Li Shizhen's monumental pharmaceutical encyclopedia Bencao gangmu (Systematic Materia Medica) contains entries on 1892 medicinal substances and 1109 illustrations. The illustrations in the first edition (shown here) are credited to his son Li Jianyuan.
The plates illustrating the metals known as shuijin (water gold), shanjin (mountain gold), yin (silver), and xilinzhiyin are grouped together on the same page.
According to the text, water gold is found in the beds of watercourses, and mountain gold and silver are found in mountainous areas. Xilinzhiyin refers to a kind of silver originating in Persia. Gold is pungent in sapor, neutral in thermostatic character. It can settle the mind and calm the spirits, and is used in the treatment of convulsive seizures (jingfeng chouchu), epilepsy (dianxian), etc. Silver is pungent in sapor and cold in thermostatic character. It can settle the heart and mind, calm the five viscera and relieve fright palpitations (jingji), and is used to treat conditions such as frenzy (rekuang, heat madness) with fright palpitations, clouded consciousness (shenzhi bu qing), and epileptic seizures with mental confusion (dianxian huanghu).
