✵The article gives records of the herb Talc, its English name, Latin name, property and flavor, its source one mineral, ①.Talc, with a detailed introduction to the features of this mineral, and ecological environment of this mineral, the features of the herb Talc, its pharmacological actions, medicinal efficacy, and administration guide.
Talcumn(Talc).
Pin Yin Name: Huá Shí.
English Name: Talc.
Latin Name: Talcumn.
Property and flavor: cold, tasteless, sweet.
Brief introduction: The herb Talcumn is a very soft mineral composed mainly of hydrous magnesium silicate, used to induce diuresis, clear summer-heat and dispel damp in the treatment of summer afflictions, watery diarrhea, oliguria, and urinary infection, and also externally for treating eczema and miliaria. The herb is commonly known as Talcumn, Talc, Huá Shí.
Mineral source: Herbal classic book defined the herb Talcumn (Talc) as the blocks of the (1).talc. It is a kind of mineral composed mainly of hydrous magnesium silicate. It is introduced:
(1).Talc.
Mineral description: It is also known as Talc powder, Huá Shí. Monoclinic system. The crystals are hexagonal or rhomboid, but intact crystals are rare, usually granular and scaly dense lumpy masses. The whole crystal is egg blue, white, or pale yellow. Streaks of white or light green. Glossy fat shape, cleavage surface shows pearl luster. Translucent to opaque. Cleavage is complete along the bottom. Hardness is 1, relative density is 2.7~2.8. The property is soft and has a slippery and greasy feeling. A piece of talc can be sawn into any shape, and the sheet is flexible but inelastic.
Ecological environment: The mineral is found mainly in metamorphic rocks, limestone, dolomite, magnesite, and shale. It is distributed in the lower reaches of the Yangtze River, the north and northwest areas, the Zhujiang river area, and other areas of China.
Characters of herbs: (1). Talc: it is a compact block or scale-like aggregation, which is an irregular block or flat block. The herb is white, yellowish-white, or light gray to pale blue. The herb is translucent or opaque, and has a waxy luster, some have a pearl luster. The texture of the herb is soft and delicate (exquisite), it can be used to write on hard paper, and it feels lubricative when touched by hand. The herb has no hygroscopicity, it does not collapse in water. The herb has no odor, no taste, coolish. The herb of a better grade is neat, white, lubricative, and free of miscellaneous stones.
(2). Talc powder: it is a fine, non-sand powder, white or off-white. It is greasy. The herb is odorless, tasteless. The herb of a better grade is a fine powder, white, and has no impurities.
Pharmacological actions: ①.antimicrobial effect: in vitro, 10% talc powder has an inhibitory effect on Bacillus typhi and Bacillus paratyphosus A.
Medicinal efficacy: Diuresis and treating stranguria, clearing heat and relieving summer heat, excreting dampness, promoting defecation and urination, clearing damp convergence sores. It is indicated for pyretic stranguria (heat stranguria), urolithic stranguria, urine heat and astringent pain, hygropyrexia of bladder (dampness-heat of bladder), summer-heat and damp, polydipsia, dampness-heat and watery diarrhea, dysuria (difficulty in micturition), diarrhea, heat dysentery, gonorrhea, jaundice, edema, epistasis, beriberi, externally treatment of eczema, wet sores, prickly heat (heat rash), wet skin and rotten, etc.
Administration of Talcumn (Huá Shí):
Reference:
Administration Guide of Talcumn (Huá Shí)
TCM Books:
①.Internally:10~20 grams.Externally:proper amount; ②.Internally:water decoction, wrapped to decoct, 3~4 qian (about 9~12 grams),or prepare to pill,powder.Externally:prepare to finely ground herb powder,smear or apply stick; ③.Internally:water decoction, 9~24 grams, wrapped to decoct,or prepare to pill,powder.Externally:proper amount,prepare to finely ground herb powder,smear or apply stick.
Precautions and Adverse Reactions:the herb Talcumn should be used cautiously during pregnancy, should not be combined with azurite ore.