INDIVIDUAL HERBS

Pharmaceutical Latin: Gypsum Fibrosum
Common English: Gypsum
Herbs that Clean Heat and Drain fire: Herbs that Clear Heat in the Qi Stage
Taste Temperature Entering Meridians Dosage
Sweet
Acrid
Very Cold
Lung
Stomach
15-60g
Up to 90g for very high fevers (30g in children)
Actions Indications/Syndromes

Clears Heat in the Qi Stage, drains Fire, relieves irritability and quenches thirst

Heat in the Qi Stage or Yang Ming Heat with high fever, no chills, irritability, intense thirst, profuse sweating, restlessness, encephalitis, a flooding, big pulse and a red tongue with a yellow coat

Clears Excess Heat from the Lungs

Lung Heat with cough, wheezing, fever and a thick viscous sputum

Clears Blazing Stomach Fire

Stomach Fire with headache, toothache or swollen gums

Heals eczema, burns and ulcerated sores and wounds

Sores and wounds (topically or internally)

CONTRAINDICATIONS
  • Contraindicated for those with Spleen and Stomach Deficiency Cold.
  • Contraindicated for those with Yin Deficiency Heat.
  • Contraindicated for those with headache, generalized aching of the bones but no thirst or desire to drink.
  • Contraindicated for those with parched stools and alternating chills and fever.
  • Contraindicated for those with Summerheat with diarrhea due to Dampness of the Spleen and Stomach.
INCOMPATIBILITIES
HERB/DRUG INTERACTIONS

Rz. Anemarrhenae
Zhi Mu

Hb. Lophatheri
Dan Zhu Ye

Cornu Rhinoceri
Xi Jiao
(Cornu Bubali)
(Shui Niu Jiao)

High fever from Wind-Heat or Qi Stage Heat or Yang Ming Heat with irritability and extreme thirst.

Epidemic diseases.

Lingering fever from febrile disease with insomnia, irritability and a scanty dry tongue coat.

Cough with fever in children.

Heart and Stomach Heat with mouth ulcers and swollen gums.

Epidemic Damp-Heat toxin with a high fever, loss of consciousness, epistaxis and a rash.

Rz. Anemarrhenae
Zhi Mu
Fr. Oryzae
Geng Mi
Rx. Glycyrrhizae
Gan Cao

Hb. Lophatheri
Dan Zhu Ye
Rx. Ophiopogonis
Mai Men Dong

Rx. Rehmanniae Preparata
Shu Di Huang

Heat in the Qi or Yang Ming Stage.

Lingering fever from late stage febrile disease with dysphoria, thirst and a red tongue with no coat.

Headache, toothache, and thirst due to raging fire caused by devastated Yin.

Rx. Rehmanniae
Sheng Di Huang

Rx. Ephedrae
Ma Huang

Rx. Scrophulariae
Xuan Shen
Cornu Rhinoceri
Xi Jiao

Excessive Fire with injured fluids.

Coughing from Heat Obstructing the Lungs with wheezing, flaring of the nostrils and fever.

Wind-edema.

Heat at the Qi and Blood Stages with skin eruptions and echymoses.

Rx. Ephedrae
Ma Huang
Sm. Armeniacae
Xing Ren
Rx. Glycyrrhizae
Gan Cao

Flos Lonicerae
Jin Yin Hua
Hb. Houttuyniae
Yu Xing Cao
(Rx. Scutellariae)
(Huang Qin)

Hb. Asari
Xi Xin

Lung Heat with coughing and asthma.

Heat toxin in the Lungs.

Toothache and gum swelling due to Blazing Stomach Fire.

Rx. Rehmanniae
Sheng Di Huang
Rz. Anemarrhenae
Zhi Mu

Rx. Achyranthis Bidentatae
Huai Niu Xi
Rx. Rehmanniae
Sheng Di Huang
Rz. Anemarrhenae
Zhi Mu

Rz. Pinelliae Preparata
Zhi
Ban Xia
Caul. Bambusae in Taeniam
Zhu Ru

Stomach Fire.

Stomach Fire with headache and swollen painful gums.

Nausea and vomiting from Stomach Heat.

Cx. Phellodendri
Huang Bai

Indigo Naturalis
Qing Dai
Cx. Phellodendri
Huang Bai

Rz. Zingiberis Recens
Sheng Jiang

Prepared with calcined Gypsum Duan Shi Gao, for burns and eczema.

Eczema, burns and abscesses.

Decreases muscular swelling.

Rx. Ephedrae
Ma Huang

Ram. Cinnamomi
Gui Zhi

Cx. Moutan
Mu Dan Pi
Rx. Rehmanniae
Sheng Di Huang
Rx. Scrophulariae
Xuan Shen

Rx. Ginseng
Ren Shen

Wind-Cold with Interior Heat.

Excessive Heat in the Qi and Xue Levels with continuous high fever and maculae.

Excessive Heat with Qi Deficiency.

Rx. Ginseng
Ren Shen

Rx. Ophiopogonis
Mai Men Dong

Rx. Scutellariae
Huang Qin
Rz. Coptidis
Huang Lian
Cx. Phellodendri
Huang Bai

Rz. Coptidis
Huang Lian
Fr. Gardeniae
Zhi Zi
Cx. Moutan
Mu Dan Pi
Rx. Paeoniae Rubra
Chi Shao
Rx. Anemarrhenae
Zhi Mu

Excessive Heat with Qi and Yin Deficiency.

Toxic Heat with infection.

Influenza, epidemic poliomyelitis and epidemic encephalitis B with high fever, headache irritability dry mouth insomnia and in severe cases, bleeding.

  1. Calcined (dehydrated) and mixed with other herbs it is applied topically for sores, eczema, abscess, ulcers and burns.
  2. It moderates the extreme warmth and Dryness (diaphoretic effects) of Rx. Ephedrae Ma Huang and helps activate its diuretic effect.
  3. There are two kinds - soft (monoclinic) and hard (rhombic).
  4. It is added to formulas when the patient is suffering from severe Heat.
  5. The antipyretic action is strong and fast but not long lasting.
  6. It is said to nourish Body Fluids, stop thirst, relieve irritability and relieve the muscles.
  7. It has success in treating osteoarthritis, osteitis, and other metabolic skeletal disorders with pain, and stiffness.
  8. Both Shi Gao and Rz. Anemarrhenae Zhi Mu cool the Lungs and Stomach and clear Heat from the Yang Ming Qi Level.  Zhi Mu primarily drains Heat and Dampness, cools the Lungs and Kidneys, nourishes Yin and benefits Yin by generating fluids while Shi Gao protects the fluids by draining Fire.
  9. Both Shi Gao and Talcum Hua Shi clear Heat and alleviate thirst. Hua Shi is appropriate thirst due to Summerheat with Dampness and dark urine that is difficult to pass. It is inappropriate for Dry Heat. Shi Gao is best used for when pathogenic Heat has entered the Yang Ming Stage with dried out fluids.
  10. Unprepared Gypsum Sheng Shi Gao is the form most commonly used internally.
  11. Calcined Gypsum Duan Shi Gao is a fine powder that is less cold with enhanced ability to generate flesh and is most often used externally for eczema, scalding, and erupted sore or wounds that fail to heal.