Tu huang (an arsenical mineral)
Modern sources record safety concerns for this herb. Reference information, not a diagnostic or treatment recommendation.
Modern authoritative sources classify the inorganic arsenic in tu huang (an arsenical mineral) as carcinogenic. The U.S. NTP Report on Carcinogens lists arsenic and inorganic arsenic compounds as known to be human carcinogens, associated with cancers including those of the skin, lung, urinary bladder, kidney and liver. This is reference information drawn from modern sources, not a diagnostic or treatment recommendation.
Recorded in Bencao Gangmu, as an external escharotic, for withering tumors and warts, hemorrhoids, fistulas and malign flesh of sores. A toxic mineral substance (an arsenical preparation).
Compendium of Materia Medica (Bencao Gangmu)卷十·石类下·土黄·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：主枯瘤赘、痔乳，食瘘疬并诸疮恶肉。
Nature & flavor: 辛、酸，热，有毒。
- Compendium of Materia Medica (Bencao Gangmu) · Li Shizhen · 卷十·石类下·土黄·条名Cited from Compendium of Materia Medica (Bencao Gangmu) for its classification.
- Compendium of Materia Medica (Bencao Gangmu) · Li Shizhen · 卷十·石类下·土黄·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·土黄·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·土黄·气味Cited from Compendium of Materia Medica (Bencao Gangmu) for its safety notes.