Verdigris (Tong qing)
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 tong qing (verdigris; a basic copper salt / copper patina). 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 women's blood-qi heart pain, staunching wound bleeding, brightening the eyes and removing red eye-growths, and for wind-damaged tearing eyes, malign and gan-sores, expelling wind-phlegm and killing worms. A toxic mineral substance (a copper salt).
Compendium of Materia Medica (Bencao Gangmu)卷八·金类·铜青·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：主妇人血气心痛，合金疮止血，明目，去肤赤瘜肉；古载主风烂眼泪出，治恶疮疳疮、吐风痰、杀虫。
Nature & flavor: 酸，平，微毒。
- Compendium of Materia Medica (Bencao Gangmu) · Li Shizhen · 卷八·金类·铜青·释名Cited from Compendium of Materia Medica (Bencao Gangmu) for its classification.
- Compendium of Materia Medica (Bencao Gangmu) · Li Shizhen · 卷八·金类·铜青·气味Cited from Compendium of Materia Medica (Bencao Gangmu) for its nature & flavor.
- Compendium of Materia Medica (Bencao Gangmu) · Li Shizhen · 卷八·金类·铜青·主治Cited from Compendium of Materia Medica (Bencao Gangmu) for its traditional functions.
- Compendium of Materia Medica (Bencao Gangmu) · Li Shizhen · 卷八·金类·铜青·气味Cited from Compendium of Materia Medica (Bencao Gangmu) for its safety notes.