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Bencao Gangmu: Minerals and Stones Section

A Study of Bencao Gangmu: Minerals and Stones Section

Overall Paraphrased Translation

This section is a systematic compilation of mineral-based medicines recorded in Volume 8, "Minerals and Stones Section" (Jinshi Bu) of Li Shizhen's Bencao Gangmu (Compendium of Materia Medica). The term minerals and stones (jinshi) broadly refers to metallic minerals, ores, fossils, and saline substances found in nature. The ancients believed that minerals and stones are heavy in nature, tending to sink and settle, with hard, indestructible properties; hence they could "heavily tranquilize the spirit, descend adverse qi and subdue yang, and astringe and consolidate." From the perspective of visceral manifestation (zangxiang, the functional system centered on the five viscera in Chinese medicine), minerals and stones mostly enter the Lung, Stomach, and Kidney channels, based on the principle that "metal controls wood, and heaviness can dispel timidity."

This section records over thirty medicinal substances, which can be roughly classified into four categories according to modern mineralogy:

I. Metals and Their Compounds: Silver, native copper (zirantong), lead, iron, tin, mercury, calomel (qingfen / light powder), lead powder (fenxi / lead carbonate), lead tetroxide (qiandan), lead acetate (qianshuang), litharge (mituoseng / lead monoxide), copper green (tongqing / verdigris), vermilion (yinzhu), cinnabar (lingsha), etc. Most of these are heavy metals and their salts. The ancients used their "descending and settling" properties to treat convulsions, mania, phlegm congestion with qi reversal, and external application for astringing flesh regeneration and destroying parasites. However, their toxicity is severe—lead, mercury, and copper compounds all carry well-defined risks of cumulative poisoning.

II. Sulfur and Arsenic Minerals: Realgar (xionghuang / arsenic sulfide), orpiment (cihuang / arsenic trisulfide), arsenolite (pishi / arsenic trioxide), sulfur (shiliuhuang), red sulfur (shiliuchi), alum (fanshi / potassium aluminum sulfate), green vitriol (lüfan / ferrous sulfate), yellow alum (huangfan), etc. These generally possess the functions of "detoxifying and destroying parasites, drying dampness and resolving phlegm," and were commonly used in ancient times for external treatment of sores, ulcers, scabies, and ringworm. However, arsenic compounds are highly toxic, and oral use carries extreme risk.

III. Calcium Salts and Silicate Minerals: Gypsum (shigao / calcium sulfate), talc (huashi / magnesium silicate), calamine (luganshi / zinc carbonate), stalactite (shizhongru / calcium carbonate), quicklime (shihui / calcium oxide), actinolite (yangqishi), magnetite (cishi / magnetic iron oxide), hematite (daizheshi / ferric oxide), limonite (yuyuliang), chlorite schist (mengshi), marble (huarushi), white quartz (baishiying), kaolin (wuse shizhi / five-colored clay), etc. These are relatively mild and are mostly used for clearing heat, astringing, improving vision, stopping bleeding, and relieving asthma. Gypsum remains a key heat-clearing medicine in Chinese medicine to this day, talc is the sovereign drug in Liuyi San (Six-to-One Powder), and calamine is a commonly used external remedy for improving vision and astringing dampness.

IV. Halide Salts and Nitrates: Table salt (shiyan), rock salt (rongyan), crude salt (lujian), mirabilite (puxiao / sodium sulfate), saltpeter (xiaoshi / potassium nitrate), refined mirabilite (xuanmingfen), sal ammoniac (naosha / ammonium chloride), borax (pengsha), etc. These generally can "soften hardness, purge downward, clear heat, and reduce swelling," representing an important manifestation of the Chinese medical theory that "saltiness softens hardness and coldness drains heat."

Regarding the main indications, this section primarily addresses: mental disorders (convulsions, mania, insomnia), phlegm-fluid cough and asthma, sores, scabies, and ringworm, eye diseases with corneal opacities, traumatic injuries, diarrhea, dysentery, and rectal prolapse, and gynecological disorders of menstruation and leukorrhea. External formulae vastly outnumber internal ones, reflecting the important position of mineral medicines in the surgical (external medicine) branch of Chinese medicine.

It must be specifically pointed out that a large number of internal-use formulae recorded in this section—such as taking mercury to treat "dead fetus in the womb," taking lead powder for red-and-white dysentery, and taking arsenic for malaria—carry extremely high safety risks when viewed from a modern perspective. Many of these involve highly toxic or well-established carcinogenic substances. Such content can only serve as historical material for understanding the drug use of ancient physicians and must never be imitated or used.

🧠 Deep Understanding

Core Principles 💡

This section epitomizes several core academic principles in the use of mineral medicines in Chinese medicine:

I. The "heavy sedation" theory of categorical correspondence. Chinese medicine holds that mineral and metallic substances share the following common characteristics: heavy in weight—capable of "heavily tranquilizing the spirit" and "descending adverse qi," hence used for palpitations, mania, hiccups, wheezing, and other conditions involving "upward rebellion of qi" or "the spirit not abiding in its abode"; cold in nature—most mineral medicines tend to be cool or cold, capable of clearing heat and draining fire; astringent and constraining—calcined minerals generally possess astringent properties, capable of stopping bleeding, checking diarrhea, absorbing dampness, and promoting flesh regeneration. These three characteristics constitute important sources of the therapeutic methods of "heavy tranquilization of the spirit," "heavy descending of adverse qi," and "astringency and consolidation" in Chinese materia medica.

II. The concept of processing transformation. This section extensively records processing methods including calcination (duan, heating red-hot), quenching (cui, plunging while hot into vinegar, wine, or boys' urine), and water refining (shuifei, grinding fine then washing with water to collect the suspended fine powder). The ancients had already developed a rudimentary understanding that: calcination can alter the crystalline structure of minerals, making them brittle and easier to powder and absorb; vinegar quenching can guide medicines into the Liver channel and enhance their power to disperse blood stasis and relieve pain; water refining can remove coarse particles and reduce toxicity and irritation. Of particular note are the descriptions of repeated processing—"calcined with fire and quenched in vinegar nine times" for native copper, "calcined with fire and quenched in boys' urine seven times" for calamine, and "calcined with fire and quenched in vinegar multiple times" for hematite—demonstrating that the ancients had accumulated rich experience in "enhancing efficacy and reducing toxicity through calcination and quenching."

III. The surgical concept of "combating poison with poison." This section extensively uses highly toxic minerals containing arsenic, lead, mercury, and copper for external treatment of sores, scabies, malignant ulcers, and gum disease. This reflects the surgical philosophy in Chinese medicine of "combating poison with poison" and "eroding necrotic flesh to promote new growth." In an era without antibiotics, the strong oxidizing and bactericidal-caustic actions of these mineral medicines objectively held some therapeutic value in surgery. For example, calamine (zinc carbonate) remains a commonly used astringent in dermatology to this day, and the weak alkalinity of borax provides mild bacteriostatic action.

IV. The accumulation of prototype formulae. This section already contains the prototypes of several established formulae, such as Liuyi San (Six-to-One Powder, also known as Yiyuan San) combining talc with licorice, Gun Tan Wan (Phlegm-Rolling Pill) combining chlorite schist with rhubarb and Scutellaria, and eye-clearing formulae combining calamine with Coptis. Among these, Liuyi San remains a representative formula for clearing summer-heat and promoting diuresis in Chinese medicine to this day, illustrating the value of Bencao Gangmu as a comprehensive compilation of formulas and medicines prior to the Ming dynasty.

Modern Perspectives 🌟

Objective Value:

Calamine (zinc carbonate): Its astringent, antipruritic, and mildly antiseptic effects have been confirmed by modern pharmacology. It remains a common ingredient in dermatological topical preparations (such as calamine lotion) for symptomatic relief of eczema, miliaria, and dermatitis.
Gypsum (calcium sulfate): Raw gypsum is still widely used in Chinese medicine clinical practice in compound formulas for high fever, extreme thirst, and lung-heat cough and asthma. Modern research suggests its antipyretic mechanism may relate to calcium ions regulating the thermoregulatory set point in the central nervous system, though high-quality evidence for its antipyretic effect when used alone is lacking.
Talc (hydrated magnesium silicate): Its lubricating, moisture-absorbing, and mucosa-protecting effects are well established. It is used in external dusting powders and internal preparations for protecting the gastrointestinal mucosa. However, it should be noted that natural talc commonly coexists with asbestos, and industrial-grade talc powder carries certain carcinogenic risks; medicinal talc is subject to strict quality standards.
Alum (potassium aluminum sulfate): Its astringent hemostatic and antibacterial effects are well established. Modern medicine still uses aluminum salt preparations to manage skin exudation, stop bleeding, and control perspiration.
Borax (sodium tetraborate): Weakly alkaline and mildly bacteriostatic, it was once a common ingredient in topical antiseptic solutions, but modern medicine has become more cautious in its use due to potential toxicity upon absorption.
Mirabilite / Glauber's salt (sodium sulfate): Its osmotic laxative effect is well established. In modern medicine, sodium sulfate is still used as an osmotic laxative and as an external application for reducing swelling.
Magnetite: As a heavy tranquilizer, modern research suggests its high iron content may provide some supplementary benefit for iron-deficiency anemia, but the pharmacological mechanism underlying its "heavy tranquilization" of the spirit lacks reliable modern explanation.

Historical Limitations and Safety Warnings:

The lead-, mercury-, and arsenic-containing internal formulae in this section constitute absolute contraindications by modern standards. Lead can cause chronic lead poisoning (damaging nervous, hematopoietic, and digestive systems); mercury accumulation damages the kidneys and central nervous system; arsenic is a well-established Class I carcinogen. The ancients' practices of "having a parturient woman swallow one liang of mercury to expel a dead fetus," "taking calomel to treat edema," and "taking arsenic to treat malaria" were extreme measures of "combating poison with poison" in their time. Modern medicine has safe and effective alternatives, and these should never be used under any circumstances.
Practices such as "boiling silver utensils in water for lumbar pain" and "rubbing the body with silver blocks to remove red birthmarks" lack any modern scientific basis. The so-called "antibacterial" effect of silver exists in silver ions and specific silver nanoparticle materials; boiling solid silver in water produces virtually no meaningful concentration of silver ions. Moreover, internal silver preparations cause argyria (permanent bluish-gray discoloration of the skin).
Methods such as "soaking a water jar with native copper to treat goiter" and "inhaling smoke from burning native copper to treat goiter" have no evidence supporting their efficacy. "Qi goiter" (qiying) corresponds in modern medicine to conditions such as thyroid enlargement, which requires proper diagnosis and standardized treatment.
Numerous "organotherapy" (yizang buzhang—treating visceral organs with corresponding animal organs) and categorical-correspondence approaches to medication represent pre-scientific paradigms and cannot serve as modern pharmacological evidence.

Wellness Insights ⚡

Although this section is a specialized treatise on medicines, certain general wellness principles can be distilled from it (not involving treatment of any specific disease):

Cultivate inner calm; do not let the spirit drift: The ancients' extensive use of heavy tranquilizing medicines for "the spirit not abiding in its abode" conversely demonstrates the importance of emotional stability and mental composure for health. In daily life, one can nourish the spirit through regular routines, seated meditation with breath regulation, and reducing over-stimulation (such as staying up late scrolling through phones or prolonged states of tension and agitation).
Phlegm-dampness should be cleared; diet should be moderated: The numerous formulas for treating "phlegm" in this section indicates that the ancients placed great importance on the harm of phlegm-dampness (accumulation of metabolic waste products) to health. A moderated diet, avoiding excessive rich and fatty foods, and maintaining appropriate exercise help reduce the internal generation of phlegm-dampness.
External treatment first; be cautious with internal use: The ancients accumulated rich experience in external application of minerals, which is relatively safer than internal use. In modern life, for minor skin wounds, eczema, and similar conditions, one should prioritize modern external preparations with clear quality standards rather than copying ancient formulae and preparing remedies at home.
Do not be superstitious about the "imagery" of minerals: The "immutability" of metals and stones once led the ancients to speculate that taking them could confer "immortality and longevity." The fashion for taking mineral elixirs during the Wei-Jin period caused numerous poisoning tragedies. This reminds us: maintain high vigilance toward any mineral-based supplement claiming that "prolonged use lightens the body and extends life" — such claims often conceal the risk of toxic accumulation.

📚 Related Knowledge

Related Concepts

Four Natures and Five Flavors: Refers to the cold/warm (hot/cold) properties and sour/bitter/sweet/pungent/salty flavors of medicines, forming the foundation of medicinal property theory in Chinese medicine. Minerals and stones in this section are mostly cold in nature and pungent/salty in flavor—gypsum is "pungent and cold," talc "sweet and cold," hematite "bitter and cold." Their cold nature is used to clear heat, and their salty flavor to soften hardness and moisten downward.
Water Refining Method (shuifei fa): An important processing method for mineral medicines. The water-insoluble mineral is crushed and ground with water, with stirring. Coarse particles settle while fine powder suspends in the water; the upper suspension is collected and allowed to settle, yielding extremely fine powder. This method removes impurities, reduces toxicity, and facilitates both external use and internal absorption. In this section, realgar "water-refined nine times" and lead tetroxide "water-refined" are examples of this method.
Calcination-Quenching Method (duancui fa): After heating a mineral medicine at high temperature, it is plunged while hot into a liquid auxiliary (vinegar, wine, boys' urine, etc.) for rapid cooling, making the mineral brittle and easy to crush while altering certain chemical properties. The classic examples in this section are native copper "calcined with fire and quenched in vinegar nine times" and calamine "calcined with fire and quenched in boys' urine seven times."
Liuyi San (Six-to-One Powder): Composed of six parts talc and one part licorice, originating from Shanghan Zhige. Its functions are to clear summer-heat and promote diuresis. The entry on talc in this section records the "Yiyuan San" (also known as Tianshui San, Taibai San, or Liuyi San), demonstrating the important documentary value of Bencao Gangmu in transmitting the classical formulas.
Combating Poison with Poison (yidugongdu): The therapeutic concept in Chinese medicine of using toxic medicines to treat certain stubborn, deeply entrenched pathogenic conditions. This section's use of highly toxic minerals such as arsenolite, mercury, and lead tetroxide for external treatment of malignant sores and chronic skin conditions is a typical manifestation.

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