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The term “mineral” refers to natural substances formed from chemical elements in the Earth’s crust through various geological
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NOTE
In ancient China, the majority of medicinal substances were derived from plants, which is why “Ben Cao” (Materia Medica) became synonymous with traditional Chinese medicine (TCM).
processes and is a fundamental component of rocks. Minerals that that can be used for medical purposes are known as medicinal minerals. The use of medicinal minerals in China has been documented as early as the Shan Hai Jing ( Classic of Mountains and Seas ) from the pre-Qin period. According to some scholars, starting from the Shen Nong Ben Cao Jing written during the Han Dynasty and culminating in the Qing Dynasty’s Ben Cao Gang Mu Shi Yi ( Compendium of Materia Medica Supplement ), over 400 types of medicinal minerals have been recorded. Despite the relatively large number of medicinal minerals , some of them possess high toxicity, and improper use can lead to safety concerns. As a result,they are not commonly used in clinical TCM internal medicine but are more frequently employed in f ields of external medicine and dermatology.
Cinnabar is one of the earlier-used mineral substances in medicine. According to the medical book Ben Cao Zheng (The Orthodox Materia Medica) from the Ming Dynasty,it states: “Cinnabar, when entering the heart, can calm the spirit and regulate the blood vessels; when entering the lung, it can descend qi and affect the skin and hair; when entering the spleen, it can expel phlegm and saliva and affect the muscles; when entering the liver, it can resolve blood stasis and affect the tendons and sinews; when entering the kidney, it can dispel water retention and affect the bone marrow. Whether upwards or downwards, it reaches every part of the body.” This shows that ancient physicians placed significant importance on the medicinal value of cinnabar.