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Astringent, dries dampness, descends phlegm.
Sour and salty in taste, cold in nature, astringent and contracting in property. Dries dampness and arrests salivation, transforms phlegm and descends turbidity, resolves toxicity and generates fluids, dispels wind and kills parasites, stops bleeding and relieves pain, unblocks the large and small intestines, cauterizes foul flesh, promotes growth of healthy flesh, clears stubborn heat from the bone marrow (when marrow is depleted by heat, it becomes empty, leading to bone萎 [bone atrophy/flaccidity] and floating teeth). Treats fright epilepsy, jaundice, blood pain, throat obstruction, tooth pain, wind-eye, nasal polyps, metrorrhagia and leukorrhea, rectal prolapse, yin erosion, vaginal prolapse (vaginal tissue protruding, due to fire in the Liver channel), carbuncles and sores, scrofula, scabies, tinea, and bites from tigers, dogs, snakes, and insects (Shizhen said: It can induce vomiting of wind-heat phlegm and saliva, utilizing its sour-bitter purgative action; treats various blood pains, vaginal prolapse, rectal prolapse, and sores, utilizing its sour-astringent contracting action; treats wind-eye, phlegm-fluids, diarrhea-dysentery, and metrorrhagia with stagnation, utilizing its contracting and drying-dampness action; treats throat obstruction, carbuncle-gu, and snakebites, utilizing its detoxifying action). Overconsumption damages the Heart and Lungs, harms the bones (Zongshi said: Because it depletes water/fluids. Written on paper, water cannot moisten it, thus knowing its nature depletes water/fluids. Xun said: For any back carbuncle, one should take La Fan Wan [Beeswax-Alum Pill] to protect the membrane, preventing toxic qi from attacking inward. Alum 1 liang, beeswax 7 qian, melted and mixed into pills. Take 10 pills per dose, gradually increasing to 20 pills, taking 100 pills daily enhances efficacy. This medicine greatly protects the membrane, supports the interior, resolves toxicity, and transforms pus. Crushing Bai Fan [Alum] and Ya Cha [Bud Tea] into powder and taking with cold water resolves all toxins]. Select those that are white, bright, and lustrous for use. Another method: heat the ground with fire, pour wine and water above, let the alum spread on the ground, cover it with a plate. Surround with ash for a day and night, the alum sublimes onto the plate, sweep and collect it, called Fan Jing [Alum Essence]. The residue is processed again as before. Then dissolve it with Chen Ku Jiu [aged vinegar], called Fan Hua [Alum Flower]. Usable after seven days, better after one hundred days. Gan Cao [Licorice Root] acts as an envoy. Incompatible with Ma Huang [Ephedra Stem]. Detested by Mu Li [Oyster Shell] (raw used to resolve toxicity, calcined used to promote flesh growth).

Also known as Shi Dan [Stone Gall].
Dispersing, induces vomiting of wind-phlegm, astringent, contracts rebellious cough.
Sour, astringent, acrid, and cold in nature. Enters the Shaoyang Gallbladder Channel. Property is contracting yet capable of ascending, induces vomiting of wind-heat phlegm and saliva, disperses Wind-Wood and Ministerial Fire. Treats throat obstruction (mixed with vinegar and swallowed, vomiting phlegm-saliva yields immediate effect), rebellious cough, spasmodic epilepsy, metrorrhagia and strangury. Kills parasites, treats dental worms, sore toxins, yin erosion. Produced in copper pits, it is the essence of copper (thus enters Liver and Gallbladder to treat Wind-Wood disorders). Those that turn iron copper-colored upon grinding are genuine; shapes resembling Kong Qing [Azurite] or duck-bill color are superior (Merchants often fake it by rubbing Qing Fan [Green Alum] with vinegar). Incompatible with Gui Zhi [Cinnamon Twig], Yuan Hua [Genkwa Flower], Xin Yi [Magnolia Flower], Bai Wei [Cynanchum Atratum Root].