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Alternate English names: colophony

Alternate Chinese names: 松脂香 sōng zhī xiāng; 沥青 lì qīng; 松脂 sōng zhī

Kingdom: Plant

Origin in PRC Pharmacopoeia: Pinus tabulaeformis Carr.; Pinus massoniana Lamb; Pinus densiflora Sieb. et Zucc. (PRC Pharmacopoeia)

Origin in unofficial sources: Pinus massoniana Lamb.; Pinus tabulaeformis Carr.; Pinus yunnanensis Franch.

Use: Medicinal

Category: External-use agents / Toxin-drawing, putridity-transforming, and flesh-engendering agents

Properties: Bitter and sweet; warm; nontoxic*.

Channel entry: Liver, spleen, and channels.

Actions and indications:

• Dries dampness and kills worms: Scab and lichen with damp itching.
• Draws toxin and engenders flesh: Toxin swelling of sores and welling-abscesses.
• Dispels wind and relieves pain: Wind-damp impediment (fēng shī bì) pain.

Dosage and method: Topical: Grind and sprinkle on or apply mixed. Oral: Use in pills, powders, or medicinal wines.

Product description: This resin takes the form of semitranslucent irregular lumps of differing sizes. The exterior surface is golden yellow, and often has a lighter yellow powder sticking to it. It becomes harder when subjected to a steady low heat. It is brittle, and the fractures are shiny like glass. When subjected to high temperatures it melts, and burns, giving of a thick brown smoke.

Quality: The best quality comes in neat lumps and is semitranslucent, oily and has a strong smell.

Production area: Guǎngdōng, Guǎngxī, Fújiàn, Húnán, Jiāngxī, Zhèjiāng, ānhuī.

Etymology: The name sōng xiāng 松香, literally pine scent, reflects the smell of this product.

See: Sōng jié (松节 Pini Nodi Lignum, knotty pine wood)

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