Witnessed by: TCM · Ayurveda · Unani

Litharge, of the oxide mineral (lead oxide) family. A heavy yellow to reddish-yellow scaly or earthy powder, fusing readily; native range: a furnace product — the yellow-red scum skimmed from molten lead in cupellation and silver-refining; rarely as a natural alteration crust on lead ore. Globally recognized as 密陀僧 mi tuo seng in Chinese, mrddara-shringa, murdarshringa in Sanskrit, murdarsang in Arabic/Urdu, and litharge, lead monoxide in English. The part used is the levigated (finely ground) oxide, purified before use. Saffron- to brick-yellow, very heavy, soft and scaly, gritless when levigated, odourless.

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.

LITHARGE

IDENTITY

Name

Common: litharge
Scientific name: Litharge (lead monoxide, PbO)
Family: oxide mineral (lead oxide)

Form

Part used: the levigated (finely ground) oxide, purified before use

PROPERTIES

Nature

Taste

how the plant declares itself on the tongue

TCM: salty · pungent
Ayurveda: astringent (kashaya)
Unani: astringent

Temperature

TCM: neutral
Ayurveda: cooling (shita)
Unani: cold & dry (2nd degree)

Affinity

where in the body it travels

Organs / channels

TCM: Liver · Spleen

PRACTICE

Virtue

Actions

TCM: dries dampness and kills parasites, astringes and absorbs discharge, and draws sores to closure — external use
Ayurveda: vranaropana (heals wounds), kushthaghna (heals skin disease), krimighna (antiparasitic), shoshana (dries and absorbs) — external use
Unani: qabid (astringent), mujaffif (desiccant), jali (detergent) and mundamil-e-qurooh (heals ulcers) — external use

Cautions

Contraindications: internal use; broken skin over a large area, pregnancy, and children
Toxicity: a lead oxide and a cumulative poison — absorbed through raw skin and by ingestion, causing colic, anaemia, and nerve and kidney damage
Sourcing status: legally-restricted

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