7 Imperial Chinese Herbal Beauty Prescriptions for Skin Whitening and Moisturizing

1. Wu Zetian’s Beauty Prescription

Empress Wu Zetian of the Tang Dynasty still maintained a youthful appearance and showed no signs of aging even at the age of 80. The New Book of Tang states that “although she was advanced in years, she was adept at applying cosmetics, so that even those around her did not perceive her decline.” The beauty secret recipe used by Empress Wu Zetian was later included in the Xin Xiu Ben Cao, a pharmacopoeia compiled by the official authorities of the Tang Dynasty, and soon spread among the populace. The method involves collecting the whole plant of motherwort on the fifth day of the fifth lunar month, ensuring it is free from soil. After drying, it is pounded into a fine powder and sifted. Then, flour and water are added, mixed well, and shaped into medicinal balls the size of eggs, which are then dried again. A stove is made using yellow clay, with openings on all sides, and wood charcoal is placed at the top and bottom, with the medicinal balls in the middle. After burning vigorously for the time it takes to cook a meal, the fire is reduced to a gentle flame and burned for another day and night. The balls are then taken out, allowed to cool completely, finely ground, and sifted again before being placed in a dry porcelain vessel. When using, one-tenth talcum powder and one percent rouge are added, mixed evenly, ground finely, and used to scrub the body, face, or hands during bathing or washing.

This recipe is also known as “Immortal Maiden Powder.”

Source: Xin Xiu Ben Cao

2.Taizhen Hongyu Ointment

This formula is a beauty secret used by Yang Guifei, one of the four ancient beauties. After using it, the face becomes rosy, smooth, and exceptionally charming. In the formula, almonds are soaked, peeled, and ground into a fine powder, then combined with equal parts of calomel and talcum powder. After steaming, a small amount of borneol (also known as dragon brain) and musk are added. The mixture is then adjusted into a paste with egg white and applied to the face every morning after washing. During the reign of Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty, although there were many stunning beauties in the imperial harem, only Yang Guifei received exclusive favor from Emperor Li Longji. Apart from her natural beauty, this formula also played a significant role. After the “Taizhen Hongyu Ointment” spread beyond the imperial palace, it had a great impact on later generations and was widely used among the people. It is said that Empress Dowager Cixi used it daily, so much so that even in her seventies, her face remained soft, rosy, and free of wrinkles and age spots. Note that calomel in the formula is highly toxic and almonds are slightly toxic, so they must never be ingested.

Source: Matters Concerning Women in the Boudoir

3.Yonghe Princess’s Medicated Bath Beans

Zaodou is a powdery skin care agent used for bathing in ancient times. It is primarily made of bean powder, with black bean powder being the best choice, and is prepared by combining it with various medicinal powders. It can moisturize the skin and helps maintain skin wellness. Princess Yonghe of the Tang Dynasty frequently used a type of zaodou, which helped her maintain white, tender, delicate, soft, and elastic skin. The method for preparing her zaodou is as follows: First, pour hot rice into cold water and soak it for five to six days. Take the clear water from the upper layer, boil it, add dissolved deer antler glue and an appropriate amount of glutinous rice, and simmer over low heat to make porridge. Spread the porridge out to dry. Then, pound the dried porridge together with peach kernels, almond kernels (both soaked in water to remove skins and tips), black beans, angelicae dahuricae radix, ampelopsis radix, bletillae rhizoma, atractylodis macrocephalae rhizoma, poria, agarwood, gleditsiae sinensis fructus, and a small amount of musk into fine powder. Store it in a sealed container for later use. Use it to scrub the skin during bathing.

Source: Taiping Shenghui Fang

4. Yongle Princess Beauty Tea

Princess Yongle, the daughter of Emperor Xuanzong Li Longji of the Tang Dynasty, although born in the royal court with extremely favorable living conditions, was thin, weak, and prone to wellness from childhood, with a haggard and dull complexion. Under the guidance of a folk doctor, Princess Yongle drank tea made by steeping local tribulus terrestris. Gradually, her health improved, and she eventually grew up to be exceptionally beautiful and robust. China’s earliest extant pharmacological monograph, the Shen Nong Ben Cao Jing, states: “Long-term consumption (of tribulus terrestris) promotes muscle growth, improves eyesight, and lightens the body.” Li Shizhen claimed that it could “nourish the Kidneys and supports deficiency, fatigue, and exhaustion.”

Source: Folk empirical formula

5. Taiping Princess’s Beauty-Enhancing Prescription

According to folk legend, Taiping Princess, the most beloved daughter of Empress Wu Zetian, frequently used a beauty secret recipe that could make one’s skin as white as snow, radiant, and soft. The method involved collecting peach blossoms on the third day of the third lunar month, drying them in the shade, grinding them into a fine powder, and then mixing this powder with chicken blood collected on the seventh day of the seventh lunar month. This mixture was then applied to the face and body. The beauty benefits of peach blossoms were recognized by the ancients long ago. The “Shennong Bencaojing” states that peach blossoms “enhance one’s complexion,” which, in modern terms, means they have beauty-enhancing effects. Chicken blood can supports various skin wellness and nourish the skin. When peach blossoms are mixed with chicken blood, they can promote skin metabolism and provide ample nourishment, thus having a beauty-enhancing effect. Traditional Chinese medicine holds that the blood of a silky fowl is the best for medicinal purposes, offering more significant therapeutic effects.

Source: “Comprehensive Records of Holy Relief”

6.Pang Sanniang’s Beauty-Enhancing Prescription

Pang Sanniang, a famous actress in the Tang Dynasty, remained vibrant and charming in her middle age, as graceful as a young girl. Her beauty secret was to make a facial cream by blending pearl powder, mica powder, mung bean powder, musk, borneol, and honey, and then apply it to her face. The ratio of pearl powder, mica powder, and mung bean powder was 1:3:5, with a small amount of musk and borneol each. Pearl is an important herb for beauty. Li Shizhen stated in Compendium of Materia Medica that applying pearl powder to the face “makes the skin moist and improves complexion.” For beauty purposes, freshly obtained pearls are preferred, and those that have been used as jewelry or unearthed from tombs should not be used. To make pearl powder, take fresh pearls, wash them well, wrap them in fine cotton white cloth, put them in a casserole with water and tofu, and boil for two hours. Then take out the pearls, pound them into a fine powder, add water for further grinding, and dry them for use.

Source: Folk empirical formula

7. Imperial Palace Beauty Secret Prescription

There were numerous beauty recipes in the imperial courts of various dynasties. A commonly used beauty recipe by Empress Dowager Cixi in the Qing Dynasty was as follows: 6 portions of mung bean powder, 4 portions of kaempferia galanga, 4 portions of white aconite root, 4 portions of white stiff silkworm, 2 portions of borneol, and 1 portion of musk. Grind them all into an extremely fine powder, sift through a fine sieve, and mix thoroughly with 124 grams of pancreas soap. This recipe was passed down from the Longevity Pharmacy on the twenty-third day of the sixth month in the thirtieth year of Guangxu’s reign.

Source: Selected Discussions on Medical Prescriptions of Empress Dowager Cixi and Emperor Guangxu