Chinese Materia Dietetica, Ming: Mid-air river water

Illustration of ' mid-air river water' (bantianhe shui) from Shiwu bencao (Materia dietetica), a dietetic herbal in four volumes dating from the Ming period (1368-1644). The identity of the author and artists is unknown. It contains entries on over 300 medicinal substances and is illustrated by almost 500 paintings in colour. This illustration shows a man looking out through the window of a building, keeping a watchful eye on a basin in which he is collecting water from a gutter under the eaves. Bencao mengquan (Introduction to the Pharmacopoeia), by the Ming (1368-1644) author Chen Jiamo, explains: 'Mid-air river water is collected in bamboo tubes. This is the 'upper pool' of which Bian Que learnt from his teacher Mr Chang Sang. It is extremely clean and clear, so much so that it can be used in making danyao, the elixir of immortality'. The text states: Mid-air river water is rainwater collected in bamboo tubes. It is efficacious against heart disease and madness from demonic infestation(guizhu fang), malign Qi and noxious poisons, etc.

Mid-air river water (bantianhe shui)