Treatise on Metals and Herbs
Originally attributed to Ge Zhichuan (Ge Hong), it is presumably a work falsely ascribed by Taoist priests between the Tang and Song dynasties. This text is cataloged in both Comprehensive Records of Literature·Bibliographic Survey and Bibliographic Treatise of the History of the Song Dynasty. Consisting of one scroll, it is included in the Various Arts category of the Dongshen Section of The Daozang.
Treatise on Metals and Herbs
The first half of the text, over a thousand characters in length, is excerpted from Baopuzi·On the Golden Elixir, expounding on the origin and evolution of alchemical scriptures and the principle that ingesting the Golden Fluid Reverted Elixir grants immortality. The second half, more than two hundred characters, is taken from The Jade Stele Master of the Supreme Purity, framed as a dialogue between Ge Hong and his master Zheng Siyuan, discussing the art of preserving the spirit and prolonging the physical form.
The text concludes with the line: "This is what is meant by the spiritual power of metal and wood—how could it be gainsaid?" The title On the Myriad Spirits of Metal and Wood is derived from this very sentence.
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