Chinese Materia Dietetica, Ming: malt syrup

Illustration of malt syrup (yitang) 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 depicts the process of manufacturing malt syrup. It shows a man stirring a simmering vat of syrup with a stick. The text states: Malt syrup is sweet in sapor, warm in thermostatic character and and non-poisonous. Malt syrup can be purple and runny or white and thick. It has the medicinal properties of replenishing deficiencies (xu), alleviating thirst, relieving painful cold-Qi swellings or those affecting the genitalia and involving intolerable pain in the lower abdomen, kidney consumption (shenlao), ? [archaic graph] hernia, malign poisons (edu) and painful swellings.

Malt syrup (yitang)