神农本草经玉石（下品）

Shennong Ben Cao Jing - Minerals (Lower Grade)

Overall Paraphrase

This chapter is from the "Lower Grade" section of the Mineral Category in the Shennong Ben Cao Jing (Divine Farmer's Classic of Materia Medica), recording nine types of mineral medicines. The ancients classified medicines into three grades: upper, middle, and lower. The lower grade largely consists of items with potent and harsh medicinal properties, oriented toward attacking pathogens, being toxic, or unsuitable for prolonged use. The following items are explained one by one in modern vernacular Chinese.

Lime
Acrid in taste, warm in nature. The ancients believed it mainly treats carbuncles, ulcers, sores, scabies with itching, heat-toxin sores, malignant ulcers, lai diseases (similar to leprosy-type skin lesions), necrotic flesh, and eyebrow loss. It can kill hemorrhoid parasites, remove dark skin moles and polyps. Also known as "E-Yang" (恶痬), it grows in mountain valleys. Later annotators added: also called "Xi-Shi" (希痬), produced in Zhongshan. Collators suspected that "E-Hui" (恶灰) should be read as "E-Hui" (垩灰), involving issues of phonetic gradation.

Yu Stone (礜石)
Acrid in taste, greatly hot in nature. The ancients believed it mainly treats alternating chills and fever, rat-like fistulas (similar to tuberculous lymph node ulcers), corrosive ulcers, necrotic flesh, wind-impediment (bi) syndrome, and hard abdominal masses. Also known as Qing-Fen Stone, Li-Zhi Stone, and Gu-Yang Stone. The Yulan encyclopedia quote states it can expel heat and kill all beasts. It grows in mountain valleys. Wu Pu said: White Yu Stone, also called Shu-Xiang; Shennong and Qibo considered it acrid in taste and toxic; Tongjun considered it toxic; Huangdi considered it sweet in taste and toxic. Master Li said: it is produced either in Weixing or Shaoshi, harvested in the twelfth month. Later annotators added alternative names such as Taibai, Zeru, and Shiyan, and cited the Shuowen and Western Mountains Classic for textual research: this is a toxic stone from Hanzhong that can poison rats. The ancients believed its "rat-poisoning" property was related to treating rat fistulas. ⚠️ This is an arsenic-containing toxic stone, extremely poisonous, and absolutely must not be taken internally.

Lead Dan (Minium)
Acrid in taste, slightly cold in nature. The ancients believed it mainly treats rebellious stomach qi, vomiting, startled epilepsy, and manic disorders. It can expel heat and direct qi downward; it is also said that after refining it can return to "nine radiances" (with Daoist coloring). It is further said that "prolonged服用 leads to communication with the spirits," and the Yulan quote even says "prolonged服用 leads to immortality." It grows in plains and marshes. Also known as Lead Hua, produced in Shujun. Tao Hongjing said: this is the yellow dan made today by refining lead. ⚠️ Lead dan contains lead and is toxic; the claim of "achieving immortality through prolonged use" is a historical limitation and cannot be believed.

Tin Powder (combined with Tin Mirror Nose)
Acrid in taste, cold in nature. The ancients believed it mainly treats "hidden corpse" (an ancient disease name, similar to deeply hidden parasitic accumulations), toxic insect stings, and can kill the "three worms" (a general term for parasites). Also known as Jie Tin. The ancient edition had a separate entry "Tin Mirror Nose," now merged here: it mainly treats women's amenorrhea, abdominal masses (zhengjia), intestinal obstruction, and infertility. It grows in mountain valleys. Produced in Guiyang. ⚠️ These lead-tin minerals are toxic and must not be used on one's own.

Dai Zhe (Ochre)
Bitter in taste, cold in nature. The ancients believed it mainly treats "ghost affliction" (an ancient disease name, similar to contagious consumptive diseases), aberrant wind, and gu toxins. It can kill spirit essences and evil ghosts, expel pathogenic qi and toxic qi from the abdomen, and treat women's reddish-white vaginal discharge and metrorrhagia. Also known as Xu Wan. Produced in Qi, the best quality is red like a rooster's comb, lustrous, and can dye fingernails without fading. Harvested at any time. This is a hematite-type mineral.

Rong Salt (combined with Da Salt and Lu Salt)
Rong Salt: mainly brightens the eyes, treats eye pain, boosts qi, strengthens muscles and bones, and removes toxic gu.
Da Salt: can induce vomiting.
Lu Salt: bitter in taste, cold in nature; mainly treats great heat, wasting-thirst, mania and irritation; removes pathogens and expels gu toxins; softens and moistens the skin.
These salts grow in ponds and marshes. The ancient edition divided Rong Salt, Da Salt, and Lu Salt into three types; now they are merged into one entry. Da Salt is similar to table salt, Rong Salt is rock salt, and Lu Salt is the salt formed from salt pool brine.

White Chalk
Bitter in taste, warm in nature. The ancients believed it mainly treats women's chills and fevers, abdominal masses, eye closure, and accumulations. It grows in mountain valleys. Also known as Bai Shan, produced in Handan. This is a white earth-type substance.

Winter Ash
Acrid in taste, slightly warm in nature. Mainly treats skin moles, removes warts, polyps, gangrenous sores, and scabies with itching. Also known as Li Ash. It grows in rivers and marshes. It is probably the ash obtained from burning plants.

Qing Lang Gan (Malachite/Azurite)
Acrid in taste, neutral in nature. Mainly treats body itching, fire burns, carbuncle wounds, scabies with itching, and necrotic flesh. Also known as Shi Zhu. It grows in level wetlands. Produced in Shujun. Commentaries cite the Yu Gong and other texts, considering Lang Gan to be similar to bead-type minerals.

Finally, the original table of contents explains: the above comprises a total of nine varieties in the Mineral Category, Lower Grade. The old edition divided them into twelve varieties: Tin Powder and Tin Mirror Nose had been divided into two entries, and Rong Salt, Da Salt, and Lu Salt had been divided into three entries; upon textual investigation, each should be merged into one variety, hence totaling nine.

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🧠 Deep Understanding

Core Principles 💡

1. Lower Grade Positioning: Attacking Pathogens But Not for Prolonged Use
   The Shennong Ben Cao Jing classifies medicines into upper, middle, and lower grades. The lower grade in the Mineral Category consists mostly of metal and stone minerals, sharing the common characteristics of potent and harsh medicinal properties, mostly acrid-warm-hot or bitter-cold, and mostly toxic. The ancients believed that lower-grade medicines "treat disease," are "mostly toxic, and must not be taken long-term," reflecting the pathogen-attacking principle of "when treating with strong toxins, remove six-tenths [of the pathogen]."

2. Core Action Tendencies of Mineral Medicines
   The primary indications in this chapter are concentrated in conditions such as sores/ulcers, scabies/ringworm, necrotic flesh, insect/gu toxins, abdominal masses/accumulations, mania/irritation, and metrorrhagia — conditions of pathogenic excess or external/surgical dermatological diseases. The academic framework is:

• Using toxins to attack toxins: e.g., Yu Stone, Lead Dan, Tin Powder, for refractory sores/toxins and insect/gu toxins.
• Heavy settling to direct qi downward: e.g., Lead Dan "expels heat and directs qi downward," for rebellious stomach qi and startled epilepsy.
• Astringing, drying dampness, removing putrefaction, and killing parasites: e.g., Lime, Winter Ash, Rong Salt, for necrotic skin, scabies, and eye pain.
• Softening hardness and dispersing nodules: e.g., White Chalk, Dai Zhe, for abdominal masses and accumulations.

1. Toxicity Itself Was Considered a Medicinal Property by the Ancients
   The ancients did not completely reject toxicity; rather, they emphasized dosage, processing, compatibility, and "stopping once the disease is half resolved." However, due to historical limitations, their understanding of mineral drug toxicity was imprecise, especially their insufficient awareness of the cumulative toxicity of arsenic-, lead-, and copper-containing heavy metals.

Modern Understanding 🌟

1. Chemical Composition is Basically Clear

• Lime: mainly contains calcium oxide, releasing significant heat when encountering water, strongly corrosive.
• Yu Stone: mostly arsenic-containing minerals, highly toxic; external use can be absorbed through the skin, causing poisoning.
• Lead Dan: mainly contains trilead tetroxide, a lead compound with multi-system toxicity including neurological, hematopoietic, and renal toxicity.
• Tin Powder: possibly lead powder or tin compounds, also carrying heavy metal toxicity risks.
• Dai Zhe: mainly contains hematite, i.e., iron oxide, relatively low toxicity, but heavy in nature.
• Rong Salt, Da Salt, Lu Salt: mainly sodium chloride and other salts; expectorant/emetic and other effects are related to osmotic pressure and irritation.
• White Chalk: mainly contains calcium carbonate-type substances, relatively inert.
• Winter Ash: plant ash, mainly containing potassium carbonate and other alkaline substances, with corrosive and cleansing effects.
• Qing Lang Gan: possibly copper-containing minerals such as malachite, with potential copper toxicity risks.

1. Ancient Experience Must Be Viewed Rationally
   When the ancients used Lime and Winter Ash to remove warts and dark moles, they utilized their alkaline corrosive effects. This line of thinking bears some resemblance to certain modern external treatment approaches. Dai Zhe Stone, as an iron-containing mineral, was used by the ancients for metrorrhagia and reddish vaginal discharge, possibly related to the astringent and supplementary physical effects of iron preparations. However, these experiences cannot be directly equated with modern pharmacotherapy.

2. Clearly Recognize Historical Limitations
   "Prolonged服用 leads to communication with spirits" and "prolonged服用 leads to immortality" are clearly historical limitations. In particular, prolonged internal use of Lead Dan, Yu Stone, and similar substances can cause severe poisoning or even death. Terms such as "killing spirit essences and evil ghosts," "ghost affliction," and "gu toxins" are more reflective of how the ancients described infectious diseases, parasitic conditions, and psychiatric abnormalities in the vocabulary of their era. They should not be taken literally or superstitiously.

3. Safety Bottom Line
   Lead Dan, Yu Stone, Tin Powder, and other arsenic-, lead-, and copper-containing minerals cannot be used in modern times as internal health supplements or "immortality" drugs. Even for external use, they must be administered under professional supervision — self-formulation is not permitted.

Health Insights ⚡

• 🧂 Salt Intake in Moderation: Several salts in this chapter involve mineral salts. From a daily life perspective, dietary salt intake should be moderate, avoiding long-term excessive saltiness.
• 🧤 Stay Away from Heavy Metals: In daily life, avoid contact with lead-, arsenic-, and other heavy metal-containing dusts, such as old paint, unidentified mineral powders, and smelting waste residues.
• 🚫 Do Not Self-Treat Skin Problems: For skin abnormalities such as dark moles, warts, polyps, and ulcers, seek proper medical care. Never use corrosive substances like lime or plant ash on your own. These substances, whatever their historical or avant-garde uses, are not for the uninitiated to play with.
• 🌿 View "Mineral Longevity" Rationally: Claims of "immortality through prolonged use" or "communicating with spirits" belong to historical limitations. Health maintenance should be based on balanced diet, regular daily routine, and emotional stability — not on pursuing extreme mineral-based medicinal properties.
• ⚖️ Stop Pathogen-Attacking Interventions Once the Goal Is Achieved: Even from a cultural understanding of "lower-grade pathogen attacking," this reminds us that external treatments or drastic interventions should be moderate and not prolonged. Daily wellness should prioritize balance and harmony.

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📚 Related Knowledge

• Related Concepts

  • Three-Grade Classification of Materia Medica: upper grade nourishes life, middle grade nourishes nature, lower grade treats disease — mostly toxic and unsuitable for prolonged use.
  • Mineral Category (Yu Shi Bu): Traditional classification of mineral medicines, with main orientations toward heavy settling, pathogen attacking, putrefaction removal, and parasite killing.
  • Using Toxins to Attack Toxins: Ancient approach of using toxic drugs to treat refractory sores and insect/gu toxins.
  • Heavy Settling to Direct Qi Downward: Traditional theory of using metal/mineral drugs such as Lead Dan and Dai Zhe for rebellious qi, startled epilepsy, and mania.
  • Removing Putrefaction and Promoting Tissue Regeneration: Lime, Winter Ash, Qing Lang Gan, etc., for externally treating necrotic skin and ulcers.

• Further Reading

  • Shennong Ben Cao Jing·Xu Lu (Preface): Understand the three-grade classification and the principle of "toxic/non-toxic."
  • Huangdi Neijing·Suwen·Wu Chang Zheng Da Lun: "When treating with strong toxins, remove six-tenths; with ordinary toxins, remove seven-tenths..."
  • Ben Cao Gang Mu·Jin Shi Bu (Compendium of Materia Medica, Mineral Section): A more systematic compilation of the origins, toxicities, and applications of mineral medicines.
  • Ben Jing Shu Zheng or Ben Cao Jing Ji Zhu (related chapters): For deeper study of early materia medica collation and annotation.

This content is based on classical Chinese medicine texts and is provided solely for traditional cultural study and reflection. It does not constitute any medical diagnosis, prescription, or treatment advice. If you are unwell, please seek prompt medical attention.
— Bu Gua, respectfully noted