Bai Shi Ying (White Quartz) (Entirely white or milky white with a vitreous luster)
【Naming】n
n 【Source】n
Shen Nong’s Herbal Classic (Ben Jing) – Superior Class
n 【Common Usage Level】n
E
n 【Botanical Origin】n
Bai Shi Ying (White Quartz) is a mineral of silicon dioxide.
n 【Characteristics】n
(1) Bai Shi Ying (White Quartz): It is in the form of irregular lumps, mostly angular, and varies in size. The whole body is white or milky white, some slightly yellowish. The surface is uneven and smooth, transparent to opaque, with a vitreous or greasy luster. The texture is hard and heavy, the fractured surface is uneven, the edges are sharp, and it can scratch glass. Odorless.n(2) Calcined Bai Shi Ying (White Quartz): It is in the form of irregular fragments or fine powder, the surface is white or yellowish-red, and the texture is hard. After calcination and grinding, it becomes a white powder with a slight acetic acid odor.
n 【Processing】n
1. Raw Bai Shi Ying (White Quartz) 2. Calcined Bai Shi Ying (White Quartz)
n 【Identification】n
《Annotations to the Herbal Classic》: “The larger ones are better.” 《Classified Materia Medica》: “The larger ones are better… Tao Hongjing considers those from Xin’an to be the best”, “The clear and bright ones are superior”. 《Universal Relief Prescriptions》: “Generally, Zi Shi Ying (Amethyst), Bai Shi Ying (White Quartz), <a href=’https://whatsintcm.com/dt_articles/硃砂/’>Zhu Sha (Cinnabar), Xiong Huang (Realgar), and Liu Huang (Sulfur), etc., should all be bright, transparent, and have fresh and clean textures to be considered good.” 《Universal Relief Prescriptions》: “Herbal Classic says: Bai Shi Ying (White Quartz). Nowadays, doctors use the extremely fine, long, white, and clear ones produced in Xin’an. There are many large ones in Shouyang Bagong Mountain, which are not used correctly. Immortal scriptures have uses for both large and small ones. Only those that are pure white and flawless are needed. According to this, the larger ones are better. The four-colored quartz is no longer used today. I have carefully noted that Bai Shi Ying (White Quartz) is found everywhere. Today, it is produced in Zezhou, Guozhou, and Luozhou mountains. The ones from Guozhou are large, with a diameter of three inches and a length of five or six inches. Today, the ones produced in Zezhou are generally considered superior.” 《Collection of Medical Formulas》: “Generally, Zi Shi Ying (Amethyst), Bai Shi Ying (White Quartz), Zhu Sha (Cinnabar), Xiong Huang (Realgar), and Liu Huang (Sulfur), etc., should all be bright, transparent, and have fresh and clean textures to be considered good; otherwise, they can cause dryness, fever, dry mouth, and death.” 《Collection of Medical Formulas》: “Regardless of the amount of Bai Shi Ying (White Quartz), finely grind it on a spindle anvil. Select it facing the light, removing the dark, dull, black, yellow, and reddish ones, and only take the white and clean ones as the best.” 《Herbal Compendium Seeking Truth》: “The one that is as white as mercury is good.” 《Easy-to-Read Herbal》: “The one from Zezhou is considered the best.”nThe ones that are white, bright, lustrous, and free of other colors and impurities are considered the best. Soluble in hydrofluoric acid, insoluble in other acids, but soluble in strong alkali.
n 【Section】n
Minerals