Purple Snow
【Source】Quoted from Su Gong's Formula in Volume 18 of "Yitai Miao Yao".
【Alternate Names】Purple Snow Pill (from "Convenient Readings on Formulas", Vol. 3).
【Composition】Gold 3 kg, Cold Water Stone 1.5 kg, Gypsum 1.5 kg, Magnetite 1.5 kg, Talc 1.5 kg, Scrophularia 500 g, Antelope Horn 150 g (powdered), Rhinoceros Horn 150 g (powdered), Cimicifuga 270 g, Sandalwood 150 g, Clove 30 g, Agarwood 150 g, Licorice 250 g
【Usage】Mix the thirteen ingredients with 60 liters of water. First boil the five mineral drugs until reduced to 24 liters, filter out residue; then add the other eight ingredients and boil down to 9 liters, filter again; add 2.16 kg of saltpeter and 5 kg of mirabilite (or refined mirabilite), stir over low heat with a willow stick without stopping until reduced to 4.2 liters. Pour into a wooden basin; let it cool for half a day until semi-solidified. Add 90 g of finely ground cinnabar and 37.5 g of finely ground musk (from the central part), mix thoroughly. Cool for two days until it forms a snow-like purple powder. For strong patients, take 3 g per dose to induce bowel movement and expel heat-toxin; for elderly or weak individuals or those with mild heat-toxin, take 1.5 g per dose.
【Function】Clears heat, opens orifices, calms spasms, and soothes the spirit.
【Indications】Warm-heat diseases with internal invasion of heat into the pericardium: high fever, restlessness, confusion, delirium, convulsions, thirst, dry lips, red urine, constipation, and pediatric febrile convulsions.
【Discussion】Gypsum, cold water stone, and talc clear heat through their sweet-cold nature; scrophularia, cimicifuga, and licorice clear heat and detoxify; rhinoceros horn clears heart-fire and detoxifies; musk, agarwood, clove, and sandalwood promote qi flow and open orifices; antelope horn clears liver-fire and extinguishes wind; cinnabar, magnetite, and gold calm the spirit through heavy substances; saltpeter and mirabilite purge heat and disperse nodules. Together, these herbs achieve the effect of clearing heat, opening orifices, calming wind, and relieving spasms. |
