Sheng Tie Luo生铁落
Frusta Ferri · Iron Flakes · Forge Scale
Overview
The flakes of oxide that fly off wrought iron as it is hammered at the forge — a yang-subduing medicinal whose entire logic is weight. Acrid and cool, entering the Heart and Liver, it is the classical answer to raging, shouting agitation attributed to Liver fire and phlegm-fire harassing the spirit; the 《素问》 prescribes an iron-flake drink for exactly that, and the later formula Sheng Tie Luo Yin is built on it. It is boiled first and long, and its strained water is then used to cook the rest of the formula. It is rarely dispensed today and is best understood as a record of classical practice.
Nature & Flavor
Acrid · CoolChannels
Liver · HeartTypical Dosage
30–60 g in decoctionActions
3 core actions
- Pacifies the Liver, settles frightExplosive irritability, shouting and violent agitation understood as Liver fire flaring upward with phlegm-fire disturbing the spirit.
- Weighs down what has risenPalpitations, restlessness and insomnia in the same excess-type picture, where lighter herbs cannot hold the pattern down.
- A classical record rather than current practiceThe material is a by-product of hand forging, it has no modern pharmacopoeial standardisation, and mineral-heavy prescribing for severe agitation has largely given way to conventional psychiatric care with herbs as an adjunct. It appears here because the textbook carries it, not because it is a current recommendation.
In Formulas
Formulas containing Sheng Tie Luo
Indications & Clinical Uses
- Violent agitation, shouting and rage of the excess type (classical use)
- Manic presentations attributed to phlegm-fire harassing the spirit
- Palpitations and insomnia with marked Liver fire
- Largely of historical interest today
Western Medical Keywords
Searchable condition terms
Contraindications
Cautions
This is an iron-based mineral and there are real limits on it. It must be boiled first and long and used as the cooking water — it is not swallowed as powder. It is heavy and cold on the digestion, so it is unsuitable in Spleen and Stomach deficiency-cold, poor appetite or loose stools, and it is not for deficiency-type agitation, which needs nourishing rather than weighing down. Anyone with iron overload, or told to limit their iron intake, should not take it. Being an iron preparation it can interfere with the absorption of other medicines taken at the same time, so it should be separated from them and mentioned to every prescriber involved. Most importantly: severe agitation, mania and violent behaviour are psychiatric emergencies that need conventional assessment and care — a herbal formula is at best an adjunct within that, never a substitute for it. Its quality is also unstandardised, which is one reason it has fallen out of use.
Contraindicated in pregnancy: Avoided in pregnancy — a heavy, downward-driving mineral used for severe excess agitation, with no safety record in pregnancy.
For licensed practitioners’ reference only
References
- Huang Di Nei Jing Su Wen《黄帝内经·素问》(classical source, public domain — the 生铁落饮 of 病能论).
2. Bensky, Clavey & Stöger. Chinese Herbal Medicine: Materia Medica, 3rd ed.
3. 《中药大辞典》.
Professional reference notice. Entries are scholarly references for licensed TCM practitioners and students — not medical advice, and not a recommendation to self-prescribe. Chinese herbal formulas should be used under the guidance of a qualified practitioner. Content is an original editorial compilation by Cura x Cura, cross-checked against the cited references.