Yang Qi Shi (Actinolite)
Yang Qi Shi (Actinolite) (Flat and long strips, bluish-gray, longitudinal patterns, lustrous, heavy and soft, easy to peel off, crushed into a filamentous shape, silky, cottony, soft, and smooth)
【Naming】
【Source】
Listed in the Middle Grade of the Classic of Herbal Medicine
【Common Usage Degree】
E
【Botanical Origin】
Asbestos minerals containing silicates.
【Characteristics】
It is long or flat and long, of varying sizes. The whole is milky white, bluish-white to bluish-gray, or forms longitudinal patterns of alternating bluish-white and bluish-gray, sometimes with brownish-yellow, and has luster. It is heavy but soft in texture, easily peeled off, with a fibrous cross-section, easily cracked longitudinally, and crushed into a filamentous form. The fibers are soft and smooth. It is elastic and causes itching when attached to the skin and is difficult to remove. It has no smell or taste.
Calcined Yang Qi Shi (Actinolite): The color is similar to Yang Qi Shi (Actinolite), but slightly deeper, mostly crushed into fine powder, with hair-like fibrous or powdered small flakes. This product has no odor and a very faint taste.
【Preparation】
1. Raw Yang Qi Shi (Actinolite) 2. Calcined Yang Qi Shi (Actinolite)
【Identification】
《Xin Xiu Ben Cao》: “Those with mica, green and moist, are good.” 《Wai Tai Mi Yao》: “Yang Qi Shi (Actinolite)…the white ones are good, the black ones are unusable.” 《Zheng Lei Ben Cao》: “Tang Ben Zhu says: This stone is good if the white texture is similar to Yin Nie, and it still contains mica, green and moist”, “When compounding medicine, burn and quench it in water, the coagulated white ones are the best”, “The best is the one with white color and bright texture like a wolf’s tooth.” 《Yi Fang Lei Ju》: “Yang Qi Shi (Actinolite) that bubbles when put in a bowl of water is genuine.” 《Ben Cao Gang Mu》: “[Shi Zhen says] Nowadays, the best is the one that is light and fluffy like a wolf’s tooth with cloud-shaped head and rain-shaped feet”, “Wang Jianping Dian Shu says, the yellow-white and red, heavy and thick ones are good”, “The genuine one disappears suddenly when placed in heavy snow.” 《Jing Yan Dan Fang Hui Bian》: “Yang Qi Shi (Actinolite), the genuine one should be as bright as egret feathers.” 《Ben Cao Qiu Zhen》: “The good ones have cloud-shaped heads and rain-shaped feet, and are white and moist like egret feathers.” 《Yan Fang Xin Bian》: “Yang Qi Shi (Actinolite) that jumps when exposed to the sun is good.” 《Liang Lie Jian Bie》: “The best is the one that is lustrous, white and soft, with a bundle of needle-like textures.”
This product is not graded; the best is the one with needle-bundle shape, grayish-white luster, loose texture, easy to crush, and pure without stones.
This product:
(1) After crushing, thin transparent flakes can be seen.
(2) It turns red when burned in a flame without melting. After leaving the fire, the burned part turns slightly yellow, and there is no smell when burning.
(3) It is difficult to melt when blowpipe is used and does not conduct heat.
(4) Insoluble in acid.
(5) If it contains impurities, it will produce a small amount of bubbles when placed in glacial acetic acid, formic acid and other high-concentration acidic solutions. However, there is no such chemical reaction if it does not contain stones.
(6) After calcination, quenching and grinding, it appears brownish-green.
(7) It causes a strange itch when applied to the skin.
Note:
1. The Yang Qi Shi (Actinolite) of the medicinal material is slightly different from the Yang Qi Shi (Actinolite) referred to in mineralogy. The medicinal material Yang Qi Shi (Actinolite) is still tremolite (transparent amphibole) that is nearly similar to mineralogical Yang Qi Shi (Actinolite). Mineralogical Yang Qi Shi (Actinolite) is a shiny green and gray fibrous, radial or needle-like transparent crystal. Its physical properties are similar to tremolite, and its composition is calcium magnesium iron silicate Ca(Mg, Fe＋2)3(SiO3)4. Its color deepens as the iron content increases.
2. Its sources are Yang Qi Shi (Actinolite) and Yang Qi Shi (Actinolite) asbestos. The former is common in various metamorphic rocks. It is a monoclinic crystal, and the crystals are long columnar, needle-like, and hair-like. However, they are usually in fine radial, rod-shaped, or fibrous aggregates. The color ranges from light green-gray to dark green, with a glassy luster. Hardness is 5.5~6. Specific gravity is 3.1~3.3. Transparent to opaque, brittle. The latter is fibrous Yang Qi Shi (Actinolite). Its characteristic is that it has an excellent parallel fibrous structure. The fibers vary in length, are brittle, and are white, light green, and light brown. Silky luster. It has extensibility and toughness, fire resistance and acid resistance.
3. Yin Qi Shi: Often associated with Yang Qi Shi (Actinolite). In some areas, Yang Qi Shi (Actinolite) is often used together with Yin Qi Shi, and its function is also similar. After being unearthed, the clean soil, mud, sand and gravel are used for medicinal purposes. Its original material is talc schist, generally green or from gray to white. The hardness is particularly small, and it feels slippery to the touch. It is densely fine scaly to coarsely scaly. Talc schist is mostly composed of talc, and also often contains carbonates, chlorite, mica and a small amount of other minerals. Sold in Sichuan, Hubei, Shandong, Henan and Beijing and other places. Its appearance is irregular lumps, varying in size. The whole is silver-gray and slightly green. It has luster, a smooth and uneven surface, and the cross-section shows layered textures. It is soft and loose, easy to break, and can be twisted into thin scaly or short fibrous shapes by hand. The powder adheres to the hand and has a smooth feel and is not easy to fall off. It does not turn red when burned, but easily conducts heat. It has a slight odor and a light taste. The medicinal material is best with green color, soft and easy to break, and the broken particles are flaky.
In addition to different sales habits, Yang Qi Shi (Actinolite) and Yin Qi Shi are also confused in name. For example, the same sample is called Yang Qi Shi (Actinolite) in Sichuan, while it is called Yin Qi Shi in Hubei; another sample is called Yin Qi Shi in Hunan, while it is called Yang Qi Shi (Actinolite) in Beijing and Henan.
【Category】
Minerals