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Alternate Chinese names: 细石 xì shí; 细理石 xì lǐ shí; 软石膏 ruǎn shí gāo; 白虎 bái hǔ

Kingdom: Plant

Origin in PRC Pharmacopoeia: Mineral consisting mainly (over 95%) of CaSO₄·2H₂O, with traces of Na, Mg, Si, Al, Fe, Cu, Mn, Ti, Zn, Co, Cr, and Ni. (PRC Pharmacopoeia)

Use: Medicinal

Category: Heat-clearing agents / Heat-clearing fire-draining agents

Properties: Sweet, acrid; very cold.

Channel entry: Lung and stomach channels.

Actions and indications:

• Clears heat and drains fire, eliminates vexation and allays thirst: Vigorous heat effusion, heart vexation, and thirst; lung heat cough; painful swollen gums or headache due to stomach fire.
• Absorbs dampness, closes sores, and engenders flesh: Sores that fail to close.

Dosage and method: Oral: 15–60g in decoctions. It should be crushed and pre-decocted. Unprocessed shí gāo is used internally; the calcined form is powdered and used externally.

Warnings: Contraindicated in spleen-stomach vacuity cold and in yīn vacuity with internal heat.

Product description: This mineral, containing native calcium sulphate (CaSO₄·2H₂), is composed of a white or gray, fibrous, crystal substance that comes in lumps of varying size. It is heavy and loose, breaking up easily into small lumps. The fibrous structure is visible on the cross section. If heated to 120°C, it partly loses it crystal structure, and becomes powdery. This is called Shú shí gāo (煅石膏 Gypsum Calcinatum, calcined gypsum).

Quality: Clean large lumps of highly fibrous white gypsum are the best.

Production area: Húběi, ānhuī, Hénán, Shāndōng, Sìchuān, Húnán, Guǎngxī, Guǎngdōng, Yúnnán, Xīnjiāng.

Etymology: shí gāo 石膏, literally stone paste, is a reference to its ability to take on a paste-like consistency when ground to a powder and blended with vinegar.

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