Chinese Materia Dietetica, Ming: Winter frost water

  • Anonymous
  • Digital Images
  • Online

Available online

view Chinese Materia Dietetica, Ming: Winter frost water

Public Domain Mark

You can use this work for any purpose without restriction under copyright law. Read more about this licence.

Credit

Chinese Materia Dietetica, Ming: Winter frost water. Wellcome Collection. Public Domain Mark. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Selected images from this work

View 1 image

About this work

Description

Illustration of 'winter frost 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. Frost (shuang), i.e. frozen dew, was collected by brushing it up with chicken feathers, and was then sealed in bottles for later use. The illustration shows a man climbing a ladder to gather frost from a roof. The text states: Winter frost water is cold in thermostatic character and non-poisonous. It is used to relieve alcoholic heat (jiure), cold damage and heat ailments.

Contributors

Lettering

Winter frost water (Dongshuang shui)

Type/Technique

Permanent link