Medicinals
mì tuó sēng / 密陀僧 / 密陀僧 / litharge
Latin pharmacognostic name: Lithargyrum
Alternate English names:
Alternate Chinese names: 蜜陀僧 mì tuó sēng; 没多僧 mò duō sēng; 金陀僧 jīn tuó sēng
Origin: Mineral
Use: medicinal
Category: External medicine agents / Toxin-attacking, worm-killing, and itch-relieving agents
Properties: Salty and acrid; balanced; toxic.
Channel entry: liver and spleen channels.
Indications:
- Disperses swelling and kills worms; heals sores and fights putridity: hemorrhoids; toxin swellings; ulcers; eczema; foxlike odor (armpit odor); external injury; enduring dysentery.
- Precipitates phlegm and settles fright: fright epilepsy (jīng xián).
Dosage & Method:
Topical: Grind to a powder and sprinkle on the affected area or apply mixed. Oral: Grind to a powder (0.3–0.9g); use in pills and powders.
Product Description:
This agent, which is lead oxide (PbO), was traditionally obtained as a by-product of the smelting of lead ore. Now it is usually obtained by repeatedly dipping an iron bar into molten led, and then plunging it into water to cool and oxidize the led until the accumulated lead oxide has reached a certain weight at which it to be easily cracked off the bar.
Product Area:
Produced mainly in Guǎngdōng, Húnán, Húběi, and to a lesser extent in Jiāngsū and Shǎnxī (Shaanxi).
Etymology:
The main name mì tuó sēng 密陀僧 and the alternate name 没多僧 (mò duò sēng) represent transliterations from Sanskrit or other Indian language.