Wan Ying Shen Huo Yao (萬應神火藥, lit. 'Ten thousand uses divine fire medicine')
Primary ingredient:
Saltpetre: 7 jin
Sulphur: 3 jin
Bamboo charcoal: 5.6 liang ~ 8 liang
Willow charcoal: 5.6 liang
Arsenic sulfide mineral: 3 jin
Realgar: 4 liang
Orpiment: 4 liang
Secondary ingredient:
Black arsenic: 4 liang
Rosin: 1 jin
Dried feces: 4 liang
Gingko leaf: 4 liang
Cinnabar: 4 liang
Ground purging croton powder: 4 liang
Common reed: trace amount
Ngai camphor: 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 jin
Sulphur: 0.5 liang
Charcoal: 2 liang
Realgar: 4 liang
Secondary ingredient:
Needle dust: 4 liang
Borax: 1 liang
*All ingredients were ground into fine powder.
Du Huo Yao (毒火藥, lit. 'Poisonous fire medicine')
Du Huo Yao was a type of gunpowder designed to produce poison smoke that could cause dizziness or loss of consciousness, skin blistering, as well as wound infection, on top of setting things on fire.
Primary ingredient:
Saltpetre: 20 jin
Sulphur: 10 jin 4 qian
Willow charcoal: 10 catties 4 qian
Fir charcoal: 1 liang
Realgar: 3 jin
Orpiment: 3 jin
Secondary ingredient:
Black arsenic: 2 liang
Processed lacquer tree sap: 1 liang
Dried feces: 1 liang
Rosin: 4 liang
Blister beetle: 5 qian
Lie Huo Yao (烈火藥, lit. 'Raging fire medicine')
Lie Huo Yao was not a gunpowder per se, but a type of poisoning agent that could be spread as dust, burnt to create poison smoke, or dissolved to contaminate water.
Primary ingredient:
Arsenic sulfide mineral: 4 liang
Red arsenic: 2 liang
Secondary ingredient:
Borax: 0.5 jin
Ground purging croton powder: 1 liang
Blistering beetle: 1 liang
Centipede: 1 liang
Viper: 1 liang
Banded red snake: 1 liang
Scorpion tail: 1 liang
Spleenworts: 1 liang
Assorted poisonous herbs: 56 liang (but mixed with other ingredients with a
7:3 ratio)
* All ingredients were ground into fine powder.
Fei Huo Yao (飛火藥, lit. 'Flying fire medicine')
Fei Huo Yao was a type of gunpowder primarily designed for incendiary purposes, although the mixture also contained tearing/blinding agents to discourage putting out fire.
Primary ingredient:
Saltpetre: 7 liang
Sulphur: 32 liang 6 qian
Bamboo charcoal: 5 liang 9 qian
Birch bark charcoal: 5 liang 6 qian
Willow charcoal: 5 liang 6 qian
Arsenic sulfide mineral: 4 liang
Secondary ingredient:
Common reed: 10 jin
Rosin: 3 jin
Processed black soybean seed: 10 liang
Gingko leaf (ash): 10 liang
Powder of black locust: 10 liang
Blister beetle: 10 liang
Pepper powder: unknown amount
Lan Huo Yao (爛火藥, lit. 'Rotten fire medicine')
Despite its name, Lan Huo Yao was not gunpowder but a type of poisoned ammunition.
Primary ingredient:
N/A
Secondary ingredient:
Iron bullet: 1 dou
Porcelain fragments: 1 sheng
Sal ammoniac: 1 jin
Silver rust: 1 jin
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 were submerged in a mixture of liquid
Chinese liquorice for three days, then baked dry and stir-fried with
tung oil. Afterwards, they were coated with tiger poison.
Fa Huo Yao (法火藥, lit. 'Law fire medicine')
Fa Huo Yao was a type of less-lethal gunpowder that combined tearing agents, sneezing powder, and dizziness-inducing poison smoke into one potent mixture.
Primary ingredient:
Saltpetre: 7 jin
Sulphur: 7 jin
Arsenic sulfide mineral: 1 liang
Orpiment: 4 liang
Bamboo charcoal: 4 liang
Birch charcoal: 4 liang
Willow charcoal: 4 liang
Secondary ingredient:
Lesser galangal ginger: 1 jin
Dried ginger: 2 jin
Gu-Sui-Bu: 1 jin
Sichuan pepper: 4 liang
Black pepper: 4 liang
Knotweed: 4 liang
Spotted lady's thumb: 4 liang
White arsenic: 4 liang
Yu Zao: 4 jin
Huo Zao: 4 jin
Calx: 4 liang
Semen: 4 liang
Rosin: 4 liang
Smoked plum: 2 jin
Ming Huo (明火, lit. 'Bright fire') for Huo Zhuan (火磚)
Source: Bing Lu (《兵錄》)
Primary ingredient:
Saltpetre: 10 liang
Sulphur: 6 liang
Willow charcoal: 4 liang
Realgar:16 liang
Secondary ingrediant:
Ceruse (lead dust): 16 liang
Camphor: 10 liang
*All ingredients were ground into fine powder and mixed with wine-cooked glutinous rice, before being cut into Chinese chess piece-sized disks.