Witnessed by: TCM · Ayurveda · Unani
Alum (Alum-(K)), of the sulfate mineral family. Colourless to white, glassy or efflorescent crystalline masses, astringent and soluble; native range: efflorescences and crusts on weathered alunite and pyrite-bearing rock, and refined from alum shale and alunite. Globally recognized as bai fan (白礬), ku fan (枯礬) in Chinese, sphatika, saurastri in Sanskrit, shibb-e-yamani in Arabic/Urdu, and potash alum, alum in English. The part used is the refined salt, raw or calcined (ku fan, burnt alum). Colourless to white, glassy or powdery, odourless, strongly astringent and puckering, sweetish-sour then acrid, dissolving readily in water.
In this cross-tradition database, we analyze how this substance operates across world medicine systems — tracking its traditional tastes, temperatures, tissue affinities, post-digestive effects, and planetary correspondences across Ayurveda, Unani, and Western herbalism.
ALUM
IDENTITY
Name
- Common
- alum
- Scientific name
- Alum-(K) (potash alum, KAl(SO₄)₂·12H₂O)
- Family
- sulfate mineral
Form
- Part used
- the refined salt, raw or calcined (ku fan, burnt alum)
PROPERTIES
Nature
Taste
how the plant declares itself on the tongue
- TCM
- sour · astringent
- Ayurveda
- astringent (kashaya) · sour (amla)
- Unani
- astringent · acrid
Temperature
- TCM
- cold
- Ayurveda
- heating (ushna)
- Unani
- hot & dry (3rd degree)
Affinity
where in the body it travels
Organs / channels
- TCM
- Lung · Liver · Spleen · Large Intestine · Stomach
PRACTICE
Virtue
Actions
- TCM
- dries dampness and stops itching, dispels phlegm, checks bleeding and discharge, astringes and detoxifies; externally kills parasites and dries damp sores
- Ayurveda
- grahi and stambhana (astringent, arrests discharge and bleeding), used as a styptic and antiseptic wash
- Unani
- qabid (astringent) and habis-ud-dam (styptic), jali (detergent) and antiseptic
Cautions
- Contraindications
- weak digestion without damp-phlegm, and deficiency without excess; internal use only in small amounts
- Toxicity
- large internal doses irritate and corrode the gut and may cause vomiting and gastritis
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