Zi Ran Tong自然铜
Pyritum · Pyrite · Natural Copper
Overview
Mineral pyrite — iron disulfide, brassy and metallic, despite the name having nothing to do with copper. Acrid and neutral, it belongs to the small group of substances used almost exclusively for trauma: it disperses stasis, stops the pain of a fresh injury, and is the herb most associated with knitting broken bone and torn sinew. It is essentially never used raw. The standard form is, calcined red-hot and quenched in vinegar, sometimes repeatedly, which makes the mineral brittle enough to powder and to give up anything into a decoction; raw pyrite is hard, inert in water, and harsh on the stomach.
Nature & Flavor
Acrid · NeutralChannels
LiverTypical Dosage
10–15 g in decoctionActions
3 core actions
- Disperses stasis, relieves painTraumatic injury with fixed, stabbing pain, bruising and swelling — the first phase after a fall, blow or sprain.
- Joins sinew and boneFracture and torn ligament; given internally through the healing period and also worked into the plasters and poultices of the traumatology tradition.
- The calcined formCalcining and vinegar-quenching makes the mineral friable and easier to extract, and directs it further toward the Liver and the blood; raw pyrite is not used internally in ordinary practice.
In Formulas
Formulas containing Zi Ran Tong
No published formula lists this herb yet — the library is growing.
Indications & Clinical Uses
- Fractures, during and after immobilisation
- Sprains, contusions and torn sinew with fixed stabbing pain
- Persistent stasis pain at an old injury site
Western Medical Keywords
Searchable condition terms
Contraindications
Cautions
A mineral, and dosed like one: keep to the range above, decoct it first, and treat it as a short-course herb for the healing period rather than something to continue indefinitely. It is inappropriate where there is no stasis to move, and where yin is deficient with flaring heat. Any suspected fracture is an imaging-and-orthopaedics matter first; this is an adjunct alongside proper reduction and immobilisation, not a substitute. Sourcing matters — mined pyrite may carry arsenic or lead as accompanying minerals, so use pharmacopoeial-grade material with a certificate of analysis.
Contraindicated in pregnancy: Avoid in pregnancy — it is a blood-moving stasis-dispersing mineral, the class most consistently restricted during gestation.
For licensed practitioners’ reference only
References
- Bensky, Clavey & Stöger. Chinese Herbal Medicine: Materia Medica, 3rd ed.
2. 《中华人民共和国药典》 (specifications for 煅自然铜).
3. 《中华本草》 (modern comprehensive materia medica).
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.