The efficacy and function of Xiaoshi

Do you know about Xiaoshi? It is a common medicinal material. Generally, Xiaoshi is used as raw material in many places. It can also treat many physical diseases. Let’s take a look at the relevant knowledge about Xiaoshi.

[Other names] Mangxiao (Bielu), Kuxiao (Yaoxinglun). It can transform gold stone and water stone (Shiyao Erya), extinguish flame (Tusu Bencao), and extinguish fire (Compendium of Materia Medica).

[Source] It is a crystal made by processing and refining the mineral saltpeter .

[Original form] Saltpeter (Compendium of Materia Medica)

[Habitat distribution] It is mostly found in dirty places, and often covers the ground, the foot of the wall or the surface of the rock. It is also common in limestone, salt marsh and desert areas. It is produced in Shandong, Jiangsu, Hunan, Hubei, Sichuan, Guizhou and other places.

[Preparation method] Take a piece of soil containing saltpeter, smash it, put it in a handle, add water to soak and mix well, filter it several times, take the filtrate to clarify it, put it in an evaporator to heat and evaporate the water, take it out and cool it, then saltpeter crystals will precipitate. Store in a cool, dry place away from fire and moisture.

[Properties] It is a colorless, transparent hexagonal rhombus columnar crystal, or a white crystalline powder. It is brittle and easy to break. No smell, taste salty and cool. It is easily soluble in water, slightly soluble in alcohol, and its aqueous solution shows a neutral reaction. Easy to melt. Explosive when burning.

【Chemical composition】 The main ingredient is potassium nitrate. Depending on the origin and refining method, the potassium nitrate content can range from half to nearly pure. Common inclusions are often sodium chloride, water and so on.

【Processing】 Xiaoshi: Crush or grind into powder for use. There are two ways to make Xiaoshi: water-based and fire-based. Water-based: boil Xiaoshi with water and 10% radish, filter, concentrate, and leave until it crystallizes. Fire preparation: Put the shavings into a pot and fry over low heat until it turns white. Keep someone company when frying to prevent fire hazards.

【Nature and flavor】 Bitter and salty, warm, poisonous.

[Meridian] ① "Leigong Paozhi Yaoxing Jie": "enters the heart and spleen meridians."

【Functions and indications】It can break up hard masses and disperse accumulations, promote diuresis and detoxify, and reduce swelling. Treats sha-swelling, heart and abdominal pain, vomiting and diarrhea. Jaundice, gonorrhea, constipation, eye problems, throat congestion, furunculosis, and carbuncle.

[Usage and Dosage] For oral administration: in pills or powder, 0.5 to 1 qian. For external use: grind into powder and apply to eyes, blow into throat or dissolve in water and apply as paste.

【Note】 The weak and pregnant women should not take this medicine.

[Additional prescription] ① Treat cholera, scurvy, mountain malaria, and other evils caused by summer heat, dizziness, unconsciousness, and critical conditions; also treat mouth ulcers and sore throat, eye drops to remove wind-heat obstructions, nasal twitching and to ward off epidemics: one qian each of western bezoar, dangmenzi, pearl, plum slices, and borax, eight qian of real realgar (flying clean), three fen of saltpeter, and twenty pages of flying gold. Grind each of the eight ingredients into a very fine powder, then grind them together until evenly combined. Store them tightly in a porcelain bottle and seal it with wax. Take 3 to 5 fen each time, mixed with cold boiled water. ("Sui Xiju's Revision of Cholera Theory" Marching Discourse)

【Discussions by various scholars】 ① "Compendium of Materia Medica" says: "Salt is good at digestion and expulsion, but the "Classic" says it is non-toxic and can transform 72 kinds of stones. It is not poisonous but can be transformed. Use it to treat diseases, and use it to its full potential, and the disease will be cured."

[Clinical application] Treatment of chronic hepatitis and cirrhosis: Grind equal amounts of xiaoshi and alum stone into powder and put it into capsules for oral administration. Adults take 3 times a day, 3 minutes each time. In the trial treatment of 5 cases of chronic hepatitis, the symptoms disappeared in 3 cases, were ineffective in 1 case, and treatment was discontinued in 1 case; in 5 cases of cirrhosis, the symptoms disappeared in 2 cases, and were alleviated in 3 cases; in another case of cirrhosis with ascites, the symptoms also subsided after treatment. The shortest duration of medication is 14 days and the longest is 5 months (ascites due to cirrhosis). Preliminary observations show that this drug has certain effects on eliminating jaundice, subsiding ascites, and improving mental state. Generally, there are no adverse reactions after taking the medicine, but patients with poor appetite may experience slight chest tightness and mild nausea after starting to take the medicine, which will gradually disappear as they continue to take the medicine. All patients had black stools after taking the medicine; some had mild diarrhea when they first took it, but it returned to normal after 2 or 3 days of taking it.

【Excerpt】 《*Dictionary》

[Source] From "Shennong's Herbal Classic" 1. "Kaibao Herbal Classic": This is ground frost. In the mountains and swamps, there is frost on the ground in winter. Sweep it, pour water on the juice, and then boil it to make it. Because it can digest all kinds of stones, it is called stone-digesting. It is not the same as Puxiao and Mangxiao, but it has the same name as Xiao. Another name is Mangxiao because when it is first decocted, it has thorns and looks like it is melting, hence the name Mangxiao. It is completely different from Mangxiao.

Above we introduced what Xiaoshi is, its efficacy and functions. We know that Xiaoshi can not only improve immunity, but also plays an indispensable role in certain diseases.