Hua Shi
Name: Talcum (滑石)
Pinyin: Hua Shi
Pharm. Name: Talcum
Properties:
|
Taste |
Characteristics |
Organs |
Dosage |
|
Sweet Bland |
Induce diuresis to treat stranguria, clear heat, and summer-heat, dispel dampness to promote wound healing for external application. |
Stomach, Bladder |
9-18g |
Description:
This herb is cold in nature and acts from draining. It is good at clearing damp-heat in the bladder to regulate water passage, so it is the essential herb for stranguria. For heat stranguria due to down-pour of damp-heat manifested as dysuria, scanty, deep dark and painful urine or anuresis, it is usually combined with the herbs of treating stranguria by clearing heat and inducing diuresis. It can not only drain dampness but also clear summer-heat, and is usually indicated for summer-damp and damp-warm disease. For restlessness and thirst, scanty and dark urine due to summer-heat, it is combined with Gan Cao such as in Liu Yi San from Shang Han Biao Ben (Manifestation and Root Causes of Cold-induced Disease). It also has the actions of clearing heat and dispelling dampness, promoting wound healing and relieving itching when externally applied.