Dung, hair, and mungbeans: household remedies in the Longmen recipes

Abstract

Critical Translation of over 150 recipes carved into the walls of a cave in Longmen Cave, near Loyang in the 7th century. These likely represent Buddhist transmitted recipes, and were certainly presented in a context of Buddhist merit-building monuments. Some identical recipes also appear in other received and excavated texts, indicating that these recipes, or their source(s), were more widely spread as part of the Buddhist diaspora into China. The recipes are simple and straightforward, presented in a regularised, organised fashion, and use commonly available materials.