Wiseman’s Chinese Medical Database

dǎn fán / 胆矾 / 膽礬 / chalcanthite

Latin pharmacognostic name: Chalcanthitum

Alternate English names:

Alternate Chinese names:

Origin: Animal

Use: medicinal

Category: Ejection agents

Properties: Sour and acrid; cold; toxic.

Channel entry: liver and gallbladder channels.

Indications:

• Induces vomiting: Wind-phlegm blockage as in epilepsy, throat impediment, or throat wind; accidental ingestion of poisonous substances.
• Resolves toxin and absorbs dampness: mouth sores (kǒu chuāng); gān of the teeth and gums; mouth sores; wind eye with ulceration of the eyelid rims.
• Eliminates sores and dispels putridity. Used topically for sore toxin, swelling, putrefaction and for painful excrescences.

  Dosage & Method:

  Oral: 0.1–0.3g taken with warm water. Topical: apply as powder or mixed, or as a wash.

  Product Area:

  Produced mainly in Yúnnán and Shānxī; also produced in Jiāngxī, Guǎngdōng, Shǎnxī (Shaanxi), and Gānsū.