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Duan Shi (Calcined Stone)

Pungent in flavor, warm in nature. Primarily treats carbuncles and sores (ju yang), scabies and itching (jie sao), heat qi disorders, malignant sores, leprosy-like diseases (lai ji), necrotic muscle, loss of eyebrows, kills hemorrhoid worms, removes black moles and polyps, and treats osteomyelitis (sui gu ju). Also known as E Hui (Evil Ash) and Xi Hui. Grows in the valleys of Zhongshan.

Tao Hongjing stated: Zhongshan belongs to Dai Commandery. Currently, stones are found near mountains; they are blue-white in color. After being used for a stove and burned, when water is poured on them, they steam hot and disintegrate into powder.
The medicinal property is extremely acrid. If people drink it mixed with wine, it causes abdominal pain and dysentery, but it is also very effective for treating metal wounds (jin chuang). It is commonly called Shi E (Stone Chalk). Ancient prescriptions often used it to cover tombs to repel water and insects. Therefore, water from ancient tombs can cure various sores immediately upon washing. The Tang Ben Zhu noted: "Bie Lu" and current practitioners use it to treat metal wounds and stop bleeding, with great efficacy. If collected on the fifth day of the fifth month, mixed with Fan Lou, Ge Ye (Caulis Puerariae), Lu Huo Cao, Hu Ye (Quercus variabilis Leaf), Shao Yao (Radix Paeoniae Rubra/Alba), Di Huang Ye (Folium Rehmanniae), Cang Er Ye (Fructus Xanthii), and Qing Hao Ye (Herba Artemisiae Annuae) with Duan Shi, pounded into balls the size of chicken eggs, dried in the sun, and powdered, it is highly effective for treating sores and generating flesh. Current research indicates: Another edition's note states: This is ash made by burning bluestone, with two types: wind-weathered and water-treated. Wind-weathered is superior. Ministers Yu Xi et al. according to the Shu Bencao state: It is toxic and can cause abortion. The Xing Ming Lun states: Duan Shi treats scabies, corrodes foul flesh, and is not taken in decoctions. It stops bleeding from metal wounds; when mixed with egg white, it is excellent for treating rotting ship timber. Ri Hua Zi stated: Sweet in flavor, non-toxic. It generates flesh, stops bleeding, and mainly treats vitiligo (bai dian), ulcers, scars, and blemishes. It treats cold qi disorders, women's acne, hemorrhoidal abscesses, goiters, warts, and skin tags. Additionally, for postpartum vaginal laxity, a concentrated decoction is used for fumigation and washing. It resolves the sourness of wine, prevents spoilage, treats alcohol toxicity, warms the lower jiao organs, and is superior to furnace ash. Also known as Shi.

Tu Jing says: Duan Shi grows in the valleys of Zhongshan and is now available near mountains everywhere. This is ash made by burning bluestone, also known as Shi. There are two types: water-treated and wind-weathered. For wind-weathered, stones are placed in the wind to naturally disintegrate; this has strong potency. For water-treated, water is poured on them, causing steaming and disintegration; this has weaker potency.
Ancient prescriptions often combined it with hundred herbs, formed into balls, powdered, and used for metal wounds with special efficacy. Current physicians sometimes use bile from a yellow ox in the twelfth lunar month, mix it with the ash, return it to the gallbladder, hang it in the wind for one hundred days, and grind it; this is more effective than adding herbs. Ash from rotting ship timber scraped off is also used similarly. Additionally, Dong Hui (Winter Ash) grows in Fanggu River marshes. It is yellow ash for laundry, made by burning accumulated mugwort and chenopodium. Currently used ash often mixes firewood ash, which is inferior; only pure mulberry wood ash is excellent for medicine. Ancient prescriptions boiled various ashes with Duan Shi to apply on warts, moles, and black spots; alchemists also used it. Additionally, ash from iron stoves treats hard accumulations; the ancient prescription Er Che Wan uses it. Yellow earth sealing the pot bottom in the stove is named Fu Long Gan (Dragon Liver). Ink from the stove forehead is named Bai Cao Shuang (Hundred Grass Frost); both treat digestion and stagnation, and are currently widely used in digestive aids. Soot under the pan and dust on beams both treat metal wounds. House dust coal treats swollen and bleeding gums. Earth from the east wall treats lower body sores and rectal prolapse; these are commonly used by doctors, hence recorded here. Shang Han Hei Xiao Wan uses soot from the pot bottom, chimney, and beam dust combined with other drugs, as their functions are similar.

Lei Gong said: When using, soak in vinegar overnight, drain and dry, heat over fire until the fishy odor dissipates, store in a bottle, seal tightly, cool, wipe off surface ash to clean, and grind finely. Sheng Hui Fang: Treats mole cricket bites. Apply Duan Shi mixed with vinegar. Another prescription: Treats chronic deficiency-cold accumulation in the large intestine, causing rectal prolapse during defecation that cannot be pushed back. Heat-fried Duan Shi, wrap in old cloth, sit on it, replace when cool. Wai Tai Mi Yao: Official Yuan Xisheng's secret prescription for sudden onset rash: Appropriate amount of Duan Shi, mixed with vinegar and fermented rice water, applied topically, reduces symptoms immediately. Qian Jin Fang: Treats loss of eyebrows, hair, and beard. Three sheng of Duan Shi, moisten with water, stir-fry over high flame until charred, store in silk bag, steep in ten dou of good wine, seal tightly, steep for fourteen days in winter or seven days in spring/autumn. Take one ge per dose, maintain continuous wine effect, take for one hundred days, new beard will grow and not fall out. Another prescription: Treats malignant sores. Take Duan Shi from ancient tombs, mix thickly and apply. Zhou Hou Fang: Treats postpartum vaginal opening not closing. One dou of Duan Shi, roasted, add two dou of water to ash, adjust temperature, sit in water, repeat after a while. Another prescription: Treats scalds and burns. Sieve fine Duan Shi, mix with water and apply, change when dry. Another prescription: Treats injuries from blades. Immediately wrap with Duan Shi, stops pain and speeds healing. If Duan Shi is unavailable, ordinary ash works; if the wound is deep and should not heal quickly, apply Hua Shi (Talcum). Jing Yan Fang: Treats earthworm bites, resembling severe wind syndrome with loss of eyebrows and beard. Washing body with Duan Shi water is also beneficial. Mei Shi Fang: Treats postpartum vulvar swelling, rectal prolapse, and vaginal laxity. One dou of Duan Shi, roasted until yellow, add three dou of water to ash, cool and clarify, take one dan three sheng for warm washing. Another prescription: Rapid healing for metal wounds. Stir-fry Duan Shi, mix with egg white, form pills like marbles, roast red over charcoal, powder, and apply to sores for immediate healing. Sun Yonghe: Treats accidental swallowing of gold, silver, or coins stuck in abdomen. Prescription: An apricot-kernel-sized piece of Duan Shi and a soap-bean-sized piece of Liu Huang (Sulfur), ground together, taken with wine at any time. Sun Taoren's Dietary Taboos: Treats scabies discharge, wash with Duan Shi juice. Another prescription: Removes facial moles. Take Duan Shi, roast hot on charcoal, insert glutinous rice into ash. When rice melts, use rice to dab the spot. Dou Men Fang treats knife and axe wounds. Wrap with Duan Shi, excellent for stopping pain and bleeding, promotes healing. Another prescription: Treats stroke with facial paralysis. Apply to the unaffected side if deviated to the right, and vice versa; once aligned, wash off immediately, highly effective. Cui Shi's prescription for ten-year bloody dysentery: Three sheng of Duan Shi roasted until yellow, add one dou of water, stir and clarify. Take one sheng per dose, three times daily. Bao Pu Zi Nei Pian: Ancient large tombs often contain Duan Shi juice. Travelers in summer with sores see clear water in tombs and wash themselves, curing sores spontaneously. Others heard this and stopped washing, but some drank it and were cured. New Book of Tang, Biography of Li Baiyao: Baiyao advised Du Fuwei to visit the capital. Upon reaching Liyang, Du regretted and wanted to kill him, fed him Duan Shi wine, causing severe diarrhea, nearly dying, but subsequent chronic illnesses were cured. Dan Fang Jing Yuan states: Duan Shi fixes sulfur, removes tin oxidation, controls Xiong Huang (Realgar), and controls Zhu Sha (Cinnabar).

Yan Yi states: Mix Duan Shi with water to make a cupful, like thick porridge. Select whole, good glutinous rice grains, place half in the ash, half outside. Overnight, the rice in the ash becomes transparent like crystal. If there are black moles or tattoos on the hand, gently prick with a needle tip first, place a small amount of the crystal-like substance on it, wait about half a day until fluid exudes, remove medication, keep dry from water, heals in two to three days. Additionally, take one he of fresh, hard Duan Shi, stir-fry with vinegar, mix into mud, apply to the lips of patients with hemiplegia and facial paralysis, applying to the unaffected side, instantly corrects deviation.