Calamine Mineral

Traditional Use

Primary Actions

• Brightens the eyes and removes superficial visual obstruction - classically used for red swollen painful eyes, corneal nebulae, eyelid-margin inflammation, and other damp-heat eye disorders.
• Dries Dampness and stops itching - applied externally for eczema, weeping sores, damp skin lesions, and external hemorrhoids where moisture and irritation are prominent.
• Promotes tissue regeneration and healing - used on chronic ulcers, non-healing sores, and minor burns after proper calcining and water-levigation have made the mineral smooth and safe for topical use.

Secondary Actions

• Lu Gan Shi is used only externally and only after processing; calcination and water-levigation transform the mineral into a finer, less irritating powder suitable for the eyes and skin.
• Quenching the calcined mineral in Huang Lian decoction or San Huang Tang is a traditional way to strengthen its heat-clearing and antimicrobial orientation for inflamed eye disease.

Classic Formulas

• Bai Long Dan (白龙丹) - ophthalmic powder tradition pairing Lu Gan Shi with Peng Sha, Bing Pian, and related eye-clearing substances for red painful eyes and superficial corneal opacity.
• Huang Lian water-processed Lu Gan Shi eye powders - classic external-use preparations for conjunctival inflammation, blepharitis, and heat-type corneal haze.
• Lu Gan Shi with Er Cha or Long Gu - topical combinations for chronic weeping sores, difficult ulcers, and lower-body lesions that need both drying and tissue regeneration.

Classical References

• Me & Qi identifies Lu Gan Shi as sweet and neutral, entering the Liver and Stomach channels, and emphasizes that it is a strictly external-use mineral centered on eye and skin disease.
• Me & Qi also preserves Li Shizhen's strong ophthalmic emphasis, presenting Lu Gan Shi as a core medicine for eye disorders involving redness, discharge, and superficial opacity.
• IDENTITY NOTE: historical smithsonite (zinc carbonate) is the classic source, but modern commercial material often includes hydrozincite or related zinc minerals that become therapeutically similar after calcination into zinc oxide.