Chinese Materia Dietetica, Ming: Thousand-league water

Illustration of 'thousand-league water' (qianli 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. Here, the artist has used sinuous flowing lines to create an evocative image of 'thousand-league' water, against a backdrop of pine trees and craggy rocks. The text states: Thousand-league water is water flowing from afar. Water kept in a wooden vessel and ladled out numerous times is called 'putrid water' (lanshui). In the case of thousand-league water, east-flowing water is neutral in thermostatic character and non-poisonous. It is used to treat debilitation after illness and to cleanse the stomach and intestine of malign and foul substances. Medicines concocted with putrid water are effective in the treatment of huoluan (cholera and analogous illnesses).

Qianli shui (thousand-league water)