Xiong Huang雄黄
Realgar · Realgar · Arsenic Disulfide
Overview
- · — the sub-section of surface remedies that attack toxin, kill parasites and stop itching.*
An orange-red mineral, chemically arsenic disulfide. Acrid, warm and toxic, it was the classical answer to boils, snake and insect bite, scabies and ringworm, applied as a powder or paste; in tiny weighed amounts it also appeared in pills for phlegm wheezing, childhood convulsion and malaria. Two facts govern everything about it. It is an arsenic compound, so the arsenic accumulates in the body over repeated use; and heating it converts it into arsenic trioxide — Pi Shuang, one of the most lethal substances in the materia medica. Modern regulators in many countries prohibit arsenic-bearing medicines outright, and this entry records the classical drug rather than recommending it.
Nature & Flavor
Acrid · Warm · ToxicChannels
Liver · Stomach · Large IntestineTypical Dosage
0.05–0.1 gActions
4 core actions
- Resolves toxicity, kills parasitesBoils, carbuncles and toxic swellings; snake and insect bite; scabies, ringworm and other parasitic skin disease. Applied topically as a compounded powder or paste.
- Dries damp, transforms phlegmThe classical internal use, in minute amounts inside pills: phlegm wheezing, and convulsive and seizure patterns attributed to phlegm. This route is where the poisoning risk lies.
- Interrupts malarial paroxysmsRecorded for the fixed-cycle chills and fever of malaria — a use fully replaced by modern antimalarial drugs.
- Must never be heatedRoasting or calcining realgar converts it to arsenic trioxide. Preparations containing it are therefore never decocted, never fried and never taken with anything hot enough to alter them. This is not a refinement of technique; it is the difference between a restricted mineral and a lethal poison.
In Formulas
Formulas containing Xiong Huang
Indications & Clinical Uses
- Boils, carbuncles and toxic swellings (external)
- Snake and insect bite (external, alongside emergency medical care)
- Scabies, ringworm and parasitic skin disease (external)
- Phlegm wheezing and phlegm-type convulsion (classical internal use, minute doses)
Western Medical Keywords
Searchable condition terms
Contraindications
Cautions
Realgar is an arsenic compound and is toxic. Arsenic accumulates: repeated or prolonged use, internal or over large areas of skin, can produce nausea and abdominal pain, liver and kidney injury, pigmentation and thickening of the palms and soles, peripheral nerve damage, and — with long exposure — a raised risk of skin and other cancers. Acute overdose is a medical emergency. Never heat it: roasting or calcining turns realgar into arsenic trioxide. Internal use, if it occurs at all, is a practitioner's prescription in pill form at 0.05–0.1 g a day, for the shortest possible course, and never for children, in pregnancy, or with liver or kidney impairment. External use goes on a small area for a short time, never on broken skin over a wide surface and never on mucous membranes. Prepared medicines that contain realgar — the well-known throat and detoxifying pills among them — have caused arsenic poisoning when taken as a long course, and are restricted or prohibited in many jurisdictions, including several where importing them is unlawful. Check what is legal where you are before anything else.
Contraindicated in pregnancy: Contraindicated in pregnancy and while breastfeeding — arsenic crosses the placenta and is passed in milk.
For licensed practitioners’ reference only
References
- Shen Nong Ben Cao Jing《神农本草经》(classical source, public domain).
2. Bensky, Clavey & Stöger. Chinese Herbal Medicine: Materia Medica, 3rd ed.
3. 《中华人民共和国药典》.
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.