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Purple Snow
紫雪 〔紫雪〕zǐ xuě
Source: Wài Tái Mì Yào 外台秘要
Ingredients:
- Shí gāo (石膏 Gypsum Fibrosum, gypsum) 150g
- Hán shuǐ shí (寒水石 Gypsum seu Calcitum , glauberite) 150g
- Huá shí (滑石 Talcum , talcum) 150g
- Cí shí (磁石 Magnetitum , loadstone) 150g
- Xī jiǎo (犀角 Rhinocerotis Cornu, rhinoceros horn) 50g
- Líng yáng jiǎo (羚羊角 Saigae Tataricae Cornu, antelope horn) 50g
- Mù xiāng (木香 Aucklandiae Radix, costusroot) 50g
- Chén xiāng (沉香 Aquilariae Lignum Resinatum, aquilaria [wood]) 50g
- Xuán shēn (玄参 Scrophulariae Radix, scrophularia [root]) 50g
- Shēng má (升麻 Cimicifugae Rhizoma, cimicifuga [root]) 50g
- Gān cǎo (甘草 Glycyrrhizae Radix, licorice [root]) (mix–fried) 24g
- Pò xiāo (朴硝 Natrii Sulfas Non-Purus, impure mirabilite) 500g
- Huáng jīn (黄金 Aurum , gold) 300g
- Xiāo shí (硝石 Nitrum , niter) 93g
- Zhū shā (朱砂 Cinnabaris , cinnabar) 9g
- Shè xiāng (麝香 Moschus , musk) 4g
- Dīng xiāng (丁香 Caryophylli Flos, clove) 3g
Action: Clears heat and opens the orifices; extinguishes wind and checks tetany.
Indication:
Category: Orifice-opening formulas / Cool opening formulas
Method: Gold is usually omitted nowadays owing to its high cost. Prepared as a powder.
Rationale: Shí gāo and Hán shuǐ shí clear heat and engender liquid. Líng yáng jiǎo clears heat and extinguishes wind, addressing tetanic reversal. Xī jiǎo clears the heart and cools the blood. Aromatic Shè xiāng opens the orifices of the heart. These agents together swiftly clear heat and resolve toxin, settle tetany and open the orifices; hence they are the sovereign agents. Xuán shēn, Shēng má, and Gān cǎo help the main agents to clear heat and engender liquid. Zhū shā, Cí shí, and Huáng jǐn are spirit-quieting heavy settlers that help the sovereign agents to extinguish wind and settle tetany. Mù xiāng —or
Notes: Also called Zǐ xuě dān (紫雪丹 Purple Snow Elixir).
See also: