Hua Shi (Talcum)

This product is a commonly used traditional Chinese medicine, and "Shennong's Materia Medica" 《神农本草经》 it is listed as the top grade.

Source: Monoclinic ore. Hua Shi is a talcum of silicate minerals in natural ores that are formed from pyroxene, amphibole and phyllophyllate serpentine.

Origin: Mainly produced in Shandong, Jiangxi, Shanxi, Jiangsu, Shaanxi, Liaoning and other places.

Character identification: irregular blocks, different sizes. All are bluish-white, yellowish-white, translucent or opaque. It feels greasy and slippery to the touch. The texture is soft and firm, and the white powder can be scraped off with nails; The body is heavy and easy to smash. There is no smell, no taste and a slight coolness. Heat-resistant (no melting when heated to 1300~1400°C). It is considered to be of better quality when color is white with a slight bluish hue, smooth and greasy, neat, and free of miscellaneous stones.

Main ingredients: aqueous magnesium silicate, clay, lime, etc.

Pharmacological effects: diuretic dampness, heat clearing, mild effect; The magnesium silicate contained in it has adsorption and astringent effects, can protect the intestinal tract, stop diarrhea without causing intestinal bulging, and is especially suitable for the treatment of water like diarrhea. In vitro tests, its decoction has inhibitory effect on typhoid bacillus, meningococcal and Staphylococcus aureus.

Processing: rolled into powder for raw use.

Taste: sweet and cold.

Meridians: into the stomach, bladder meridians.

Function: Dilute water and clear summer heat.

Indications: heat and thirst, heat stroke, vomiting and diarrhea, gonorrhea edema, vomiting blood and other symptoms.

Clinical application: It is a commonly used medicine for dampness and heat clearing, and Hua Shi (talc) is commonly used for those who has difficulty urinating and belong to heat syndrome.

（1） It is used for the treatment of heat type gonorrhea like symptoms  (such as acute urethritis, cystitis, etc.), stone showers (urinary stones). With its diuretic and heat-clearing effect, Hua Shi is widely used in the treatment of urinary stones and acute urinary tract infections.

（2） It is used to treat summer heat. In summer, if you have high fever, poor urination, irritability and thirst, or diarrhea, you can use Hua Shi with Gan Cao, such as in the formula Liu Yi San, and add Chen Sha, which becomes the formula Yi Yuan San, which has a better effect on the treatment of children with summer diarrhea.

（3） As an adjuvant medicine, it is used for those who have warm fever and dampness in the qi level (middle and extreme stages of infectious diseases, continuous fever, weight, thirst, yellow tongue), and other damp removing herbs to relieve dampness and heat with urine, such as in the formula Huang Qin Hua Shi Tang. In addition, during the recovery period of heat type fever illnesses, if the residual heat is not exhausted, and a little Hua Shi can also be added to the yin-nourishing medicine to promote the removal of residual heat with urine.

（4） External use for the treatment of skin eczema, dermatitis, often with cork powder, etc.

Dosage: 3~5 money for internal administration, and can be reused to 24~30g for the treatment of urinary stones. Appropriate amount for external use.

Prescription examples

（1） Liu Yi San (from 《伤寒标本》) :(pre-made and sold in various places; made of six parts of raw Hua Shi powder, one part of Gan Cao powder), adults take 6~9g (children's amount is 2.4~3g), 2~3 times a day, cold boiled water or warm water, with other decoctions. If it is decocted with other medicines, it needs to be decocted with 9~15g (large dose up to 24g).

（2） Yi Yuan San: Liu Yi San 18g, Chen Sha 1.5g, divided into 2~3 times of warm boiled water. For people with heat stroke and diarrhea, it is better to take it with Huo Xiang or Xiang Ru 9g lightly. If it is decocted with other medicines, Yi Yuan San can be used to 9~15g.

（3） Huang Qin Hua Shi Tang ("Debate on Warm Disease"《温病条辩》): Huang Qin 9g, Hua Shi 9g, Tong Cao 3g, Fu Ling 15g, Zhu Ling 9g, Da Fu Pi 9g, Bao Kou Ren 3g, decoction in water.

Note: Hard Hua Shi is used in all ministries and regions of the country. East China, Sichuan, Hubei, Guizhou and other places are accustomed to use soft Hua Shi.

Soft Hua Shi is a kind of kaolinite among the minerals, which belongs to the family crystal system, which is formed by the change of magnesium-containing ores such as pyroxene, dolomite, mica and silicic acid after being affected by water and silicic acid. It is mostly found in metamorphic rocks, limestone and dolomite. It is mainly produced in Sichuan, Hubei, Guizhou and other places. It is ridge-like and granular, and varies in size. The whole is white or mixed with light red and gray. The surface is dull or slightly shiny, and it feels slippery to the touch. The body is light, soft and can be crushed into white powder by hand. There is a slight earthy smell, no taste, and a sticky texture when licked. Insoluble in water, hydrochloric acid or nitric acid, when heated in sulfuric acid, it turns gray. We believe that soft Hua Shi should be a kind of Silicate minerals Halloysite, which differs in effect from Hua Shi, and should not be used as Hua Shi.

Disclaimer: All above articles are for reference only. If patients are interested, please consult a professional practitioner Traditional Chinese Medicine for a consultation.