Herb

Calomel (Shui yin fen)

水银粉shui yin fen
1 sourceCalomelas
Modern safety noticeRestricted

Modern sources record safety concerns for this herb. Reference information, not a diagnostic or treatment recommendation.

Modern sources record heavy-metal toxicity for calomel (shui yin fen; mercurous chloride, Hg2Cl2, a form of inorganic mercury). The U.S. ATSDR Toxicological Profile for Mercury reports that the nervous system is an important target of inorganic mercury and that the nephrotoxicity of inorganic mercury has long been established, with impaired renal function and damage reported in humans after acute inorganic mercury poisoning. This is reference information drawn from modern sources, not a diagnostic or treatment recommendation.

Recorded in Bencao Gangmu for freeing the large intestine, childhood gan and scrofula, killing sore, scabies and tinea worms, facial rosacea and wind-sore itch, and for phlegm accumulation, water-swelling and toxic sores. Calomel (shui yin fen) is mercurous chloride.

Source

Compendium of Materia Medica (Bencao Gangmu)卷九·石类上·水银粉·主治

References
  • 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).
Traditional functions

Classical source text (Chinese) — English summary above.

传统中医记载：主通大肠，转小儿疳并瘰疬，杀疮疥癣虫，及鼻上酒齇、风疮瘙痒；古载治痰涎积滞、水肿鼓胀、毒疮。

Nature, flavor & meridians

Nature & flavor: 辛，冷，无毒。

Citations
  • Compendium of Materia Medica (Bencao Gangmu) · Li Shizhen · 卷九·石类上·水银粉·释名Cited from Compendium of Materia Medica (Bencao Gangmu) for its classification.
  • Compendium of Materia Medica (Bencao Gangmu) · Li Shizhen · 卷九·石类上·水银粉·气味Cited from Compendium of Materia Medica (Bencao Gangmu) for its nature & flavor.
  • Compendium of Materia Medica (Bencao Gangmu) · Li Shizhen · 卷九·石类上·水银粉·主治Cited from Compendium of Materia Medica (Bencao Gangmu) for its traditional functions.
  • Compendium of Materia Medica (Bencao Gangmu) · Li Shizhen · 卷九·石类上·水银粉·气味Cited from Compendium of Materia Medica (Bencao Gangmu) for its safety notes.