Introduction
While repairing an irrigation system in November 1972, farmers discovered a vaulted tomb in Hantanpo 旱灘坡, 10 km from Wuwei 武威 city in Gansu province, dating to the early Eastern Han dynasty (25–220 c.e.). Judging from the fact that a staff with a pigeon top was placed in front of the coffin, the tomb occupant, whose name is lost to us, was probably over the age of seventy sui 歲. Outside of the coffin were seven grave goods made of earthenware, including pots (hu 壺), miniature warehouses (cang 倉), stoves (zao 灶), wells (jing 井), and dishes (pan 盤). Within the coffin were coins and two beads.Footnote 1 At the head of the tomb occupant's corpse was a hemp bag containing seventy-eight documents, bundled together. Upon examination, archaeologists determined that the bulk of the documents contained contents related to drug formulary. The sheer number of formulas discussed in the documents makes this site incomparable for the Eastern Han period. Yet, despite its importance, scholars have largely overlooked the find, particularly in comparison to the medical manuscripts recovered from the Mawangdui 馬王堆 site (c. 168 b.c.e). In the four decades since the publication of the complete transcription, only a handful of works on the Wuwei documents exists. These include studies by Akahori Akira 赤堀昭 and Yamada Keiji 山田慶兒 (1985), He Shuangquan 何雙全 (1986), and Zhang Yanchang 張延昌 (2006);Footnote 2 and a volume of essays, edited by Li Shenghua 李盛華 and Zhang Yanchang, published in 2014.Footnote 3 No full-length studies or essays on the subject have been published in a Western language, a lacuna that the present article seeks to fill with a brief introduction and translation.
The Archaeological Context
Unlike other well-known Qin and Han finds, much of the archaeological context of the Wuwei manuscripts, discovered during the Cultural Revolution, is lost to us. Archaeologists have yet to identify the tomb in which the documents were discovered. However, the following facts are known. At the time of the site report's publication in the 1973 issue of Wenwu 文物, archaeologists believed that the tomb was part of a cluster of six to seven Han-dynasty burials. These burials were proximate to another larger cluster of about forty Han-dynasty tombs at the Mozuizi 磨咀子 site, approximately twenty-five kilometers away.Footnote 4
While the exact spatial coordinates of the site are currently unknown, the site report reveals the following about the tomb's characteristics and dimensions. Archaeologists classified the burial as a single chamber tomb (tudong danshi 土洞單室). The front of the tomb's door was connected through a sloped path (xiepo mudao 斜坡墓道). The door and chamber of the tomb were both flat top (pingding 平頂). The door of the tomb also used large gravel (dalishi 大礫石) as a seal. From top to bottom, the tomb chamber measured 4 m. The door of the tomb was 1.0 m in height, 0.72 m in width, and 0.6 m in depth. The tomb was furthermore oriented 60° to the East. The coffin was 3.4 m from East to West, 1.25 m from North to South, and 1.1 m in height.Footnote 5 By the time that the tomb was discovered, the corpse, which had been laid supine, had decayed, although some of the skeleton remained. Based on the surviving remains, archaeologists determined that the tomb occupant had been male.Footnote 6 Based on the presence of documents with medical contents, Luo Fuyi 羅福頤 furthermore conjectured that the tomb occupant had been a doctor. This identification, however, is speculative.Footnote 7
The Strips and Tablets: an Overview of the Manuscripts
When archaeologists recovered the manuscripts, they discovered that the documents had been affected by the corpse's decay and were partially rotten, incomplete, and unclear.Footnote 8 The documents were furthermore in a state of disarray, making it difficult for the archaeologists to reconstruct the contents.Footnote 9
At present, there are 92 strips (jian 簡) and tablets (mudu 木牘).Footnote 10 Of those, 78 are strips and 14 are tablets. The strips were composed of wood from pine and poplar, two common materials used to make documents in the Northwest. The strips had writing only on one side. Of the strips, about sixty were complete. The average length of the strips was between 23.0 and 23.4 cm. The strips also lacked numbers. The archaeologists divided the strips into two categories (lei 類) based on the width of the strips and the remnants of the binding cord.Footnote 11
The strips from the first category (strips 3–41) were one centimeter in width, and notches were cut into the sides (qiekou 鍥口). The strips were connected by three binding cords, traces of which can still be detected. In the first category, 41 strips were preserved. Among these, more than 30 were whole or partially intact. Each strip had about 35 characters on it.Footnote 12
The strips placed in the second category (strips 42–78) by the authors of the site report were narrower, being half a centimeter in width. The sides of these strips lacked notches. The strips in this category totaled 37 in number, and each strip had approximately 37 characters and was bound with three binding cords.Footnote 13
The authors of the site report surmised that the strips were ordered and bound together before text was written on them. Because of their overlapping contents, the authors inferred that the two categories of strips originally belonged to the same text.Footnote 14 Yet this view has its drawbacks and overlooks certain features of the manuscripts, something pointed out by the authors of the site report. For example, such a view neglects the fact that the two categories differed in terms of the width of the strips, as well as the placement of the binding cords.Footnote 15
According to the authors of the site report, the tablets were mostly composed of pinewood. On all but two of the tablets, writing appeared on both sides. The tablets moreover were wider than the strips; the tablets range between 1.1 and 4 cm in width. The tablets were between 22.7 and 23.9 cm in length and between 0.2 and 0.6 cm in thickness. The tablets furthermore lacked any trace of binding.Footnote 16
The Writing
The documents were written mostly in clerical script (lishu 隸書), with the minority of the contents rendered in cursive (caoshu 草書).Footnote 17 In terms of handwriting, we could detect three distinct styles (one of which was rendered in caoshu). Yet it is unclear whether these styles represented the hands of three different scribes or the handwriting of a single person at different periods of time.
In terms of orthography, there were many instances of phonetic borrowings (tongjia zi 通假字) and graphic variants (yiti zi 異體字). Examples of phonetic borrowings include shi 矢 for shi 屎 (strip 18). For variants, we found numerous examples such as the substitution of yong 恿 for tong 痛 (strip 11) and jiu 𤆐 for jiu 灸 (strip 21).Footnote 18 Also, we found variants such as bufu 不复 for bufu 不復 on strips 48 and 59. In only a few cases, we found unambiguous evidence of scribal error. For example, on strip 6, the character for five (wu 五) was written for six (liu 六).
Contents
With the exception of tablet 92, the contents of the strips and tablets are medical in nature. We can further divide the subject of the documents into three kinds: medical formulas, acupuncture (and restrictions on acupuncture), and a fragmentary register of purchased materia medica. With respect to the formulas, the contents are practical as opposed to theoretical; they relate the substances and preparation methods for remedies and say little about the etiology of illnesses.
The formulas reference a wide range of materia medica. By one account, the substances mentioned in the manuscripts include 63 herbs, 12 animal products, 16 minerals, and 9 substances that could not be categorized.Footnote 19 Of these, 69 of the one hundred substances mentioned in the Wuwei documents also appear in the Shennong bencao jing 神農本草經; another 11 are found in the Mingyi bielu 名醫别錄. Another 20 substances are not found in either classic of pharmacopoeia. The Wuwei manuscripts also include materia medica local to the Northwest: the excrement of herd animals, such as white sheep (baiyang shi 白羊屎).Footnote 20
The Structure of the Formulas
The vast majority of the formulas found in the Wuwei documents follow a set pattern, suggesting a high degree of standardization. The general pattern is depicted in Figure 1. Figure 2 shows the contents of tablet 82. As we can see from Figure 2, the characters at the formula's beginning could not be transcribed in whole, but it is clear that the text begins with the name of the formula, which reflects the nature of the ailment. Then comes the seven substances to be used and their quantities. Next follows the preparation of the medicinal substances (specifically, the processing of all seven substances and the use of honey to combine the mixture into a pellet) and the methods of administration (the medicine is to be taken before supper, and one pellet should be administered with congee). At this point, the formula deviates from the pattern found elsewhere in the manuscripts and adds provisions for additional symptoms. The text further mentions proscribed foods and restrictions on transmission before concluding with comments about the formula's efficacy.
Structure of the Wuwei formulas. Figure drawn by authors.
An Analysis of a Wuwei Formula (tablet 82). With the exception of providing additional information for atypical symptoms, the formula above follows the pattern found in the rest of the corpus.
Insofar as the formulas follow a single format, the Wuwei manuscripts stand apart from other early collections. Most of the others—notably, those uncovered at the Zhoujiatai 周家臺 site (c. 209–206 b.c.e.), Liye 里耶, and Mawangdui—do not follow a uniform format.Footnote 21 (The Liushazhui 流沙墜 strips, dating to the Han dynasty and also from the Northwest, were similar to those uncovered at Wuwei insofar as they too conformed to a set pattern.Footnote 22 ) The Wushier bingfang 五十二病方, from Mawangdui, provides a case in point. As Figures 3 and 4 reveal, the formulas in that collection have different structures.Footnote 23
One format of the formulas from the Wushier bingfang. Picture drawn by authors.
An alternate format of the formulas from the Wushier bingfang. Unlike the formulas from Wuwei, those in the Wushier bingfang do not conform to a single format. Picture drawn by authors.
Comparison of Contents
The authors of the Wuwei manuscripts emphasized precise dosage, a feature first seen in the newly discovered Laoguanshan 老官山 site (dating to the second century b.c.e.).Footnote 24 The formulas make use of a wide range of measurements for weight and volume. Common examples include fen 分 (used for weight), as well as liang 兩 and sheng 升 (13.8 g and 200 ml respectively for the Eastern Han dynasty). For a typical example, consider one excerpt from the Wuwei site:
治目恿方：以春三月上旬治藥。曾青四兩，𢦛鹽三兩，皆冶合，以乳汁和，盛以銅器，以傅目，良。16
A formula to treat eyes in pain: In the first ten-day period of the three months of spring, make a medicine: four liang [55.2 g] of Malachite or Laminar, and three liang [41.4 g] of Turkestan Salt. Pulverize and combine all of these, mixing together with milk and filling it in a bronze utensil. Use this to apply to the eyes. Efficacious.
In this regard, the Wuwei and Laoguanshan manuscripts stand apart from other excavated works of materia medica. Those found at Zhoujiatai, Liye, and Mawangdui, for example, tend to be vague about quantities. Admittedly, we find a few references in these corpuses to precise measurements, for example to sheng. More typical, however, is the following excerpt, taken from the Liye site:
七．暴病心痛灼灼者，治之：析蓂实，冶，二；枯橿、菌桂，冶，各一。凡三物并和，取三指最到节二，温醇酒
Number seven. To treat those stricken with a violent eruption of heart pain that burns: Pulverize two seeds of Penny-cress [Thlaspi arvense]. Pulverize one dried ginger [Zingiber officinale] and one Cassia twig [Cinnamomum cassia]. Mix all three of these substances. Take a three-finger pinch, knuckle deep with warm, fine alcohol with a strong flavor.Footnote 25
The author of the formula did not feel the need to specify the amount of ginger in terms of weight or volume. Instead, he merely indicated the number of seeds and pieces of ginger. It is only at the end of the formula that we see anything approximating a standard quantity (a three-finger pinch), but that measurement, which varies according to the size of the maker's fingers, is still less specific than the units of measurement discussed in later texts, such as a square-inch spoonful (fangcun bi 方寸匕), which can be rendered down to the milliliter.
Divination, Exorcism, and Divine Intervention
The Wuwei manuscripts offer a contrast to other early excavated manuscripts in another respect: we find no trace of exorcism and other techniques used to mitigate the malevolent influence of spirits and other divine beings. Instead, the former set of manuscripts focuses on treating illnesses exclusively through the administration of drug formulary, external pastes, and, to a lesser extent, acupuncture. In this respect, the Wuwei manuscripts are a far cry from earlier finds, particularly those seen at Zhoujiatai and Mawangdui. There, one sees plentiful references to the “Pace of Yu” (Yu bu 禹步), a ritual step used to avoid various hazards and misfortunes, such as disasters or illnesses associated with spirits and demons.Footnote 26
Forbidden Formulas
The prohibitions in the Wuwei manuscripts represent another noteworthy feature. The manuscripts contain at least two kinds of prohibitions. The first are restrictions on activities and foodstuffs during the period of a medicine's administration. These include the consumption of fish, pork, spicy foods, and alcohol, as well as activities such as sexual conduct, physical exertion, and exposure to wind. These restrictions are similar to those of the Wushier bingfang. The second are prohibitions on transmission, as in the following excerpt:
飲食，數驗，禁，不傳也。74
[Indeterminate number of missing characters] … Eat and drink. Repeatedly tested. Proscribed; do not transmit.
While attested in the received literature, unambiguous evidence of restriction on transmission is absent from most medical manuscripts (notably those from Mawangdui).Footnote 27 We do however find one parallel to the restrictions found at Wuwei in a published fragment from the recently discovered Laoguanshan find:Footnote 28
五十七。治血暴發者：屑土瓜二枚，蒙菌、圭各一，取一籥，温美酒半升。莫勿食，旦飲之，日一，五日已。禁。
Number 57. To treat blood that bursts forth abruptly. Mince two pieces of tugua [i.e., some kind of unidentified tuber], and one each of mengjun [an unidentified substance] and cassia twig. Take one yue [10 ml] of the medicine with one half sheng [100 ml] of warm, fine alcohol. Do not eat at dusk. Drink it in the morning once a day. In five days, the illness will come to an end. Proscribed.Footnote 29
Attribution of Formulas
The Wuwei manuscripts attribute formulas to several figures. These include a Mr. Lu (Lu shi 魯氏 on strip 43), Mr. Gongsun (Gongsun jun 公孫君 on tablet 83), possibly Gongsun Guang 公孫光;Footnote 30 the Lord of the White Waters (Baishui hou 白水侯 on tablet 84); the Lord of Donghai 東海侯 (Donghai hou on tablet 84); Mr. Lü Gong (Lü Gong jun 呂功君 on tablet 42); and General Geng of Jianwei (Jianwei Geng jiangjun 建威耿將軍), probably Geng Yan 耿弇 (3–58 c.e., on tablet 85).
In this regard, the Wuwei manuscripts follow a pattern. Published excerpts from the looted manuscripts at the Peking Museum also attribute formulas to individuals—for example to Mr. Qin (Qinshi 秦氏, possibly a reference to Bian Que or Qin Yueren 秦越人), Ling You 泠游, and Weng Yi 翁壹.Footnote 31 In contrast, the Zhoujiatai or Mawangdui manuscripts do not attribute formulas to some authority figure or historical personage.
Conventions of Translation and Interpretative Problems
Transcription
Our transcription was made on the basis of the photographs supplied in Wuwei Handai yijian 武威漢代醫簡 (Beijing: Wenwu, 1975). We have made every effort to transcribe the characters as they appeared on the original strips, including non-standard graphs and punctuation marks. Where possible, we also consulted the color photographs of a handful of the tablets published in Hexi jiandu 河西簡牘 (Chongqing: Chongqing, 2002). In addition, we have provided our annotations of non-standard graphs, phonetic loans, variant characters, and errors in the footnotes. We furthermore left a blank box ☐ where we could not transcribe a character due to the fact that the character was illegible. In cases where the text was broken, we have added a box containing a cross 〼. In some cases, our transcription of a graph is tentative. We have marked such characters in brackets [] and explained our reasoning in a note.
Furthermore, we encountered several instances in which the scribes employed punctuation markers. For a comma 
, we marked a • in the transcription; for a long comma 
, we added a ❚. In some cases, the scribe used a ditto mark to indicate that a character was to be duplicated. In those instances, we used an equal sign = to denote the presence of such a mark. We also added the duplicated character in parentheses ().
We have also consulted the transcriptions made by the editors of the Wuwei volume (hereafter the Wuwei editors), Akahori Akira and Yamada Keiji, He Shuangquan 何雙全, and Zhang Yanchang. In cases where our transcriptions departed from those of previous scholars, we noted this in the footnotes. Finally, we added our own punctuation to the text.
Identification of Substances and Weights and Measures
For the identification of materia medica, we primarily followed the translations provided by Shiu-ying Hu in An Enumeration of Chinese Materia Medica, 2nd edition (Hong Kong: Chinese University Press, 1999). In cases where Hu does not offer an identification, we consulted Nathan Sivin's Chinese Alchemy: Preliminary Studies (Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1968), Penelope Barrett's Appendix in Vivienne Lo and Christopher Cullen, eds., Medieval Chinese Medicine: The Dunhuang Medical Manuscripts (London: Routledge, 2009), and Bernard E. Read's Chinese Medicinal Plants from the Ben Ts'ao Kang Mu A.D. 1596, 3rd edition (Peking: Peking Natural History Bulletin, 1936). Occasionally, we encountered substances that could not be identified, as no parallels are attested in received texts. These include substances like mendong 門冬 (tablet 80). In such cases, we have chosen to simply transliterate the characters without translation. It bears emphasis, however, that the exact identification of botanical, zoological, or mineral substances remains uncertain, something previously noted by Donald Harper and Paul Unschuld.Footnote 32 Indeed, scholarly opinion sometimes divides on the identification of substances in the Wuwei corpus, so readers should treat the translations of pharmacological agents as tentative identifications.
Loans, Variants, and Phonetic Borrowings
With respect to identifying phonetic loans, orthographic variants, and errors, we draw upon the work of the Wuwei editors, Akahori and Yamada, and Zhang Yanchang. For phonetic loans, we checked the identifications proposed by previous scholars such as Akahori and Yamada, and especially Zhang Yanchang, against several sources. These include the Guwenzi tongjia shili 古文字通假釋例, by Wang Hui 王輝 (Taipei: Yiwen yinshuguan, 1993), and the reconstructions for the Later Han (hereafter LH) in Minimal Old Chinese and Later Han Chinese: A Companion to Grammata Serica Recensa by Axel Schuessler (Honolulu: University of Hawai‘i Press, 2009). Additionally, we consulted the eminent linguist William Baxter, who checked published reconstructions, evaluated whether characters could be substituted for each other, and reconstructed the phonology of characters not found in Minimal Old Chinese.
It bears mentioning that we often diverge from the opinions of earlier scholars who have identified errors and phonetic loans, especially Zhang Yanchang (who identifies many errors and phonetic loans). Based on recent work in paleography, we are mindful of the difficulty of differentiating between variants and errors before the establishment of an orthographic standard.Footnote 33 We further acknowledge the difficulty of distinguishing phonetic loans from graphic variants in early manuscripts. The occurrence of cai 采 (to gather) on strip 30 illustrates this problem. The Wuwei editors, Akahori and Yamada, and Zhang Yanchang interpret this graph as cai 菜 (vegetables).Footnote 34 As in most cases, the Wuwei editors and Akahori and Yamada do not supply a rationale for interpreting the graph this way, most likely because they believed that it was obvious that the former was a variant of the latter. Zhang Yanchang, however, claims that cai 采 (Schuessler 4–44 < LH *tsʰəB) was a phonetic loan for cai 菜 (Schuessler 4–44> LH *tsʰəc).Footnote 35 Similarly, Zhang Yanchang asserts that zhi 直 (Schuessler 5–12 < LH *ḍɨk), appearing in tablets 91A–91B, was a phonetic loan for zhi 值 (Schuessler 5–12 < LH *ḍəc).Footnote 36 While Zhang is correct about the closeness of the pronunciation in both cases, we wonder about the wisdom of labeling such graphs “loans.” Ancient scribes often substituted characters containing the same phonetic element but with different radicals. Indeed, the Wuwei scribe or scribes frequently substituted graphs with similar phonetic elements, and sometimes used more than one variant in the same text. Examples of this include writing yong 恿 (strips 12, 13, 15, etc.) and yong 慂 (strip 52) for tong 痛. In light of this, we have decided to reserve the label “phonetic loans” for instances in which two characters probably had similar or identical pronunciations, but were composed of different phonetic elements. In cases where the characters differed only in terms of their radical, we have chosen to refer to these substitutions as variants.
For weights and measures, we followed the values given by the Hanyu da cidian 漢語大詞典. Our readings have been supplemented by Wu Chengluo 吳承洛, Zhongguo duliang hengshi 中國度量衡史 (Shanghai: Shangwu yinshuguan, 1937, rpt. 1957). We also consulted Zhongguo gudai duliang heng 中國古代度量衡 (Beijing: Keji, 1992) by Qiu Guangming 丘光明.
Differences in Interpretation
For our translation, we have consulted a range of opinions. The major works on the subject include those by the Wuwei editors, Akahori and Yamada, and Zhang Yanchang. The Wuwei editors provide their transcription of the strips and tablets without punctuation; Akahori and Yamada Keiji and Zhang Yanchang offer their transcriptions and punctuation of the text. Akahori and Yamada also translate the text into modern Japanese. The three existing interpretations of the text differ from each other at points, although Akahori and Yamada follow the Wuwei editors closely in terms of transcription. Akahori and Yamada and Zhang Yanchang, for example, often disagree on punctuation. Moreover, we have considered the interpretations on specific points offered by other scholars, such as He Shuangquan.
In preparing our translation, we made efforts to identify all major differences of opinion with respect to transcription, punctuation, and the identification of substances and technical vocabulary. We also explain our departures from previous interpretations, as well as our reasons for selecting one interpretation over another.
Our reasoning reflects two general principles: (1) consistency (this is important when interpreting antonyms or words used interchangeably); and (2) parallelism (the assumption that words found in the same place, either within a single formula or a collection of formulas, are equivalent units).
In this regard, we provide two examples where our interpretations diverged significantly from previous scholarship. For example, both Akahori and Yamada and Zhang Yanchang interpret the copious references to fen 分 as “equal proportions” (dengfen 等份) as opposed to a unit of weight measurement. Akahori and Yamada Keiji assert, “Fen is not a unit of weight, but refers instead to the proportion of the medicinal substances.”Footnote 37 Similarly, Zhang Yanchang annotates the first reference to fen on strip 3, writing, “This is not actually fen as in the unit of weight measurement but rather proportion.”Footnote 38 He adds that most of the strips and tablets use fen in this way. Akahori, Yamada, and Zhang Yanchang draw upon an old interpretation of fen, promoted by Luo Zhenyu 羅振玉 (1866–1940) and Wang Guowei 王國維 (1877–1922) in the early twentieth century. Their interpretation of fen was based on a limited set of sources and reflected a still older view, found in the commentary to the Bencao jing, which observes, “Ancient balances only had zhu and liang [as units of measurement] and did not have the appellation of fen” 古秤唯有銖两而無分名. This interpretation has been challenged by Qiu Guangming 丘光明, Qiu Long 邱隆, Yang Ping 楊平, and Lu Jiaxi 盧嘉錫, who show through their examination of received texts that fen was, in fact, a measurement of weight by the third century c.e.Footnote 39
The view of fen promoted by Akahori, Yamada, and Zhang Yanchang is untenable; not only is it inconsistent with the principles of parallelism and consistency but it does not mesh with other examples of fen’s usage in the corpus. For example, consider the following excerpt from Wuwei:
治邚人膏藥方：[樓]三升，當歸十分，白茝四分，付子丗枚，甘草七分，弓大
十分，菒草二束 88A
Here, fen appears alongside other units of measurement (sheng for volume, mei for the number of pieces, and shu for bundles), thereby making it unlikely that fen meant “equal proportions.” What is more, other Han-dynasty texts from the Northwest use fen and liang in the same formula, which further suggests that fen must be a unit of measurement. The Maquanwan 馬圈灣 site, also from the Northwest, for example, contains the following formula:
良□治□善者一两，李石十分，人参十分取善者。
Efficacious … [1 illegible character] treat … one liang [13.8 g] of good quality [1 illegible character], 10 fen of lishi [i.e., an unknown substance], and 10 fen of high-quality ginseng [Panax ginseng].Footnote 40
Here, the presence of liang and fen within the same formula reveals that they must have an equivalent function in the text. Since liang is certainly a unit of measurement, this strongly implies the same for fen.
Our readings of such related terms as xian bufan 先餔飯 (strip 8 and tablet 81), xian bushi 先餔食 (strip 76), and houfan 後飯 (tablet 84) depart from those of previous scholars, particularly Yamada Keiji and Zhang Yanchang. These terms, particularly houfan, have been subject to different interpretations by commentators such as Wang Bing 王冰 and Yang Shangshan 楊上善 since the Tang dynasty (618–907 c.e.).
Akahori and Yamada, for example, interpret xian bufan 先餔飯 as 先に飯を餔 or “first eat food” [before taking medicine].Footnote 41 In this regard, their interpretation is at odds with Harper's understanding of the phrase as it appears in the Wushier bingfang.Footnote 42 Their reasoning has to do with a passage from the Warring States corpus, where the adverb xian 先 precedes a verb, as in the following passage from the Han Feizi 韓非子:
仲尼先飯黍而後啗桃。
Confucius first ate broomcorn millet and afterwards ate peaches.Footnote 43
Here, Akahori and Yamada infer that xian should be interpreted in a similar fashion in the Wuwei manuscripts; this is based on their assumption that bufan 餔飯 represents a verb-object construction and that xian means “first” when it precedes a verb. They furthermore read xian bushi 先餔食 (strip 76 and tablet 82A) as equivalent to xian bufan. Somewhat puzzlingly, Akahori and Yamada also interpret houfan 後飯 to mean “before eating,” even though hou is the antonym of xian. This interpretation owes much to Wang Bing's commentary on the Suwen 素問, where Wang argued that houfan means “before eating.”Footnote 44 (Here, Wang Bing's view directly contradicts that of Yang Shangshan.)
Yet the reading of xian bufan and houfan proposed by Akahori and Yamada is not the best one. Bushi means supper in contemporary works. The chapter on rites and music in the Baihu tong 白虎通 (compiled first century c.e.), for example, describes bushi as the “meal taken at the start of the shaoyin 少陰 period.”Footnote 45 The Baihu tong furthermore contrasts bushi with the meals consumed at different times of the day: for example, at the start of the shaoyang 少陽, taiyang 太陽, and taiyin 太陰 periods. Indeed, we find a related usage of the term bu in tablet 83: “Swallow seven pellets at dawn. At suppertime swallow nine pellets. At dusk, swallow 11 pellets” (旦吞七丸，餔吞九丸，莫吞十一丸). Furthermore, in other classical works, xian can be understood as “prior to” (xian yu 先於), as in the following passage from the Zuozhuan 左傳: “Prior to the battle, [Ziyu 子玉] dreamt of a river spirit telling him, ‘Give me. Bestow upon me the banks of Mei.’” (先战，梦河神谓己曰： 畀余，余赐女孟诸之糜 (湄)).Footnote 46
Because of the aforementioned principle of consistency, our reading of xian bushi has ramifications for how we interpret xian bufan. Like Akahori and Yamada, we believe that xian bushi and xian bufan, because of their closeness in form and meaning, should be interpreted similarly (the Shuowen 說文 glosses fan as shi 食).Footnote 47 Since we are reading xian bushi as meaning “prior to supper,” it also makes sense to interpret xian bufan as “prior to supper.” Our reading, finally, receives support from Zhang Yanchang, who also treats bushi and bufan as equivalents, as referring to supper (a meal taken later in the day).Footnote 48
Our understanding of xian bufan, finally, has implications for our interpretation of houfan. Pace Akahori and Yamada, we assume that the collection of formulas maintained a minimal level of consistency. If xian is used consistently to mean “prior to,” this implies that its antonym hou 後 must refer to “after.”
First Category of Strips
Strips 1–2
Blank strips.Footnote 1
Strips 3–5
●治久欬上氣，喉中如百虫鳴狀，丗
Footnote
2
以上方：茈胡Footnote
3
、桔梗、蜀椒各二分，桂、烏 3
喙Footnote 4 、薑各一分。凡六物冶合和，丸以白密，大如婴桃。晝夜含三丸，消 4
咽其汁，甚良。5
A formula to treat those over thirty years of age who have a persistent cough, qi rising, and something in the throat that sounds like the crying of a hundred insects [wheezing?]:
Two fen Footnote 5 each of Hare's ear root [Bupleurum falcatum or Bupleurum scorzoneraefolium]; root of balloon flower [Platycodon grandiflorum]; and Szechuan pepper [Zanthoxylum simulans or Zanthoxylum bungeanum].
One fen each of cassia twigs [Cinnamomum cassia]; rhizome of Chinese or Szechuan aconite [Aconitum chinense or Aconitum carmichaelii]; and ginger root [Zingiber officinale].
Pulverize,Footnote 6 combine, and mix all six of these substances. With white honey, make into pellets the size of cherries. Hold three pellets in the mouth in a twenty-four hour period. Swallow the resulting juice little by little. Extremely efficacious.
Strips 6–7
治傷寒遂Footnote 7 風方：付子Footnote 8 三分，蜀椒三分，澤舃Footnote 9 五分，烏喙三分，細辛五分，𦬸 五分。凡五物皆冶 6
合，方寸匕酒飲，日三飲。7
A formula to treat Cold Damage Disorders and to expel wind:
Szechuan aconite root [Aconitum carmichaelii], 3 fen.
Szechuan pepper, 3 fen.
Water Plantain [Alisma plantago-aquatica], 5 fen.
Rhizome of Chinese or Szechuan aconite, 3 fen.
Chinese wild ginger [Asarum heterotropoides or Asarum sieboldii], 5 fen.
Shu [or Tsangshu or Zedoary; Atractylodes macrocephala, Atractylodes chinensis, A. japonica, A. lancea, Curcuma zedoaria], 5 fen.
Pulverize and combine these sixFootnote 10 substances. Take one square-inch spoonful (2.76 ml)Footnote 11 of the mixture and drink three times daily with wine.
Strips 8–10
治
Footnote
12
□□□言方：术、方風Footnote
13
、細辛、薑、桂、付子、蜀椒、桔梗，凡八物，各二兩，并冶合和，以方寸匕，先餔飯，米 8
麻飲藥耳。Footnote 14 ●治諸𤵸Footnote 15 : 石𤵸出石，血𤵸出血，膏𤵸出膏，汩𤵸出汩Footnote 16 ， 此五𤵸皆同樂Footnote 17 治之。𦬸、薑、9
瞿麦各六分，兔糸Footnote 18 實、滑石各七分，桂半分，凡六物皆冶合，以方寸匕酒飲，日六七。病立𠏚，石即出。10
A formula to treat an ailment, causing one to honk like … [3 illegible characters and one untranslatable character] … geese (?):
Two liang [27.6 g] each of these eight substances: Shu [Tsangshu or Zedoary]; Fangfeng [Ledebouriella seseloides or Saposhnikovia divaricata]; Chinese wild ginger; ginger; Cassia twigs; Szechuan aconite root; Szechuan pepper; balloon flower.
Pulverize, combine, and mix all of these ingredients. Before supper, drink a square-inch spoonful [2.76 ml] of the medicine with millet porridge.
Formula for treating the various forms of retention: for stone retention, it expels stones; for blood retention, it expels blood, for grease retention, it expels grease, and for gan retention, it expels gan. All of these fiveFootnote 19 forms of retention are treated with the same medicine:
Six fen each of Shu [or Tsangshu or Zedoary]; ginger; and Pink [Dianthus superbus or D. chinensis].
Seven fen each of the seeds of Dodder [Cuscuta japonica or C. chinensis] and Talc (soapstone).
One-half fen of Cassia twigs.
Pulverize and combine all six of these substances. With alcohol, take a square-inch spoonful [2.76 ml] six or seven times a day. The illness will immediately be cured, and the stones will come out right away.
Strips 11–12
□□瘀方：乾當歸二分，弓窮Footnote 20 二分，牡丹二分，漏廬Footnote 21 二分，桂二分，蜀椒一分，䖟Footnote 22 一分，凡 11 Footnote 23
〼Footnote 24 □□皆冶合，以淳酒Footnote 25 和，飲一方寸匕，日三飲。倍恿Footnote 26 者臥藥[中]Footnote 27 ，當出血Footnote 28 。久瘀Footnote 29 。12
[2 illegible characters] A formula for stasis:
Dried Chinese angelica [Angelica sinensis], 2 fen.
Szechuan lovage [Ligusticum wallichii], 2 fen.
Tree Peony or Moutan [Paeonia suffruticosa], 2 fen.
Rhaponticum [Rhaponticum uniflorum], 2 fen.
Cassia twigs, 2 fen.
Szechuan pepper, 1 fen.
Gadfly (?), 1 fen.
[Indeterminate number of missing characters and 2 illegible characters]. Pulverize and combine all of these ingredients. Drink one square-inch spoonful (2.76 ml) mixed with a fine strongly-flavored alcohol, three times a day. For those with back pain (?), sleep in the medicinal remedy and [the static] blood will come out. In cases of long-term stasis …Footnote 30
Strip 13
治金創Footnote 31 止恿，令創中溫方：曾青Footnote 32 一分，長石Footnote 33 二分，凡二物皆冶合和，溫酒飲一刀，日三，創立不恿。 13
A formula to treat a metal wound, to stop the pain, or to warm the area inside the wound:
Malachite or Laminar, 1 fen.
Sulfate mineral anhydrite, 2 fen.
Pulverize, combine, and mix both of these substances. With warm alcohol, drink one knifefulFootnote 34 [0.276 ml] three times a day. The wound will immediately cease to hurt.
Strips 14–15
皆冶合和，以方寸匕酒飲，不過Footnote 35 ，再飲。血立出，不不Footnote 36 即大便血。良，禁。·治金創腸出方：冶龍骨 14
三指[撮]Footnote
37
，和以鼓Footnote
38
汁，飲之□□禁Footnote
39
□□□□·治金創內
Footnote
40
，創養Footnote
41
不恿，腹張方：黃芩 15
Pulverize, combine, and mix all together. Take one square-inch spoonful and drink with alcohol. If there is no improvement (?), drink another portion and the blood should immediately come out. If it does not, there will be passing of blood in the stool. Efficacious. Proscribed.
A formula for treating metal wounds in which the intestines have spilled out: Pulverize fossil bones, taking a three-finger pinch, mixing it with fermented bean juice and drink [2 illegible characters]… proscribed… [4 illegible characters].
A formula to treat a metal wound with a small internal swelling and for instances where the wound is itchy, does not hurt, and causes abdominal distension:
Baical skullcap [Scutellaria baicalensis] …
Strip 16
治目恿方：以春三月上旬治藥。曾青四兩，𢦛Footnote 42 鹽三兩，皆冶合，以乳汁和，盛以銅器，以傅Footnote 43 目，良。16
A formula to treat eyes in pain: In the first ten-day period of the three months of spring, make a medicine: four liang [55.2 g] of Malachite or Laminar, and three liang [41.4 g] of Turkestan Salt. Pulverize and combine all of these, mixing together with milk and filling a bronze utensil with it. Use this to apply to the eyes. Efficacious.
Strips 17–18
治百病膏藥方：蜀椒一升，付子廿果Footnote 44 ，皆父Footnote 45 。豬肪三斤，煎之五沸，浚去宰Footnote 46 。有病者取17 Footnote 47
大如羊矢Footnote 48 ，溫酒飲之，日三四。與Footnote 49 宰搗之，丸大如赤豆。心寒氣，脅下恿，吞五丸，日三吞。18
A formula for medicinal paste that treats the many illnesses:
Szechuan pepper, 1 sheng [200 ml].
Szechuan aconite root, 20 heads (ke)
Mince all of these. Fry with three jin [660 g] of pig fat. Boil it five times and strain the liquids to get rid of the sediment. The ill should take a portion as big as a sheep's dung. With warm alcohol, drink it three to four times a day. The sediment should be beaten and made into a pellet as big as a red bean. In cases where the heart ails from cold qi and there is pain on the sides of the chest, swallow five pellets three times a day.
Strips 19–25
懣𠏚，出箴Footnote 50 。●寒氣在胃莞，腹懣〼Footnote 51 ，𤱊 Footnote 52 [箴]Footnote 53 ，病者呼四五十乃Footnote 54 出箴。次刾Footnote 55 19
膝下五寸Footnote 56 分間榮Footnote 57 ，深三分，留箴如炊一升米頃，出箴，名曰三里。次刾項從上下十一椎Footnote 58 侠椎兩Footnote 59 ，刾榮 20
深四分，留箴百廿息，乃出箴，名曰肺輸。刾後三日病𠏚平復。·黃帝治病神魂忌：人生一歲毋𤆐心，21
十日而死；人生二
Footnote
60
毋𤆐腹，五日而死；人生三
毋𤆐背，廿日死；人生四
Footnote
61
毋𤆐頭，三日而死；人生五 22
毋久足，六日而死；人生六
毋𤆐手，二日死；人生七日毋𤆐脛，丗日而死；人生八
毋𤆐肩，九日而死；人 23
Footnote
62
者與五箴同，六十至七十者與六
同，七十至八十者與七
同，八十至九十者與八
同，九十至 24
百
者與九
同，年已過百
者不可𤆐刾。氣脈壹絕，𤆐刾者隨
Footnote
63
𤆐死矣。獨Footnote
64
25
When the fullness is cured, remove the needle.
If cold qi resides in the gastral cavity and the abdomen is full [indeterminate number of missing characters], leave the needle … the ill should exhale forty to fifty times before removing the needle. Next, needle the rong five cun [2.375 cm] below the knees to the depth of three fen [0.713 cm], leaving the needle long enough to cook about one sheng [200 ml]Footnote 65 of rice before removing it. The name of this acupoint is “three li.” Next, needle the area that reaches from the neck base [xiangshang] down to the eleventh vertebrae: [there], needle the rong that press both sides of the vertebrae to the depth of four fen [.95 cm], leaving the needle long enough for [the ill] to breathe one hundred twenty times before removing it. The name of this [acupoint] is called “Feishu” (lung transporter). Three days after the needling, the afflicted will be cured and will return to normal.
According to the Taboos of the Yellow Emperor for Treating Ills and [Protecting] the Spirit and Hun [Soul] (?): When a person is a year old, the heart system is not to be cauterized; otherwise, he or she will die within 10 days. When a person is two years of age, the abdomen is not to be cauterized; otherwise, he or she will die in 5 days. When a person is three years of age, the back is not to be cauterized; otherwise, he or she will die in 20 days. When a person is four years of age, do not cauterize the head; otherwise, he or she will die within 3 days. When a person is five years of age, do not cauterize the feet; otherwise, he or she will die within 6 days. When a person is six years of age, do not cauterize the hands, otherwise he or she will die within 2 days. When a person is seven years of age,Footnote 66 do not cauterize him or her in the shins; otherwise, he or she will die in 30 days. When a person is eight years of age, do not cauterize the shoulders; otherwise, he or she will die in 9 days. Now, a person … [missing strip] …
… is like someone of five years of age. A person between sixty and seventy is like someone six years of age. A person between seventy and eighty is like someone who is seven years of age. A person between eighty and ninety is like someone eight years of age. A person between ninety and one hundred is like someone nine years of age. A person over one hundred years of age cannot receive cauterizing or needling, because the qi vessels have been entirely cut off. Those who have been cauterized or needled will die soon after the needling or cauterizing. Only …Footnote 67
Strip 26
〼身不創者，名曰□□□□，扁雍種，上下左右轉□ 26 Footnote 68
[Indeterminate number of missing characters] … in cases where the ill does not have a skin wound. The name is [4 illegible characters] … swelling all over the body, and the upper and lower, as well as the right and left turn … [1 illegible character]
Strip 27
〼者，名曰泉Footnote 69 水也。先從〼氣逆，膝以下寒，氣脈不通，先 27 Footnote 70
[Indeterminate number of missing characters and one untranslatable character] it is referred to as “Spring Waters.” It first follows [indeterminate number of missing characters] … reversal of qi, causing cold below the knees and interruption in the qi vessels. First …
Strip 28
□□出〼飲食已驗〼 28 Footnote 71
[Contents too fragmentary to translate]
Strip 29
〼[石]Footnote 72 鐘乳三分，巴豆一分，二者Footnote 73 二分， 凡三物皆冶合，丸以蜜，大如吾實。宿毋食，旦吞三丸。29
[Indeterminate number of missing characters and one untranslatable character] …
Stalactite, 3 fen.
Croton [Croton tiglium], one fen.
Erzhe [i.e., an unknown substance], 2 fen.
Pulverize and combine all of these three substances. With honey, make into a pellet as big as the seed of a parasol tree. Do not eat at night. Swallow three pellets at dawn.
Strip 30
〼魚葷采Footnote 74 ，□□□□Footnote 75 ，勿見風□，常
飯五□大麥飯，禁房內，勿見火、皇、日、月，六十日知Footnote 76 ，百日已。30 Footnote 77
[Indeterminate number of missing characters] … Fish and pungent vegetables … [4 illegible characters]. Do not be exposed to wind … [1 illegible character] … One can regularly eat five [1 illegible character] … a meal of barley, but sexual relations are interdicted. Do not be exposed to fire, stars, sun, or moon. In sixty days, you will improve, and in one hundred days, the illness will end.
Strip 31
〼兩手不到頭，不得臥方：大黃、勺樂Footnote 78 、薑、桂、桔梗、蜀 31
[Indeterminate number of missing characters] … A formula for cases where the two hands cannot reach the head and one is unable to sleep:
Rhubarb [Rheum spp.]; Peony [Paeonia lactiflora]; ginger; cassia twigs; root of balloon flower; and Szechuan …
Strip 32
〼飲水，常作赤豆麻洙Footnote 79 服之，丗日止。禁豬月Footnote 80 、魚、葷采。32
[Indeterminate number of missing characters] … drink water and regularly prepare a porridge of adzuki beans, taking it for 30 days before stopping. One is interdicted from eating pork, fish, and pungent vegetables.
Strip 33
〼日病愈。禁酒、葷采、魚、亲Footnote 81 。33
[Indeterminate number of missing characters] days. The illness will be cured. One is interdicted from alcohol, pungent vegetables, fish, and spicy foodstuffs.
Strip 34
〼鬲Footnote 82 上當歐Footnote 83 ，在鬲下當下泄。良。禁，勿忘Footnote 84 傳也。34
[Indeterminate number of missing characters] … [in cases where the illness resides] above the diaphragm, it is fitting to purge through vomiting. [In cases where the illness resides] below the diaphragm, it is fitting to purge by [inducing] diarrhea. Efficacious. Proscribed. Do not wantonly transmit this formula.
Strip 35
〼七。當大下，水盡，飲大麥粥□□□Footnote 85 35
[Indeterminate number of missing characters] … seven. There will then be diarrhea. Once the diarrhea stops, drink a portion of barley porridge. [3 illegible characters.]
Strip 36
五分□[五]Footnote 86 〼物皆〼酒飲一方寸匕，日三飲。不過三飲，此藥禁。Footnote 87 36
5 fen [1 illegible character] five [indeterminate number of missing characters]
All of these substances … [indeterminate number of missing characters] with alcohol, drink one-square inch spoonful [2.76 ml] three times a day. Do not drink more than three times.Footnote 88 This medicine is interdicted.
Strip 37
胡四〼 37
[untranslatable]
Strip 38
〼藥畢餘炊之38
[Not enough context to provide a translation]
Strip 39
〼39
[untranslatable]
Strip 40
〼40
[untranslatable]
Strip 41
〼41
[untranslatable]
Second set of strips
Strips 42–43
●治魯氏青Footnote 89 行解Footnote 90 = （解）腹Footnote 91 方：麻黃丗分，大黃十五分，厚朴、石膏、苦參各六分，烏喙、付子各二分，凡七物42
皆□□□□□Footnote 92 方寸匕一飲之，良甚。皆𠏚。Footnote 93 傷寒逐風。Footnote 94 43
Mr. Lu’s green-powder formula to treat [illnesses] by producing sweat and emptying the abdomen:
Ma-Huang [Ephedra sinica or E. equisetina], 30 fen.
Rhubarb, 15 fen.
6 fen each of Bark of Magnolia [Magnolia officinalis]; Gypsum; and Shrubby Sophora [Sophora flavescens].
2 fen each of Rhizome of Chinese or Szechuan aconite; and Szechuan aconite root.
All seven of these substances. [5 illegible characters.] Drink one square-inch spoonful [2.76 ml]. Extremely efficacious. This will cure all cases [described above]. For Cold Damage and for expelling winds (?) …
Strips 44–45
▌ 治心腹大積，上下行如虫狀，大恿方：班𨱞 Footnote
95
95十枚，地
Footnote
96
96一枚，桂一寸，凡三物皆并44
冶合和，使病者宿毋食，旦飲藥一刀圭，以肥美Footnote
97
Footnote
98
，十日壹飲藥，如有徵Footnote
99
當出。從Footnote
100
45
A formula to treat a large accumulation in the heart and abdomen, which moves above and below in the shape of a worm and is very painful:
Cantharides, 10 pieces (mei).
Blue-black Beetle, 1 piece (mei).
Bark of cassia, 1 cun [2.375 cm].
Pulverize, mix, and combine all three of these substances. Make sure that the ill does not eat at night but drinks one knifeful [0.276 ml] of the medicine at dawn. In cases where the [afflicted] is corpulent … [2 unrecognizable characters.] Drink the medicine once every ten days. [Ailments] like concretion should be expelled.
From …
Strips 46–47
▌治伏梁裹膿在胃腸之外方：大黃=（黃）芩、勺藥各一兩，消石Footnote 101 二兩，桂一尺，46
桑卑肖Footnote 102 十四枚，䗪虫Footnote 103 三枚，凡七物皆父且，漬以淳酒五升，卒時Footnote 104 ，煮之三 47
A formula to treat cases of fuliang Footnote 105 with pus outside of the stomach and intestines:
One liang [13.8 g] each of Rhubarb; Baical skullcap; and Peony.
Epsom Salts, 2 liang [27.6 g].
Bark of cassia, 1 chi [23.75 cm].
Praying Mantis egg case on mulberry branch, 14 pieces (mei).
Wingless cockroach [Eupolyphaga], 3 pieces (mei).
Mince and then soak all seven of these substances in five sheng [1000 ml] of a fine strongly-flavored alcohol for one night and one day. Boil it three (?) …
Strips 48–49
去中令Footnote
106
病後不复發
方：𥥯Footnote
107
地長與人等，深七尺，橫五尺，用白羊Footnote
108
矢乾之。十餘石置其48
阬Footnote 109 中，從Footnote 110 火其上，羊矢盡索，橫木阬上Footnote 111 ，取其臥Footnote 112 ，人臥其阬上，熱氣盡乃止。其病者，慎勿得出見。49
A formula to get rid of internal [coldness], causing the illness not to return afterwards … [text uninterpretable because of two unknown characters]. Dig a hole in the ground as long as a person, seven chi [166.25 cm] in depth and 5 chi [118.75 cm] in width. Use the dung of a white sheep, drying it. Place over ten dan [264 kg]Footnote 113 of the dung inside the pit, applying fire to the top. Once the sheep's dung has been completely burned, lay a log horizontally on top of the pit to make a bed (?). Have the ill sleep on top of the pit. Stop when the hot qi is exhausted. The ill should be careful not to go out or be exposed …
Strips 50–51
❚ 治金創內漏，血不出方：藥用大黃𣍝Footnote 114 二分，曾青二分，消石 Footnote 115 二分，䗪虫三分，䖟 50
頭Footnote 116 二分，凡五物皆冶合和，以方寸匕一，酒飲。不過，再飲，血立出，不即從大便出。51
A formula to treat a metal wound with internal leakages where the blood does not come out. The medicine uses:
Big Minium, 2 fen.
Malachite or Laminar, 2 fen.
Epsom Salts, 2 fen.
Wingless cockroach, 3 fen.
Mengtou, 2 fen.
Pulverize, combine, and mix all five of these substances. With alcohol, drink one square-inch spoonful (2.76 ml). If insufficient, drink another dose. The blood will immediately come out; if not, it will come out in the stool.
Strips 52–53
治金創止慂Footnote 117 方：石膏一分，薑二分，甘草一分，桂一分，凡四物皆冶合和，以方寸寸Footnote 118 ，酢 52
漿Footnote 119 飲之，日再夜一，良甚，勿傳也。53
A formula to treat a metal wound and to stop the pain:
Gypsum, 1 fen.
Ginger, 2 fen.
Licorice [Glycyrrhiza uralensis], 1 fen.
Cassia twigs, 1 fen.
Pulverize, combine, and mix all four of these substances. With bitter alcohol, drink one square-inch spoonful (2.76 ml). Drink it twice during the day and once again at night. Extremely efficacious. Do not transmit this formula.
Strip 54
❚ 治金膓出方：冶龍骨三指撮，以鼓汁飲之，日再Footnote 120 ，三飲膓自為入，大良，勿傳也。54
A formula for treating metal [wounds] in which the intestines have spilled out:
Pulverize three-finger pinches of fossil bone and drink with fermented bean juice. Drink it twice during the day. After three drinks, the intestines will contract on their own. Very efficacious. Do not transmit.
Strips 55–56
❚ 治□□□□□□□Footnote 121 潰，醫不能治，禁方其不𠏚者Footnote 122 ：半夏、白斂Footnote 123 、勺藥、細辛、55
烏喙、赤石脂、貸赭Footnote
124
、赤豆初生未臥者、
矢Footnote
125
，凡九物，皆并冶合，其分各等，合和56
To treat [7 illegible graphs] festering … Cases that healers cannot treat. For those who cannot be cured by proscribed formulas:
Panhsia [Pinellia ternata]; Ampelopsis [Ampelopsis japonica]; Peony; Chinese wild ginger; rhizome of Chinese or Szechuan aconite; Halloysite; Hematite; small adzuki beans when they first sprout; and the excrement of silk worms.
Pulverize and combine all nine of these substances. The portions will be equal. Combine and mix …
Strips 57–67
治千金膏藥方：蜀椒四升、弓窮一升、白茝Footnote 126 一升、付子丗果，凡四物 57
皆冶、父且，置銅器中，用淳
Footnote
127
三升漬之，卒時。取
Footnote
128
豬肪三斤先前Footnote
129
58
之。先取雞子中黃者置梧Footnote 130 中，撓之三百，取藥成以五分匕一，置雞子中，复 59
撓之二百。薄Footnote 131 以塗Footnote 132 其雍者，上空者遺之中央，大如錢。Footnote 133 藥乾，復塗之如 60
前法，三塗，去其故藥。其毋農Footnote 134 者，行𠏚；已有農者，潰。毋得力作，禁食諸采。61
A formula for a medicinal paste worth a thousand coins:
Szechuan pepper, 4 sheng [800 ml].
Szechuan lovage, 1 sheng [200 ml].
Fragrant Angelica [Angelica anomala or A. dahurica], 1 sheng [200 ml].
Szechuan aconite root, 30 heads (ke).
Pulverize and mince all four of these substances and place inside of a bronze vessel. Use three sheng [600 ml] of pure, strong vinegar to soak the ingredients for one night and one day. Take three jin [660 g] of fat from a neutered pig, frying it first. Extracting the yolks of the chicken eggs, first place them in a cup and then stir the insides 300 times. Fill one-fifth of a spoonful of the medicine inside of the chicken eggs, stirring them 200 more times. Apply a thin layer of the medicine to the swelling. Leave a hole as big as a coin at the center [of the swelling]. When the medicine has dried, spread it again along the model of the previous layer. Spread three layers and remove the old medicine. Those without pus will immediately be cured, whereas those already with pus will experience festering. Those with swelling should not exert themselves by laboring. Eating all vegetables is proscribed.
Strip 62
□置□上。良甚。創恿
皆中之，良。勿傳也。62
[1 illegible character] place [1 illegible character] on the upper part. Extremely efficacious. For all cases in which there is pain or swelling in the wound, [the medicine] will be effective. Efficacious. Do not transmit.
Strips 63–67
逆氣，吞之；喉痺，吞之，摩之；心腹恿，吞之；嗌恿，吞之；血府Footnote 135 恿，吞之，摩之；咽 63 Footnote 136
乾，摩之；齒恿，塗之；昏衄Footnote
137
，塗之；鼻中生
Footnote
138
傷，塗之，亦可吞之。皆大如 64
酸棗，稍咽之，腸中有益為度，摩之，皆三，乾而止。此方禁。又中邚人乳餘Footnote 139 65
疾,吞之。氣龍Footnote 140 ，裹藥以縠Footnote 141 ，塞之耳，日壹易之。金創塗之，頭恿風塗 66
之，以三指摩□。□□□疝吞之，身生
氣塗之。此膏藥大良，勿得傳。67
Footnote
142
For qi reversal, swallow it [i.e., the medicine]. For throat paralysis, swallow it and rub it [into the affected area]. For heart or abdominal pain, swallow it. For throat pain, swallow it. For uterine pain, swallow it and then rub it [into the affected area]. For dry throat, rub it [into the area]. For tooth pain, spread a layer. For mienü [i.e., an affliction in which the nose bleeds and the eyes blacken], spread a layer. For wounds that cause the blood and qi inside of the nose to rot, spread a layer. It can also be swallowed in such cases. For all of these cases, the dose should be as large as a sour date. One can swallow it little by little. Use as much as needed to see improvement in the intestines. For all of these illnesses, rub it in three times, stopping after it has dried. These formulas are all proscribed. This formula is also effective for women suffering from engorgement. Swallow it. For qilong [i.e., deafness], wrap the medicine with a gauze and place it in the ear canal. Change the dressing once a day. For metal wounds, spread a layer of the medicine. For headaches from wind (?),Footnote 143 spread a layer using a three-finger pinch of the medicine to rub it in [4 illegible characters]. For hernias, swallow it. For cases where the body generates bad qi, spread it. The medicinal paste is very efficacious; do not transmit.
Strips 68–71
六日脛中當恿=（恿）至足下，傷膿出，逐服之，丗日知𠏚。六十日，須麋Footnote
144
生，音
雖㯕敗能復精。鼻柱Footnote
145
、68
鼻中當
Footnote
146
，血出Footnote
147
。若膿出，去死月，藥用代廬如Footnote
148
、巴豆各一分，并合和，以絮裹藥塞鼻，諸息月皆 69
出。不出，更飲調中藥=（藥）用亭磨Footnote 149 二分，甘遂二分，大黃一分，冶合和，以米汁，飲一刀圭，日三四飲，徵出乃止。即鼻不利，70
藥用利盧Footnote
150
一本Footnote
151
，亭磨二分，付子一分，早Footnote
152
莢一分，皆并父且，合和，以醇
漬，卒時。去宰，以汁灌其鼻中。71
… Six days, pain inside of the shins, which reaches up to the bottom of the feet and where pus comes out of the wound. Take [the medicine] for 30 days and you will be cured. If one takes the medicine for 60 days, the eyebrows and beard should then grow back, and even if the voice is still hoarse, it may be made clear again. The nose pillar and the inside of the nose will rot, and blood will come out. If pus emerges and you wish to expel the dead flesh, the medicine uses spurge [Euphorbia]Footnote 153 from Dai and Croton [Croton tiglium], one fen each. Combine and mix both of them. Using cotton, wrap the medicine to stop up the nose, and the piles in the nose will emerge. If they do not come out, drink a medicine that regulates the belly. The medicine uses:
Woods-whitlow grass [Draba nemorosa or Lepidium apetalum], 2 fen.
Kansui [Euphorbia kansui], 2 fen.
Rhubarb, 1 fen.
Pulverize, combine, and mix. With rice juice, drink one knifeful [0.276 ml] of the medicine three to four times a day. When a bit of the flesh comes out, stop taking the medicine.
If the nose is congested, then use for medicine:
False hellebore [Veratrum nigrum or V. maackii], 1 stalk.
Woods-whitlow grass, 2 fen.
Szechuan aconite root, 1 fen.
Zaojia [Gleditsia sinensis], 1 fen.
Mince, combine, and mix all of these substances. Soak the substances for one night and one day in pure vinegar and then remove the sediment. Use the medicinal juice to irrigate the inside of the nose.
Strip 72
〼徵Footnote 154 當下，從大便出。72
[Indeterminate number of missing characters] … The concretion will descend. Afterwards, it will emerge from a bowel movement.
Strip 73
〼[病]Footnote 155 □老瘦者，以人事咸Footnote 156 之。此藥亦中治毒養，如 73
[The strip is too fragmentary for us to interpret]
Strip 74
〼飲食，數[驗]Footnote 157 ，禁，不傳也。74
[Indeterminate number of missing characters] … Eat and drink. Repeatedly tested. Proscribed; do not transmit.
Strip 75
〼二升□□，復置水一升其中，為東鄉Footnote 158 造Footnote 159 ，炊以葦薪Footnote 160 若桑 75
[Indeterminate number of missing characters] … two sheng [400 ml] [2 illegible characters], then placing one sheng [200 ml] of water inside. Place the medicine in a stove facing east, cooking it together with reed or mulberry.
Strip 76
〼相得，丸之，大如吾Footnote 161 實，先餔食吞二丸，日再服，藥一。76
… [Indeterminate number of missing characters] … mutually attained (?). Make it into a pellet as big as the seed of a parasol tree. Before supper, swallow two pellets. During that day, take the medicine again. This time, take one.
Strip 77
〼□□梵Footnote 162 四兩，消石二兩，人參、方風、細辛各一兩，肥棗五。77
[Indeterminate number of missing characters and 2 illegible characters] …
Alums, 4 liang [55.2 g].
Epsom Salts, 2 liang [27.6 g].
One liang [13.8 g] each of ginseng [Panax ginseng]; Fangfeng; and Chinese wild ginger.
Chinese gymnocladus [Gymnocladus chinensis], five …
Strip 78
▌ 右治百病方。78
… To the right, formulas to treat the many ailments:
Tablets
Tablets 79A–B
治久欬上氣，喉中如百蟲鳴狀，丗歲以上方：茈胡、枯Footnote 163 梗、蜀椒各二分，桂、烏喙、薑各一分，凡六物 79A
皆冶合和，丸白蜜，大如嬰桃。晝夜含三丸，稍咽之，甚良。79B
A formula to treat those over thirty years of age who have a persistent cough, qi rising, and something in the throat that sounds like [the crying of a] hundred insects [wheezing?]:
Two fen each of Hare's ear root; root of balloon flower; and Szechuan pepper.
One fen each of cassia twigs; rhizome of Chinese or Szechuan aconite; and ginger.
Pulverize, combine, and mix all of these six substances. With white honey, make them into pellets the size of cherries. Hold three pellets in the mouth over a twenty-four-hour period. Swallow the resulting juice little by little. Extremely efficacious.Footnote 164
Tablets 80A–80B
❚ 治久欬逆上氣湯方：茈菀Footnote 165 七束，門冬Footnote 166 一升，款東Footnote 167 一升，橐吾Footnote 168 一升，石
膏半升，白□一□Footnote 169 ，桂一尺，密半升，棗丗枚，半夏十枚，凡十物皆父且。80A
半夏毋父且，洎水斗六升，炊令六沸，浚去宰，溫飲一小桮，日三飲，即藥
宿，當更沸之。不過三四日逾Footnote 170 。80B
A formula for a decoction to treat a persistent cough, as well as qi reversal and counterflow:
Aster [Aster tataricus], 7 bundles.
Lily-turf [Ophiopogon japonicus or Liriope spicata or L. gramifolia] [or perhaps Chinese asparagus (Asparagus lucidus or asparagus cochinchinensis)?], 1 sheng [200 ml].
Tussilago [Tussilago farfara], 1 sheng [200 ml].
Coltsfoot,Footnote 171 1 sheng [200 ml].
Gypsum, half sheng [100 ml].
White [1 illegible character], 1 [1 illegible character].
Cassia twigs, 1 chi [23.75 cm].
Honey, ½ sheng [100 ml].
Jujube [Zizyphus jujuba], 30 pieces (mei).
Panhsia,Footnote 172 10 pieces (mei).
Mince all ten of these substances.
Do not mince the Panhsia. Pour one dou [2,000 ml] and six sheng [1,200 ml] of water into a pot, bringing it to a boil six times. Drain and get rid of the sediment. Drink a small cup warm three times a day. If the medicine is used after the night, it should be boiled again. The illness will be cured in three to four days.
Tablet 81
治痹手足雍種方：秦瘳Footnote 173 五分，付子一分。●凡二物冶合和。半方寸匕一，先餔飯Footnote 174 酒飲，日三。以𠏚為度。81
A formula for treating paralysis and swelling in the hand or foot:
Large-leaved gentian [Gentiana macrophylla or G. dahurica], 5 fen.
Szechuan aconite root, 1 fen.
Pulverize, combine, and mix both of these substances. Before supper, drink one-half of a square-inch spoonful with alcohol three times a day, using recovery as the measure of when the medicine [is to be stopped.]
Tablets 82A–B
❙ 治久泄腸辟Footnote 175 臥血Footnote 176 □外裹帶風Footnote 177 □□□醫不能治，皆射Footnote 178 去方：黃連四分，黃芩、石脂、龍骨、人參、薑、桂各一分，凡七物皆并冶合。丸以蜜，大如彈丸，先餔82A
食，以食大湯Footnote 179 飲一丸。不知□□□□，腸中□Footnote 180 加甘草二分；多血，加桂二分；多農，加石脂二分。□一□□□□□；多□，加黃芩一分。禁鮮魚、豬月。方禁，良。82B
A formula to treat chronic diarrhea, leaking abdomen where there is blood [and pus] letting in the stool (?) [4 illegible characters and 4 more untranslatable characters] … cases of illnesses that healers cannot treat and all refuse to see:
Four fen of Golden Thread [Coptis chinensis].
1 fen each of Baical skullcap; Halloysite, fossil bones, ginseng, ginger root, and cassia twigs.
Pulverize and combine all seven of these substances, making pellets as large as crossbow pellets with honey. Before supper, drink one pellet of medicine with congee.
If there is no improvement [4 illegible characters].
If there is [1 illegible character] in the abdomen, add 2 fen of licorice.
If there is a lot of blood, add 2 fen of cassia twigs.
If there is a lot of pus, then add 2 fen of Halloysite … [7 illegible characters and 2 untranslatable characters] … add one fen of Baical skullcap.
One is prohibited from eating fresh fish or pork. Proscribed formula; efficacious.
Tablets 83A–83B
樊Footnote 181 石二分半Footnote 182 ，牡麹Footnote 183 三分，禹餘量Footnote 184 四分，黃芩七分，糵米Footnote 185 三分，
❚ 厚朴三分，凡六物皆冶合和，丸以白蜜，丸大如吾實。旦吞七丸，餔Footnote 186 吞九丸，83A
莫Footnote 187 吞十一丸。服藥十日知，小便數多，廿日𠏚。公孫君方。83B
2½ fen of Kalinite.
3 fen of Mu yeast (?)
4 fen of Limonitum (Clay Ironstone).
7 fen of Baical skullcap.
3 fen of Rice sprout [Oryza sativa].
3 fen of Magnolia Bark.
Pulverize, combine, and mix together all six of these substances. Make into pellets with white honey. The pellets should be as large as a parasol seed. Swallow seven pellets at dawn. At suppertime, swallow nine pellets. At dusk, swallow 11 pellets. After taking the medicine for ten days, the ill should improve. The urine should be profuse. In twenty days, he or she should be cured. A formula of Master Gongsun.
Tablets 84A–B
白水矦所奏治男子有七疾方：何謂七疾？一曰陰寒，二曰陰痿，三曰苦衰，四曰精失，五曰精少，六曰橐Footnote 188 下養濕，〼不卒，名曰七疾。令人陰□小，橐下養濕，□之Footnote 189 ，黃汁出。〼遠Footnote 190 行，小便時難。溺□赤黃汩白，□便赤膿，餘酒〼苦恿。Footnote 191 膝脛寒，手足熱且煩，臥不安牀Footnote 192 ，涓目泣出〼下常恿，溫=（溫）下溜Footnote 193 ，旁Footnote 194 急Footnote 195 ，84A
時Footnote 196 蘇□□□□□陰〼有病如此，名為少𩞃Footnote 197 。何巳□□□尚□〼伏下〼焉Footnote 198 ，巳汻□孫□內𩞃，除Footnote 199 〼其坐則應中〼，人不Footnote 200 見□□□驚□□酒大樂，久坐不起，□便不〼，有病如此，終古毋子。治之方：活樓Footnote 201 根十分，天雄五分，牛膝四分，續斷四分，□□五分，菖蒲二分，凡六物皆并冶合和，以方寸匕一，為後飯Footnote 202 ，𠏚。久病者，丗日平復，百日毋疾苦。建威耿將軍方，良，禁，千金不傳也。84B
A formula to treat the seven afflictions of men submitted by the Lord of White Waters. What is meant by the seven afflictions? The first is called coldness in the privates; the second is called impotence; the third is called “bitter decline” [i.e., exact meaning unclear]; the fourth is called the loss of essence. The fifth is called small amounts of essence. The sixth is called itchiness and moistness at the base of the scrotum. [Indeterminate number of missing characters] … no conclusion [i.e., in ejaculating?]. These are called the seven afflictions. This condition causes the privates [illegible character] small … the base of the scrotum to be itchy and moist … [1 illegible character and 1 untranslatable character], a yellow juice comes out … [Indeterminate number of missing characters and 2 untranslatable characters] … Sometimes, there is difficulty in urinating. Urine … [illegible character] red and yellow milky white. When [illegible character] red pus … [Indeterminate number of missing characters and 4 untranslatable characters] … The knees and shins are cold, and the feet and hands are hot and irritated. One does not get rest from sleep. The eyes are watery with tears coming out … [Indeterminate number of missing characters] … there will constantly be pain below. Slowly, water will flow, but the bladder will [leak] frequently.
At times, there will be relief … [5 illegible characters, one untranslatable character, and indeterminate number of missing characters] … In cases of illness like these, the name is “small damage.” [Many untranslatable and illegible characters, as well as an indeterminate number of missing characters.] … taking great pleasure in alcohol. Sitting for periods of time without rising … [1 illegible character, 2 untranslatable characters, and indeterminate number of missing characters] … in cases of illness like this, the person is ultimately childless. A formula to treat [these conditions]:
Roots of Trichosanthes [Trichosanthes kirilowii], 10 fen.
Chinese or Szechuan aconite [Aconite chinense or A. carmichaelii], 5 fen.
Achyranthes, 4 fen.
Japanese teasel [Dipsacus japonicus], 4 fen.
[2 illegible characters], 5 fen.
Sweetflag or Calamus [Acorus calamus], 2 fen.
Pulverize, combine, and mix all six of these substances, taking them in a square-inch spoon after food. The medicine will cure even those who have been long ill. In thirty days, they will recover; in one hundred days, they will be without suffering. A formula of General Geng of Jianwei. Efficacious. Proscribed. Do not transmit even for 1,000 coins.
Tablets 85A–85B
〼分，人镸Footnote 203 一分，□Footnote 204 之，□焦一□，□二分，□一分，凡八□Footnote 205 冶合，□，以溫酒飲方寸匕一，日三飲之。呂功君方。有農者，自為久Footnote 206 □□□□□□□□出；有血，不得為農。·治東海、白水矦所奏方，治男子有七疾及七傷。何謂七傷？一曰陰寒；二曰陰痿；三曰陰衰；四曰橐下 85A
濕而養，黃汁出，辛恿；五曰小便有餘；六曰莖中恿，如林狀Footnote 207 ；七曰精自出，空居獨怒，臨事不起=（起）死玉門中Footnote 208 ，意常欲得婦人。日甚者，更而莒Footnote 209 輕重，時腹中恿，下弱旁光，此病名曰[內傷] 。□□Footnote 210 桔梗十分，牛膝、續[斷]、[方]Footnote 211 風、遠志、杜仲、赤石脂、山茱臾Footnote 212 、柏實各四分，月從容Footnote 213 、天雄、署與Footnote 214 、虵Footnote 215 〼。□□Footnote 216 五物皆并冶□Footnote 217 ，〼 85B
[Indeterminate number of missing characters …] One fen of human hair … [5 illegible characters interspersed with 7 untranslatable characters] … Pulverize and combine all eight [2 illegible characters], drinking a square inch-spoonful [2.76 ml] with warm alcohol. Drink three times a day. A formula of Master Lü Gong. In cases where there is pus, one can apply acupuncture to oneself … [8 illegible characters] … comes out and there is blood, which will not become pus (?).
A formula to treat [illnesses] submitted by the lords of Donghai and White Waters (?):Footnote 218 In treating male ailments, there are seven afflictions and seven injuries. What are the seven injuries? The first refers to the privates being cold; the second is impotence; the third refers to decline in the privates; the fourth to moistness and itchiness at the base of the scrotum with yellow juice coming out with extreme pain. The fifth refers to excessive urination; the sixth refers to pain in the penis like lin [i.e., an ailment causing the urine to be yellow-red in color]. The seventh refers to spontaneous ejaculation and the ill living in isolation but nevertheless getting excited. With respect to matters [of the bedroom], there is no erection. During an erection, there is “death” [i.e., lost or premature erection] within the “gates of life” [i.e., the vagina]. Thoughts are constantly directed at obtaining women, which increase by day [5 untranslatable characters] … Sometimes, there is pain in the abdomen; below there is urine leaking from the bladder. This illness is called “internal injury.” [2 illegible characters …]
Balloon flower, 10 fen.
4 fen each of Achyranthes; Japanese teasel; Fangfeng; Chinese senega [Polygala sibirica or P. tenuifolia]; Eucommia [Eucommia ulmoides]; Halloysite; Asiatic cornelian cherry [Cornus officinalis]; and Arbor-vitae [Thuja orientalis or Biota orientalis].
As for Mongolian Broomrape [Cistanche salsa or C. desertica]; Chinese or Szechuan aconite; yam [Dioscorea opposita];Footnote 219 Cnidium [Cnidium monnieri] … [Indeterminate number of missing characters and 2 illegible characters] … all five of the substances, pulverize [1 illegible character and an indeterminate number of missing characters] …
Tablets 86A–86B
〼□□Footnote
220
大風Footnote
221
方：雄黃、丹沙、礜石、〼茲石、玄石Footnote
222
、消石〼長〼一兩，人參〼 [搗]Footnote
223
之各異
Footnote
224
〼三重盛藥□□三石□□[下]Footnote
225
三日86A
〼熱〼上□□十□□〼飯藥以〼豬月、魚、辛，丗日知，六十日𠏚。〼皆蕗Footnote 226 ，隨皆復生。〼雖折Footnote 227 ，能復起，不仁皆仁。86B
Indeterminate number of missing characters and 2 illegible characters].
A formula for leprosy.
Realgar or Red arsenic sulphide; Cinnabar; Arsenolite;Footnote 228 [indeterminate number of missing characters]; Cishi (?); Xuanshi, Epsom Salts; [indeterminate number of missing characters] … long … [indeterminate number of missing characters], one liang [13.8 g]. Ginseng … [indeterminate number of missing characters] … beat each of these separately … [an indeterminate number of missing characters, many illegible characters, as well as many untranslatable characters on 86A and 86B] …
pork, fish, and spicy [vegetables]. In 30 days, they will improve; in 60 days his or her condition will be cured. [Indeterminate number of missing characters];
Although the [hair] has fallen out, it will grow back again … [Indeterminate number of missing characters] … Although a person has broken [a limb], he or she will be able to recover, and although the person is numb, he or she will be able to feel again.
Tablets 87A–87B
治加Footnote
229
及久創Footnote
230
及馬
方：取陳Footnote
231
駱蘇Footnote
232
一升，付子廿枚，蜀椒一升，乾當歸二兩，皆父且之。以駱蘇煎之，三沸，藥取以傅之，良甚。治人卒Footnote
233
雍方：冶赤石脂，以寒水和，87A
塗雍上，以𠏚為故，良。•治狗齧人創恿方：煩Footnote 234 狼毒，冶以傅之。創乾者，和以膏傅之。治漡 Footnote 235 火湅Footnote 236 方：煩□羅，冶以傅之，良甚。87B
A formula to treat scabs, long-term external wounds, and saddle sores (?):
Take aged camel butter (?), one sheng [200 ml].
Szechuan aconite root, 20 pieces (mei).
Szechuan pepper, 1 sheng [200 ml].
Dried Chinese angelica, 2 liang [27.6 g].
Mince all of these.
Use the camel butter to fry the substances. Bring the mixture to boil three times. Take the medicine out and apply it. Extremely efficacious.
A formula to treat a person with violent abscesses that erupt suddenly. Pulverize Halloysite with cold water to mix. Spread on the abscess until cured. Efficacious. A formula to treat a dog-bite wound that is painful: roast Chinese Wolfsbane [Euphorbia fischeriana], pulverizing and applying it to the wound. If the wound is dry, mix [the medicine] with paste to apply it.Footnote 237 A formula to treat burns from hot water, fire, and metal: roast [1 illegible character and 1 untranslatable character]. Pulverize and apply it. Extremely efficacious.
Tablets 88A–88B
治邚人膏藥方：[樓]Footnote
238
三升，當歸十分，白茝四分，付子丗枚，甘草七分，弓大
Footnote
239
十分，菒草Footnote
240
二束，凡七物以朌膊Footnote
241
高Footnote
242
，舍之。88A
治邚人高藥方：[樓]Footnote
243
三升，甘草七分，付子丗枚，菒草二束，弓大
十枚，白茝四分，當歸十分，凡七物以朌膊高之。之之□，凡六物合後曰88B
A formula for a medicinal paste to treat women:
[Unknown quantity], 3 sheng [600 ml].
Chinese Angelica, 10 fen.
Fragrant Angelica, 4 fen.
Szechuan aconite root, 30 pieces (mei).
Licorice, 7 fen.
[3 untranslatable characters, including 1 non-standard graph], 10 fen.
Chinese lovage [Ligusticum sinense or L. jeholense], 2 bundles.
All seven of these substances should be paired with pig fat to make a paste. Place it.
A formula for a medicinal paste to treat women:
[Unknown quantity], 3 sheng [600 ml].
Licorice, 7 fen.
Szechuan aconite root, 30 pieces (mei).
Chinese lovage, 2 bundles.
[3 untranslatable characters, including one non-standard graph], 10 pieces (mei).
Fragrant Angelica, 4 fen.
Chinese Angelica, 10 fen.
All seven of these substances should be paired with pig fat to make a paste. [8 untranslatable characters and 1 illegible character]Footnote 244
Tablets 89A–89B
百病膏藥方：蜀椒四升，白茝一升，弓窮一升，付子丗果，凡四物父且，漬以淳
三升，漬□□□三斤，先□□□□ 89A
枚，煎藥□□□□□□浚去宰 89B
A formula for medicinal paste for the many illnesses:
Szechuan pepper, 4 sheng [800 ml].
Fragrant Angelica, 1 sheng [200 ml].
Szechuan lovage, 1 sheng [200 ml].
Szechuan aconite root, 30 heads (ke).
Mince and soak all four of these substances with 3 sheng [600 ml] of pure, strong vinegar; strain [3 illegible characters] … 3 jin [660 g]; first (?) [4 illegible characters] … pieces (mei); decoct the medicine [6 illegible characters], straining and getting rid of the sediment …
Tablets 90A–90B
五辰、辛不可始久刾，飲藥必死。甲寅、乙卯不可久刾，不出旬，死。五辰不可飲藥，病者日益加□Footnote 245 90A
無□禁。朔、晦日、甲午，皆不可始久□□□□人月Footnote 246 六日、十六日、十八日、廿二日，皆不可久可久Footnote 247 刾見血，止Footnote 248 己□90B
On the five chen and xin days, one cannot begin to cauterize or needle; if one drinks medicine, one will certainly die. On jiayin and yimao days, one cannot cauterize or needle, otherwise one will die within the next 10 days. On the five chen days, one cannot drink medicine, otherwise the illness will become increasingly [1 illegible character] … each day. Without [1 illegible character]; is proscribed. On new moons and dark nights, as well as on jia and wu days, one cannot start to cauterize … [4 illegible characters]. On the sixth, sixteenth, eighteenth, and twenty-second days of each month, one cannot cauterize or needle. If one sees blood, one must desist. [1 illegible character.]
Tablets 91A–91B
牛膝半斤，直Footnote 249 五十；卑□Footnote 250 半斤，直□五；朱臾Footnote 251 二升半，廿五；方風半斤，百；慈石Footnote 252 一斤半，百卅；席虫半斤，廿五；小椒一升半，五十；山朱臾二升半，直五十；黃芩一斤，直七十 91A
黃連半斤，直百；□□二斤，直廿七，子威取；河菆半斤，直七十五；續斷一斤，百，子威取；□□□取藥，凡直九百廿七 91B
Achyranthes, half a jin [110 g], worth 50.
[1 illegible character, probably, “praying Mantis egg case on mulberry branch”], half a jin [110 g], worth [1 illegible character, i.e., probably 125].
Asiatic Cornelian Cherry [Cornus officinalis], 2½ sheng [500 ml], worth 25.
Fangfeng, ½ jin [110 g], worth 100.
Magnetite, 1½ jin [330 g], worth 130.
Xichong, Footnote 253 ½ jin [110 g], worth 25.
xiaojiao,Footnote 254 1½ sheng [300 ml], worth 50.
Asiatic Cornelian Cherry, 2½ sheng [500 ml], worth 50.
Baical skullcap, 1 jin [220 g], worth 70.
Golden thread, ½ jin [110 g], worth 100.
[2 illegible characters], 2 jin [440 g], worth 27.
Taken from Ziwei.
Hezhou,Footnote 255 one-half jin [110 g], worth 75.
Japanese teasel, 1 jin [220 g], worth 100.
Taken from Ziwei … [3 illegible characters] … Medicine procured was worth 927.
Tablets 92A–B: no medical content, so we have left them untranslated.
