointment, Zhenhuazi's White Divine Ointment (missing in the original text), Taizhen Weiyang Pills, Three Sceneries Ointment, Condensed Spirit Ointment and Chujing Powder. For each formula, it lists the types and weights of medicinal ingredients, preparation methods, as well as administration methods and efficacy. At the end of the text, it is also stated that when preparing major elixirs, one must choose a quiet place in the mountains and forests, and make talisman medicines to ward off evil ghosts and spirits.

The book also contains the method of making ghost-repelling pills. This scripture, as a typical work of Taoist external elixir alchemy, is deeply rooted in the ideological system of Taoism, and its classification and application of medicinal ingredients are closely linked to the five elements theory in traditional Chinese philosophy.