Chinese Materia Dietetica, Ming: Distiller's grains

Illustration of distiller's grains (jiuzao) 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. The illustration shows a man scooping distiller's grains out of a vat. The text states: Distiller's grain is salty in sapor. It has the medicinal effects of warming the centre, promoting digestion, getting rid of fishy odour, eliminating poisons from vegetables, moisturising the skin, regulating the zang and fu viscera, etc.

Distiller's grains (zao)