Calamine, Lu Gan Shi 炉甘石
Lapis Calminaris, Smithsonite, Zinc sparLu Gan Shi (TCM)
Gangs Thigs གངས་ཐིགས (‘Drops of Snow’, Tibetan)
Rasaka, Kharpara (Ayurveda)
Smithsonite(Photo: Rob Lavinsky, iRocks.com)
Mineralogical name:
Calamina; Smithsonitum
Temperature & Taste:
Cool, dry. Sweet
Classifications:
2T. GLUTINATE 2Z. CICATRIZING
4b. OPTHALMICS
TCM:
T. External Medicines
Uses:
1. Clears Heat, Clears the Eyes, Removes Films (West, TCM, Ayurveda, Ancient Egypt):
-red, swollen eyes, Conjunctivitis
-Corneal Opacity, Pterygium, Keratitis, excessive Tearing etc.
2. Dries Damp, Promotes Growth of Flesh:
-Eczema (used for skin complaints in Ancient Egypt)
-chronic Ulcers, slow healing wounds etc.
-Ulcerated Cancers including Cancer of the Mouth.
-Mastitis
3. Clears Heat, Promotes Healing:
-used as an internal remedy in some Tibetan formulas for Wounds, Fractures and Toxic Ulcers.
4. Clears Heat and Damp:
-internally for Fevers including Chronic and Typhoid Fevers (Bhasma, Ayurveda)
-Diarrhea and Dysentery (West); used for weakness of the bowels with acidity, irritation and excoriations
-Bhasma is used for Venereal diseases in Ayurveda
5. Rasayana (Bhasma, Ayurveda):
-tonic in Chronic Disease; Diabetes, Anemia, Asthma, Consumption, Lymphadenitis
-regarded as a strong tonic for the Fetus during Pregnancy, and in diseases of Reproduction.
Dose:
Mostly used externally.
Only the purified and prepared (calcined) product can be used internally: traditional dose is 250–500mg.
Preparation:
1. The stone can be calcined, then levigated with water. It is stirred into water, left for a few seconds, then the water is poured off and dried. In this way only the finest particles are collected. This is called ‘Flying’ Calamine in TCM.
2. It can also be heated a number of times and quenched in Rose or Plantain water, then levigated with Rose water.
3. In Ayurveda, Calamine, like other metals and minerals requires purification prior to formation of Bhasma. To purify, it is heated 7 times, quenching each time in Lemon juice. It can also be quenched in Whey, Urine or Rice vinegar.
Main Combinations:
For the Eyes:
1. Sore, red, inflamed eyes and for poor or weak eyesight:
i. the finely levigated powder is mixed in Rose water for topical application.
ii. Calcined Calamine decocted in Boy’s Urine with Honey added treats dim vision when applied topically. (TCM)
iii. heat a 3 oz. piece of calamine to red hot and quench in 750mls of white wine 7 times. Strain, filter and use topically. (Salmon)
iv. Sore, red eyes, superficial visual obstructions and excess tearing, combine Calamine with Borax (TCM)
v. Calamine, Tutty (1 ½ drams each), Camphor (6 grains), Almond oil (1 dram), White Wax 1 ½ oz.), fresh Butter (8 oz.) (as a salve)
vi. hot water infusion of calcined Calamine and Glauber’s Salt (Mang Xiao) used externally to improve vision. (TCM)
Other:
2. Chronic Fever, Typhoid Fever, weakness after diseases, as a tonic during pregnancy and for Pediatric diseases, combine purified Calamine with Black Pepper and form tablets with Lemon juice. (Laghu Malini Vasanta of Ayurveda)
3. ‘The best tonic in chronic diseases’; also for chronic Lung diseases including chronic Cough, Asthma, Phthisis, combine Calamine Bhasma with Black Pepper, purified Cinnabar, Pearl and Gold (Suvarna Malini Vasant of Ayurveda)
4. Diarrhea and Dysentery, Calamine with Chalk (West)
Externally:
5. Chronic Ulcers and Eczema, combine Calamine with calcined Gypsum and Camphor (TCM)
6. Chronic Eczema, Acne Rosacea, red and inflamed skin, combine Calamine with Tutty (Zinc oxide) and form a paste with Glycerin (as in Calamine Lotion, West)
7. Toxic Sores including Carbuncles and Syphilitic sores, Calamine, Stalactitie, Talcum, Amber, Cinnabar, Borneo Camphor as a powder topically. (TCM)
8. Burns, excoriations, sores, superficial Ulcers, Calamine with Wax and Lard as an ointment.
9. Burns, Calamine topically with Gypsum or Calcite
10. Ear infection with discharge, Calamine with Alum topically
Major Formulas:
Eyewash of Calamine
Plaster of Calamine
Crystal Moon 37 (Zla shel so bdun) (Tibetan)
Goethite 25 (Mdung rtse nyer lnga) (Tibetan)
Great Precious Iron Pill (Rin chen lchags ril cheng mo) (Tibetan)
Great Precious Purified Moon Crystal Pill (Rin chen tso bkru zla shel) (Tibetan)
Red Coral 25 (Rin chen byur dmar nyer lnga) (Tibetan)
Cautions:
1. In TCM it is only used externally. However, in other systems such as Ayurveda and Tibetan Medicine it is used internally after purification and preparation. If used internally, use cautiously and avoid overdose.
2. Only applied to the eyes when finely levigated or it can cause damage.
Main Preparations used:
Cerate, Plaster, Ointment
1. Cerate of Calamine:
i. prepared Calamine, Yellow Wax (½ lb. each), Olive oil (1 pint). Mix the oil in the melted wax, remove from the heat and as soon as it begins to thicken add the Calamine in fine powder. (London)
2. Calamine Plaster:
i. Calamine (1 lb.), Lead oxide (½ lb.), Olive oil (1 ½ lb.). Boil, stirring constantly. (Dispensatorium Fuldense, 1791)
ii. Simple Plaster, powdered Calamine (1 ½ lb. each), Yellow Wax (6 oz.), Goat Suet, Turpentine (1 ½ oz. each). Liquify and mix perfectly. (Pharmacopoeia Danica, 1805)
iii. Simple Plaster (6 oz.), powdered Calamine (2 oz.), powdered Mastic, powdered Olibanum (1 dram each). Mix.
iv. Wax (3 oz.), Stag Suet (4 oz.), Turpentine (1 ½ oz.), Melt and add: Lead oxide, Calamine (1 ½ oz. each), Tutty, Mastic, Olibanum (½ oz. each), Camphor triturated with a little oil (1 dram). Mix. (Pharmacopoeia Generalis, 1783)
3. Diapompholigos Plaster:
i. Calamine Plaster (16 parts), calcined Lead (1 part). Melt and mix well.
4. Diapompholigos Ointment:
i. Camphor (1 dram), Lead subcarbonate (½ oz.), Wax, Calamine (2 oz, each), Olive oil (5 oz.). Triturate the Calamine and Lead with a little oil; melt the remainder of the oil with the wax, add the Camphor, then add the metals and stir until cold. (Pharmacopee Usuelle, Louvain, 1821)
1. Zinc therapy in dermatology: a review.
2. Calamine lotion to reduce skin irritation in children with cast immobilisation.
3. Processing of calamine with modern analytical techniques: Processed with Huanglian Decoction and Sanhuang Decoction.
4. Processing mechanism of calamine.
5. [Analysis on processing mechanism of calamine].