Witnessed by: TCM
White halloysite (white kaolin) (Halloysite), of the silicate (kaolin-group clay) family. A soft, white to creamy earthy clay, unctuous and adhering to the tongue; native range: white clay beds and weathered kaolin deposits. Globally recognized as 白石脂 bai shi zhi in Chinese, and white halloysite, white kaolin, white bole in English. The part used is the purified white clay. Chalky white, fine and greasy-smooth, sticking fast to the tongue, breaking with a dull earthy fracture and smelling of wet clay when breathed on.
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.
WHITE HALLOYSITE
IDENTITY
Name
- Common
- white halloysite (white kaolin)
- Scientific name
- Halloysite (Al₂Si₂O₅(OH)₄ · nH₂O — the white kaolin-group clay)
- Family
- silicate (kaolin-group clay)
Form
- Part used
- the purified white clay
PROPERTIES
Nature
Taste
how the plant declares itself on the tongue
- TCM
- sweet · astringent · sour
Temperature
- TCM
- neutral
Affinity
where in the body it travels
Organs / channels
- TCM
- Lung · Large Intestine · Stomach
PRACTICE
Virtue
Actions
- TCM
- astringes the intestines to stop chronic diarrhoea and dysentery, stabilises and stops bleeding and discharge, and — applied outwardly — absorbs damp, generates flesh and closes sores
Cautions
- Contraindications
- acute damp-heat dysentery, where the binding would trap the evil, and pregnancy
- Toxicity
- a benign clay in ordinary use
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