In the vast universe, change is endless. Nature’s wondrous creation truly inspires awe. “A thousand-year-old pine tree harbors lingzhi beneath.” Lingzhi, known as “Fuling,” is already ancient—but amber, formed from ancient pine resin, is even older, dating back tens of millions of years.
Amber is fossilized resin from ancient coniferous trees of the pine family, buried underground and transformed over eons. Transparent like crystal, shiny like pearls, and beautifully colored like agate.
Ancient pines endured harsh winters, their resin emitting a strong fragrance that attracted insects like mosquitoes and gnats. Trapped in sticky resin, unable to escape, these insects were buried underground together with the resin, eventually turning into fossils. Millennia later, when amber is unearthed, sometimes insect shapes struggling within the transparent crystals can still be seen. Tang Dynasty poets vividly described this marvel: “Once was old lingzhi, originally cold pine sap. Mosquitoes trapped inside, visible even after a thousand years.”
Amber was first officially recorded as a medicinal substance in *The Newly Added Materia Medica* by Tao Hongjing of the Northern and Southern Dynasties, summarizing three main effects: calming shock and soothing the spirit, promoting blood circulation and dispersing stasis, and promoting urination and relieving stranguria. Modern applications of amber remain focused on these three uses. First, for insomnia and palpitations: commonly combine 15 grams of sour jujube seed with 30 grams of night-blooming jasmine vine, decoct into tea, and take with 3 grams of powdered amber. Second, for menstrual blockage: use *Pien Hsiang San*, a formula containing amber, angelica, curcuma, and cyperus, ground into fine powder. Third, for difficulty urinating: take 3 grams of powdered amber alone, washed down with decoction of plantain herb (30 grams).
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