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Sweet and cold, non-toxic. Those with a greenish-red color are toxic.

The *Shennong Bencao Jing* (Divine Farmer's Materia Medica) states: It treats fever accompanied by diarrhea, difficulty in lactation and urinary retention (long-bi) in women, promotes urination, eliminates accumulated cold-heat in the stomach, and benefits essence and qi.

Invention: Huashi (Talcum) unblocks orifices, not only promoting urination. Superiorly it can disperse exterior pathogens, inferiorly it promotes water pathways. It is a specialized agent for clearing heat, dispersing dampness, and unblocking the six fu-organs and nine orifices. It takes the sweet and bland flavor to clear and descend the qi of the Lung and Stomach to the Bladder. A detailed examination of the various treatments in the *Shennong Bencao Jing* reveals the principle of clearing heat and unblocking orifices. Hejian’s Yiyuan San (Benefit Yuan Powder) treats all kinds of heat in the interior and exterior, upper and lower. To resolve seasonal epidemic pathogens, administer with Congchi Tang (Scallion and Fermented Soybean Decoction). For inducing labor, take with sesame oil and rice water. When summerheat injures the Pericardium, add one fen of Chen Sha (Cinnabar) powder to this formula, so that heat drains through the Hand-Taiyang Small Intestine and Foot-Taiyang Bladder channels. Only those with sinking of Yuan Qi (Original Qi), clear and copious urination, and seminal emission should avoid taking it. In chronic illness with insufficiency of Yin-Essence causing internal heat, leading to short, scanty, red, and painful urination, even if accompanied by diarrhea, it is strictly contraindicated. The statement in the *Shennong Bencao Jing* that it "benefits essence and qi" means that after pathogenic heat is removed, essence and qi naturally recover.

Sweet, sour, acrid, and warm, non-toxic. Shi Zhi (Red Stone Lip) of five colors are all warm and non-toxic.

The *Shennong Bencao Jing* states: It nourishes Heart-Qi, brightens the eyes, benefits essence, treats abdominal pain, intestinal rumbling with dysentery (passing red and white discharge), facilitates urination, and treats carbuncles, ulcers, sores, hemorrhoids, uterine bleeding (beng-lou), difficult labor, and retained placenta.

Invention: Chishizhi (Red Stone Lip) specializes in stopping bleeding and securing the lower jiao. Zhang Zhongjing’s Taohua Tang (Peach Kernel Decoction) treats dysentery with pus and blood, utilizing the heavy and astringent nature of Shi Zhi to enter the Blood aspect of the Lower Jiao to secure collapse; the acrid-warm nature of Ganjiang (Dried Ginger) to warm the Qi aspect of the Lower Jiao and tonify deficiency; and the sweet-warm nature of Jingmi (Rice Grain) to assist Shi Zhi in securing the intestines and stomach. It is contraindicated in cases of violent sudden diarrhea due to fire-heat, and initial dysentery with accumulated heat. The statement in the *Shennong Bencao Jing* about nourishing Heart-Qi, brightening eyes, and benefiting essence refers to conditions of Essence-Blood depletion and leakage; by using it to secure and contain the leakage, vision becomes clear and essence becomes abundant. It treats abdominal pain and intestinal disorders because the intestines have been open and leaking without limit for a long time, thus an astringent is taken to secure them. It treats difficult labor with retained placenta, referring to cases where excessive blood loss over a long period leads to weakness and inability to expel the placenta; thus, its heavy nature is used to anchor and assist expulsion. Li Dongyuan stated that for retained placenta, astringents can be used to induce descent. However, if the placenta fails to descend due to stagnation of Qi and Blood, it is not suitable for Shi Zhi. White Shi Zhi收敛s Lung-Qi and astringes the Large Intestine. Fengyin Tang (Wind-Driving Away Decoction) in the *Jingui Yaolue* (Essential Prescriptions of the Golden Cabinet) uses it specifically to block the pathway for deficient wind to re-enter. Green enters the Liver, yellow enters the Spleen, black enters the Kidney; generally, their efficacy in treating beng-lou and promoting diuresis is utilized, applied according to their respective colors.