This product is a crystalline substance refined from natural minerals containing sodium sulfate. It mainly contains hydrated sodium sulfate (Na₂SO₄‧10H₂O). It is primarily produced in alkaline soil regions of Hebei, Henan, Shandong, Jiangsu, Anhui, and other provinces. The natural product is dissolved in hot water, filtered, and then cooled to precipitate crystals, commonly known as "pixiao". Then, radishes are washed, sliced, and cooked in a pot with water and pixiao. The upper layer of liquid is taken, cooled, and crystallized to obtain Mirabilite. The white powder formed by the weathering of Mirabilite, which loses its water of crystallization, is called Xuanming Powder (Yuanming Powder).

bubble_chart Properties and Meridians

Salty and bitter, cold. Act on stomach and large intestine meridians.

bubble_chart Efficacy

Purging, softening hardness, and clearing heat.

bubble_chart Indications

1. Used for food retention due to excess heat, dry stool accumulation. This product is salty, bitter, and cold in nature, with a descending and purging effect. It has a strong ability to clear heat, promote bowel movements, moisten and soften hardness, and cleanse the gastrointestinal tract. It is suitable for conditions such as food retention due to gastrointestinal excess heat, dry stool accumulation, and delirious speech. It is often used in combination with Rhubarb Rhizoma to enhance the purgative and heat-clearing effects, as seen in formulas like Major Purgative Decoction and Stomach-Regulating Purgative Decoction. In modern clinical practice, it is also commonly used for abdominal pain and constipation due to gallstones.
2. Used for sore throat, aphthae, red eyes, and swelling and pain from abscesses and sores. This product has external applications for clearing heat and dispersing swelling. For treating swollen and painful throat and mouth ulcers, it can be used with borax, borneol, and Cinnabar to make a powder for external use, such as Borneol and Borax Powder, or by placing Mirabilite in watermelon to make watermelon frost for external application. For red and swollen eyes, Mirabilite can be dissolved on tofu or used with Mirabilite Powder to prepare eye drops for external use. For the initial stage of acute mastitis, it can be dissolved in water or wrapped in fine gauze for external application. For the initial stage of intestinal abscess, it can be used with Rhubarb Rhizoma and garlic, mashed and applied externally. For hemorrhoid swelling and pain, it can be used alone by decocting and washing externally.

bubble_chart Documentation

1. Benjing: "Expels cold pathogenic heat, disperses abdominal masses in the six viscera, resolves stagnation and stubborn accumulations, and can transform seventy-two types of stones."
2. Zhenzhunang: "Its uses are threefold: first, to remove excess heat; second, to cleanse the intestines of accumulated waste; third, to break up hard accumulations and heat masses."
3. Yaopin Huayi: "Its salty taste softens hardness, thus it can relieve dryness accumulation; its cold nature descends, hence it can eliminate fire and dryness. It primarily treats seasonal epidemic heat mania, six fu-organs pathogenic heat, or upper energizer diaphragm heat, or lower body constipation."

bubble_chart Usage and Dosage

For internal use, 10-15g, dissolve in medicinal decoction or hot water before taking. For external use, apply an appropriate amount.

bubble_chart Cautions and Contraindications

Pregnant and lactating women should avoid or use with caution.

bubble_chart Modern Pharmacology

This product mainly contains crystalline sodium sulfate, often mixed with trace amounts of sodium chloride, sodium sulfate, calcium sulfate, etc. The main component of Mirabilite is sodium sulfate, which is a saline laxative. It is not easily absorbed by the intestinal wall and remains in the intestine as a hypertonic solution, preventing the absorption of water in the intestine. This increases the volume of the intestinal contents, causing mechanical stimulation, promoting intestinal peristalsis, and resulting in the passage of loose stools.