Yang Qi Shi (flat and long strips, bluish-gray, longitudinal patterns, luster, heavy and soft, easy to peel off, shredded into filamentous form, silky and smooth)

【Naming】

Yang Qi Shi

 【Source】

Shen Nong’s Classic of Materia Medica, Middle Grade

 【Common Usage Degree】

E

 【Origin】

Asbestos-like minerals containing silicates.

 【Characteristics】

It is long or flat and long in shape, with varying sizes. The overall color is milky white, bluish-white to bluish-gray, or forms longitudinal patterns of alternating bluish-white and bluish-gray, sometimes with a brownish-yellow tint and luster. It is heavy in weight and soft in texture, easy to peel off, the fracture is fibrous, easy to split longitudinally, shredded into filamentous form, and the filaments are soft and smooth. It is elastic and causes itching when it sticks to the skin and is difficult to remove. It has no odor or taste.
Calcined Yang Qi Shi: The color is similar to Yang Qi Shi, but slightly darker, mostly crushed into fine powder, with hair-like fibrous or powdery small flakes. This product has no odor and a very faint taste.

 【Preparation】

1. Raw Yang Qi Shi 2. Calcined Yang Qi Shi

 【Identification】

“New Revised Materia Medica”: “It is good if it is still interspersed with mica that is green and moist.” “Essential Secrets from the Outer Platform”: “Yang Qi Shi…white is good, black is not suitable.” “Classified Materia Medica”: “Tang annotation says: This stone is considered good if it is white and the texture resembles Yin Nie (殷孽), and still interspersed with mica that is green and moist”, “When combining medicines, burn it and quench it with water, use the solidified white one as the best”, “The best is the one with white color and bright texture like wolf teeth.” “Collection of Medical Formulas”: “Yang Qi Shi, the one that bubbles when placed in a water bowl is genuine.” “Compendium of Materia Medica”: “[Shi Zhen said] Now the best is the one that is light and fluffy like wolf teeth with cloud-like tops and rain-like bottoms”, “Wang Jianping’s Classic of Techniques says that the yellow-white, red, thick and heavy one is good”, “The one that disappears quickly when placed in heavy snow is genuine.” “Compilation of Experienced Prescriptions”: “Yang Qi Shi, the genuine one should be as bright as heron feathers.” “Materia Medica Seeking Truth”: “Cloud-like tops and rain-like bottoms, white and moist like heron feathers are good.” “Newly Compiled Effective Prescriptions”: “Yang Qi Shi, the one that jumps in the sun is good.” “Identification of Good and Bad”: “The best is the one with luster, white color and soft texture, and with needle-like patterns.”
This product is not graded. The best is the one with a needle-bundle shape, grayish-white color with luster, soft texture, easy to crush, pure and free of impurities.
This product:
(1) Thin flakes of transparent material can be seen after grinding.
(2) It turns red when burned in a flame without melting. After being removed from the flame, the burned part turns slightly yellow, and there is no smell when burning.
(3) It is difficult to melt when burned with a blowpipe and does not conduct heat.
(4) Insoluble in acid.
(5) If the inside contains impurities, a small amount of gas bubbles will be generated when placed in glacial acetic acid, formic acid, and other high-concentration acidic solutions. However, this chemical reaction does not occur in those without interspersed stones.
(6) After calcination and quenching, it appears brownish-green.
(7) It causes intense itching when applied to the skin.
Remarks:
1. The Yang Qi Shi of medicinal materials is slightly different from the Yang Qi Shi referred to in mineralogy. The Yang Qi Shi of medicinal materials is still similar to the transparent amphibole (tremolite) in mineralogy. The Yang Qi Shi of mineralogy is a bright green and gray fibrous, radial or acicular transparent crystal. Its physical properties are similar to tremolite, and its composition is calcium-magnesium-iron silicate Ca(Mg, Fe＋2)3(SiO3)4. The color darkens as the iron content increases.
2. Its sources include Actinolite and Actinolite asbestos; the former is commonly found in various metamorphic rocks, monoclinic system, and crystals are long columnar, acicular, 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 5.5~6. Specific gravity 3.1~3.3. Transparent to opaque, brittle. The latter is fibrous Actinolite, which is characterized by an excellent parallel fibrous structure, with fibers of varying lengths, brittle, white, light green, and light brown. Silky luster. It has extensibility and toughness, fire resistance and acid resistance.
3. Yin Qi Shi: It often occurs with Yang Qi Shi. In some areas, Yang Qi Shi is often used together with Yin Qi Shi, and its function is also similar. After being unearthed, the soil, mud, sand, and stones are cleaned for medicinal use. 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 coarse scaly. Talc schist is mostly composed of talc, but it also often contains carbonates, chlorite, mica, and a small amount of other minerals. It is sold in Sichuan, Hubei, Shandong, Henan, Beijing and other places. Its appearance is irregular blocks of varying sizes. The whole body is silver-gray and slightly green. It has luster, a smooth and uneven surface, and a layered texture on the cross-section. The texture is soft and loose, and it is easy to break. It can be twisted into thin flakes or short fibers by hand. The powder adheres to the hand with a smooth feeling and is not easy to fall off. It does not turn red when burned with fire, but it easily conducts heat. The smell is slight and the taste is bland. The medicinal material is best if it is green in color, soft in texture, easy to break, and the crushed particles are flaky.
Yang Qi Shi and Yin Qi Shi differ not only in sales habits, but also in the confusion of names. For example, the same sample is called Yang Qi Shi in Sichuan, but Yin Qi Shi in Hubei; another sample is called Yin Qi Shi in Hunan, but Yang Qi Shi in Beijing and Henan.

 【Chapter】

Minerals