Gypsum Powder/Shi Gao Powder
【Latin name】: Gypsum Fibrosum
【Extraction source】: It is an ore containing hydrated calcium sulfate (CaSO4·2H2O). Gypsum: Wash, dry, crush, remove impurities, and crush into coarse powder. Gypsum calcination: Take clean gypsum, calcine it in a smokeless furnace or crucible until it is crispy, take it out and let it cool, then crush it.
【Functions in TCM】: Gypsum has the effects of clearing heat, purging fire, relieving restlessness and thirst; Calcined gypsum has the effects of astringent sores, promoting muscle growth, reducing dampness, and stopping bleeding. Commonly used for external heat diseases, high fever and thirst, lung heat and asthma, excessive stomach fire, headache, and toothache.
【Specification】: Crushed powder/Ground powder
【Appearance】: White to offwhite powder
【Particle size】: 95% pass 60 mesh size

Gypsum Powder/Shi Gao Powder Production Flowchart
Gypsum- crushing- screening – packaging – detection of physical and chemical indicators – warehousing

Specification of Gypsum Powder/Shi Gao Powder

Extended Reading
TCM effects recorded of Gypsum Powder/Shi Gao Powder
(1) Used for symptoms such as warm fever, lung and stomach heat, persistent high fever, thirst, irritability, and pulse enlargement. Gypsum medicine has a cold nature and is good at clearing qi and dividing excess heat, so it is suitable for the syndrome of lung and stomach excess heat. It is often used in conjunction with Zhi Mu to enhance the effect of clearing internal heat.

(2) Used for warm diseases with high fever and rash on the body. Freckles of warm diseases are often caused by excessive stomach fire and blood heat, which is a phenomenon of both qi and blood burning. In clinical practice, when encountering this syndrome, gypsum with strong heat clearing and fire purging properties is commonly used in combination with cooling and detoxifying drugs such as Xuan Shen, Dan Pi, Chi Shao, Sheng Di, and Ban Lan Gen.

(3) Used for symptoms such as headache, toothache, gum swelling and pain caused by excessive stomach fire. Gypsum can clear and relieve stomach fire, so diseases caused by excessive stomach fire can be used in combination with Zhi Mu, Niu Xi, and Sheng Di.

(4) Used for lung heat, cough, and asthma. Evil heat attacks the lungs, causing symptoms such as high fever, cough, shortness of breath, and thirst and thirst. Gypsum can be used to clear and relieve lung heat, accompanied by ephedra, almonds, and other lung promoting, cough relieving, and asthma relieving products (i.e. Ma Xing Shi Gan Tang).

(5) Used for eczema, water and fire burns, ulcers that do not heal after ulceration, and wounds that do not close for a long time.

(6) Gypsum calcination is used topically after grinding to treat various surgical diseases. It has the effects of clearing heat, astringency, and promoting muscle growth. It is often used in combination with Sheng Dan, Huang Bai, and Qing Dai.

(7) Gypsum is an essential medicine for clearing qi and separating excess heat. For those who experience strong heat, sweating, thirst, and excessive pulse when the heat is in the qi, cold and cool gypsum can be used to clear heat and relieve fire. If used together with heat clearing and blood cooling drugs, it can also be used to treat symptoms such as excessive heat, freckles, and delirium caused by qi and energy burning. Gypsum is good at clearing lung and stomach heat. If you see symptoms such as pathogenic heat stagnation and boiling or excessive stomach fire, you can use this product. In clinical application, if combined with Zhimu, it can clear heat and relieve fire, and can treat Yangming internal heat; If paired with ephedra, it can clear and promote lung heat, leading to lung heat, asthma, and cough; To treat stomach fire and toothache, combined with mature herbs, it can clear the stomach and nourish yin, and treat deficiency fire toothache; Paired with ginseng, it can clear heat, nourish qi, and treat the two injuries of heat, excess body fluid, and qi. Overall, most of it has the effect of clearing the lungs and cooling the stomach.