Witnessed by: TCM
Calomel, of the halide mineral family. A white, heavy, tasteless sublimate — an impalpable powder or a horn-like translucent crust; native range: a rare secondary mineral in the oxidised zone of mercury deposits; the medicinal article is made by subliming mercury with salt and vitriol. Globally recognized as 輕粉 qing fen in Chinese, and calomel, horn quicksilver in English. The part used is the sublimed powder. Dead white, very heavy, without taste or smell, darkening on exposure to light; insoluble in water and unchanged by it.
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.
CALOMEL
IDENTITY
Name
- Common
- calomel
- Scientific name
- Calomel (mercurous chloride, Hg₂Cl₂)
- Family
- halide mineral
Form
- Part used
- the sublimed powder
PROPERTIES
Nature
Taste
how the plant declares itself on the tongue
- TCM
- pungent
Temperature
- TCM
- cold (toxic)
Affinity
where in the body it travels
Organs / channels
- TCM
- Large Intestine · Small Intestine
PRACTICE
Virtue
Actions
- TCM
- externally kills parasites, resolves toxicity and dries damp to stop itching; internally drives out water and unblocks the bowels — a drastic purge used only briefly
Cautions
- Contraindications
- pregnancy, lactation, children, and the weak or deficient; never over long periods and never over large surfaces
- Toxicity
- a mercurial and a cumulative poison — salivation, loosened teeth, stomatitis, tremor, colitis and renal damage follow repeated use; absorbed from the skin as well as the gut. The traditional internal use is now essentially abandoned.
- Sourcing status
- legally-restricted
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