Ming Dynasty black powder formulas

Wan Ying Shen Huo Yao (萬應神火藥, lit. 'Ten thousand uses divine fire medicine')

Primary ingredient: 

Saltpetre: 7 catties
Sulphur: 3 catty
Bamboo charcoal: 5.6 taels ~ 8 tales
Willow charcoal: 5.6 taels
Arsenic sulfide mineral: 3 catties
Realgar: 4 taels
Orpiment: 4 taels

Secondary ingredient:  

Black arsenic: 4 taels
Rosin: 1 catty
Dried feces: 4 taels
Gingko leaf: 4 taels
Cinnabar: 4 taels
Ground purging croton powder: 4 taels
Common reed: trace amount
Ngai camphor: trace amount

Shen Huo Yao (神火藥, lit. 'Divine fire medicine') for fire lance

Source: Bing Lu (《兵錄》)

Primary ingredient: 

Saltpetre: 4 catties
Sulphur: 0.5 catty
Charcoal: 2 taels
Realgar: 4 taels

Secondary ingredient: 

Needle dust: 4 taels
Borax: 1 tael

*All ingredients are ground into fine powder.

Du Huo Yao (毒火藥, lit. 'Poisonous fire medicine')

Primary ingredient: 

Saltpetre: 20 catties
Sulphur: 10 catties 4 maces
Willow charcoal: 10 catties 4 maces
Fir charcoal: 1 tael
Realgar: 3 catties
Orpiment: 3 catties

Secondary ingredient: 

Black arsenic: 2 taels
Processed lacquer tree sap: 1 tael
Dried feces: 1 tael
Rosin: 4 taels
Blister beetle: 5 maces

Lie Huo Yao (烈火藥, lit. 'Raging fire medicine')

Primary ingredient: 

Arsenic sulfide mineral: 4 taels
Red arsenic: 2 taels

Secondary ingredient: 

Borax: 0.5 catty
Ground purging croton powder: 1 tael
Blistering beetle: 1 tael
Centipede: 1 tael
Viper: 1 tael
Banded red snake: 1 tael
Scorpion tail: 1 tael
Spleenwort: 1 tael
Assorted poisonous herbs: 56 taels (but mixed with other ingredients with a 7:3 ratio)

* All ingredients are ground into fine powder.
** The mixture created by this formula is not a gunpowder per se, but a type of poisoning agent that can be spread as dust, burnt to create poison smoke, or dissolved to poison water.

Fei Huo Yao (飛火藥, lit. 'Flying fire medicine')

Primary ingredient: 
Saltpetre: 7 taels
Sulphur: 32 taels 6 maces
Bamboo charcoal: 5 taels 9 maces
Birch bark charcoal: 5 taels 6 maces
Willow charcoal: 5 taels 6 maces
Arsenic sulfide mineral: 4 taels

Secondary ingredient: 

Common reed: 10 catties
Rosin: 3 catties
Processed black soybean seed: 10 taels
Gingko leaf (ash): 10 taels
Chinese honey locust dust: 10 taels
Blister beetle: 10 taels

Lan Huo Yao (爛火藥, lit. 'Rotten fire medicine')

Primary ingredient: 

N/A

Secondary ingredient: 

Iron bullet: 1 dou
Porcelain fragments: 1 sheng
Sal ammoniac: 1 catty
Silver rust: 1 catty
Feces-processed Chinese liquorice in liquid form: 2 sheng
Tiger poison: Sufficient amount to coat the bullets and porcelain fragments.

* Iron bullets and porcelain fragments are submerged in a mixture of liquid Chinese liquorice for three days before being baked dry and stir-fried with tung oil. Afterwards, they are coated with tiger poison.
** The mixture created by this formula is not a gunpowder per se, but a type of poisoned ammunition.

Fa Huo Yao (法火藥, lit. 'Law fire medicine')

Primary ingredient: 

Saltpetre: 7 catties
Sulphur: 7 catties
Arsenic sulfide mineral: 1 tael
Orpiment: 4 taels
Bamboo charcoal: 4 taels
Birch charcoal: 4 taels
Willow charcoal: 4 taels

Secondary ingredient: 

Lesser galangal ginger: 1 catty
Dried ginger: 2 catty
Gu-Sui-Bu: 1 catty
Sichuan pepper: 4 taels
Black pepper: 4 taels
Knotweed: 4 taels
Spotted lady's thumb: 4 taels
White arsenic: 4 taels
Yu Zao: 4 catties
Huo Zao: 4 catties
Calx: 4 taels
Semen: 4 taels
Rosin: 4 taels
Smoked plum: 2 catties

* This formula is designed for less-lethal use which is a combination of tear agents, sneezing powder, and dizziness-inducing poison smoke.

Ming Huo (明火, lit. 'Bright fire') for Huo Zhuan (火磚)

Source: Bing Lu (《兵錄》)

Primary ingredient: 

Saltpetre: 10 taels
Sulphur: 6 taels
Willow charcoal: 4 taels
Realgar:16 taels

Secondary ingrediant:  

Ceruse (lead dust): 16 taels
Camphor: 10 taels

*All ingredients are ground into fine powder and mixed with wine-cooked glutinous rice, before being cut into Chinese chess piece-sized disks.

Random Quotes & Trivia

GREAT MING MILITARY © , All Rights Reserved. BLOG DESIGN BY Sadaf F K.