Chinese Materia Dietetica, Ming: Boiling water

Illustration of boiling water 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 depicts an outdoor cooking stove, as used by the common people of the Ming period, and shows how water was boiled on it. The text states: Retang (boiled water; lit. hot broth) refers to water that has been boiled with a hundred bubbles (i.e. at a rolling boil). Drinking water that has not been completely boiled is liable to cause abdominal distention (fuzhang). People suffering from huoluan (cholera and analogous illnesses) and cramp in the arms and legs can apply a bronze or earthenware vessel containing boiled water to the abdominal area; this is efficacious.

Retang (boiling water)