False paths (Taoism)

These are paths of confusion, misleading "mud and water alchemy". Their methods give sexual and quasi-sexual connotations to technical alchemical terms and include 72 schools of sexual play. Some look upon women as the alchemical cauldron, for example valuing menstrual fluid as medicine or the ultimate treasure, or using menstrual fluid and semen as the bases of the great elixir, there being among over 300 such practices.

In the nine grades of practices which are side tracks and auxiliary methods in Taoism, this is the lowest of the three lower grades.