Borax

Traditional Use

Primary Actions

• Clears Heat and resolves toxicity for external use - classically applied to sore throat, swollen painful tonsils, aphthous ulcers, gum erosion, and oral lesions where heat toxin and swelling are prominent.
• Promotes tissue regeneration and prevents putrefaction - especially in calcined form for chronic sores, ulcerated tissue, and lesions that need both antiseptic drying and healing support.
• Clears Lung Heat and transforms phlegm - a secondary internal use for productive cough with thick yellow sputum, especially when throat swelling or toxin-heat accompanies the phlegm.
• Brightens the eyes and removes superficial visual obstructions - used in eye washes or powders for red painful eyes, corneal nebulae, and heat-type conjunctival irritation.

Secondary Actions

• Raw Peng Sha emphasizes clearing heat-toxin and dissolving putrescence, while calcined Duan Peng Sha is more astringent and is preferred for drying weeping lesions and promoting closure.
• Modern practice overwhelmingly favors external application because internal use has a narrow safety window and cumulative toxicity.

Classic Formulas

• Bing Peng San (冰硼散) - from Wai Ke Zheng Zong, a classic topical powder with Bing Pian, Xuan Ming Fen, and traditionally Zhu Sha for sore throat, mouth ulcers, gum pain, and heat-toxic oral lesions.
• Yu Yao Shi (玉钥匙) - classical throat-opening powder traditions use Peng Sha as a leading ingredient for severe wind-heat throat obstruction, swelling, and phlegm blocking the throat.
• Bai Long Dan (白龙丹) - classical ophthalmic powder traditions combine Peng Sha with Bing Pian, Lu Gan Shi, and related eye-clearing substances for red swollen painful eyes and superficial corneal opacity.

Classical References

• IMPORT NOTE: the source XLSX used the distorted Latin 'Sal Sedatirum'. Sacred Lotus and Me & Qi both identify the medicinal substance straightforwardly as Borax, the refined borate mineral known in Chinese medicine as Peng Sha.
• Me & Qi preserves the classical saying 'raw form dissolves decay; calcined form regenerates tissue,' capturing the traditional distinction between unprocessed and calcined Peng Sha.
• Historical context recorded by Me & Qi places Peng Sha in the Ri Hua Zi Ben Cao tradition, with later materia medica expanding its use in throat, mouth, ophthalmic, and selected phlegm-heat disorders.