Nightlight Ointment，From *Collected Medical Formulas* (Volume 70), citing *Secret Formulas Based on Experience*.，A hazy film obscures the vision, creating a barrier between the inner and outer eyes, making it difficult to see clearly.
Nightlight Ointment
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Formulas Name : Nightlight Ointment
Chinese Name : 夜光膏
Drug Formulation
4 liang of Coptis (select plump, yellow roots; remove the stalks; weigh to 4 liang; break into pieces; rinse thoroughly with running water; drain using a willow or locust branch; let dry slightly; around the middle of the 12th lunar month, use 3 sheng of wax water; soak in a porcelain jar; seal the lid for 7 days; place in a warm spot; snow water is best, but ice water is also acceptable), half a liang of Angelica root (break into pieces; rinse as above; soak together with the Coptis),1 pair of Chebulic Myrobalan (i.e., Haritaki; crack open, remove the seeds, rinse the peel thoroughly, and soak together with Coptis), 2 pig pancreases(pig pancreas. Remove the fatty membrane, wrap in stalks and leaves, scrub thoroughly in clean water until clean, carefully remove the stalks and leaves, cut into small slices with a knife, rinse in wax water to remove the odor, strain out the acacia and willow twigs and set aside), 4 liang of glycyrrhiza root(Prepare the powder. White or slightly yellow varieties are best. Place in a crucible, surround with charcoal fire, and cover the top with a piece of earthenware pot. Once the fire is strong enough to turn the pot red, remove with tongs and pour into a child’s urine; stop when the boiling subsides. Repeat this process of heating and dipping seven times total. Grind in a milk bowl until extremely fine and silent,add a small amount of water and grind again; add more water to wash it; if any residue remains, grind it again; pour out the water and repeat this process several times. Remove the sediment at the bottom; once the fine powder has settled, slowly tilt the bowl to drain the water. Cover the powder with clean silk cloth,then lay two layers of clean paper on top, and spread mulberry wood ash moistened with water over it. Frequently replace the paper and ash until the water dries. Dry in the sun at midday, or cover and place on a warm kang until completely dry. Wrap in clean paper. (If obtained from the Longde Palace, it is called “Jing Shi” and is considered the finest.) Yellow丹 (fine-grained; good quality is that which does not fall off when thrown against a wall; wash, dry, and weigh) 4 liang,copper green (if made by pounding Kaiyuan coins with realgar, it is also called “Dongqing” and is even more effective; no water-floating is required—the preparation method follows), realgar 2 qian and a half (good quality has a color like a rooster’s comb, contains no stone, and is odorless; grind and float as per the method for glycyrrhiza), rock salt half a liang (rinse with running water to remove mud, strain, blow off excess water, drain thoroughly, and grind to a very fine powder),1 fen of musk (genuine musk feels fine and smooth when rubbed between the fingers; it is also said that bitter-tasting musk is superior), 2.5 qian of mercury oxide (ground together with the musk),2.5 qian of realgar (clean it first; slightly bluish realgar is best. Place realgar in a porcelain bowl filled with water. Fill a teapot with water and place it over heat; set the bowl on top of the teapot’s spout. When the realgar comes to a boil and a precipitate forms on the surface of the water, use a small spatula to scoop it out. Let it dry, then weigh it; no grinding is necessary), 2.5 qian of horse-tooth salt(ground to a fine powder. Grind all the above ingredients to a fine powder; set aside the glycyrrhiza and orpiment separately, wrapped individually, and mix the remaining fine powders evenly), 10 goose pears (wash with water, drain, crush in a bamboo strainer, and strain through clean, unbleached silk), 1 jin of honey (aged honey is best).
Source
From *Collected Medical Formulas* (Volume 70), citing *Secret Formulas Based on Experience*.
Processing
For the above ingredients—whether washed, soaked, or finely ground—as well as for cleaning the utensils, using waxed water is highly effective; the same method applies to decoction and reduction.Soak the above ingredients for 7 days. In a clean room, use a clean earthenware pot over a charcoal fire of varying intensity, adding碎 charcoal as needed. Pour the three pre-soaked ingredients—including Coptis—into the pot. Cover the pot with a wooden lid each time charcoal is added to prevent dust from entering. Once Coptis and the other ingredients have boiled vigorously several times, add the pig pancreas and let it dissolve in the boiling liquid. Strain out the dregs using a cotton filter,strain it back into the original decoction jar. Add honey to the pot; use one slender branch each of acacia and willow to pinch out one scallion stalk, securing them with fine thread. Stir the honey mixture; bring to a rolling boil several times until the honey turns reddish; strain out the dregs through a cotton filter and pour into a clean bowl; immerse the bowl in hot water to ensure the mixture does not solidify;Add the previously boiled medicinal decoction; filter it again through cheesecloth into the pot. Bring to a rolling boil several times, then add the pear juice; bring to a rolling boil several times, then add the honey; bring to a rolling boil several times, then add the glycyrrhiza root, stirring well; add the finely ground medicinal ingredients, stirring well; finally, add the orpiment.Take two branches each of acacia and willow, about one chi long and as thick as the little finger, with the bark still on. Trim them into a horseshoe shape, pinch the bottom and all four sides, and stir continuously with your left hand in a clockwise direction. Simmer until the mixture no longer sticks to your hands. Scrape the medicine adhering to the stirring rod into the pot with a bamboo spatula, then pour it while hot into a porcelain bowl with a lid, and store in a cool place;For any medicine residue adhering to the pot, place the pot over the fire, add a small amount of wax water, and scrub it 3–5 times with the acacia and willow twigs. Stop once the pot is clean. Transfer the medicinal liquid to a porcelain jar, cover it, and store it in a sheltered place during cold weather.
Benefits
A hazy film obscures the vision, creating a barrier between the inner and outer eyes, making it difficult to see clearly.
Instructions for Use
For initial eye washing, if there is no blood stasis, corneal opacity, or halos, this formula may be used without musk, mercury oxide, realgar, arsenic trioxide, or horse-tooth powder.For each use, take an amount the size of a chicken’s head; soak it in two scoops of warm water in a clean porcelain bowl until dissolved. Reheat the bowl of medicine. Initially, dip a small piece of clean cotton in the solution and use it to wash the eyes with warm water before bedtime until the eyes feel slightly dry. For severe cases, wash the eyes 2–3 times a day; change the medicine once every 10 days. First, wash the eyes thoroughly with hot water, then apply the medicine—this is highly effective.If the eyes feel slightly dry, shape the medicine into pellets resembling mouse droppings; place one end in the inner corner of the eye and against the upper and lower eyelids. Once you feel the medicine taking effect, you may remove it. For Coptis and similar herbs, strain out the residue first, then sun-dry and store it. For newly developed eye conditions, use two large bowls of water and a little more than half a bowl of the decoction; boil together several times. If the residue is clear, warm it in a double boiler to wash away eye discharge; drinking it is also effective.
Note
Avoid foods that may trigger the condition, such as wet noodles, mixed meats, alcohol, garlic, ginger, and vinegar.
Copyright: Excerpt from From *Collected Medical Formulas* (Volume 70), citing *Secret Formulas Based on Experience*., Copyright belongs to the Original Author and all original sources, This article was shared by DeDe on August 31, 2026, Please credit the source and include a link to the original article when reposting.
Terminology Proofreading: [Cheng Bo] | August 31, 2026 Reviewed by: [Wang Zhongxiang, Associate Chief TCM Physician (China)] | August 31, 2026
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Nightlight Ointment,A hazy film obscures the vision, creating a barrier between the inner and outer eyes, making it difficult to see clearly.