Use of Hua Shi (talc) in TCM
Please note that you should never self-prescribe TCM ingredients. A TCM ingredient is almost never eaten on its own but as part of a formula containing several ingredients that act together. Please consult a professional TCM practitioner, they will be best able to guide you.
Preparation: Ground the talc to powder before use.
Dosage: 9 - 12 grams
Main actions according to TCM*: Encourages urination. Expels Damp-Heat from the Urinary Bladder. Dispels Summer Heat. Dries Dampness when applied topically.
Primary conditions or symptoms for which Hua Shi may be prescribed by TCM doctors*: Urinary tract infection Excessive thirst Restlessness Palpitations Summer Heat Diarrhea Eczema Sores Oliguria Dysuria Fever Heat rash
Contraindications*: This substance should not be used when there are no signs of a Damp-Heat condition and should be avoided during pregnancy
Common TCM formulas in which Hua Shi is used*
Bi Yu San
Source date: 1172 AD
Number of ingredients: 3 herbs
Formula key actions: Clears Heat, cools Blood and relieves toxicity. Promotes urination. Eliminates Summer-Heat. Stops convulsions.
Conditions targeted*: Heatstroke and others
Hua Shi is a king ingredient in Bi Yu San. Like the name indicates, it means it has more power than other ingredients in the formula.
In Bi Yu San, Hua Shi cold and clears Summer Heat so as to facilitate the resolution of Dampness.
Its nature is heavy so as to directs downward. It is also slippery and able to facilitate passage through the apertures, be they the pores of the skin above or the urinary orifices below.
It is believed to clear pathogenic Heat from the entire Triple Burner and promoting urination.
Together with Liquorice, they not only promotes urination, but also generates Body Fluids, thereby enabling the formula to perform its tasks without injuring the Qi or Body Fluids.
Liu Yi San
Source date: 1172 AD
Number of ingredients: 2 herbs
Formula key actions: Clears Summer-Heat. Drains Dampness. Supplements Qi.
Conditions targeted*: Stomach fluGastroenteritis and others
Hua Shi is a king ingredient in Liu Yi San. Like the name indicates, it means it has more power than other ingredients in the formula.
In Liu Yi San, Hua Shi clears Summer-Heat and facilitates the resolution of Dampness. Its nature is heavy, and it therefore directs downward. It is also slippery and able to facilitate passage through the openings, be they the pores of the skin or the urinary orifices.
Gan Lu Xiao Du Dan
Source date: 1831 AD
Number of ingredients: 11 herbs
Formula key actions: Resolves Dampness and transforms turbidity. Clears Heat and resolves Toxicity .
Conditions targeted*: Acute gastroenteritisEnteric fever and others
Hua Shi is a king ingredient in Gan Lu Xiao Du Dan. Like the name indicates, it means it has more power than other ingredients in the formula.
In Gan Lu Xiao Du Dan, Hua Shi drains Heat and facilitates the resolution of Dampness. It acts
on the Upper Burners, so that Qi can flow freely.
It also treats jaundice.
Key TCM concepts behind Hua Shi's properties
In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), Hua Shi belongs to the 'Herbs that drain Dampness' category. These herbs are typically diuretics, meaning that they promotes the increased production of urine in order to remove Dampness that has accumulated in the body. According to TCM Dampness accumulates first in the lower limbs, causing edema and impaired movement. From there, if unchecked, it can move upward and impair digestion and eventually the respiratory system.
Furthermore Hua Shi is Cold in nature. This means that Hua Shi typically helps people who have too much 'Heat' in their body. Balance between Yin and Yang is a key health concept in TCM. Those who have too much Heat in their body are said to either have a Yang Excess (because Yang is Hot in nature) or a Yin deficiency (Yin is Cold in Nature). Depending on your condition Hua Shi can help restore a harmonious balance between Yin and Yang.
Hua Shi also tastes Sweet. The so-called 'Five Phases' theory in Chinese Medicine states that the taste of TCM ingredients is a key determinant of their action in the body. Sweet ingredients like Hua Shi tends to slow down acute reactions and detoxify the body. They also have a tonic effect because they replenish Qi and Blood.
The tastes of ingredients in TCM also determine what Organs and Meridians they target. As such Hua Shi is thought to target the Bladder and the Stomach. In TCM the impure water collected by the Kidneys that cannot be used by the body is sent to the Bladder for storage and excretion as urine. The Stomach on the other hand is responsible for receiving and ripening ingested food and fluids. It is also tasked with descending the digested elements downwards to the Small Intestine.
Research on Hua Shi
Talc powder is superior to doxycycline in achieving pleurodesis in patients with malignant pleural effusion, in both short- and long-term observations.1
Sources:
1. Kuzdzał J, Sładek K, Wasowski D, Soja J, Szlubowski A, Reifland A, Zieliński M, Szczeklik A. (2003). Talc powder vs doxycycline in the control of malignant pleural effusion: a prospective, randomized trial. Med Sci Monit. , 9(6):PI54-9.