Pinyin: Yuyuliang
Aliases
Shizhonghuang, Baiyuliang, Yuliangshi, Yuliangtu
Source
Hydroxide mineral limonite.
Distribution
The main production areas include Hebei, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, and Henan, with other provinces also involved in production and sales.
Harvesting and Processing
After harvesting, remove any miscellaneous stones.
Medicinal Properties
This product is a massive aggregate, appearing as irregular oblique square blocks, 5-10 cm long and 1-3 cm thick. The surface is reddish-brown, grayish-brown, or light brown, mostly uneven or covered with yellow powder. The cross-section shows alternating layers of dark brown and light brown or pale yellow, with varying hardness; the loose parts can be scratched with a fingernail. It is heavy, hard, with a faint odor and a bland taste, and no gritty sensation when chewed.
Ingredients
The main components are basic iron oxide and basic hydrated iron oxide.
Pharmacology
The raw product significantly shortens clotting time and bleeding time, while the calcined product prolongs clotting time and bleeding time; the water decoctions of the raw product, calcined product, and vinegar-quenched product all inhibit gastrointestinal motility.
Properties and Channel Entry
Sweet, astringent, slightly cold. Enters the Stomach and Large Intestine channels.
Functions and Indications
Astringes the intestines to stop diarrhea, astringes and stops bleeding. Used for chronic diarrhea, chronic dysentery, bloody stools, uterine bleeding, and vaginal discharge.
Dosage and Administration
Oral administration: decocted in water, 10-15 g, should be decocted first and the residue removed, then the decoction is used to decoct other herbs; or made into pills or powder. External use: appropriate amount, ground into powder for sprinkling or mixing for application.
Precautions and Contraindications
It is not suitable for use in acute diseases with excess pathogens. Use with caution during pregnancy.
Prescriptions
1. For chronic consumptive disease with incessant diarrhea from the Large Intestine: Yu Yuliang (Limonite) 120 g (heat over fire until red, quench in rice vinegar, repeat seven times, then grind into powder), Wu Tou (Radix Aconiti) 30 g (soak in cold water overnight, remove skin and umbilicus, dry over fire, grind into powder). Combine the above ingredients, mix with vinegar-cooked flour paste to form pills the size of mung beans. Take 5 pills with warm water before meals. (From *Sheng Ji Zong Lu*, "Shen Xiao Tai Yi Dan"). 2. For senile deficiency diarrhea due to Qi deficiency, persistent and unrelenting: Yu Yuliang (Limonite) 120 g (seal with several layers of salt clay, calcine over charcoal fire for half a day), Bai Zhu (Atractylodes macrocephala) 240 g, Gan Cao (Glycyrrhiza uralensis) 30 g, Bu Gu Zhi (Psoralea corylifolia) 90 g, all stir-fried with wine, ground into powder, and mixed with Yu Yuliang powder. Take 9 g each morning, adjusted with Renshen (Panax ginseng) decoction or rice soup. Alternatively, form into pills with malt sugar. (From *Fang Mai Zheng Zong*). 3. For women's leukorrhea: For white discharge: Yu Yuliang (Limonite) 30 g, Gan Jiang (Zingiber officinale) in equal parts; for red discharge: Yu Yuliang (Limonite) 30 g, Gan Jiang (Zingiber officinale) 15 g. Quench Yu Yuliang in vinegar, grind into fine powder. Take 6 g with warm wine on an empty stomach. (From *Sheng Jin Fang*). 4. For lower abdominal pain in women with facial complexion appearing green, yellow, red, or black, and inability to breathe: Yu Yuliang (Limonite), grind into powder. Take 6 g each time, adjusted with rice drink, 2-3 times daily; very effective. (From *Wei Sheng Yi Jian Fang*). 5. For five strains and seven injuries, Qi distension and fullness, jaundice with weak limbs, women's red and white leukorrhea, blood-dry consumptive disease, and chronic malaria with abdominal masses: Yu Yuliang (Limonite) 2.5 jin, good vinegar 8 jin, boil together until vinegar is fully absorbed. (From *Mi Chuan Da Ma Feng Fang*). 6. To eliminate scars: Yu Yuliang (Limonite) and Ban Xia (Pinellia ternata) in equal parts. Grind into powder and mix with egg yolk. First, rub the scar with a new cloth until red, then apply the mixture. Avoid wind exposure, apply twice daily. (From *Qian Jin Yao Fang*).
