Medicinals
zhēn zhū / 珍珠 / 珍珠 / pearl
Latin pharmacognostic name: Margarita
Alternate English names:
Alternate Chinese names: 真珠 zhēn zhū; 真朱 zhēn zhū; 蚌珠 bàng zhū; 珠子 zhū zǐ; 濂珠 lián zhū
Origin: Animal
Use: medicinal
Category: Liver-calming wind-extinguishing agents / Liver-calming yáng-subduing agents
Properties: Sweet, salty, and cold.
Channel entry: heart and liver channels.
Indications:
- Settles the heart and quiets the spirit to treat heart palpitation, epilepsy, and fright wind.
- Clears liver and eliminates screens: Red eyes and eye screens due to liver heat, as well as clouded vision due to liver vacuity. For eye diseases, it is mostly used externally, but may be used internally as well.
Dosage & Method:
Oral: 0.3–1g. It is generally used in powders and pills or applied externally. Pearl powder is often used in topical beauty products. True pearl is superior to cultivated pearl, although both are currently used.
Quality:
Large round iridescent pearls with a smooth surface are the best. Visible layers on the cross section are also a sign of good quality.
Product Area:
Jiāngsū, Guǎngdōng, Táiwān.