Wiseman’s Chinese Medical Database

náo shā / 硇砂 / 硇砂 / sal ammoniac;

Latin pharmacognostic name: Sal Ammoniacum

Alternate English names: salmiac

Alternate Chinese names:

Origin: Mineral

Use: medicinal

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

Properties: Salty, bitter, and acrid; warm; toxic.

Channel entry: liver, spleen, and stomach channels.

Indications:

Disperses accumulations and softens hardness; breaks stasis and disperses binds.

welling-abscesses (yōng zhǒng) and malign sores that fail to heal; scrofula (whether ruptured or not); throat impediment (hóu bì); eye screens; polyps and warts; snake and insect bites; concretions, conglomerations, accumulations, and gathering; dysphagia-occlusion (yē gé); stomach reflux.

Dosage & Method:

Topical: Apply as a powder; can be mixed with oil Oral: Use in pills or powders, 0.3–1g at a time, do not exceed 2g.

Warning:

Do not use in excessive doses since it can cause gastrointestinal inflammation. Contraindicated in pregnancy and in accumulations and gatherings without repletion evils.

Product Area:

Qīnghǎi, Gānsū, Xīnjiāng.