Shi dan (chalcanthite / blue vitriol)
Modern sources record safety concerns for this herb. Reference information, not a diagnostic or treatment recommendation.
Modern sources record heavy-metal toxicity for the copper in shi dan (copper sulfate, CuSO4; chalcanthite / blue vitriol). The U.S. ATSDR Toxicological Profile for Copper reports that the most sensitive target organs for oral copper exposure are the gastrointestinal tract and the liver: gastrointestinal effects (nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain) are a known health effect in humans following oral exposure, and hepatic effects are a presumed health effect in humans following oral exposure; the profile also notes that IARC, the NTP and the EPA have not evaluated the carcinogenicity of copper. This is reference information drawn from modern sources, not a diagnostic or treatment recommendation.
Recorded in Bencao Gangmu for brightening the eyes and eye pain, incised wounds, epilepsy and spasm, women's genital erosion, stony strangury and flooding; dispersing masses, for cough, worm-tooth, and as a rapid agent in wind-phlegm emetic formulas. A toxic mineral substance (copper sulfate).
Compendium of Materia Medica (Bencao Gangmu)卷十·石类下·石胆·主治
- functions_en self-translated from 本草纲目 traditional_functions (public domain; the Chinese tf carries verbatim excerpt_hash citations). No modern work consulted.
- WHO IST-TCM terminology-aligned for the English rendering.
- public pharmacopoeia & physical facts (public-domain reference facts; no proprietary modern source).
Classical source text (Chinese) — English summary above.
传统中医记载：主明目目痛、金疮诸痫痉、女子阴蚀痛、石淋寒热、崩中下血；古载散癥积、咳逆上气、治虫牙、入吐风痰药最快。
Nature & flavor: 酸、辛，寒，有毒。
- Compendium of Materia Medica (Bencao Gangmu) · Li Shizhen · 卷十·石类下·石胆·释名Cited from Compendium of Materia Medica (Bencao Gangmu) for its classification.
- Compendium of Materia Medica (Bencao Gangmu) · Li Shizhen · 卷十·石类下·石胆·气味Cited from Compendium of Materia Medica (Bencao Gangmu) for its nature & flavor.
- Compendium of Materia Medica (Bencao Gangmu) · Li Shizhen · 卷十·石类下·石胆·主治Cited from Compendium of Materia Medica (Bencao Gangmu) for its traditional functions.
- Compendium of Materia Medica (Bencao Gangmu) · Li Shizhen · 卷十·石类下·石胆·气味Cited from Compendium of Materia Medica (Bencao Gangmu) for its safety notes.