Pinyin: Shigao
Aliases
Hanshuishi, Baihu, Yudashi, Bingshi.
Source
Sulfate mineral of the anhydrite group, gypsum Gypsum.
Distribution
Gypsum mineral deposits are distributed in most regions of the country, such as Inner Mongolia, Shanxi, Shaanxi, Ningxia, Gansu, Qinghai, Xinjiang, Shandong, Anhui, Henan, Hubei, Sichuan, Guizhou, Yunnan, and Tibet.
Harvesting and Processing
After harvesting, remove miscellaneous stones and sediment.
Medicinal Properties
This product is a fibrous aggregate, occurring in long blocks, plate-like pieces, or irregular masses. It is white, grayish-white, or pale yellow, sometimes translucent. Heavy in weight, soft in texture. The longitudinal section shows a silky luster. Odor: faint; Taste: bland.
Chemical Constituents
The main ingredient is hydrous calcium sulfate (CaSO4·2H2O).4· 2H2O) and other substances.
Pharmacology
It has antipyretic and thirst-quenching effects, and regulates the immune system; it can suppress hyperfunction of the pituitary, adrenal, submandibular, prostate, pancreas, and testes caused by exuberant internal Heat; it also induces hyperfunction of the spleen and thymus. At low doses, it temporarily reduces femoral artery blood flow, with no significant effect on respiration or blood pressure; at high doses, it causes respiratory depression, lowers blood pressure, and reduces coronary artery blood flow. On isolated small intestine and uterus, low doses increase amplitude, while high doses decrease tension and amplitude; it shortens clotting time and inhibits bile excretion.
Properties and Channel Entry
Sweet, pungent, and greatly cold. Enters the Lung and Stomach channels.
Functions and Indications
Clears Heat and drains Fire, relieves irritability and stops thirst
Dosage and Administration
Oral: decoction, 15-60 g, crushed and decocted first; or made into pills or powder
Precautions and Contraindications
For those with Yang deficiency cold patterns, Spleen and Stomach weakness, or fever due to Blood deficiency and Yin deficiency, use with caution.
Prescriptions
1. For persistent fever in children: Shigao (gypsum) 30 g, Qingdai (indigo naturalis) 3 g. Grind into powder, mix with rice cake paste to form pills the size of longan pits. Take 1 pill each time, dissolved in water boiled with Dengxincao (Juncus medulla). (From Puji Fang, Qing Wan Zi). 2. For cough and wheezing in children: Roast Shigao (gypsum) in fire until it becomes powder, mix with honey, take 1.5 g. (From Weisheng Yijian Fang). 3. For phlegm-heat causing wheezing with copious phlegm like a fountain: Hanshuishi (calcite) and Shigao (gypsum) in equal parts. Grind into fine powder. Decoct Renshen (Panax ginseng) in water, take 9 g of the powder with the decoction after meals. (From Baoming Ji, Shuangyu San). 4. For mumps: Raw Shigao (gypsum) and Huangbai (Phellodendron chinense) in equal amounts. Grind into powder, mix with water or vinegar to form a paste about 0.5 cm thick, spread on gauze and apply to the affected area. Apply 1-2 times daily. [From Shaanxi New Medicine, 1977, (5): 35]. 5. For pediatric febrile vomiting and diarrhea with yellow stool: Shigao (gypsum) and Hanshuishi (calcite) each 15 g, Gancao (Glycyrrhiza uralensis, raw) 3 g. Grind together into powder. Take 1.5 g each time, with warm water after meals. (From Xiao'er Yaozheng Zhijue, Yulu San). 6. For stomach heat causing swollen gums and kidney heat causing tooth decay with swelling and pain: Shigao (gypsum) 30 g, Xixin (Asarum sieboldii) 9 g. Decoct in water and use as a mouth rinse; the pain will subside. (From Yiji, Erxin Jian). 7. For headache: Chuanxiong (Ligusticum chuanxiong), Shigao (gypsum), and Baizhi (Angelica dahurica) in equal parts. Grind into fine powder. Take 12 g each time, with hot tea. (From Chishui Xuanzhu, Shigao San). 8. For eczema: Calcined Shigao (gypsum) 60 g, Baiji (Bletilla striata) 30 g, Mituseng (litharge) 21 g, Qingfen (calomel) 15 g, Kufan (alum) 9 g. Grind together into very fine powder. Mix with sesame oil or petroleum jelly to form a 50% ointment and apply to the affected area. If there is purulent discharge, the dry powder may be sprinkled directly. Apply 3-5 times daily. Avoid washing with warm water or soap during use. (From Quanguo Zhongcaoyao Huibian).
