Mirabilitum (Prismatic rectangular, translucent luster, brittle and easily broken)

【Naming】

Mirabilitum and Glauber’s Salt

 【Source】

Shen Nong’s Classic of Materia Medica

 【Common Usage Level】

D

 【Botanical Origin】

Crystals of naturally occurring sodium sulfate that have been refined.

 【Characteristics】

It exists as prismatic or rectangular crystals with irregular ends. Colorless and transparent. Brittle. Odorless, with a bitter, salty taste and a cool sensation. Easily soluble in water, insoluble in alcohol. Easily efflorescent in air, with a surface covered in a white powder of anhydrous sodium sulfate (called efflorescent niter).

 【Processing】

1. Take naturally occurring mirabilitum, dissolve it in hot water, boil it, filter it, and let it cool to precipitate crystals. Take the upper layer of fine, sharp crystals, called Glauber’s salt. The lower layer of coarse niter crystals is mirabilitum.
2. Sodium sulfate (Xuan Ming Fen).

 【Identification】

《名醫別錄》[Famous Doctors’ Records]: “Mirabilitum buried underground for a thousand years does not change. Blue-white color is good, yellow color harms people, and red color kills people.” “Mirabilitum grows in the mountains and valleys of Yizhou, on the sunny side of saline water. Harvest at any time. Blue-white color is good, yellow color harms people, and red color kills people.”
《外臺秘要》[Medical Secrets of an Official]: “Glauber’s salt and mirabilitum are the same as niter. The ones from Shian in Lingnan are good, while the ones from Laizhou and Qizhou are bad. Hard and moist ones are better to take than those that are like milk.”
《證類本草》[Classified Materia Medica]: “It is made by combining and boiling mirabilitum, which becomes true niter.”
《普濟方》[Prescriptions for Universal Relief]: “For mirabilitum, choose the ones that are white in color and do not absorb moisture. Yellow color is harmful.”
《普濟方》[Prescriptions for Universal Relief]: “Glauber’s salt that has been exposed to smoke for a long time is good.”
《本草品彙精要》[Compendium of Materia Medica]: “Clear and bright ones are good.”
《本草品彙精要》[Compendium of Materia Medica]: “The ones from Ningzhou are the best.”
The best are dry, white, and transparent crystalline blocks; dark color and muddy ones are inferior.

 【Identification Terminology】

(Modern) 1. Efflorescence: Refers to the powdery substance that gradually appears on the surface of certain hydrated compounds or sodium salts in medicinal materials under dry air conditions.

 【Category】

Minerals