Zinc carbonate is a commonly used medicinal herb for drawing out toxins, dissolving necrotic tissue, and promoting tissue regeneration. It is composed of the carbonate mineral smithsonite (a member of the calcite group) or the carbonate mineral hydrozincite, primarily containing zinc carbonate (ZnCO₃). It has the effects of detoxifying, clearing vision, removing corneal opacities, drying dampness, relieving itching, and promoting wound healing.It is primarily used to treat redness and swelling of the eyes, redness and ulceration of the eyelids, corneal opacities, pterygium, non-healing ulcers, profuse pus and discharge, and itchy damp sores.
Zinc Oxide
Zinc carbonate is a commonly used medicinal herb for drawing out toxins, dissolving necrotic tissue, and promoting tissue regeneration. It is composed of the carbonate mineral smithsonite (a member of the calcite group) or the carbonate mineral hydrozincite, primarily containing zinc carbonate (ZnCO₃). It has the effects of detoxifying, clearing vision, removing corneal opacities, drying dampness, relieving itching, and promoting wound healing.It is primarily used to treat redness and swelling of the eyes, redness and ulceration of the eyelids, corneal opacities, pterygium, non-healing ulcers, profuse pus and discharge, and itchy damp sores.
Chinese Name : 炉甘石
Latin Name : Calamina
Aliases : Gan Shi, Lu Gan Shi, Yanggan Shi, Floating Water Gan Shi, Lu Yan Shi, Gan Shi
Authentic Producing Area : Mainly produced in Guangxi, Hunan, and Sichuan
Nature, Flavor & Meridian Tropism : Sweet in taste, neutral in nature; enters the Liver and Spleen meridians
Benefits & Efficacy
Benefits
Detoxifies, improves vision, removes corneal opacities, dries dampness, relieves itching, and promotes wound healing.
Indications
Mainly used to treat redness, swelling, and pain in the eyes; redness and ulceration of the eyelid margins; corneal opacities; pterygium; non-healing ulcers; profuse discharge of pus and serous fluid; and itchy damp sores.
Usage and Dosage
Apply an appropriate amount externally.
Precautions
This product is for external use only; do not take it internally.
Chemical Constituents
The main ingredient is zinc carbonate; it also contains small amounts of calcium oxide, magnesium oxide, iron oxide, manganese oxide, etc.
Pharmacological Actions
When applied topically, this product has antibacterial properties and accelerates the healing of skin wounds.
Relevant Discussions
1. *Essentials of Materia Medica*: “Mainly treats wind-heat red eye, with itching or pain, and the gradual formation of a membrane over the eye, as well as damp sores in the lower body. Apply as a poultice.”
2. *Compendium of Materia Medica*: “Stops bleeding, reduces swelling and toxicity, promotes tissue regeneration, improves vision, removes the membrane and reduces redness, and dries dampness to eliminate gangrene.”
Applications
Clinical Applications
1. To treat corneal opacities, *Yiming Lunfang* recommends dissolving this product with green vitriol and sodium carbonate in boiling water, then using the warm solution to wash the affected area.
2. For treating redness, swelling, and pain in the eyes, as well as red and ulcerated eyelids or pterygium obscuring the pupil, it is commonly combined with borax, blue vitriol, and borneol, ground into a fine powder and applied to the eyes. The formula follows the “White Dragon Pill” from *Zhengzhi Zhunsheng*.
3. For treating abscesses and carbuncles after ulceration, when pus and exudate are nearly exhausted, it may be used in combination with frankincense, amber, and cinnabar.
4. To treat pruritus caused by dampness in the genital area, grind it into a powder with pearl powder and gallnut, then apply topically, as described in the formula for pruritus caused by dampness in the genital area from *Direct Pointers to Formulas*.
5. To treat otitis media with pus and yellow discharge, combine it with calcined alum, carmine, and musk to form a powder, then blow it into the ear, as described in the *Compendium of Medical Formulas*’ “Red Cotton Powder.”
Related Compatibility
1. Zinc Oxide Combined with Borneol: Zinc oxide detoxifies, improves vision, and dries dampness while promoting wound healing; borneol clears heat, improves vision, relieves pain, and promotes tissue regeneration. When used together, these two herbs significantly enhance their ability to clear heat, detoxify, improve vision, dispel corneal opacities, and promote wound healing and tissue regeneration. They are used topically to treat red eyes with corneal opacities, as well as ulcers that have not healed despite prolonged treatment.
2. Zinc Oxide Combined with Coptis: Zinc oxide detoxifies, improves vision, and dries dampness to promote wound healing; Coptis clears heat, purges fire, and detoxifies. When combined, these two herbs enhance the effects of clearing heat, improving vision, drying dampness, and promoting wound healing. They are used topically to treat red, swollen, and painful eyes; red, ulcerated eyelid margins; corneal opacities; and pterygium.
3. Zinc Oxide Combined with Calcined Gypsum: Zinc oxide absorbs dampness, relieves itching, and promotes tissue regeneration; calcined gypsum absorbs dampness and promotes wound healing. When combined, these two herbs enhance the effects of absorbing dampness, relieving itching, and promoting wound healing. They are used topically to treat non-healing ulcers, eczema, damp sores, and itchy skin.
Medicinal Identification
Zinc Oxide and Calcined Zinc Oxide: Zinc oxide should be processed before use and is intended exclusively for external application, typically in the form of topical ointments; it is not for internal use. After calcination and quenching, its texture becomes pure and fine, reducing irritation to mucosal and wound surfaces, making it suitable for external treatment in ophthalmology and dermatology.
Related Medicines
Burn Ointment, Ma Yinglong Musk Hemorrhoid Ointment, Toxin-Removing and Tissue-Regenerating Powder, and Eight-Treasure Eye Medicine.
Related Prescriptions
Formula for Treating Sudden Eye Swelling (*Formulas of the Imperial Pharmacy*), Formula for Treating Various Types of Corneal Opacities (*Xuanming Lunfang*), Formula for Treating Wind-Induced Tearing and Corneal Erosion (*Simple and Easy Formulas for Health Preservation*), Chongming Powder (*Treasury of Health Preservation*).
Notes
Patients requiring treatment with traditional Chinese medicine should first consult a licensed TCM hospital, where a TCM practitioner will conduct a professional diagnosis and prescribe the appropriate herbal formula.
Processing & Preparation
Harvesting & Processing
After being extracted from the mine, remove impurities and thoroughly clean off any soil.
Processing Methods
1. Calamine: Take the raw material, remove impurities, and crush it.
2. Calcined Calamine: Place the purified calamine in a fireproof container and place it in a smokeless furnace. Calcine until it turns completely red-hot. Remove it, immediately pour it into water to quench, stir, and decant the suspension. Drain the uncalcined material, then calcine it again. Repeat the calcination and quenching process 3–4 times.Combine the suspensions, let stand, decant the upper clear liquid, and dry before grinding into a powder.
3. Processed Zinc Oxide:
(1) Zinc Oxide Processed with Coptis Decoction: Prepare a decoction of Coptis chinensis, filter out the residue, and mix thoroughly with the fine powder of calcined zinc oxide. Allow the decoction to be fully absorbed, then dry. Use 12.5 kg of Coptis chinensis per 100 kg of fine zinc oxide powder.
(2) Calcined Zinc Oxide Prepared with Sanhuang Decoction: Decoct Scutellaria baicalensis, Coptis chinensis, and Phellodendron amurense to make a decoction; filter to remove the residue, add to the fine powder of calcined zinc oxide, and mix thoroughly; allow the liquid to be fully absorbed, then dry. For every 100 kg of fine powder of calcined zinc oxide, use 12.5 kg each of Coptis chinensis, Scutellaria baicalensis, and Phellodendron amurense.
Storage Methods
Store in a dry container in a dry place, protected from dust.
Crude Drug Identification
Properties of Crude Drugs
This product consists of an aggregate of irregular lumps. It is grayish-white or pale red in color, with a powdery, dull surface that is uneven and porous, resembling a honeycomb. It is light in weight and brittle. It has a faint odor and a slightly astringent taste.
Properties of Processed Slices
1. Calcined Calamine: Irregular fragments with a white or pale red surface that is powdery, dull, and honeycomb-like. Light in weight and loose in texture; easily broken. The fracture surface is grayish-white or pale brown and granular. Odorless; slightly astringent taste.
2. Calcined Zinc Oxide: A grayish-white or white fine powder; light in weight.
3. Zinc Oxide Processed with Huanglian Decoction: A yellow fine powder; light in weight; extremely bitter in taste.
4. Zinc Oxide Processed with Sanhuang Decoction: A deep yellow fine powder; light in weight; bitter in taste.
Botanical Information
Morphological Characteristics
1. Sphalerite: Its crystal structure belongs to the trigonal system. Individual crystals are rhombohedral or complex trigonal-deviant triangular prisms, but these are extremely rare. It commonly occurs as stalactitic, massive, earthy, or crust-like aggregates.Pure specimens are white but are often stained grayish-white, pale yellow, light green, or light brown. They range from transparent to translucent, with a vitreous luster or a dull earthy luster; crystal faces sometimes exhibit a pearly luster. Hardness is 4.5–5; the mineral is brittle with a jagged fracture. Relative density is 4–4.5.
2. Sphalerite: The crystal structure belongs to the monoclinic system. It occurs as massive, earthy, porous to dense, crust-like, or concentric banded forms with a fine fibrous texture. It ranges in color from white to grayish-yellow, brownish-purple, and pale purple. It exhibits an earthy luster, though it may also display a silky luster. Its hardness is 4, and its specific gravity is 3.5–3.8.