Witnessed by: TCM
Chlorite/mica schist, of the silicate (rock, not a single species) family. A greenish-grey, foliated, flaky rock splitting along its schistosity into glittering plates; native range: low-grade metamorphic rock of the schist belts; the drug is quarried chiefly in Hunan, Hubei and Sichuan. Globally recognized as 青礞石 qing meng shi in Chinese, and chlorite schist, mengshi in English. The part used is the calcined, crushed rock. Grey-green with a silvery-glittering sheen on the cleavage faces, heavy, gritty and tasteless; turns brown-yellow and friable after calcination.
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.
CHLORITE SCHIST
IDENTITY
Name
- Common
- chlorite/mica schist
- Family
- silicate (rock, not a single species)
Form
- Part used
- the calcined, crushed rock
PROPERTIES
Nature
Taste
how the plant declares itself on the tongue
- TCM
- sweet · salty
Temperature
- TCM
- neutral
Affinity
where in the body it travels
Organs / channels
- TCM
- Lung · Liver
PRACTICE
Virtue
Actions
- TCM
- dispels stubborn, congealed phlegm and drives it downward through the bowels; directs rebellious qi down to settle wheezing; calms the Liver and stops convulsion
Cautions
- Contraindications
- pregnancy; the weak and deficient; childhood convulsion without phlegm; not for prolonged use — it is a scouring, draining drug
- Toxicity
- a heavy, inert rock; harsh rather than poisonous, but it injures the stomach qi and the fetus, and the calcined article may carry residues from its processing
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